I recently had an interview regarding my business and the events for married couples called “CELEBRATE the DANCE”. Thought I’d share it with you so you can understand why this invitation is so important.
Tell us about KATHY BURRUS, GREEN HOPE COACHING:
Kathy: I am a life and marriage coach that works primarily with women in some transition of life. In the change that occurs with their next step, I most often hear from them “I want to do something that matters. I want to make a difference in my world.” I help them identify what their core values are and what ‘difference’ is most important to them. Then we determine how to go about it.
Often in that process is the influence/ or roadblocks they have in their marriage. These women who want to make a difference usually desire to have a stronger marriage- even if their marriage is good. It is my heart’s cry to see couples thriving together- not settling or complacent with things as is too often the case.
Green Hope Coaching exists to create safe and stimulating environments that allow women and their husbands to intentionally design hope for their life and their marriage.
WHY this is so important to you, Kathy?
Kathy: That comes out of my own story. Rennie & I have been married 35 years. We KNOW the challenge couples face as we navigate the choices and decisions within a marriage. We’ve had times in our lives that we think we are going the same place, have the same vision. Suddenly we end up in two different places and wonder how that happened. What we forget is that our expectation, preferences and assumptions often cause us to ‘think’ we’ve communicated clearly about where we are headed, but miss the mark by, what could be tiny differences of thought.
Along with that are some seasons of life where one partner or the other is really struggling. For instance, after our daughter died, everything seemed too hard. I wanted to care for my husband and family, but sometimes grief is paralyzing. It was in that moment that Rennie stepped up in a new way for me. He reached out for me and held on to me when I couldn’t hold on to him. I hate to think where we might be if he had not.
WHAT are some ways you speak to women/ couples and the issues they face?
Several times a year, Rennie & I partner with Tanya & Doug Shafner of Tanya’s School of Dance in Lima and invite area couples to join us for one hour of ballroom dance lessons with one hour of group/ couple conversation about what we learned about our marriage dance. Here are some of the comments we have heard: “How did you know what questions to ask? I didn’t think my husband was capable of saying something like that to me- or about me? Thank you! It was so special to me to hear him say those words. ” “I never knew how much I was fighting against my spouse. Neither of us see any progress that way. If we worked together, we both got where we wanted to be and enjoyed the process.” “Who would have thought having the hard conversation could be so much fun! I was dreading this- but it was really enjoyable.” One husband said, “I only came because I knew my wife would love this. But I’ll have to admit, the benefit of honoring her in this was worth it all the way around.” So…