Marriage isn't just about finding the right person - it's about becoming the right person while building systems that strengthen your relationship daily. In this episode your host Mike Forrester sits down with Larry Pruett, a marriage counselor and coach who, along with his wife Sue, helps married entrepreneurs navigate the unique challenges of adding business stress on top of relationship pressures. After 36 years of marriage and over 20 years as entrepreneurs, Larry reveals how getting your foundational relationship right creates a ripple effect that actually helps your business grow.

Larry discusses the critical importance of understanding your spouse's personality type and communication style, sharing how he learned to jump straight to the bottom line with his dominant, extroverted wife instead of boring her with spreadsheet details. He emphasizes that you can't work on your marriage without working on yourself, but you also can't focus 100% on yourself and 0% on the marriage - both require intentional daily attention and the understanding that you never fully "arrive" at mastery.

Your marriage sets the foundation for everything else in your life, including how your children will approach relationships in the future. Larry demonstrates through practical tools like "connection time", weekly date nights and annual getaway retreats how couples can stay connected during the chaos of raising children, building businesses and life overall. His approach shows that when couples prioritize their relationship and communicate effectively, they're not just building a strong marriage - they're modeling healthy relationships for their children and creating the stability needed for long-term success.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Master the art of understanding your spouse through personality assessments, studying your wife's interests and intentional communication strategies

• Build sustainable connection rituals using daily 15-minute connection time and weekly date nights

• Create long-term relationship vision through annual retreats and family mission statements

• Navigate the entrepreneurial marriage challenge by balancing business stress with relationship priorities

• Develop effective communication patterns tailored to your spouse's personality type and processing style

• Establish proper relationship hierarchy with God first, marriage second, children third and everything else following

The key moments in this episode are:

00:08:30 - The Plate Spinning Analogy in Managing Multiple Life Areas

00:12:15 - Understanding Your Spouse Through Personality Assessments

00:16:40 - Communication Breakthrough: Bottom Line vs. Details

00:21:20 - Why You Must Work on Both Yourself and Your Marriage

00:25:50 - The 15-Minute Daily Connection Time System

00:30:15 - Training Kids to Respect Connection Time

00:34:40 - The Danger of Child-Centered Homes and Empty Nest Divorce

00:38:25 - Creating and Using a Family Mission Statement

Connect with Larry Pruett

Website

www.SideBySideBusiness.com

Free Resource

 www.sidebysidebusiness.com/family

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/larrypruett/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/larryandsuepruett/

Facebook

Success isn't just about individual achievement - it's about showing up authentically and building genuine connections that raise everyone around you. I sit down with Junaid Ahmed, founder of HumbleZone and Home Studio Mastery, who demonstrates how being your authentic self creates opportunities and transforms lives. Junaid shares his journey from self-doubt and limiting beliefs to becoming a connector who helps entrepreneurs and podcasters show up professionally while focusing on what truly matters...storytelling and impact.

Junaid reveals how his upbringing taught him that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, but it was stepping into spaces where he was celebrated and supported that helped him see his true potential. He discusses the power of reflection, especially as we mature past 40, and how surrounding yourself with cheerleaders and mentors allows you to overcome the limiting beliefs that we often mistake for normal life. His story shows how changing your environment and finding your community can unlock possibilities you never imagined.

Your transformation accelerates when you stop trying to do everything alone and start building systems with team members who complement your zone of genius. Junaid demonstrates how delegating podcast production allowed him to scale from one episode per week to five daily episodes, freeing him to focus on his unique gifts of helping people create professional spaces and tell their stories. His approach to avoiding burnout through hobbies, community involvement and proper rest shows how sustainable success comes from balance, not just hustle.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Master the art of authentic connection by showing up as your genuine self in professional and personal settings

• Overcome limiting beliefs by recognizing them as environmental conditioning rather than unchangeable truths

• Build effective delegation systems that free you to focus on your zone of genius while scaling your impact

• Develop meaningful mentorship relationships through books, podcasts, and distant learning opportunities

• Transform self-doubt into confidence by finding communities that celebrate and support your growth

The key moments in this episode are:

00:05:45 - How Limiting Beliefs Disguise Themselves as Normal Life

00:09:20 - The Tony Robbins Infomercial That Changed Everything

00:12:15 - Key Books That Opened His Mind to Possibilities

00:16:40 - From One Podcast Episode to Five Daily Episodes Through Team Building

00:21:30 - The Challenge of Implementing New Habits Like Gratitude

00:25:10 - Why Rereading Books Reveals New Insights Over Time

00:28:45 - Balancing Multiple Business Areas Without Burnout

00:33:20 - The Importance of Delegation and Letting Go of Control

00:37:50 - Finding Community in Cycling, Beekeeping, and Other Hobbies

00:41:15 - The Role of Sleep and Naps in Sustainable Success

Connect with Junaid Ahmed

Website

https://homestudiomastery.com

LinkedIn

https://linkedin.com/in/superjunaid

Instagram

https://instagram.com/superjunaid

Facebook

https://facebook.com/superjunaid

Connect with Mike Forrester

Podcast Website

https://LivingFearlessTodayPodcast.com

Coaching Website

True resilience isn't about never falling down, it's about building systems that keep you sane when life unexpectedly hits you. sit down with Troy Karnes, author of "No Silver Bullet," who shares his journey from the glamorous world of whiskey sales to getting kicked out by his wife, entering rehab and then facing a cancer diagnosis just 98 days into sobriety. Troy's story proves that asking for help isn't a sign of weakness - it's the most mature decision a man can make.

Troy reveals how the highlights of his career - traveling to the coolest restaurants, working with craft bartenders, living what everyone thought was the dream life, while great was actually costing him deeply behind the scenes. Getting on planes hungover became his norm until his responsibilities as a father of two collided with his inability to change with his changing circumstances. His wife's ultimatum became the catalyst for the hardest and yet best decision of his life.

Your transformation doesn't end when you do the hard work - sometimes life tests your new systems and beliefs immediately. Troy demonstrates how the daily habits and tracking systems he learned in rehab became his lifeline when cancer struck, proving that the tools for staying sober are actually tools for staying human. His HALT framework (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) and 90-second daily check-ins show how simple systems can prevent complex problems.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Master the art of asking for help as a sign of masculinity and maturity rather than weakness

• Build proactive systems using the HALT framework to prevent poor decision-making

• Create sustainable tracking habits through 90-second daily check-ins that reveal patterns

• Develop genuine connections by calling friends regularly instead of relying on social media

• Navigate major life changes by changing yourself when your circumstances change around you

The key moments in this episode are:

00:03:15 - The Glamorous Job That Was Actually a Nightmare Behind the Scenes

00:08:30 - When His Wife Said "You Can't Be Here Tonight"

00:12:45 - Why Asking for Help Is Actually a Sign of Masculinity and Maturity

00:18:20 - Getting Cancer 98 Days Into Sobriety

00:22:40 - The HALT Framework for Better Decision Making

00:28:15 - His 90-Second Daily Check-In System

00:33:50 - Why He Uses a 4-Point Scale for Everything

00:38:25 - The Loneliness Epidemic and Mortality Statistics

00:42:30 - How Sleep Affects Everything From Weight to Emotions

Connect with Troy Karnes

Website

https://troykarnes.com/

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/troykarnes/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/troykarnes/

Connect with Mike Forrester

Podcast Website

https://LivingFearlessTodayPodcast.com

Coaching Website

https://www.hicoachmike.com/

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/hicoachmike/

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/@hicoachmike

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