Both On Board

Why is the divorce rate so high among couples working together? How do you protect your marriage and business? In this episode of Both on Board we turn things upside down—we get interviewed by Brian Trippe! We cover personal development and awareness, communication, leading by example, and touch on our core beliefs behind co-creating a life and a business that works for you.

Brian Trippe graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor's in Journalism and English, and a Masters in Education. He began his career in real estate in 2012 and has completed over 500 real estate transactions since. He owns a wholesale company, a brokerage, and a coaching business and has a portfolio of rental properties. On top of it all, he created and hosts the REI Live podcast—check it out!

Highlights From Our Conversation

• [0:50] We are interviewed by Brian Trippe!
• [3:00] We talk about our beginnings
• [7:00] How do you get both people on board?
• [11:25] Self-Discovery needs to happen first
• [16:45] Don't get tripped up trying to change the other person
• [20:00] A woman's perspective in a man's world
• [24:25] Goals for the podcast and beyond
• [29:10] Resources available

Take responsibility for how you show up in your relationship

Brian asks a question that we get asked often: How do you get both people on board? When a couple is on two different wavelengths, how do you sync up? Our #1 answer will always be to start with personal development. You have the responsibility to develop an awareness of who you are, what you want, and what you want to be, right?

So take ownership of your actions every step of the way.

You—and only you—hold complete responsibility for how you act and react. Perhaps something has been bothering you. Or you're having a discussion with your spouse that has taken a turn for the worst. Take a step back! Why are you reacting the way you are? Is something deeper going on that's contributing to the argument? Take time to reflect so you can respond in a healthier way that is not divisive.

Define and get clarity on what you are about together

After you've taken steps towards self-discovery and have a clearer picture of who you are and what you want for your future, take time to dive into who you are together. On one of our first episodes, "How You Can Design Your Life Vision With The Perfect Day Exercise", we give you one of our favorite tools to start laying the framework for your future together. Do the exercise separately, and then come together and compare and see where your dreams overlap.

Are you aligned with your core beliefs? Do you have shared goals? Sometimes, your beliefs and values don't necessarily line up. But you can't force your significant other to be something they're not. We truly believe as you continue to focus on personal growth and begin to change that your spouse will see that change and be intrigued—and begin to realize they too want what you're seeking after.

Allow your spouse to speak into your life

You need to lead by example but also be open to learning from your spouse. One example that we like to use is the fact that I've never been a gym person. Ray will go consistently many times a week, but would never force me to go. Instead, he set the example and I saw results. I've never liked the gym, but recently decided I'd give it a shot—now I'm loving it!

I noticed what Ray was doing and decided I'd try it for myself. The point is, he never tried to change me. He never tried to force me into a mold that worked for him. Don't get tripped up in trying to change the other person! Recognize that you each have unique skills, abilities, and dreams and that you were created to complement each other. Not be each other.

Keep listening as we talk about our strengths and weaknesses and how we've learned to complement each other and embrace who we are. We also talk about a woman's perspective in what is traditionally a man's world—you don't want to miss it!

Future goals for our podcast—and beyond

We have so many goals and dreams and places we want to take this podcast. We'd love to continue hosting MasterMind groups, run seminars, and host retreats. One of the loftier yet worthy goals we have is to help couples realize that divorce is not the answer. We would love to eradicate divorce by helping people strengthen their marriages, becoming what they were meant to be individually and as a couple building a life together.

Ultimately, your life can be anything you desire it to be—it just depends on how hard you're willing to work for it. You have much more potential when you both show up in your marriage and your business. The power of two people working in alignment is extraordinary! So this is your call to action. What can you do today to grow as a person? What can you do to grow together?

Resources & People Mentioned

• Brian's Book: Nothing's For Sale

Connect With Brian Trippe

• REI Live Podcast
• REI Live Facebook
• REI Live Instagram
• LinkedIn

Connect With Ramon and Christy

• www.BothOnBoard.com
• Both On Board on Instagram: @BothOnBoard
• Ray's Instagram - @OfficialRamonGonzalez
• Christy's Instagram - @ChristyRisco
• Facebook - Ramon Gonzalez
• Facebook - Christy Risco

Subscribe to Both on Boardon Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, RadioPublic, Google Podcasts, Spotify

Positive communication begins with an awareness of your self-talk. We've interspersed a lot of information about how we communicate with ourselves and each other throughout our podcast. Today we will dive deep into the world of self-awareness when it comes to your inner communication. We'll also talk about words we never allow ourselves to say, changing the language you use, and having a perspective of gratitude.

