How do
Couples Survive in Business?
Douglas talks to five dynamic couples who have succeeded at building top-tier careers and businesses without ever losing sight of their relationships with each other, through good times and challenging times. how do they do it?
by Mike Wicks Photos by Simon Desrochers
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here’s something intriguing about couples whose relationships thrive in the rarefied atmosphere of the corporate world — high flyers who effectively balance their business or careers and personal relationships despite long hours, blurred boundaries and sometimes competing interests. To discover how it’s possible for these couples to maintain healthy relationships with each other while living such fast-paced lives, I asked five prominent professional couples to share their success secrets. Notably, four of these couples have been together between 22 and 33 years, despite the pressures of high-profile careers. That’s 34 Douglas
remarkable when one considers the average marriage in Canada lasts approximately 14 years. Being Boundary-Conscious Working in the same company, especially when boundaries are not clear, can cause conflict. Kevin and Shawna Walker, owners of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel, know this well. Throughout their 32-year marriage, they have worked together. One of their keys to success, they explain, is knowing where the lines are. “We went through a season of our lives where boundary building was very, very important to our personal relationship,” says Kevin. “It was
Shawna who took the lead on this, [ensuring] we were going to be a family and have a life outside of our business. There would be a boundary between those two things.” When asked the secret to maintaining high-pressure jobs and a successful long-term relationship, Kevin immediately quips, “We tried killing each other — that was no fun.” On a more serious note, he continues, “… it’s not an easy program, but it’s an extremely rewarding one. So it’s worth the commitment.” Kevin tells of a time when Shawna called him out on crossing a boundary. “We got in the truck to go home one night and Shawna was very quiet. Then she said, ‘I need to talk to my