Secrets of Power Couples: Alignment, Wealth & Lasting Legacy

Makena: Hello, everyone.

Gigi: Hello, everyone. I’m so excited to be back. I’ve been gone for two weeks, I guess, almost three weeks, I think.

Makena: Yeah. And Gigi’s actually here in San Diego with me right now.

Gigi: Yeah. Against this beautiful wall behind me.

Makena: So she came in for my baby shower after her trip to Asia, and we are excited to be. Well, we’re in separate rooms because we’re used to recording this way, but we’re excited to be together to record this podcast for you. 

So in a recent episode that Gigi recorded, she was talking a little bit about power couples and mentioned her new program, the Secrets of Power Couples program. And we had a couple of people reach out and be like, What is that? And what is a power couple? And can you tell us more? 

And so we really wanted to do this episode today to talk more about that. What is a power couple? And also, how does. You know, what’s the difference in just being a great couple versus being truly what we call a power couple? 

And especially we want to talk about that in terms of how this really grows your success, your business, wealth, and legacy. 

So, Gigi, we’re so excited to listen to your wisdom and expertise in this area.

Gigi: Yeah. You know, this is one of my favorite topics. Yeah, I love it.

Makena: Absolutely. So where I’d love to begin is that, you know, when I think about some of your clients and couples that you’ve worked with over many years or decades, some of them. 

There are some couples who have this amazing quality where everything they touch seems to turn to gold. It’s like they’ve got lots of different projects and businesses and so much success, and not just financial success, but, of course, other areas as well. 

Well, there are other incredible couples who struggle more. And so I was curious if you could just kind of open up by telling us, what do you see as some of the differences that really makes a power couple stand out?

Gigi: Yeah, I think with my work, it’s one of the things that I teach in the Secrets of Power Couples is it’s just a different level of consciousness, I think, and alignment. 

And what really makes that distinction is the intentional action of aligning and then also being open to growing. And with power couples, when people make that really, that shift, it is. You know, a lot of times people think that a power couple is just somebody who’s a couple that’s very successful. Right. 

They have a lot of wealth, a lot of things working. But I make a lot of distinctions around that, and we can talk about it as we grow. Go. Go. But a simple way of looking at it is aligning and then also being open to growth, and both partners being open to growth. 

And, you know, one way that works is when a couple truly aligns, when they go into their relationship to really get on each other’s team, then what happens is it creates this exponential results versus this kind of linear growth. 

Right. Where of course, we all have linear growth at some point in our path. But when this energy happens, you know, I always call it. It’s almost like a plug-in. When you plug into each other and you get aligned with each other, oh my God, the possibilities increase so much. And there’s this invisible force that kind of separates the extraordinary from the merely successful. And I believe that’s a key to it, this alignment with each other.

Makena: I feel like people might not know. I’m sure you’ll describe this more as we go through the episode, what exactly you mean by alignment. 

We do have a sense when we come across sometimes those extraordinary power couples that are like, wow, there you can sort of feel the difference in a couple that is really aligned in that way. 

So just for people to kind of think about that, have they come across couples like that? It may be quite rare, right, that they really experience that.

Gigi: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What happens, it’s. It’s really beyond the kind of individual success. And what happens is they become committed to each other in such a way that they get on each other’s team and always say, one plus one equals ten. 

They become ten times more powerful when they do this. It’s a matter of really looking to see how to bring out each other’s individual strengths versus competing. You know, a lot of times competing or complaining or, you know, pulling each other down. 

And so what happens is these couples, when they learn this and they learn how to align, they start to really fuel each other’s potential. You know, I say it’s bottom line is this, whatever you want, I’m going to assist you to get it, as long as it doesn’t hurt me or you or someone you know.

But I’m going to get in there and fully get on your team and be with you in such a way that I’m. I’m going to insist that you also go for your personal success along with our combined interest as a team and a couple. 

So together, you know, there’s no shrinking or compromising. There’s only that we expand together, you know, and of course, we can expand separately, but there’s always the togetherness in the Power couple.

Makena: Yeah. So for a couple who might be listening to this and going, like, am I a power couple or what? What else can I do to become a power couple? 

Like, the big thing you’re saying is it’s this level of being on each other’s team, out for each other’s success, both individually and as a couple. Is that kind of what you’re calling alignment here?

Gigi: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Makena: Yeah. So it is this, I guess, just. It’s beyond just having a great relationship or something like that. It’s really taking it also into the realm of. Of business and success, and a career, if they’re in careers or something like that. 

And I love that. Just seeing what would really bring the other person out, and then you as a couple together as well.

Gigi: Yeah, yeah.

Makena: So what else, really? Is there anything else that defines a power couple in your book? Like, beyond again, just two successful people who happen to be together and have a great love. Is there anything else that really sets a power couple apart?