Highlights From Our Conversation

• [0:48] Why the word 'can't' limits your possibilities
• [5:30] Switch "I have to do this" to "I get to do this"
• [10:50] Self-Awareness: why do you feel like you should do something?
• [12:20] The 'what if' game—in a positive way
• [13:40]This is happening, what are we going to learn from this?
• [15:00] Are you reacting or responding?
• [18:30] Take responsibility for how you're showing up
• The words you use either limit you or empower you

There is an approach to communication called Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). The premise is that there is a connection between neurological processes, language, and behavioral patterns. The learned behaviors attached to these can be altered, or re-learned, to achieve whatever goal you're working towards. Most people aren't aware of the negative language they use towards themselves. We believe there is power in the words you use!

If you're constantly telling yourself that you can't do something or can't achieve a goal, you are programming yourself to believe that negative self-talk. We do not say can't to ourselves, each other, or our daughter. We don't want to limit the possibilities of what we can accomplish by claiming that we can't do it! Keep listening as we talk about re-framing the way you think.

I don't have to do something—I get to do it

Often we are consumed by things we don't want to do. Whether it be a work project, cleaning your home, or cooking, as examples. Maybe you're tired and don't want to cook. But you need to change your mindset. You don't have to cook. Instead, you get to make a meal for your family because you have the money and means to be able to do so. That small shift in mindset changes everything! You need to be intentional with the words you use, both internally and externally.

Remove 'I can't', 'I have to', and 'I should' from your vocabulary. How do you accomplish something you think you can't? What do you get to do to support yourself or your family? Is something you think you should be doing really that important? Change the negativity into something positive you use to build up yourself and others. Keep listening as we talk about utilizing self-awareness, and what is driving your negative self-talk.

Play the 'What if' game—in a positive way

When you think about the what-ifs in life, you're typically always focused on the negative questions, right? What if something goes wrong? What if I put all of my money into this investment, but lose it all? Do not play the game this way. You will only speak into existence all of the negativity and bad things that could happen.

Instead, remember that the universe has your back.

One of my favorite quotes is "life is happening for me, always, in all ways." So ask yourself, what if I make this investment and grow our income? What if we move to a different neighborhood and have access to better schools? If you focus on what you can gain or what the positive impact could be—it could change everything.

Are you reacting to life circumstances, or responding to them?

The only thing you have power over when something happens to you is how you react. We aren't naive, we do recognize that we do not have power over some things that will happen in life. But we choose not to label something as good or bad. Instead, we focus on what we can learn from it. We choose to respond to the situation instead of reacting to it. So what does that mean?

Do not let your problems use you.

Reacting to any given situation is action without thought. Responding is taking a pause, thinking through possible reactions, and then choosing the best response for the situation. You are taking a situation of which you have no control over, and putting yourself back in control. Do not express emotion from fear! Listen to the rest of the episode as we talk about practicing gratitude, questions to ask yourself, and how communicating effectively starts with communicating positively with yourself.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
• 6 Questions to Solve Any Problem
• Neuro-linguistic programming
• The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein

Connect With Ramon and Christy

• www.BothOnBoard.com
• Both On Board on Instagram: @BothOnBoard
• Ray's Instagram - @OfficialRamonGonzalez
• Christy's Instagram - @ChristyRisco
• Facebook - Ramon Gonzalez
• Facebook - Christy Risco

Subscribe to Both on Boardon Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, RadioPublic, Google Podcasts, Spotify

So many people believe that the key to a healthy relationship is the proper work-life balance, but we believe in work-life integration. We work together, we live together, and we have built a life and a business together. Why would we want to separate those things? In this episode we will talk about this commonly asked question and what we do instead. We'll give you some helpful resources along the way.

Highlights From Our Conversation

• [0:50] Work-life integration
• [2:15] Why we don't compartmentalize
• [7:35] Wheel of Life
• [13:45] Strategies we've used
• [18:20] Timing is everything
• [21:45] Be mindful of your headspace
• [24:45] Be supportive of each other
• [27:15] Figure out what works for you

Human beings weren't built to compartmentalize

There is a reason so many people struggle to find a work-life balance—because it's not the way we as humans work. Let me give you an example: If Christy and I have a fight that doesn't find immediate resolution, it weighs on my mind. I can't go close a business deal and expect to be in the right headspace, right? It's because my heart and my emotions are elsewhere.

We work and live at home and it is natural for us to talk about work when thoughts come to our mind. Sure, there are times when we need to realize we shouldn't be talking shop. So instead of compartmentalizing work in one box and our personal life in another, we build boundaries. Keep listening as we talk about what this means and how it is a better strategy for us.

Utilizing the Wheel of Life to find your priority

Yes, you read that right. One singular priority. In the "7 Game Changers for Highly Effective Couples" that we offer we include an example of the 'wheel of life'. We also have it in our show notes below. It's a great tool you can use to assess where you need things to change in your life. Identify where you are, where you want to be—and then strategize and find action steps to take to get you there.

Then, in each season of your life, focus on the one part of the wheel you need to develop. As you invest in growing in the areas you're weakest in, the wheel will become more balanced. It's all about finding the right formula that works for you in your relationship. There's no solid answer and it's not a science. It's an art. Keep listening as we talk about our priorities and what's been important to us in different seasons.

