Tia Mowry-Hardrict & Cory Hardrict Have All The Answers On How To Maintain A Successful Marriage
When it comes to lessons in love, married couple Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Cory Hardrict have a gem or two.
This year, the couple, who have been married since 2008, celebrated nine years of marriage together. And although they are always quick to say that things are never perfect between them, they do admit that like wine, they have only gotten better with time.
Last month, the beloved couple made headlines when they announced that they were expecting a second child together. Shortly after, Tia took to her YouTube channel Tia Mowry's Quick Fix to answer some questions that fans were dying to know, and she included her hubby Cory in the mix as a special guest. Cory and Tia have always been open about their love, and this Q&A was no different. On it, they talked candidly about favorite memories, the power of prayer, how they met, and of course, how they make their nearly 20-year relationship work. Read on for some of our favorite moments!
During the chat, Cory admitted that when they first met, he had little to nothing compared to the much more successful Tia. In fact, they met while working on a horror film together in 1999, but didn't actually begin a friendship until she and her twin sister Tamera picked him up from the bus stop they saw him waiting at. After a year of being strictly platonic, the two started dating.
"I knew Tia was the one for me when she was in my corner when I moved to LA – when I moved to Inglewood, and I had like two pairs of drawers to my name. I was dirt poor, I didn't have anything, and she appreciated everything for what it was, and she loved me for me. I knew once I could get better in a financially in a better situation that I was going to buy her a ring and that was going to be my wife. And here we are, so that's when I knew she was the one for me… because it was real love. It's not perfect, now…We might fight when I get home, but that's real love."
In their Q&A, Tia revealed that she wasn't looking for anything when Cory came into her life, but his patience with her and what she wanted paid off. Never forcing it, he allowed her to go at a pace that was truly her own. And to this day, it is a trait of her husband's that she cherishes.
"He just had loads of patience for me. Remember when I said, 'I'm not really sure if I want to get in a relationship right now, I just need some time.' And he was just, right there for me and held my hand. He had a lot of patience with everything. He never forced himself to kiss me or anything like that. I just thought that that was just cool and amazing. Not only that--he taught me how to believe in myself – I don't know why I'm about to cry (tears up) …More than I believe in myself. He's my biggest supporter. You're my biggest fan."
When it comes to keeping the spark alive in long-term relationships, Tia had a simple yet effective solution of how she and Cory keep their nearly two decades long relationship feeling new, and it has everything to do with quality time.
"We still date each other. I think it's important to still try to woo your significant other. Yeah, you 'have' them and you're married, but that doesn't mean you have to give up. So, still like dress nice for your significant other and put on that, you know, what does Beyoncé say? Freakum dress? (laughs) We definitely make sure that we have date night at least once a week or once every two weeks where it's just him and I."
It's been inspiring to watch Tia and Cory's relationship grow over the years. They are a true example of marriage and family goals. The couple have opened up in the past about how the absence of gender roles has helped their marriage but also offered some additional words of advice to having a successful marriage in the Q&A.
"I think the secret to a successful marriage is forgiveness. There are going to be times when you do something to someone that hurts their feelings. Whether it's an action or it's something that you say, you have to be willing to forgive. I also think it's important to uplift your significant other… Sometimes we always focus on the things that we need to work but I think it's really important to celebrate the things you are doing great within a marriage."
A happy marriage is much better said than done, but Tia and Cory's love story makes it seem like it is a possibility after all. To hear the full story of how Tia and Cory's gotten their love to flourish, watch their full Q&A chat below.
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This Black Woman-Owned Creative Agency Shows Us The Art Of Rebranding
Rebranding is an intricate process and very important to the success of businesses that want to change. However, before a business owner makes this decision, they should determine whether it's a rebrand or an evolution.
That's where people like Lola Adewuya come in. Lola is the founder and CEO of The Brand Doula, a brand development studio with a multidisciplinary approach to branding, social media, marketing, and design.
While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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Exclusive: After Focusing On His Career For So Long, David Banner Is Now Ready To Find A Wife
During the Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heistpremiere, David Banner, who stars in the film, opened up about his weight loss and his desire to get married and start a family. At 50, David has accomplished many feats, from rapping, producing, and acting, and now he's ready for the next phase of his life. "I want to get married," he tells xoNecole.
"I'm tired. I want to find my wife, have some kids. We chase all of these esoteric goals, and sometimes we look back, and we left the things that really matter. I looked up one day, I had all of them, the music accolades, the film accolades, not all the ones that I want, but a lot of them. I had accomplished my goal, had chased my goal so long that when I looked up, I saw that I ran off and left everything else."
He also shares how working in the entertainment industry can sometimes affect his life and relationships with others. "We forget to be human beings, and people don't allow us to be human beings," he continues. "So, that's the reason why I said what I said, because I know what y'all platform means, and I want people to know that there are still some human beings that's up on that camera, and sometimes we hurt too."
Back in 2016, the "Like a Pimp" artist released the single "Marry Me" and shared in an exclusive interview with us how he is working on becoming his best self for his future wife.
"I just want to be the man that most Black women want to marry. I want to be a Black man that stands strong," he said. "I'm not perfect, but [I want to be the man] women want to marry and that kids want to be their father. I want to be that man. [When I die] I want people to say that that's a strong African man, I am proud that he's a part of my culture."
During our most recent interview with the "Get Like Me" rapper, he also revealed that he lost 35 lbs and dished on how important it is to take care of your body. "I have this thing that I want to be our children's superhero on the screen and off, and people always talk about mental health, but part of your mental health is what you put in your body," he says.
"People always talk about God. People always talk about the church, but the real church is your body, your temple. So I am treating my body and my temple as if God is in there."
Fight Night is out now on Peacock.
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