Do you have a dream that still feels a little too big to say out loud? Seven years ago, mine was a room full of couples in red flannels, sitting in a U shape by the river with the Montana mountains behind them. This past weekend, that dream became real. Sixty people. Thirty couples. All high performing entrepreneurs, all in Big Sky for our very first Montana Mastermind couples retreat. And honestly? I’m still buzzing.
In this episode of The Happy Hustle Podcast, I’m flying solo to share my top five takeaways from that weekend. We’d never done a couples mastermind before. This was the first one ever. People told me it was the most impactful weekend of their lives. One woman thanked me for giving her husband back to her. I don’t take credit for any of that. I know it’s God’s plan and divine alignment. But I learned a ton, and whether you want to host your own events or just want to level up your relationship and your business, I think you will too.
Here’s the big shift. Most of us treat our marriage and our business like two separate worlds. We go to the conference, have the breakthrough, then come home and try to explain it to our partner. Something gets lost in translation every time. When you’re both in the room, you don’t have to translate anything. You just experience it together. And underneath all five takeaways is one simple truth. If you believe it, you can achieve it. It all starts with a vision, and you have to believe in it fiercely enough to go create it.
1. Hold the vision and write it down. You’re 42% more likely to hit your goals if you write them down. That’s why we have everyone get their goals on paper before and during the mastermind. I wrote this event down years ago, got clear on what it would look like and who I’d need to make it happen. Then I watched it unfold in real life. Clarity comes first.
2. Get aligned with your partner. Couples who stay together turn toward each other 86% of the time. Couples who aren’t on the same team often end up apart. One guy said something that stopped me in my tracks: he realized he didn’t actually dislike talking to people, he just didn’t like the people he’d been talking to. Profound in its simplicity. Our speakers Rich Christensen and his wife Gay talked about the value of having shared values, both what you stand for and what you reject. I saw aligned couples change in moments, not months.
3. Fun is fundamental. Entrepreneurs just aren’t having enough fun. We ran a full tournament with cornhole, spike ball, horseshoes, ladder ball and more, complete with a bracket, awards and prizes. Everyone had a blast. Fun isn’t the reward. Fun fuels the hustle. So schedule it like a board meeting and treat it with the same importance. Book the adventure. Plan the date night. Get outside and play.
4. Protect the room. We had world class speakers like Rory and AJ Vaden of Brand Builders Group, six time New York Times bestselling author Garrett Gunderson, and Joey Klein of the Inner Matrix System. A big reason people like that want to show up is that we curate the room hard. We have a no douchebag policy. No egos means real breakthroughs. So audit your circle. Find rooms where you’re the student, not the teacher, because who you surround yourself with is ultimately who you become.
5. Prioritize intimacy and connection. Harvard’s 85 year study found that people with warm, close relationships live healthier, longer lives. Warm touch at least three times a week releases more oxytocin and lowers stress. Two of our speakers handed every guest a feather and gave us homework: slow down, one inch per second. Everyone laughed, but the point landed. Intimacy isn’t a reward or a bargaining chip. It’s part of the human experience and part of marriage. Phones down, eyes up. Touch, laugh, smile, connect. Presence is the greatest gift you can give your partner.
Watching thirty couples crack open, laugh together and fall back in love with each other was one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever been part of. That’s what the Happy Hustle is all about. Building something great in business without sacrificing the people you love most along the way. Success means a lot less if you’re not sharing it with someone who’s truly in your corner.
If you’re ready to get clear on your vision, get aligned with your partner and bring a little more fun and connection back into your life, listen to the full episode now at caryjack.com/podcastin. It just might be the reset you didn’t know you needed.
Connect with Cary!
Get a copy of his new book, The Happy Hustle, 10 Alignments to Avoid Burnout & Achieve Blissful Balance
Sign up for The Journey: 10 Days To Become a Happy Hustler Online Course
Apply to the Montana Mastermind Epic Camping Adventure
“It’s time to Happy Hustle, a blissfully balanced life you love, full of passion, purpose, and positive impact!”
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