It's all about timing—and knowing your boundaries

Integration as a strategy doesn't mean we don't set boundaries. There are times where we just aren't feeling well and can't get in the right headspace to work. It's okay to recognize that it's time to focus on self-care, and set aside work for a time. Whether it's going for a walk, doing yoga, or even taking a nap you need to prioritize your well-being.

We aren't all work and no play. We also set aside time for our daughter and each other. We spend time doing things that bring us joy. Christy and I also take the time to connect with each other every night. We talk about our day and what we learned. We may even touch on work things. It's all about having an awareness of when it's the right time for something.

Find the best work-life integration model that works for you

Eventually, as you try different strategies and choose different focuses, you will find a rhythm that works for you. That is key. Don't be afraid to test things out and scrap them if they don't work. Then you try another strategy until you find a way to integrate your life and work that works for the both of you.

Dave Meltzer has 4 Core Principles that we feel holds the whole wheel of life together:

1. Practice gratitude and appreciation—focus on the positive and all of the ways you've been blessed.
2. Have empathy and compassion for yourself and others. Learn to forgive and move on.
3. Be accountable. When you make a mistake, own it. More importantly, learn from it and change.
4. Communicate effectively from the heart. Inspire others.

Hopefully some of these strategies we find helpful can make an impact for you! Listen to this episode as we cover this topic we love!

Resources & People Mentioned

• Ed Mylett's podcast with guest Cesar Millan
• Dave Meltzer's 4 Steps to Happiness
• Wheel of Life Template

Connect With Ramon and Christy

• www.BothOnBoard.com
• Both On Board on Instagram: @BothOnBoard
• Ray's Instagram - @OfficialRamonGonzalez
• Christy's Instagram - @ChristyRisco
• Facebook - Ramon Gonzalez
• Facebook - Christy Risco

Subscribe to Both on Boardon Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, RadioPublic, Google Podcasts, Spotify

Everyone defines success in life differently. For us, it's living a life by design that we are happy with where we can also give to others. Because we have been so intentional with our lives, we've been pretty successful at a young age. We are always being asked what the secret to our success is. So we wanted to devote an episode to all the things we do differently than everyone else. Things that you, too, can do to become successful. This is one you don't want to miss!

Highlights From Our Conversation

• [2:45] 1. Willing to work hard and delay gratification
• [6:40] 2. Don't have a back-up plan
• [8:58] 3.The decision to do everything together no matter what happens
• [15:08] 4. Commitment to personal development
• [20:55] 5. Be intentional with everything you do
• [26:38] 6.Collaborate with your spouse and the world
• [30:09] 7. Closing our business because it was no longer serving us
• [34:35] 8. Waiting to have children until we were financially ready
• [38:02] 9. Selling our home and deciding to rent and move when we want
• [40:58] 10. Give yourself permission not to fit the mold

Find your passion and invest your time and money in it

In previous episodes, we talk a lot about how we invested our time and resources into our business. But sometimes people don't realize how much. For six years we dove into our business, and any money we had (that didn't go towards personal development) was constantly recycled back into the business. We exercised discipline and delayed gratification. Our obsession with building our business is what made it so successful.

It wasn't until the later years that we finally started making money. As cliche as it is—our blood, sweat, and tears were poured into this thing that we had built from the ground up. We wanted it to keep growing and after years of hard work, we started to reap the fruits of our labor. Keep listening as Ray talks about a powerful illustration by Les Brown that really describes our business.

Don't set yourself up to fail by having a backup plan

I think a huge thing that terrifies people is the thought of giving up a stable job for something that could fail. A new business venture is both frightening and exciting but if you're passionate about it you can make it work. I didn't give myself a plan B. Instead of taking a leave of absence from teaching, I turned in my resignation. I burned the boat and decided there was no turning back and it was completely freeing.

We've learned through the years that you can't have everything—but you can have everything you want at the level you want. I was no longer happy teaching, right? So I left it and found myself working with Ray in a business we were passionate about and that we needed to be successful in. Knowing there was no back-up plan was a huge driving force behind that success.

Know your fears so you're not motivated by them

Playing off of not having a backup plan is the firm belief that we were going to do this life together, no matter what. Not everyone has the support of their significant other and we vowed that that wouldn't be us. But there were still so many unknowns. There's this great Ted Talk by Tim Ferriss that we have in the show notes below, but the gist of it is this: take the time to walk through your greatest fears and identify the worst things that could happen.

Could we find ourselves without the money for basic needs such as food?

Would we lose everything and be homeless?

Could we live with the consequences of our actions?

In all of these things, we realized that we have a support system of family and friends that would never let us be homeless. As disheartening and potentially embarrassing as it may be if we lost it all, we had people to lean on. But we chose to do everything we could on the front end to mitigate the worst case scenario. The huge thing for us was completely supporting each other 100% and simply knowing that no matter what happened we were in it together.

