5 inspiring couples from 2022

We think these 5 couples are pretty incredible because they’ve been operating as a team to live their very best lives. And after reading some of their stories, we reckon you just might feel a little bit better about the world, too – It’s a win, win!

1. Scott & Liz Pape

Scott Pape, more well-known as “The Barefoot Investor” and his wife Liz, completed a huge lap of Australia at the end of last year – with four kids in tow!

As Scott writes, they hadn’t intended to go quite that far but after taking off in July, COVID perpetually ensured that the prospect of returning to Victoria was unappealing. So, they decided to extend their adventure and tour the whole country.

Now, it’s not just the fact that the size of the motorhome they were all squeezed into made me say “oof” out loud when I saw the photo, or that they were travelling with a teething newborn (goodbye sleep) – it’s that they took a difficult time of life, a really uncertain and challenging time of life  – and instead of feeling concerned into maintaining status quo, they went out and pursued a different dream.

That’s not to say playing-it-safe isn’t sometimes the best course of action, we certainly did it in ways throughout the worst parts of COVID, but we also didn’t let COVID stop us from pursuing the dreams we could.

It may have shaped our options, but we were still in control of where we chose to go, And just like us, Scott & Liz seemed to reflect on this time in a really positive way.

I swooned when I read a quote from Scott, talking about giving up writing for a newspaper during that time. He said:

“What I earned in return was the privilege of spending large, uninterrupted dollops of time with my family”.

Now, what could be better than that?

2. Gary Ablett Jr & Jordan Ablett

If you watched the AFL grand final this year (let’s hope you were a Cats fan), you would have seen Geelong captain, Joel Selwood, running onto the ground and being handed Gary Ablett Jr’s little boy, Levi, to make the run through the banner.

It was a pretty magical moment. I mean, cute kids do tend to make all big occasions even more feel-good. But three-year-old Levi Ablett has something extra special about him.

Levi has been diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease that, in the words of his Mum, Jordan, has a “very short life expectancy”. He also doesn’t speak and often battles illness as a result of low muscle tone and other contributing factors.

As parents of a non-speaking child, we related to the Ablett family’s journey and admired their bravery and their openness when it came to speaking about Levi publicly.

We know how it feels to be confronted with the knowledge that your child is more vulnerable than other children. As a parent, you’ll do anything in your power to protect them. Including shutting the world out.

But that doesn’t help our children live up to their potential. And it certainly doesn’t help the world become a more inclusive and open place.

Watching other courageous couples step-up in this space is inspiring. We don’t underestimate the teamwork it took for Gary & Jordan to get to a place where they felt comfortable enough to brave the public eye.

3. Erica & Andrew Boyne

You’ve probably never heard of these two. They aren’t a famous couple but they are an incredible one. And they’re also our very dear friends, who recently became proud parents for the first time.

In addition to tackling parenthood head-on, they also made time this year to build a new room for their baby’s nursery. And when I say build, I mean design, plan and physically construct all by themselves.

You see Andrew and Erica built their very own home a couple of years ago. They aren’t short on skill, with Andrew being a talented architect and Erica a devoted historian. But it was more than that. Building a nursery for their newborn son was a dream that represented their values.

I remember coming home to WA to visit almost six years ago. They’d just purchased the site for their new home and were sharing their plans with me. You could tell how passionate and excited they were to live in a house that aligned with them and how they see the world.

I don’t know if many people think about their home environment this way. It served as a stark reminder to Rog and I that alignment needs to occur across ALL parts of our lives.

Their dream was not an easy one. They gave up a lot to be able to build their dream house – including every spare hour they had for years. They tackled a water-logged site and many other issues throughout the journey but in the end, they delivered.

And it was extremely inspiring to see them do it. Now, every single day of their lives they get to inhabit a place that is truly them.

4. Turia Pitt & Michael Hoskin

I have to admit, I’m feeling sappy just starting this paragraph. Turia Pitt is quite literally my hero. Reading her book Unmasked changed me forever. It gave me perspective and a sense of resilience that even after the years I’d lived – I had not development on my own.

And if you’ve followed along over the years with these two, you would know – she is the woman she is, in part because of the man she is with. As I would say, am I.

Theirs is a special love story, a story of unwavering commitment and selflessness. But also, of joy and humour; of support and respect; of dedication and hard work.

There may have been a slight misconception at some stage that this was more of a one-sided story. But it was always clear to us that Turia and Michael are the ultimate team. And we saw that again over the last year when they relocated to Queensland for Michael’s job as a helicopter pilot.

Turia moved from her long-time home to support her husband’s dream. Because sometimes the team dream looks like following and other times it looks like leading.

What it really is, is a partnership. An agreement of what you both want to pursue and how you will achieve that together.

I loved reading Turia’s posts about moving. She didn’t shy away from the crappiness of having to move but she also didn’t whinge about the decision they’d clearly made together. No doubt, everything they do is framed by being a real team.

5. Chantelle Otten & Dylan Alcott

I mean, what a dream team! Two people who are out there showing the world that being yourself is not just ok – it is the WAY.

We love absolutely everything about these two. From their discussions about their sex life and smashing misconceptions around disability to their ongoing advocacy for inclusion – we are truly in awe of this couple.

They work to support each other in the public eye and unwaveringly boost and contribute to each other’s respective altruistic platforms.

It’s not easy to stay upbeat when you’re faced with marginalisation and judgement. But Dylan and Chantelle seem to always begin conversations from a stance of gratitude for the progress made.

We believe this incredible attitude is what helps to keep listeners open to the conversation.

What an inspiring couple!

Head to your fave podcast app and tune into the latest episode of Living the Team Life to hear relationship conversations by real people, for real people.