Gigi: Yeah, I think there are many things. And one of the things that I work with couples on is really creating a game together. And it’s something that’s bigger than their relationship. And so they have this also kind of shared vision that goes beyond personal goals. So they are in it together. They’re going for something along with their personal goals, but they are going for something together. And they know what that is.

And then another big distinction is the way they handle challenges. And, you know, a lot of couples, little things become like earthquakes, but with a power couple, they become like speed bumps because they’ve learned the tools and skills because of their, you know, like I said, curiosity to get out and grow. 

Then they learn certain life skills and things like that to where they really know how to navigate the challenges. And they put the time into navigating the challenges where, you know, we’ll talk about another episodes where a lot of times those things get lost to putting the time in.

So what happens is the energy flow becomes that. The relationship becomes this fuel source. It becomes a battery pack because they are eliminating the challenges quickly and not allowing them to build up, you know. 

And so in that, just like with the alignment, there, there are steps to building that energy flow and that alignment and building your connection in such a way to where you’re moving the world together, not as you know, yes, individually, but also that you have a clear path together. 

And as I said before, you’re really on each other’s team and people can feel and sense that, you know, you can really feel that with people. I mean, you and Sunny have that Makena completely.

Makena: Yeah. I think, in a lot of ways. And you’ve mentored us in many, many ways to have that and talk to me about what a power couple is over the years and how do you really empower each other and build a certain kind of trust in the relationship and then also, which we may get into today, or maybe not the differences between men and women and then distinctions and what we each bring to a power couple relationship, I think is also really fascinating. 

But what I’m hearing you say just at a kind of a high level. It does sound like a lot of work. And I think that’s something that is a key piece here is because there’s a lot of great couples who are deeply in love, but what you’re talking about is. 

Is a certain level of intentionality, right?

Gigi: It is, yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s. It’s like building a conscious relationship with intention. Absolutely. And it’s funny because it is a lot of work, but, you know, this is true in anything you build in life, that it’s a lot of work, just like when you’re building your business.

But if you don’t do it, or if you skirt by things in your business and you don’t handle certain things and you don’t address certain things and you ignore them, then they come up later, and then it becomes even more work to put out the fires. Right. 

And it’s the same thing in a relationship is that if you don’t tend to the relationship in a way you put this kind of work in, then often the breakdowns, you don’t see them for a long time. 

And so when they do come up, it becomes a lot of work and a lot of work. Because then there’s already habitual patterns happening that were maybe unconscious. And to go back and redo your relationship, it takes a lot of work. 

The thing about when you put the work in the beginning or wherever you are in your relationship, then what happens is you’re building the foundation in such a way that you’re going to be able to nip things in the bud very quickly and to see things quickly, you know?

Makena: Yeah. For some reason, I’m thinking about, like, compound interest, you know, and they teach about compound interest. 

It’s like making these deposits over time into your relationship bank, but also into, you know, we’ll talk about. Because you always say when couples get their relationship right, then everything accelerates. Right.

Gigi: Absolutely.

Makena: That their success accelerates and all these different areas are so much richer. And so I just keep thinking about like these little deposits over time instead of taking from your piggy bank, so to speak, and that then it’s building this compound interest versus, you know, if you’re taking, taking, taking, you end up in the negative. You end up with these bigger issues over time. I don’t know. 

That just popped into my mind as you were sharing.

Gigi: Yeah, that’s a great, I think it’s a great analogy. Yeah. Yeah.

Makena: So it’s a really long term thing, right?

Gigi: It is, it is. It’s a long term thing. And if you really want to grow something that’s exceptional, it is long term. Right. We do that with our businesses, with our families and you know, mastering these, these things early on or again, no matter where you are, you can make a shift to a deeper connection. It just helps you in your decision making, quality as a couple. And it also, it, you know, you have somebody that has your back instead of it being, you know, often with couples, when challenges come up, you know they’re at each other. Right. And they’re, they don’t like they’re not on each other’s team. 

And if you’re consistently building your relationship from this place of seeing what’s working, what’s not working, putting the time in, then you can just navigate those challenges so much faster and you feel supported in a different way. Yeah.

Makena: So how does doing all of this really, like you’re saying, accelerate people’s success? It sounds almost too good to be true.

Gigi: Well, think about it like this. Think about when a relationship’s not working or you have challenges, the energy and the attention that gets pulled from breakdown.

So I always like to give this example. If things aren’t working in your relationship, and especially for women, also for men. But women love relationship, we’re relationship beings. We want to make our relationships beautiful. 

And when things aren’t working, you color, you carry that with you through the other parts of your life. So when you go to your work, if things aren’t working at home, there’s a little piece of you that’s never quite present to be in there and really go for whatever you’re doing in your career, your business or whatever. 

It’s the same thing there’s a piece of you, if you have a family that’s not completely present for your children. 

When you are doing the things that I’m talking about in terms of building this power couple unit, then it frees you up so much because you have this mental bandwidth that’s freed up. You’re not pulled by all these little things and all these stresses that you know that are pulling on your attention. And same thing for the man in the relationship. 