Be intentional about what you do...and how you react

Something we believe everyone needs to learn to do is say no. As much as you want to, you can't do everything. Secondly, there is always a trade-off. If you say yes to something you don't really want to do (or you feel pressured to do), what is the thing you're having to give up? Be very intentional about what you choose to do—especially prioritizing your health. If you aren't in a good place, your relationship and business won't be either.

You also need to be intentional about how you react. Life isn't always going to be easy. You're going to experience hardship and hurt. Every time we made a mistake or something didn't go as planned, we labeled it a "learning lesson". We chose to change our perspective. You must choose to focus on the positive. Have gratitude for what you do have. Don't focus on what you don't have, but shift your perspective and instead focus on how you can achieve what you want to have.

We have a lot more to share with you, so you'll have to listen to the rest of the episode to hear the other 5 things we do differently that we believe helped us find success!

Resources & People Mentioned

• Les Brown Bamboo Tree Video
• Tim Ferriss Ted Talk
• Money, and the Law of Attraction by Esther and Jerry Hicks

Connect With Ramon and Christy

• www.BothOnBoard.com
• Both On Board on Instagram: @BothOnBoard
• Ray's Instagram - @OfficialRamonGonzalez
• Christy's Instagram - @ChristyRisco
• Facebook - Ramon Gonzalez
• Facebook - Christy Risco

Subscribe to Both on Boardon Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, RadioPublic, Google Podcasts, Spotify

How do you know what investment opportunities are right for you? How do you decide as a couple where to invest your money and your time? We've covered personal development extensively and have walked you through our personal story. So today we are going to expound a little on the things we've chosen to invest in as a couple along the way. You don't want to miss this one!

Highlights From Our Conversation

• [0:48] External and Internal Investments as a couple
• [6:20] Working ON the business, not IN the business
• [12:50] Look at the data for direction
• [17:38] The market gives and takes away
• [21:55] Investing in freedom
• [27:30] Investing in things that matter

Investing our time and money into education

Investing isn't just about money. When Ray and I first started our business venture together, when we weren't working, we spent as much time as possible learning. We'd go to the free classes offered by the Miami Association of Realtors. We invested in educating ourselves as much as we possibly could. In this phase of our life, anything extra went back into investing in knowledge.

During this phase of internal investment, we also spent money on seminars, personal development books, audible books—whatever means of learning we could get our hands on. We once had a former employee drop by the office over the weekend to grab something she had left behind, and she was appalled that we were in the office "On a Saturday?!" But you know what? If you want to grow you've got to do the work!

In every phase of our lives, we continue and will always continue to invest in personal development. We will always talk about it because we believe it is that important. After all, your business is only going to grow as far as you are. If your personal growth is stunted, it will affect every area of your life and business.

Working ON the business, not IN the business

In our Spring season, all of our time was spent in the ins and outs of growing our business. As we achieved growth, we added staff to our team. We were able to stack money and build capital. We took everything we had learned, put it into action and were finally seeing the fruits of our labor. We had delayed gratification and instead invested our money into growing our business.

It was 100% the right move.

We took our capital and continued wholesaling, fixing, and flipping properties. We took everything one step at a time and as we showed up we naturally saw the next step. When we hit resistance and didn't know where to turn we took a deep dive into our finances and it gave us clear direction—some things we were doing just weren't making money and it was time to move on. So we veered away from wholesaling and started investing in rental properties

Investment Opportunities that don't fit the mold

Obviously, a lot of our investment was monetary. It was used towards our business or personal development. But we decided it was time to start investing in our freedom and moving towards the life we desired. At this point in time, Christy had been home with our daughter for a year and I was grinding it out in our business. What had worked for years suddenly just… didn't.

So we sold it all. We offloaded our rental properties and investments and liquidated our team. We managed to sell in the right seasons, and all of the properties we had held onto suddenly brought us more capital. We simplified, decided what we did or did not need, and took that money and began investing it into the next phase of our business as a couple—investing in others.

Invest your time in things that make an impact

We've known for a while that we aren't operators. Building teams and managing and training isn't where we excel. So we are taking the capital we've earned, and investing in other operators that we trust who have a vision. We've moved into the business of risk management, and that works for us right now. Will it always be that way? Who knows. But we are always moving of growth and what works for the season of life that we're in.

But investing our lives to make an impact is what really drives us. It's why we are doing this podcast! We take our money and use it to hire spiritual coaches. We currently utilize fitness coaching and financial coaching as well. We have added high-level people to our business team. Whatever we are doing, we are always looking to grow so we, in turn, can invest in the growth of others. Where do you want to invest your time and money?

