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In her series exploring how couples are navigating their marriage, money, and mindset, Jessica Abo sat down with Katie Love, the founder of Love Social Media<\/a>, and her husband, Aaron Martin, who is the father behind the social media account @stayathomedad<\/a>.<\/p>\n Aaron and Adley baking while Katie runs her social media agency.<\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>Carly Terenzio Photography <\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n It was Christmas Eve in Columbus, Ohio, and TV news reporter Katie Love was assigned to cover a heartbreaking story. \u201cA family of four died in a fire when their Christmas tree fell over in the middle of the night,\u201d Love says. Her voice trembled with emotion as she delivered the tragic news. ‘I was devastated for obvious reasons and went back to the newsroom very emotional.’ The weight of the story had clearly taken its toll.<\/p>\n Katie Love reporting the news for NBC4 in Columbus, Ohio.<\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>Katie Love<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n However, when Love returned to the station, she was met with an unexpected inquiry. The news director called her into his office and asked a perplexing question: ‘Why didn’t I see that Katie Love smile on TV this morning?’ Confused and taken aback, Love couldn’t fathom what he was getting at until it became apparent that he had been watching her report on mute and was completely unaware that she had just delivered the tragic news that an entire family was gone.”<\/p>\n Meanwhile Love says her boyfriend at the time, Aaron Martin, was an investigative reporter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was not dealing with feedback on his hair, wardrobe, or facial expressions. \u201cHe was getting called in for his storytelling and his writing.\u201d<\/p>\n Around the time they got engaged, Love got a reporting offer in Pittsburgh, which meant she and Martin could work and live in the same city. But two weeks before she was supposed to start her job, she realized the toll working in TV news had taken on her mental health and decided it was time to do something else.<\/p>\n \u201cI learned a lot about the power of social media. I’d covered a lot of missing persons cases and if a mother got me a poster that I could blast out on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, everybody knew about that child being missing in a few hours versus waiting for the five and six o’clock news to talk about this person,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Seeing the power of how information could be disseminated on social media so quickly made Love feel alive and she realized that she wanted to bottle that up and work with female founders and their online presence.<\/p>\n Katie Love, Founder and CEO of Love Social Media<\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>LISH Creative<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n When Love told Martin she was going to start her own social media agency<\/a>, he told her it was a great idea. \u201cIn my head, I’m thinking, you know, small businesses take a while to succeed. I had no doubt Katie would be successful. I just figured we’d be living off of my salary for at least a couple years, maybe longer until she got things going.\u201d<\/p>\n Things moved a lot faster than both expected and by the end of year one, Love was out-earning her fianc\u00e9. By year five, her business hit 7-figures and she was creating social media strategies for celebrities like Noami Watts and Bethenny Frankel.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was fantastic. I couldn’t have been happier because she was doing what she loved and was doing it really well,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n After a long day of investigative journalism, Martin would come home and just want to unwind. \u201cWe did a lot of watching TV while she worked on her laptop,\u201d he says. So there were certainly challenges at times where I remember saying like, \u2018Hey, can you log off for a little bit so we can hang out?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Aaron Martin (L) and Katie Love (R) with daughter Adley | Mother’s Day 2023<\/p>\n <\/fbs-accordion>Katie Love<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Love admits she was working, 24\/7 because the success of her company was on her shoulders. \u201cWhether I got a client or not or money came in was all on me,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I had to figure out for our marriage, how to shut the laptop sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin says his advice for other couples facing this challenge is to be vocal. \u201c\u2018I would say, \u2018Hey, you know, I really want you to be present for this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He also shared he accepts Love for who she is and gives her grace when he knows she needs to work.<\/p>\n Six weeks into the lockdown, Love and Martin welcomed Adley into the world. Throughout the first year of their daughter’s life, Martin had long workdays, leaving home at eight in the morning and returning at eight at night. Love found herself navigating the challenges of motherhood while simultaneously scaling a company. The pressures of the ongoing pandemic weighed heavily on Martin as he ventured into the outside world, with the constant worry of exposing his wife and daughter to the threat of COVID. Additionally, he grappled with a sense of guilt, knowing that Love had an overflowing plate. \u201cWhen you’re doing all that while sleep deprived, it can create a lot of tension. So we certainly had our fair share of struggles, but luckily, we’re very good at talking things out on something’s bothering us. We don’t let it simmer. We talk right away.\u201d<\/p>\nThe Story That Changed Everything<\/h3>\n
Going Out On Her Own<\/h3>\n
The Realities of Startup Life<\/h3>\n
Parenting Through COVID<\/h3>\n