4 Couples Reveal The Beauty Of Putting In Work For The Love They Deserve
Someone once told me love is the most powerful force in the universe. The power of love can unify, heal, uplift, and bring us to new heights. But, just like the universe, love can also be very complex. Love is the gateway to vulnerability. It's us completely letting someone into our insecurities, traumas, and deepest secrets. Love is kind. It's being gentle and compassionate to ourselves and others even when we don't fully understand. Love is forgiving. It's using pain as an opportunity for growth and strength rather than an excuse to stay angry. Above all else, love is genderless and colorless.
Love comes in many definitions, but I think we all can agree that love is a daily practice that takes work. I always wondered why the idea of "work" always seemed to have a negative connotation for most, especially when work in partnership can be the key to us being the best version of ourselves. I wanted to explore this idea further, of love and work and love being the kind of work you enjoy. I had the pleasure of talking to a few couples about their idea of work, growth, and the hard lessons they've learned in love.
Brandie & Her Partner On How They Define Work In Their Relationship:
Courtesy of Brandie & her partner
"Our definition of work in a relationship is growing through life together. The good times are good but I want to know that I have someone solid when things are rough, when they're ugly, when my hair's a mess, when I'm depressed when I'm angry when I'm uncomfortable. Through all seasons and in all ways. A relationship will never be all sunshine.
"It takes rain to grow flowers, it takes dirt to nurture them too. Take care of your relationship the way the earth takes care of a flower, and by no means forget about the sunshine."
"We measure growth by our communication. We can talk to each other about anything. Things that could make a couple blush, we enjoy sharing. We talk when we're angry, we talk when we're sad, we talk when we're happy. We respect each other's space as well. These are things we didn't always do, when we look back it's a feeling of rejoicing to see how far we've come. We understand that to grow, change must be willing to take place, so if ever you're feeling stuck, we know a growth spurt is near our relationship. We welcome it with open arms."
Shay & Jeremiah On Putting Work Into Their Relationship To Keep It Healthy:
Courtesy of Jeremiah & Shay
"We understood the value of proactive therapy. We started going to financial counseling, even before we got engaged. We had a vision of the life we wanted in the future, and know we needed to start before he proposed. Then, after getting engaged, we began faith-based premarital counseling. That was a game-changer! We highly recommend that couples who are dating on a serious level, do some type of therapy before getting engaged. It teaches you so much about not only your partner but about yourself.
"'Sometimes you just won't have the answer. Ask yourself, 'Can you live with it?' If so, then let it go.' This mantra has always saved us from going down a rabbit hole during disagreements. There have been times when one of us was frustrated about something, but deep down it was because we were triggered by something else. Becoming one with your partner doesn't make your individual experiences and past traumas just disappear. So we need to remember that it is natural to bump heads with the person you love."
Andrea & Donnie On The Biggest Lessons Learned Throughout 24 Years Of Marriage:
Photo Credit: Ebes OlumeseCourtesy of Andrea & Donnie
"My greatest lesson is not moving through life, or this marriage feeling like I'm superwoman! I have a life partner, where I have learned to let down my guard and not be the tough girl. And, trust me, it took some years to get here. But I allow myself to be vulnerable, even in marriage, letting my husband be the man he was raised to be, as well as the provider and protector of his kingdom!
"The best advice I have to offer is to first of all, not look for happiness in anyone outside of yourself. Once you know how to make yourself happy, and love everything about yourself, then you'll have no problem teaching others how to love you, because there's a difference in how people love you, and how you allow them to love you!"
Tiffany & Kevin On How The Work In Their Partnership Has Made Them Better:
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Austin DavisCourtesy of Tiffany & Kevin
"If your partner doesn't make you better, they ain't the one! I'm naturally very introverted and throughout the years, my husband has inspired me to take more risks and follow my creative path. We talk all the time about endlessly leaving room for growth. He knows that if he decides next week, he completely wants to change directions, I'll be like, 'OK...what's the plan?!' And vice versa.
"The freedom and support to be who we are, make us the best versions of ourselves if that makes sense."
"We both learned that love does not have a universal definition. We think each relationship you have may exhibit love in different ways. In realizing that, it freed us from having to live up to anything we'd seen before, but instead, build our unique definition of love."
Featured image by Elizabeth Austin Davis, c/o Tiffany & Kevin
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Why We'll Probably Never Hear Lupita Nyong'o Share Her Relationship With The World
Lupita Nyong'o is sharing a transparent look into her life after a recent breakup.
In a cover story for NET-A-PORTER, the A Quiet Place: Day One star shed light on the significant heartbreak she experienced following the end of her relationship with ex-boyfriend and TV host, Selema Masekela.
As a public figure, Nyong'o, 39, sought to divulge the news of the breakup in hopes of presenting a more authentic perspective on the pain that follows a separation.
"I was living in a lot of pain and heartbreak," she told the publication. "I looked at the environment of my social media and thought I don’t want to be a part of this illusion that everything is always coming up roses. Surely there is a lesson for me to learn in this, and I just want to be real about it."
The Black Panther star went on to explain that her choice to be transparent with her fans about her breakup came from the certainty she felt after ending the relationship. “In my mind, when I shared my relationship status with the world, it was because I felt sure about it,” she said.
While she didn’t know how the news would land with her fans, she found relief in knowing she wasn’t alone in her experience.
“I knew how it could be interpreted; I knew it would have a life of its own,” she reflects. “But then I started to see the comments and people were being so loving and supportive. The ones that moved me the most were other people sharing their pain and their heartbreak.”
Nyong'o and Masekela went Instagram official in December 2022, publicly announcing their relationship in a couple's video. In October 2023, Nyong'o took to her personal Instagram account to share the news of her breakup in her caption, writing, "At this moment, it is necessary for me to share a personal truth and publicly dissociate myself from someone I can no longer trust.”
She continued the vulnerable note, "I find myself in a season of heartbreak because of a love suddenly and devastatingly extinguished by deception. I am tempted to run into the shadows and hide, only to return to the light when I have regained my strength enough for me to say, 'Whatever, my life is better this way.' But I am reminded that the magnitude of the pain I am feeling is equal to the measure of my capacity for love."
These days, Nyong'o tells NET-A-PORTER that she is prioritizing profound self-discovery that extends beyond her career. She notes having a deliberate and unhurried approach to understanding herself.
She also alludes to keeping her relationships private moving forward after noting it was "very, very sage" of her not to talk about her private life professionally in the days before her last relationship. "I'm going back to those days by the way," Nyong'o shares of her reinstated boundaries around her personal life.
Earlier this month, Nyong'o made headlines alongside her new boyfriend actor Joshua Jackson. Nyong'o and Jackson went through public splits from their respective SOs in October 2023, with the latter splitting from his long-time partner Jodie Turner-Smith following her divorce filing from the Dawson's Creek alum.
The pair have been spotted together as early as December 2023, but nothing screamed "couple" quite as loudly as their recent getaway to Mexico for Nyong'o's 41st birthday featuring passionate displays of affection.
"Our purpose in life is to love. And so you have to get back in it," she tells the outlet, seemingly alluding to her budding new romance.
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Featured image by Taylor Hill/Getty Images