Resources & People Mentioned

• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
• Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Miami Association of Realtors

Connect With Ramon and Christy

• www.BothOnBoard.com
• Both On Board on Instagram: @BothOnBoard
• Ray's Instagram - @OfficialRamonGonzalez
• Christy's Instagram - @ChristyRisco
• Facebook - Ramon Gonzalez
• Facebook - Christy Risco

Subscribe to Both on Boardon Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, RadioPublic, Google Podcasts, Spotify

In episode four we talked all about your money mindset and how certain behaviors are ingrained in you since childhood. In this episode, we want to talk about what you do when you've got the money—how to have a fulfilling life. From talking about your money blueprint, where you place value in your life, to investing in giving, we've got you covered with this episode!

Highlights From Our Conversation

• [0:55] The evolution of the money mindset
• [4:05] Don't project your problems on your significant other
• [8:17] What are you drinking alcohol for—are you celebrating or escaping?
• [11:20] The art of fulfillment
• [17:35] What is stopping me from sitting in first class?
• [22:18] 5 regrets of the dying
• [23:39] Using the money muscle
• [28:00] We spend money investing in our joy
• [35:15] What are the things you can do to buy back your time?
• [42:50] Find out what is important to you and your spouse and make it happen
• [46:30] Go make more money!

Finding abundance starts with taking action

Achieving abundance truly starts with having a thought, which leads to a feeling, but starts with an action. We can create vision boards, daydream and visualize all we want but until we begin to take action, we won't be moving in the direction of our dreams. And that's what this podcast is all about right? We want to help you design the life you've been dreaming of!

You're out of alignment with the universe if you want something, but you aren't doing anything to go out and get it. So we took action—even imperfect action will do—and we went out, worked hard, and found success. But we truly believe that success without fulfillment is wasted and is the ultimate failure. Listen to this episode as we address our journey to finding fulfillment.

What first class flying taught me about life

I was boarding a flight and forced to walk by all of these people in first class, and I found myself giving them the stink-eye. It was annoying to have to settle into my spot with the rest of economy class. I hated how I was responding in that moment. What they had was such a trigger for me! I wanted to be able to sit in first-class. I was projecting hatred on these people but the real issues was within me. With awareness of that fact, something hit me.

What was keeping me from sitting in first class? Why couldn't I have that?

The jealousy became fuel for me to go and get what I wanted. To some, it seems like a waste of money because we are all going to the same place. But some of those seats are really comfy! The moral of the story is this: if you see someone that has something you want, bless them. Then go out and do what it takes for you to have it, too. Keep listening as we talk about abundance and finding clarity.

Spend money investing in joy and a fulfilling life

We like to interpret this a couple different ways. We spent a lot of time clarifying what we want, and flying first class is one of the things that we enjoy. As Ray likes to say, "They made these seats for somebody, might as well be me!" We invest in travel and adventure, experiences, and living where we want. Like we've said before, we are not living our life by anyone else's expectations and standards. The truth is, what we choose to spend our money on can be completely different from you, and that's okay.

The second way we invest our money and time that brings us Joy is giving back. Ray and I truly believe that we are blessed, and therefore can live a life of blessing others. We need to make an impact, need to serve, and feel drawn to help other couples find abundance in their life. We are building a life that we don't need a vacation from—so can you! Continue listening along as we talk about the 'top regrets of the dying', and other questions to really make you think.

What are things you can do to buy back your time?

Something we decided to do years ago was to start buying back our time by eliminating some of the things we don't enjoy. Ray doesn't like to drive, and would rather spend the time doing something else, so he takes Ubers everywhere. I don't love cleaning our house, so for the last seven years we've paid someone $120 a week to do it. Then I invest my time elsewhere—doing yoga, spending time with our daughter, returning emails, etc.

So what can you remove from the list of things you hate to free up time to do the things you love?

As you already know, we love to invest our time and money into personal development. This year alone we've invested 6 figures. It's always proven to be one of our best decisions. Listen to the rest of this episode as we cover "Money Dials: Why you spend the way you do" by Ramit Sethi. We'll lay out for you the things we love to spend money on, why it's worth it to us, and how it brings us fulfillment.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Wishes Fulfilled: Mastering the Art of Manifesting by Wayne Dyer
• Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker
• Money Dials: Why you spend the way you do by Ramit Sethi

Connect With Ramon and Christy

• www.BothOnBoard.com
• Both On Board on Instagram: @BothOnBoard
• Ray's Instagram - @OfficialRamonGonzalez
• Christy's Instagram - @ChristyRisco
• Facebook - Ramon Gonzalez
• Facebook - Christy Risco

Subscribe to Both on Boardon Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, RadioPublic, Google Podcasts, Spotify

The learning curves of business growth can be difficult, but it was something we truly enjoyed overcoming together. We were seeing some success and hiring staff to keep things on track. In this episode, we continue where we left off and cover the next seasons of our lives. We'll take you from building our business to selling it off, and where we are today.

