Is your relationship an “opposites attract” sort of thing?
Today is my first interview on this podcast, and I’m thrilled to welcome Shannon Markland to talk about the yin and yang in her relationship.
In this episode you’ll hear:
- The story of how Shannon met her husband, Patrick, and how that first meeting set a template for their relationship
- How Chinese Medicine has practical applications in the daily life of this couple as they play with the yin and yang energy in their relationship
- Their proposal story and how the ocean itself sent friends to cheer them on
About this guest
Shannon Markland is a board certified, Licensed Acupuncturist in the state of Florida.
Shannon is also a Certified Diplomate of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She uses acupuncture therapy, herbal medicine, and lifestyle for patients looking for an alternative route to healing.
She earned a Masters of Science degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine. While there, she volunteered with the Chicago Healing Justice Network to help developing relationships to organize and host community care nights which provided free health care consultations and treatments to individuals in need. She worked for several years at Project Vida, a community outreach clinic in a small Latino neighborhood treating patients with chronic pain disorders and trauma victims. She has also worked in Haiti with a medical organization called Friends of the Children, providing free health care and medicine to local Haitian families.
She met her husband in 2012 in Haiti and their relationship has morphed from one of colleagues volunteering next to each other, to life partners.
Connect with Shannon Markland here.
Try this relationship habit:
This week’s habit for your happily ever after comes from my discussion with Shannon: Make a nice dinner at home for your spouse. Pour them a delicious beverage, and INTENTIONALLY seat them far away from the to-do list.
I had so much fun doing this first interview with Shannon and hearing about the balance of that yin and yang energy. I tend to be more yang energy in my marriage: I lean into confrontation and I’m the one who hauls out a bucket of water balloons at a party.
Meanwhile, there is no doubt that I am more grounded because of the calming yin energy my husband brings to our relationship.
Is your relationship benefitting from the differences between you and your spouse?
I can remember, early in my relationship, how frustrated I was that David would back away from confrontation and he didn’t want to go to parties the way I wanted to.
But now, after 35 years of each of us cultivating the opposing energy in each other, it’s just like Shannon said. David will be the one to bring up a difficult conversation. And I’ll be the one to say, “How about if we stay home instead.”
How about you? What do you notice about the yin or yang energy in your relationship? Have you ever felt put off by the energy of your spouse the way Shannon initially thought Patrick was too loud and too friendly?
What is it about the differences between you and your spouse that help you to balance each other? I’m so curious to know about your relationship. If you have time to text me and let me know what you notice when it comes to yin and yang energy, I’d be thrilled. You can reach me at 970-210-4480.
Try this date night discussion:
How do you see the yin-yang balance in our relationship?
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