And so what happens is you you have this energy, this battery pack. And when you go out into the world to work on your career and be successful, you have the backing, you have the energy, and you feel so supported that you have a whole level of awareness and energy and vitality to put in to really grow things. 

Does that make sense?

Makena: Yeah. So, like, what you’re talking about is kind of like, if there’s breakdowns, then there is the strain. There is this distraction. It actually can detract probably from your success and your ability to really put yourself out there in a different way versus when you really build this kind of dynamic. 

And of course you’re gonna break down sometimes, but like you said, you are that battery pack for each other and you’re really helping fuel each other’s success. It’s a very different kind of feeling. I think everybody can imagine that. Yeah.

Gigi: And you feel more confident. You know, you have a believer in your life, you know, someone that at home is there for you and supportive. 

And again, you know, I have to reference back to you and Sunny. I think you both really feel that in your life, feel that kind of support. And you stand out a lot of times as a couple. 

And it doesn’t mean. We’re not talking about that Power couples are better than other couples. Yeah, it’s not that at all. Wherever you choose to be as a couple is perfectly okay. 

What we’re talking about is a different kind of up leveling. And not everybody wants to go there, you know, not everybody. That’s not a priority for them or a value in that matter.

Makena: Yeah, I think that’s a really important point. But there will be people listening who are curious about it, who are like, I want to experience that quality of relationship, or I want to really grow in my own success and my partner in theirs, or maybe even do something together. And so that’s really what we’re speaking to here. 

But I love that you said that, because not everybody wants that.

Gigi: Right, right.

Makena: Some people are content to just have a great relationship and not be that. 

Can you walk us through a specific example? We’re talking about this kind of acceleration factor where having this power couple dynamic really accelerates your success. 

So can you walk us through any examples of this and maybe couples you’ve worked with or. Because I know this is something you’ve. You’ve supported a lot of couples with.

Gigi: Yeah, I mean, it can often be something as simple as I’ve had clients who were doing well together. Like we’re talking about, you know, they worked and they had businesses. Maybe some. 

Some of them, my clients have businesses together. But they weren’t completely on the same page. And so in that, there was always a bit of distraction, there were conflict and things like that. And when they started learning, first of all, communication skills and have the willingness to really get in and align with each other, then what happened is there. 

Oh, let’s just take an example of people that are in business together, then what happened is they were able to first of all, acknowledge their strengths and their weaknesses and see who’s good at what. Right. And really align to say, okay, if I’m good at this piece and you’re good at this piece, then let’s, let’s give each other those roles. 

And, you know, I have more weakness in this area and to really support each other where previously they might have been making each other wrong and going against each other. And so that awareness is huge because what it does is it again starts to create alignment. Right. 

And less time is wasted on why is he doing this or she doing that. So in that there’s an opportunity, first of all, to have more fun in business. And through that fun and through that inspiration, create more opportunities and then also earn more money. Because when again, you’re aligned, that what happens. You have that ability to brainstorm together to look and see what you want to do, and you’re not competing that. “Oh, you know, he doesn’t acknowledge my this or she doesn’t think I’m this.” 

Because you’ve designed tools where you also are in communication all the time to let each other know what you appreciate about each other also and to really get in there and acknowledge each other. 

So it just creates this different kind of dynamic where things can exponentially grow.

Makena: So then with the specific clients that you’ve worked with, how. What are some of the results that that actually creates for them?

Gigi: You know, they have double revenues, tripled net worth. You know, they work less, they have more fun in their businesses, they have more free time, they have new ideas come to them, and these businesses are exciting for them, so they enjoy their work more. 

And then I had a client who, she had a very successful business, and she at one point asked me, she said, “I really want to go into business with My husband, he was building, working in real estate…” And so at one point she sold her business and she went into business with him and they really built, you know, a real estate empire. 

And that was a big decision to make, you know, because she had a very successful business before, but she decided she wanted to go in and really align with him and build something together, which would be a family business. 

The other thing it also creates is legacy. You know, that’s a lot with my clients. As they work together more and they align more, they can bring their families in and there’s that element of, you know, passing on their knowledge and their businesses to their children. 

And that’s a very exciting thing of building something that is full circle, you know, in terms of their relationship, their harmony there, their businesses together, bringing their children in and really bringing something that creates a big legacy in life.

Makena: I love those examples and those are huge, you know, results in terms of doubling, we just say it offhand, but double revenue and triple net worth. Like, that’s a big deal. 

But I’m curious too, for couples who are listening, who are like, well, I don’t know for sure if I want to be in business with my partner. Is their version of this where couples aren’t necessarily in business with each other, but they still have that kind of alignment and are really growing?

Gigi: Absolutely. Yeah. I have couples who have separate businesses, but they have aligned, like I said, game together. And so they also. They’re not in business together, but they still support each other in terms of being sounding boards for each other and assisting each other in terms of vision and seeing what to do. 