Highlights From Our Conversation

• [0:50] Part 2 of our life story
• [3:10] Started selling off some properties and "rehabbing" others
• [10:15] We realized we are not operators and managers
• [16:36] Wins, pains and lessons learned
• [20:33] We sold remaining properties and started to simplify life
• [23:20] Where our journey to clarity started
• [29:50] "Spring cleaning" and work transitions
• [38:00] Brought everything in house and hired top tier players
• [43:00] What our lives look like and why we do what we do

Business growth was our catalyst for change

As our business continued to grow and we hired more staff we began selling off some of the properties we had been holding and making some decent profit. We dabbled in renovating and flipping houses, which was a whole new world we had to learn. We also purchased an 18-unit rental property and built our portfolio to over 90 units.

This time period was hard on us and we went through a lot of ups and downs. We took a vacation to Greece and Italy for a month. In that time we also moved offices and purchased a home that was a fixer upper. Trying to hire and train multiple people and having them slip through the cracks was wearing us out. Listen on as we talk about how we realized it was time to make some serious changes.

Give yourself permission to live your life differently

As ironic as it is with us working in real estate, we did not like being homeowners. We hated the maintenance, the work and inconvenience of it. So we took a huge step, ignored what anyone else might think, and sold our home. From here on out, any time we haven't been satisfied with our environment, we move somewhere else. At this point in time we found a place right behind our office that made life so much more convenient.

We learned a lot about what worked for us and what didn't. Most of all, we learned that we didn't have to fit into a box someone else had created for us. But we didn't know what that meant for us yet. Ray was working all the time and I was home with our 4-month-old daughter. Despite not being involved in the everyday work of the business, I still heard about the ups and downs every single day. The business was no longer serving us, but we were serving it. Keep listening as we discuss our biggest wins, paind, and what we've learned!

Our transition into a simpler lifestyle where we found clarity

We decided to transition out of our business as it was—we needed to let it go. We began to sell off rental properties and slowly let staff go as we eventually closed down our office. We made more of a profit on our work during this time closing this business then in the years we had been running it! We knew it was the right decision for us in this season.

After the business was no longer consuming every bit of our lives, we realized how much we had let ourselves go. Our personal development had waned, and our relationship wasn't as strong as it could be. Our journey towards clarity really began here. We began investing in mastermind groups and reclaimed our health. Continue listening as we talk about another move, "spring cleaning", and transitioning into a better business for us.

The #1 reason why money does matter

The growth of our business eventually led us to the realization that training and managing people just wasn't for us. So we transitioned into our loan business, which gives us steady monthly cash-flow and more time to do the things we want. We believe that time is our most valuable asset and we are now able to use our time towards things like creating this podcast. Our passion lies in helping other people, especially couples, and somewhere along the way we had lost the ability to do so.

Now we have time to take some of the money we've earned and invest it towards worthy pursuits. So often, people say that money doesn't matter. But it does. Money allows us to make an impact, and leave a legacy for our daughter. Listen to the remainder of this episode as we talk about some ways we've recently used our newfound time and money, and encourage you to take steps to start living the life you desire.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Find a Mastermind Group
• Essentialism: the Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
• Unique Ability 2.0 by Catherine Nomura, Julia Waller, et. al.
• The Dan Sullivan Question by Dan Sullivan

Connect With Ramon and Christy

• www.BothOnBoard.com
• Both On Board on Instagram: @BothOnBoard
• Ray's Instagram - @OfficialRamonGonzalez
• Christy's Instagram - @ChristyRisco
• Facebook - Ramon Gonzalez
• Facebook - Christy Risco

Subscribe to Both on Boardon Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, RadioPublic, Google Podcasts, Spotify

So many of you have asked for more details on how the two of us got started, so we are dedicating the next two episodes to our story—and how we built our business from the ground up. We're gonna share more about our history, how we met, and the hustle it took to get our business rolling. You'll definitely want to tune in and listen to this episode of Both on Board!

Highlights From Our Conversation

• [1:00] Ray's Story
• [7:54] Christy's Story
• [12:50] Our 'Date with Destiny' trip to Australia
• [16:25] We started working together in November 2011
• [18:26] Season 1 of Christy and Ray: challenges and wins
• [23:18] Biggest win, biggest pain, and the biggest lesson learned
• [27:00] Investing in an office and creating separation between work and home
• [34:00] Using personality tests to start to separate responsibilities
• [37:30] Getting our financials in order

Ray's roots in life and business

I was born and raised in Miami, a true Florida boy. I was recruited to work in GE right out of college and found myself in Connecticut where I saw snow for the first time in my life. Every 6 months of working there I was shuffled into a new role, which constantly kept me on my toes and learning. During this time I saved as much as possible, and also invested in my first real estate deal—where I ended up losing $60,000. Despite this setback, I stuck with real estate and even connected with my first partner in the business. Continue listening as we talk about my move back to Miami and how I earned enough money to retire for two years when I met and started dating Christy.

