Episode 9 – Why Costa Rica
Why Costa Rica Became a Third Partner in Our Marriage
Costa Rica is more than a backdrop for us. It is a character in our story.
This story is part of the Built on Us Story Series, where my husband David and I share the real moments that almost broke us and the tools that helped us rebuild. We are a blended family, a second marriage, and we now host a couples retreat in Costa Rica shaped by everything you are about to read.
The Land That Broke Us Open
Costa Rica is the place that peeled us apart.
It forced us to stare at shadows we did not want to see.
The broken patterns.
The silences that were too loud.
The truth that comfort back home had been covering up.
Away from our routines, there was nowhere to hide.
No busy calendar to use as an excuse.
No never-ending to-do list to distract us.
Just us, our nervous systems, and everything we had not yet said out loud.
In that space, our cracks showed.
But so did our desire to keep choosing each other.
The Land That Stitched Us Back Together
Costa Rica was also where we began to rebuild.
For me, it became solace.
A reminder that love does not need the perfect calendar or ideal conditions. It needs room to breathe.
For David, Costa Rica proved that his routine could travel.
His rhythm held steady in a new landscape. He could still wake early, move his body, and find his anchors even in a place that felt foreign.
Home stopped being a single address.
Together, this land interrupted our old ways and gave us the silence, gentleness, and stretch of time we needed to find our way back.
How Costa Rica Holds Us
Here, our bodies feel good in motion. The hikes, the ocean, the black sand beneath our feet.
Here, our minds expand. Every conversation feels a little wider because we are constantly learning, humbled, and reminded that there is more than one way to live.
Here, our hearts soften. The ocean pulls us in and reminds us to pause.
Here, our spirits connect. The rhythm, the air, the light, the way people live closer to the land. All of it reminds us that everything is woven together.
And so are we.
Of all the humans in this world, we chose one another.
We also chose this place as part of our legacy.
Reflection: Where Is Your Costa Rica?
So let me ask you.
Where is your Costa Rica?
What place, pause, or change of scenery has forced you to stop and really see your partner?
Where have you felt your patterns loosen just enough to try something new?
And if you have not found that place yet, what would it mean to step into an environment designed to help you do exactly that?
Love rarely fixes itself in the middle of routine.
Sometimes you need a new rhythm, a new light, a new ocean to show you what is possible together.
Questions for Your Own Partnership
Where do you feel most disconnected from each other? What is the environment like?
Where do you feel most at ease together? What is different about that place?
What kind of environment would support the version of your relationship you want to grow into?
Built On Us: The Partnership Pact Retreat
For 7 days, we bring couples into the same environment that reshaped us.
Not just the backdrop of waterfalls, hikes, and black sand beaches, but the rituals, conversations, and guided practices that help you:
Start gently, so you learn how to fight without fracturing.
Reignite desire, so you remember what it feels like to be wanted again.
Share the vision, so you build a future you can both see clearly.
You do not need another date night.
You need an experience that pulls you out of the old cycle and into a new rhythm together.
Build a business that works for you, not because of you.
Lead in a way your nervous system can live with.