So they have that alignment, like I said, of whatever you want, I’m going to absolutely support you to get it. So they are consciously involved in the business, but maybe not actively doing stuff in the business.

Makena: Yeah, I love that. And I know we’ve talked about this a fair bit, but is there anything else you want to share? Just about. Because it is kind of the topic of this episode, how this kind of alignment, again, specifically impacts financial growth. I mean, you talked about some of the examples from your clients. Is there anything else for people who are listening in terms of how they should be thinking about this?

Gigi: Yeah, I mean, the result of when you start to learn. And again, some of what I teach is so, so simple in the communication skills. It’s just a matter of applying them and then being consistent with them. 

So just like in anything, we set up consistent meetings and structure for meetings and things like that. But the, the results of it is, you know, think about it. When you have an aligned financial vision, you’re not two people going, oh, okay, I want this, I want this. And not aligning or talking to each other about it. 

Then it really shifts from having money conflicts to, again, almost having like a game to play together to where you really see what you want. And here’s the thing with human beings, you know, the minute we have clarity, then we know what to do a lot of times, you know, and that’s something that we’re really good at Makena, with all of our clients. Right. Is assisting them to get that clarity. And then for couples to get clarity on what they want and what’s the financial vision they’re going for, because then, “okay, wow, now we know what to do.” 

And then you have the communication skills that assist you when challenges come up. Because like you said, it’s not all, you know, wonderful and everything’s working all the time. 

We have big moments where there’s big things and they still have conflict and all of those things, but we have the tools to shift through those. And we have the willingness. That’s the other thing, the willingness for the growth. 

And I think also really looking at it as, you know, if you’ve ever done anything in your life where you’ve, you’ve worked on something and you’ve grown it over time, it can even be a garden. Right. You just see the return on investment for the time and energy you put into it. 

And it’s the same thing in your power couple unit. It’s having this mindset that this is an investment in our long term game together. In our long term family that we’re building. 

And then like I said, the legacy piece of really thinking about how you’re building something that, you know, first of all is a model for your children, which is awesome. 

I’ve watched couples who really didn’t know how to navigate this and they started learning how to work together and like I said, how to communicate, how to have strong intimacy together and really become this unit of strength to where their children admire it and really say, like, “wow, I want to do this.” 

So you become a role model for your children and for other people.

Makena: How does that show up? I mean, I’m sure the majority of the couples probably have children or want children, but if someone doesn’t want kids, how does that show up? 

Is that thinking more in terms of just building the life they want long term or is it about impact in some way. Like, what do you see there for couples who may or may not have children?

Gigi: Well, it’s a very individual thing. It’s a very. It’s up to you in terms of what do you see as your legacy. Legacy has nothing to do with just having children. It has to do with what your uniqueness or what is something that you’re putting into the world or you’re putting together in the world as a couple that you see will have a create a legacy. You know, it can be buying a piece of land and developing a farmland and creating. You know, it could be anything. It’s just. 

That’s where we have to dig deep and go, what is to unique to you and unique to your partner that you feel passionate enough and that you want to build together. And again, like I said, it doesn’t mean you have to be in business together, but still that you have some kind of game together, that you’re moving with each other. Because the point of that is that that allows you to grow together in such a way and see each other in new light. Where if you’re just having a relationship, sometimes it can get a little, like, boring.

Makena: Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so let’s take all this and make it a little bit practical for people who are listening.

What does communication actually sound like in a power couple relationship versus maybe a regular successful couple?

Gigi: One thing, it’s changing complaints to clear requests. That’s something I teach and teach a process around that again, saves so much time and energy. 

Oh, my gosh. This is an aha moment for couples, because often we just aren’t aware of our pattern of communication. Right. 

And then also the art of being receptive versus defensive, often when things come up, people get defensive. There’s a reaction, it spirals. It goes into an argument again. So what I start to teach is how to be receptive. How to sit. How to really sit back and listen, take everything and then respond.

Makena: That’s a huge one in my relationship, not that we were necessarily super defensive, but you’ve just taught me so much about receptivity over my lifetime. Of course. And then our work together and everything, and just Sunny comments on this all the time. My ability to sit there and be receptive and to wait and to look for the timing and everything, and then that opens up a different quality of communication and a different way for us to navigate where we’re not going up against each other. 

And what’s amazing about that is that over the years, then he became very receptive. But it wasn’t because I told him to or I tried to change something there. He learned through observing me.

Gigi: Yeah. Yeah, that’s beautiful. Yeah. And that’s great, Makena, when you share your actual experience, because right now we’re talking very high level in terms of how to do this. 

But that one is, that’s a game changer, big time for people. And as you said, I love you make. Making that distinction is, you know, when one of you is willing to change and start practicing and even both of you. 

But sometimes, you know, again, not to this is a general statement, but a lot of times I find it’s easier for women in the beginning to do this and then the men really learn from that, you know. 

