We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachael & Marvin Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachael & Marvin below.
Rachael & Marvin, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
We keep our creativity alive by focusing less on what we’re making and more on why we’re making it.
Our why is simple: we want people to feel less alone in the messy middle of their relationships and life journeys.
When we sit down to record, we’re not thinking, “How do we make the perfect piece of content?” We’re thinking, “What’s something we’re really going through right now that someone else might be scared to say out loud?” From there, we let our natural chemistry do the rest — the jokes, the playful roasting, the slightly unhinged tangents.
The goal isn’t to be the most polished couple on the internet. The goal is to be the most honest. And when that’s the bar, creativity doesn’t feel like pressure — it feels like an invitation to show up as ourselves, together.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Our story started like a lot of love stories do: two people talking on a couch for hours about everything and nothing. The difference is… we just never stopped talking, and eventually we put mics in front of us.
What feels most special about what we do isn’t the microphones, it’s the mission: helping people feel less “broken” and more “human.” We want our listeners to feel like they’re on the couch with us — laughing, pausing to reflect, sometimes lowkey dragging themselves in the process. The “brand” isn’t perfection; it’s permission. Permission to grow, to change, to choose healthier love than you saw growing up.
Professionally, we’re focused on turning that heart into impact — growing our audience, partnering with brands that actually align with our values, and creating offerings beyond the podcast: think live events, digital series, and resources that help people move from “I just want something different” to “I’m actually living it.” And layered underneath all of that is our very real, very vulnerable chapter: we’re currently walking through IVF and surrogacy, and we’ve launched a GoFundMe to help support our path to parenthood as the Meant 2 Be family grows in more ways than one.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
For us, the three most impactful things have been:
staying adaptable when life refuses to follow the script, choosing emotional bravery, and valuing consistency over vibes.
1. Adaptability: Our journey has included detours we never planned for — especially around starting our family. We’ve had to grieve old timelines, pivot our expectations, and still choose hope. That flexibility is a skill.
Advice:
Hold the vision tight, but the timeline loose. Life will change on you. Learn to adjust together instead of turning on each other. Ask, “Given what’s real right now, what’s our next faithful step?”
2. Emotional bravery: It’s easy to be funny, it’s harder to be vulnerable. The Meant 2 Be Podcast works because we’re willing to share the messy middle — the insecurity, the doubt, the “we don’t have the answers yet.”
Advice:
Practice going one layer deeper. When you want to joke your way out of a real moment, pause and ask, “What am I actually feeling?” Say that out loud. Bravery is built rep by rep.
3. Consistency > chemistry: Chemistry got us in the door. Consistency kept us in the room.
Showing up for each other, for our audience, and for the life we say we want — even when we’re tired, scared, or unsure — has been a game changer.
Advice:
Make tiny promises to yourself and each other… and keep them. Weekly check-ins, regular date nights, a routine around money talks or planning. Romance is cute; reliability is hot.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
Right now, our biggest obstacle is the emotional and financial weight of growing our family through IVF and surrogacy. This isn’t the version of “starting a family” we pictured when we were daydreaming about tiny feet on hardwood floors and Saturday morning cartoons, but it’s the path in front of us — and it’s not cheap, simple, or linear.
The emotional side is heavy: grieving the loss of a “traditional” pregnancy, accepting that Rachael’s body can’t safely carry, and still holding onto hope. The financial side is very real: IVF, surrogate care, legal fees… it’s a lot for two people who don’t have a trust fund, just a lot of love and a podcast mic.
How we’re working through it:
• We’re letting ourselves grieve and hope at the same time. Therapy, prayer, honest conversations — we’re not pretending this is easy.
• We’re inviting community in. That’s why we launched our GoFundMe. It was humbling and scary to hit “publish,” but it’s also been healing to let the people who love us support this dream.
• We’re talking about it out loud. On the podcast, with friends, in spaces like this. Infertility and surrogacy are often whispered about in the dark. We’re trying to bring some light, some humor, and a lot of honesty.
For anyone early in their journey:
You don’t have to be “strong” by yourself. Let people in. Let yourself feel it. And if your path to parenthood looks different than you imagined, that doesn’t make it less worthy — it just makes it more you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/meant2bepod
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meant2bepod
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@meant2bepod
- Other: https://gofund.me/db3ef6b78
Image Credits
Elisa Castillo Photography
KJM Photography
Steff Edwards Photography
Noelani Alexis Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