Christy's story of life and personal development

I had what I considered the perfect life for someone in their early 20's. I was a Psychology major in college and after I graduated I started working as a 4th-grade teacher. I made enough money to support myself and was perfectly happy. When Ray and I met and first started dating, I 100% thought he was living off of family money. When I realized everything he had was earned through hard work and grit, I took notice. He gave me Tony Robbins Personal Power CD's and he didn't push me to listen to them, simply encouraged me. I took the initiative and listened, and got hooked—completely opening up my world to the idea of personal development.

Personal Development as a catalyst in our relationship

Ray and I began attending personal development conferences together and I dove into multi-level marketing while still teaching. For anyone looking to get started as an entrepreneur I highly recommend this as a springboard into the industry. It allows you the opportunity to build something from the ground up while gaining first-hand experience. It's hard work, but it can be so rewarding on a personal and business level.

In 2011, Ray and I took a huge leap of faith and traveled to Australia together for 21 days to attend a Tony Robbins 'Date with Destiny' seminar. During this time, it dawned on me that I no longer wanted to teach. The entrepreneurial spirit had taken over, and I knew I couldn't keep splitting my life between teaching and building a business. People thought we were crazy. But this is where we truly started living life on our own terms. Keep listening as we talk about how we could afford 3 weeks in Australia and how it catapulted change in our lives.

Building a business where you are both on board

There are moments in your life where you have a realization, one where there is no turning back to the way things were before. Experiences that are life-altering. In 2011, I moved into Ray's apartment where we began building and working on our business for the next two years. There were times where we wouldn't see our cars for weeks straight and spent the majority of our time in front of our computers. We would send out offers on hundreds of bank-owned properties, and would maybe get an offer accepted on one.

Everything changed when we made almost $40,000 on a deal that we had invested in.

We realized that we didn't have to settle for small paychecks anymore. We also realized it was time to invest in an office space and building some separation between personal life and work life. We paid more rent for this office space then we did for our apartment. But it was the best investment we could've made because it forced us to play a bigger game and hustle on a higher level. Listen to the rest of the episode as we talk about our heart behind our work and how we learned what was or wasn't working--and how to fix it.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Tony Robbins Personal Power CD's
• Tony Robbins Date with Destiny Event

Connect With Ramon and Christy

• www.BothOnBoard.com
• Both On Board on Instagram: @BothOnBoard
• Ray's Instagram - @OfficialRamonGonzalez
• Christy's Instagram - @ChristyRisco
• Facebook - Ramon Gonzalez
• Facebook - Christy Risco

From the very launch of this podcast, our goal has been to help you reach a point where you can design the life you want to live—and actually start living life on your own terms. From personal development to managing your health and fitness, we want to make sure we give you the tools we've used so you can make your own way. Listen to this episode as we share our heart and some of the hardest thing we've had to overcome.

Highlights From Our Conversation

• [0:55] Living Life on your terms
• [3:00] Become aware of your limiting beliefs
• [6:50] You're only as strong as your weakest link
• [8:55] Uncover your limiting beliefs and devise steps to overcome them
• [13:05] Is social media influencing how you live your life?
• [17:45] Don't copy someone else thinking they have it all figured out
• [20:15] What is going to make me happy in this season

Become aware of your personal limiting beliefs—so you can overcome them

A limiting belief is something that constrains you from taking action, in some cases because you believe you aren't good enough. It's the voice in your head that holds you back, whispering that you don't have what it takes. That you need to protect yourself. But if you want to take action and you truly desire to, it's time to shut down that internal dialogue.

Don't live your life by limiting the scope of what you are capable of!

Ray and I take some time at the end of our day to communicate about the things that have been bouncing around in our head. We find that by opening up to each other we can laugh some things off. Sometimes we can't believe the power we've let those beliefs hold over us. Listen on as we talk about creating a safe space to be open with each other and lay out some examples.

To begin living life on your own terms you must stop caring what other people think

A huge thing I've struggled with is allowing myself to care about what other people think about me. Are they watching the decisions I'm making and judging me? What do they think of my parenting? I believed that if I acted in a way that pleased others it was caring for them. In reality, I was trying to cover up who I was. And you know what? I needed to be my authentic self. I can care for other people and still live my best life. Keep listening to this episode as cover some ways we overcame personal hurdles to be better versions of ourselves.

Don't compete with or compare yourself to others

When we first launched our business and started along this whole process, social media wasn't flourishing like it is today. It didn't influence decisions we made, nor was everything we did available for the world to see. As we spend more time on social media, it's important to realize that you are not in competition with the people you see. You can't compare your journey to theirs. Who knows what they go through on a daily basis outside of social media.

All you see is a snapshot of who they are.

Don't let that snapshot make you feel lesser. Don't follow the crowd. Remember, designing your perfect life is about doing things on your own terms. You can't measure yourself using someone else's ruler. Learn to be confident in who you are, because nobody else can be you. Continue on with us as we talk about learning to trust yourself and truly embrace who you are.