And then also the other thing is how they navigate business disagreements without personal attacks. And this, if they’re in business together is extremely important. Not always easy. And people go off track. And of course, sometimes they go back to the personal attacks. 

But again, what we do is we set up clear systems too. If there’s a constant communication and meetings happening, then what happens is you don’t let things build up. And that’s a lot too. That is so important. 

And then the skill of acknowledgment, which we teach everyone everywhere. And what that does is it really fuels the expansion of the couple and how they feel about each other and how they verbally support each other, which is so, so incredibly important.

Makena: Yeah. Because so much of this, I think, is unconscious. Like you talked about complaining versus making clear requests or acknowledging. I think people don’t really realize how they are necessarily in relationship. 

They think, “oh, we’ve got a pretty good relationship.” And they do. But part of what happens when people start to work with you, I’ve observed this over the years and then definitely in my relationship and is you become aware of like, “oh, my communication patterns or the way that we’ve been operating with one another…” 

And then you get these tools to start to make these changes. And then it does. It compounds over time the other partner. You know, sometimes they get in there and they’re both working with you at the same time, learning these skills. 

But sometimes it is the woman coming in first or something like that. And then over time the men become curious. That’s often been than in your work as well. 

You work with a lot of couples who are already financially successful, some, you know, at different stages and different versions of financial success. 

But what shifts for them as they move from – we’re taking real, more real examples here. Right. So when they go from individual success or they both have successful businesses, they’ve done well or maybe careers to, again, that power couple status, is there anything else that you want to say about that?

Gigi: Yeah. So what shifts too, you know, I’ve talked a little bit about it in different ways, but from this kind of competition or complaining to collaboration in all areas, again, going back to we’re on each other’s team, so how do we solve this? 

Instead of we’re two individuals with two different opinions or two different ways we deal with things and competing with each other about who’s right, basically. 

And so that’s, again, that’s a big one to learn how to shift into that. 

And then a key element which I haven’t talked about yet is intimacy. You know, I think I say intimacy is one of the main, most important things that often gets put on the back burner, especially for people who are very successful, who are busy. They’re, you know, they’ve got engaged businesses and lives and very exciting. But then the intimacy kind of takes the back seat. And that’s one of the things I put right at the very beginning is this is so incredibly important because that’s. That again, is your healing, your battery pack. That’s the way that. 

That doesn’t have to do with words and, you know, talking all the time. That has to do with your. Your intimate connection. That really empowers both of you and strengthens you. 

And then the other things that shift are just that magnetic quality, you know, that attracts people, attracts opportunities. You know, you can see it when there’s a couple that they like each other. You know, they love each other, they respect each other. You know, they have this kind of sense and feeling together that they really, you know, they. They’re there for each other and there’s a certain kind of energy around them. 

And that’s why I say they become ten times more powerful, because they become this unit, and that unit of alignment is so, so, so attractive. 

And other power couples gravitate to them. You know, that’s one of the fun things when I work with power couples in a group setting and like in retreats and in my program is it’s so fun to have the connection between the couples because, you know, it’s so fun to have these couples that are on the same wavelength as you, even though they might be at different income brackets or different ages. 

But there’s this sense of, you know, you’re up to something. And like I said, you’re aligned with each other and not only with really supporting the other couples, you know, really being there for them. So that’s just a few of the ways. Yeah.

Makena: I love that you brought up intimacy because they say what the two biggest things that result in divorce are. Sex and money.

Gigi: Right, Right. Yep. Yeah, yep, yep.

Makena: So those are both. We’ve talked a lot about financial in this episode, but the other key component, which, again, we have other episodes where we go deeper into this, and it’s something that you go deeply into in the work you do with couples is. 

Is what is that intimate connection like? And has it. Has it kind of gone on the back burner and how to really foster that and fuel that? And there’s so many. What would you say? Like. Like everything. We’re talking about everything. There’s so many things that are so specific to each couple here, too.

Gigi: Yeah. Yeah.

Makena: That’s a super important piece. And what about family, though? Because we touched on it a little bit. 

Many of your clients, because I know them, we work with many of them together. They have complex family dynamics. They have maybe blended families or business partnerships or they have children involved. 

So tell me a little bit about how you help them navigate this or what you see with power couples navigating in those spaces.

Gigi: Well, normally, as we grow in their businesses and as a couple, they want to bring this into their families. Right. 

Because family can be a huge breakdown. And that’s the other thing, is if a couple’s not aligned, children sense and feel that and often will create problems there. Right. Because they sense and feel, you know, they can ask one person and not ask the other person. 

When a couple comes together, then what they do is they get intentional about creating their family also as this super supportive dynamic and understanding and being willing, too, to grow there and go deeply into what’s working and what’s not working in the family, which is so, so, so important. 

And so they learned to create family teams instead of just managing separate individuals. And, you know, I really teach them, and you too, Makena, is how do they make their families into a team. 

