Shawn Johnson, Andrew East Explain How Marriage Changes Society
By Movieguide® Contributor
Former Olympian Shawn Johnson East and husband Andrew East are tackling marriage misconceptions in their latest podcast episode.
“We’ve been thinking a lot about what society thinks about marriage and how there are so many common misconceptions about it,” Andrew said on an episode of “Couple Things.” “Honestly, I feel like it’s kind of a bummer.”
He added, “There are challenges with marriages, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be shied away from.”
Shawn and Andrew tied the knot in 2016, after four years of dating.
“I’ve found my guy,” the gymnast told PEOPLE before the wedding. “And he’s my best friend, so making it official is exciting.”
READ MORE: SHAWN JOHNSON EAST STRENGTHENS HER MARRIAGE WITH THESE FAITH HABITS
The couple then got into some thoughts and doubts people have about marriage, including whether or not their spouse will change, and if that’s a good or bad thing.
“Yes, your spouse will change,” Shawn shared. “They will go through phases of life where they are completely different than the person you married, but that’s also part of the adventure of life: going through these ups and downs and falling back in love with each one of those people.”
Andrew agreed, adding that these changes can lead to conversations that will benefit both your family and the world at large.
“I just think…if you’re able to do family well, then I think society benefits,” he explained. “If you can have hard conversations and challenging conversations in the family and maintain an aspect of empathy and love, then it has ripple effects throughout society.”
They then dove into the topic of putting in the work in a marriage.
“The reality here [is] marriage requires continuous effort, communication and compromise from both sides,” Shawn said. “I think you can live happily ever after under the realistic expectation that you have to work for that every single day of your life, and I don’t mean that in a bad way.”
Andrew added, “Marriage takes some work. It is worth it. What is more satisfying than being fully known and fully loved? That’s this beautiful sweet spot of life.”
Shawn has previously spoken about why she and Andrew decided to start their podcast, where they share marriage and parenting advice.
“We started it because I got so frustrated seeing divorce headlines and headlines about breakups,” she told Woman’s World. “I got tired of people talking about how if relationships get hard you must not be meant for each other. So we wanted to start a podcast that shows the hard side of relationships and that you can get through it.”
READ MORE: SHAWN JOHNSON EAST AND ANDREW EAST REVEAL PARENTING, MARRIAGE INSIGHTS
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