Make sure you are living your own dream—not someone else's

We just want to expound on the social media piece a little more. Not only do you not want to compare your life with others, but you don't want to lose sight of what your dreams are. It's so easy to go on Instagram and look at all these beautiful photos of people living the most amazing story. Each individual has their own dreams and goals, many of which can align with their significant others.

So in order to live life the way you desire, look back on our perfect day exercise. As you accomplish a goal or a dream, evaluate it—is it what you truly wanted? If not, move on and don't force yourself to live in a space where you aren't happy. Listen to the rest of the episode as we talk about how to take these ideas and test them out and make them work for you. We just want to help equip others to live the life they desire like we have been able to do. Hopefully, you find value in some of the tools and suggestions we provide!

Resources & People Mentioned

• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
• Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza

Connect With Ramon and Christy

• www.BothOnBoard.com
• Both On Board on Instagram: @BothOnBoard
• Ray's Instagram - @OfficialRamonGonzalez
• Christy's Instagram - @ChristyRisco
• Facebook - Ramon Gonzalez
• Facebook - Christy Risco

Let's face it, sometimes there are days when we have to master our emotions so they don't seep into the world around us. Either you "wake up on the wrong side of the bed" or a mistake is made that you are beating yourself up about. Perhaps a decision you made in your relationship or business is leaving you agitated. Whatever the reason, emotions are hard—and even harder to control. Listen to this episode as we talk about what to do when your emotions get the best of you.

Highlights From Our Conversation

• [0:50] What do you do when crap hits the fan
• [3:36] Identify what is causing you to be off
• [7:25] Recognize there are gonna be bad days
• [12:00] Establish a "reset button" in your relationship
• [13:00] Personal examples of what we have been through
• [14:34] Things you can do to get back on track
• [15:40] The law of attraction: don't put your problems on a pedestal
• [18:45] Change how you look at the problem and change how you look at your partner
• [23:15] When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change
• [25:00] Resources we recommend

What do you do when the crap hits the fan?

Everyone has those days, right? Where, for whatever reason, we are cranky and irritable and can't seem to shake our foul mood. Sometimes we are at each other's throats. No one is proud of it but it happens. So what do you do about it so it doesn't negatively affect your relationship?

Take some time and identify what is off.

You know when you're off, so take the time to figure out why. Did you oversleep? Did you forget to pay a bill? Whatever the problem, it's important to identify the issue. Don't let an external issue become an internal conflict that affects how you treat each other.

It's okay to not be okay—but don't wallow in it

Just let that sink in. It's okay to not be okay. But you need to confront your emotions and deal with them. Whatever fear, guilt or shame that is motivating you to beat yourself up needs to be let go. If you lash out at your spouse because of your own inner frustration, apologize immediately. Acknowledge that you're in a bad state of mind and that you will work through it. Ray likes to say "catch the monster while it's small, don't let it eat the whole city".

Likewise, extend grace to your husband or wife if they're having one of these days. Odds are they are beating themselves up over whatever is happening internally, and they don't need you to build on those emotions. We have a couple of tools we utilize: our own personal reset button and "I can't stand myself". Continue listening as we explain what those mean to us!

Do something to clear your head and be the master of your emotions

So once you've established that you need an attitude adjustment, it's time to take action. Ray likes to go to the gym, take a walk, and meditate to work through his feelings. I prefer to do yoga or go outdoors and spend some time walking in the grass barefoot—it's an incredible way to ground yourself. Whatever we do, we change up our environment and try and get a fresh perspective.

Another tool we both 100% agree on is to practice gratitude. Sure, I forgot to pay some bills on time, but we have the money to pay those bills. It won't affect our credit because it never happens. Do not focus all of your attention on your problem, but focus on being thankful. Listen as we talk about some very personal stories and what we do to practice gratitude.

When you change the way you look at things the things you look at change

This quote, most often attributed to Dr. Wayne Dyer, is a mantra we live by. We choose to no longer put our problems on a pedestal. Instead, we shift our focus to what we are thankful for and all those problems seem so small and insignificant. As we begin to shift our focus, the negative emotions begin to fade away as we choose to embrace joy.

Ultimately, happiness and fulfillment is an internal game. When we focus on our self-care and navigating away from those harmful emotions, we also grow closer together. We are both on board with this marriage and this business, and that means overcoming and mastering our emotions so we can be the best versions of ourselves. Listen to the rest of this episode as we cover some invaluable tools you can use in your relationship.

Resources & People Mentioned

• Subscribe to our newsletter for the "7 Game Changers" PDF
• Les Brown "Getting Unstuck" YouTube Video
• Tony Robbins: Learn How to Make Tough Decisions
• Tony Robbins: Ask Better Questions

Connect With Ramon and Christy

• www.BothOnBoard.com
• Both On Board on Instagram: @BothOnBoard
• Ray's Instagram - @OfficialRamonGonzalez
• Christy's Instagram - @ChristyRisco
• Facebook - Ramon Gonzalez
• Facebook - Christy Risco