And usually the children love this no matter what age they are. And they also really, you know, as they work on themselves and they work on themselves as a couple, they model something for their children, which is this kind of healthy relationship dynamic, which, you know, we always say, kids don’t do what you say. They do what they see. 

And then there’s this integration of business, family, and personal growth, which is awesome, super fun. Because it’s no longer that, “oh, our mom and dad has to work so much,” you know, it’s that the kids are integrated into sometimes even the business. 

Like, you know, we did with you and I did with my other children, as they were part of our business, part of our evolution, involved. And so they got to be part of that experience, you know, and. And then you’re also teaching your next generation about true partnership. 

And this is where there’s legacies from our business, but there’s also legacy from what we teach our children and how they grow as people and how they grow as parents and how they grow as business people. 

And it’s so wonderful for a parent to be able to contribute that way because also, often parents can’t contribute that way because they haven’t built that kind of relationship with their children.

Makena: Yeah. And there will be couples listening to this who have grown children or children that are almost grown and out of the house, or couples with younger children. There will also be some who are, you know, haven’t started having children yet or like us, are just beginning that journey. 

And that’s been such a cool thing for me to be able to watch and observe because like you said, many of the couples you’ve worked with that in this way have been with you for 15 years. 10, 15 plus years. And so I’ve gotten to know them, we know their families. We’ve worked with them on so many different levels. 

And it’s been such a cool thing for me and Sunny both to observe, like, how have they done this? How have they continued to build and grow and, you know, over time, and you’ve really helped them to see that bigger vision and integrate their families. And I think that’s something people are often surprised when they talk to me or talk to me and Sunny is like that. We have a lot of visions and dreams and things, and we think about the longer term. Many people have visions and dreams, but the longer term of not just ourselves, but also our family unit and our relationship and the impact we want to make. And I really think that’s because we’ve had the opportunity to have a glimpse into some of these other relationships, power couple relationships and families over time.

Gigi: Yeah, yeah. And I mean, even with our family, you know, we were just here with just the girls. Right. This past few days, your sisters came in. And if you just look at the collaboration and the special way that we work together and how much fun we have, it’s amazing. You know, it’s something very, very special. 

But we worked really hard to have that.

Makena: Definitely.

So couples who want this, who want to go from successful relationship or happy relationship to power couples status, what are some of the non negotiables? What are some of the practices you see people do consistently or what do you help them?

Gigi: Regular vision alignment conversations. So setting aside time to see what is that next vision, talking about that and the practice, like I said, of this mutual acknowledgement and celebration, you know, it’s so important, you know, in a couple. The recreating of a couple has to do with recreation. You know, recreating together, enjoying each other, making time. Do not say, oh, we just don’t have time. That doesn’t work. It’s, it’s. You do have time. You don’t, you’re not making the time. 

And conflict as a curriculum, how they use these challenges actually to deepen their connection. So instead of when there are breakdowns, just saying, oh my gosh, there’s breakdowns, it’s the end of the world, or we, we haven’t come, you know, we haven’t come any distance or we’ve gone backwards, is instead going, okay, this breakdown teaches us something. And what is it teaching us? What can we do differently? What systems do we need to put in place to where this breakdown doesn’t happen again? Or if it does, we catch it before it goes this far. 

And then just investment in growth is huge. Retreats, coaching, intentional, like kind of development time. Spending time in terms of understanding each other, learning about each other, and going deeper with one another really being. 

Setting aside that time to go deeper.

Makena: Yeah. What about the flip side? So if that’s the non negotiables…

What are some of the mistakes you see couples make when they’re trying to achieve this level of alignment?

Gigi: A big one is trying to change the other person versus focusing on your own growth. And this is a, this is when you’re trying to change someone, they’ll never change. And all you can do, you know, is really change yourself. And through the change of yourself, often you will see the other person really, really changes. And that’s the, that’s really, it’s the one of those counterintuitive ideas it’s really hard to grasp. 

Like how does me changing make them be different? Right. And you’re not trying to make them be different. It’s also the acceptance of who you’re with. And then through this aligned compassion and understanding with each other and honesty Then, yeah, you start to grow together. 

And then the other thing is expecting, like, there’s an overnight transformation, you know, wanting things to change immediately instead of embracing the journey. Like, as a couple, you’re on a journey together. Right. You’ve chosen to be together. You’ve chosen to commit this time, space, a part of yourself to somebody. And it’s just like anything else. If you grow it and attend to it, it’s going to grow in a beautiful way. 

Even though it’ll have breakdowns and challenges and ups and downs, but there will be always an evolution that it’s moving forward.

Makena: Yeah. I’m thinking of a particular client that we have that is early on in a partnership, within a year or so. And this is something that’s come up. Right. And we’ve talked to them about is just like, it. It takes time. 

If it’s got the raw material, the relationship, and you really feel like this could be it, or this could be a great power couple dynamic. Over time, there is this evolutionary process or this growing together. It takes patience. It takes work. 

I mean, Sunny and I are young, and we’re just starting our family and just in many ways, starting our lives. But we’ve been at this for 10 years, you know. Yeah, we’ve been together, and that’s been 10 years of intentionality. And so there is. I just wanted to kind of highlight that there is this element of it does take time and putting in the – I don’t love the word work, but intentionality.

Gigi: Yeah. Yeah. And then the other thing, the mistake is treating relationship work as separate from your business development. 

This is part of everything. This is the core. Your relationship is the core. It is the foundation. Because, as I said, when it’s not working, it can. It will go into every aspect of your life. When it is working, it will go into every aspect of your life. Yeah. 

And then the other thing is avoiding those deeper conversations that create a real breakthrough that are uncomfortable and getting in there and not taking things personally and really getting in there and seeing, what am I doing that’s working and it’s not working, and being willing to have that mirror and look at yourself and being willing to change.

Makena: I think that point about treating your business and your relationship as separate is such an interesting one because. Yeah, I think people just don’t think that way. And so much of the time, you see in couples, successful couples especially, that, like, they’ve really put their focus on their career. Right. Then they continue to, and they invest their time, money, energy. That’s where it goes. 

And of course they invest to some degree in their relationship. I think that’s fascinating. What you’re saying is like really seeing that they’re not separate in many ways, that whatever you can do individually on your own, you can accelerate so much more when you have things working as power couple.

Okay, so I’m curious then you have this program this year, program Secrets of Power Couples, and you’ve worked again with many couples over many years and decades sometimes. 

So what makes you choose to work with certain couples? Like, what are you looking for in a couple that you think, yeah, they really have the potential to go for this?

Gigi: Well, one thing is that financial capacity for long term transformation. They’re willing to invest in themselves. Often again, people think this is the last thing you invest in because everything else is more important. But again, I think it’s the first thing you invest in. So that ability to, and willingness to invest in themselves. 

And then second, that both partners are, are willing to be vulnerable and to do the deep work. They’re willing to… first of all, you know me as a trusted guide, get real and get honest and say, and you know, and most of my couples do in front of me, you know, they say everything and it’s not always nice and pretty, pretty, but being willing to do that because I’m able to sit back and be that receptive guide for them.

Makena: Okay, so for that financial capacity part. So I get that you work with a lot of very successful couples, but I also know that some of the couples you worked with weren’t necessarily rolling in it, let’s say, when they first started working with you. 

So is this more about being willing to invest? Like I, I just can imagine a couple listening that’s like curious, but they’re like, oh, they immediately rule themselves out too when they hear that, right?

Gigi: Yeah, well, like I said, the willingness to invest. Right. So the willingness to make this a priority and to be able to see that the return on their investment is going to be… it might take a year or two years, but it will in the long run accelerate what they’re trying to do because basically that’s what we’re doing here. 

We’re accelerating what would take them a long time to much quicker results.

Makena: Yeah. And again, I’ve watched this with your clients where they’ve just built, you know, they were reasonably successful, let’s say, when they came in, and then they’ve just built some of them empires and just incredible things, multiples upon multiples of what they did before. 

I just wanted to highlight that because I could see some couples going like, “Oh, well, you know. Yeah, I thought maybe something like this was for me, but we’re just not there yet. That’s all I say, like, well, I’m just not there yet. Maybe in five years or something.” 

So that’s a big one. You talked a little bit about being vulnerable and being willing to go deep. What if the part. I’m not going to say the man, because I don’t want to, but often it is the man or one of the partners has a bit of a harder time with this. 

What’s the level of willingness that’s needed to really come in and make this kind of change?

Gigi: Well, often, you know, like, you’re saying, you know, often what happens is I work with women, and then the men see the difference in their women, and then they come and work with me. Right. They see the changes. And so in that there’s already a curiosity and willingness and then to step into something like this, you know, and to make this, first of all, that it feels very personal. 

And often, you know, it is true not to generalize or maybe to generalize that the men feel a little bit more uncomfortable because it’s more difficult to be vulnerable. But, you know, often what will happen is the women will tell them, we need this and I want this, and they’re committed to their ladies, and they say, “okay, then we’ll do it.”

And I saw this in the retreat I did last year. You know, is the funniest thing, remember Makena, is the. The guys were all, like, resistant when they first arrived. When they first arrived into. Exactly. And at first they were like, “oh, my gosh, what do we get ourselves into?” And even up to the point of going. 

And within 24 hours, they were like, oh, my gosh, they loved it. They wanted to even stay longer. And, you know, you can look at the testimonials from a couple of the guys online, and they’re just like, this is amazing experience. 

So, you know, that’s. That’s the thing. It’s hard, but often it comes to just the encouragement of the woman and her just saying, “hey, this is what we’ve got to do.” You know, and they have the level of trust and they go with it.

Makena: Yeah. And I think a lot of what we’re talking about today, too, in terms of that it’s not just about the relationship, and it is also about the financial success and the impact and the legacy piece is often what has the men become more curious as a generalization again, but it’s what we’ve seen many, many times is, you know, if you are a woman listening to this and you want to bring it to your partner, it’s not just to be.  Make it all about, oh, this having this great relationship, which is, of course, you both want, but that it really is, again, this investment in, you know, again, the time to become a power couple. The money investment, whatever kind of investment you’re talking about, is this investment in your financial future as well?

Gigi: It is absolutely in your financial future. And we even have elements of. What we do is we have business elements within the program where couples mastermind with each other around growing their businesses and what they are thinking. 

And so they have these bright minds to work together with them, to assist them if they have a new idea in their business or they’re having some challenges in their business. And I put that in there because that’s so valuable to you have these resources of these people, and then it just makes it more fun for all the couples. It’s not just about your connection and your relationship.

Makena: Anything else that you’re looking for when you’re kind of looking at a couple to potentially work with or.

Gigi: That vision for success, something bigger than just their current success, you know, looking for a game. A lot of times they have a strong drive, they’re ambitious, maybe they want to make an impact or they just have even just financial goals. And so that’s a big one in terms of they have to be willing to want to stretch and grow also in success. 

And then another key element is just that readiness to integrate all the areas of their life, you know, to not to stop compartmentalizing that, okay, this is my business, this is my relationship. This is my family, Ii you have children and to be able to go, “okay, all of these things go together. And how do we grow something together and really grow something that we love, that we enjoy, that we. We feel good about that. Of course there’s stresses and strains, but we know we’re on the right track and we know we’re there for each other…” and that there for each other. A lot of couples don’t feel, you know, that’s the truth.

Makena: Yeah, Right on.

So as we wrap up today, what do you want couples that are listening or people that are listening that are in a couple to understand about what’s possible for them. If we just kind of tie it up with a bow here.

Gigi: Yeah. I think that, you know, the, the exponential versus the kind of linear path, this thing of we’ve all had those experiences of when we decide to do something that feels a little risky, a little vulnerable. 

Maybe it’s big financial or it’s big time wise or whatever, and we jump into it and we fully go into it and something shifts so big in her life. And I know I’ve had those experiences and most of us have, and that’s, that’s that exponential. Instead of waiting, saying, okay, well, it’s just going to grow like this, you know, step by step. 

And also just to know that how your transformation impacts everyone around you. I say that ripple effect of when things aren’t working at home and you go to work, then that goes into everything that you do. You’re not fully there. 

So when it does work and you go into your work again, that ripple effect goes into everything. Everything. The people in the work.

Makena: Ripple effect on your children.

Gigi: Absolutely. On your children, on your family members, on everything. 

And just that legacy of true partnership for future generations. That’s part of my passion is I love when people start to align. There’s this sense of such an incredible energy. It’s such a beautiful thing to watch. It’s a great thing to witness. And it’s so exciting to watch their success grow out of that. 

And that art of creating a life, and love that just keeps expanding that you. Like I said, it gets better over time because again, there’s the, the kind of myth that as we’re together through the years, oh, it’s not quite as exciting as it used to be, and it’s not as alive. 

And I always with my couples are like, no, it gets better. It gets richer. Your sex life gets better. Your intimacy is better. Everything about it can be so much more. 

And when I say better, I think that you feel in sense and you feel alive with your life and you feel alive in your relationship.

Makena: Richer, maybe is.

Gigi: Richer is a good word. And the main thing is that your relationship success is it’s not separate from your success. It’s the foundation that makes everything else possible. Yeah, everything.

Makena: Absolutely. Well, beautiful.

Thank you for sharing so much here. We could, we probably could make obviously whole programs about this. Yeah, yeah, we did a lot in one episode. 

But it was so fascinating to hear. And I’m sure for many couples, just a brand new idea for them to even think about what is a power couple and how does their relationship impact their success. So I really love that we were able to talk about this today. 

And, and then we mentioned a couple times you do have a program starting this fall, so it’s 2025, and it’s called Secrets of Power Couples. And it’s really for those who are ready for an elite level of transformation. Just really like profound, deep transformation, not just in their relationship, but as we talked about, in their success and their families, if they have them and their legacy. 

And so if you are curious about that, if you’ve been, you know, curious as we’ve been listening here, there’s an application process for serious candidates and you can go read all about it and watch testimonials at www.secretsofpowercouples.com and like I said, you may listen to this and go, I fit perfectly. Or you may listen and go, oh, I don’t know if we’re there yet. 

But don’t rule yourself out. If you really, really feel curious, check it out and apply, you never know.

Gigi: Yeah. Yeah. You never know. Yep.

Makena: Yeah. So thank you, Gigi, for your wisdom and we’ll have some more great relationship content coming to you guys soon.

Gigi: Okay, thank you, McKenna. Bye.

Makena: Bye.

Gigi: Bye.