EP39 | Working and Traveling as a Married Couple with Clay and Rachelle Croft

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Episode Description

Relationships and marriages can be as tough as they are rewarding, and starting and running a successful business with your partner can present even more challenges.

Clay and Rachelle Croft discuss what it’s been like for them to start and operate a successful business together based on an original idea of filming overland travel.

Clay and Rachelle open up about both the challenges and rewards found in traveling and working together and share their thoughts on the concept of work-life balance and how a business can become both a calling and a lifestyle.

If you’re interested in hearing about what Clay and Rachelle have learned–and continue to learn–about life, family, and business by operating in the world as a couple committed to each other, their family, and what they see as their unique calling in life, then this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

Detailed Episode Summary

Part 1 (1:30-9:51) Intro and Welcome Back to the Podcast Clay and Rachelle Croft! Clay and Rachelle begin the conversation by sharing their background as a couple and what it looked like when they started X Overland. Clay shares his personal background and path of growth as a husband and businessman.

Correction (9:37): Montana is the 4th largest state in the U.S., behind Alaska, Texas, and California.

Part 2 (9:51-13:08) Clay Croft’s Ranching Background: Clay shares his family’s story in ranching and explains how growing up on a Montana ranch has positively impacted his life and approach to business. Clay and Jimmy discuss the core values of family business whether that be ranching or running a media company like X Overland.

Part 3 (13:10-17:50) Rachelle and Clay Croft’s Philosophy on Building a Relationship: Rachelle explains her philosophy when it comes to understanding and respecting differences as a couple and learning how to capitalize on those differences. Rachelle and Clay explain their differences and how they have combined talents and personalities to grow and run a successful business.

Part 4 (17:51-25:23) Going from Dreams to Reality and Overcoming Resentments as a Couple: Rachelle opens up about her early resentments toward Clay at the beginning of X Overland, and she and Clay explain how they were able to overcome their personal issues at the start and align to move the business forward. Jimmy, Rachelle, and Clay discuss the value of clarity in decision-making and taking ownership of your life.

Part 5 (25:24-29:35) The Concept of a “Calling” and How that has Impacted Clay and Rachelle’s Direction as a Couple: Clay explains what a “Calling” is, exactly, and how this concept has impacted his and Rachelle’s life and direction in business. Rachelle and Clay explain how core philosophy and beliefs affect and influence their brand’s definition of overlanding. (See this podcast and blog for X Overland’s definition of “Overlanding.”)

Part 6 (29:35-34:03) Clay and Rachelle Croft Explain the Challenges of Staying Motivated and the Need for Self-Discipline in Both Business and Marriage: Clay and Rachelle discuss the increasing challenge of staying motivated to the value of pushing past feelings to stay true to your “why” in life. Clay shares his value of authenticity and his desire to always maintain that in the X Overland Brand.

Part 7 (34:03- 38:46) The Value of Authenticity in Business and in Relationships: Clay discusses how he both gives and takes advice and the need for authenticity when it comes to his life and his brand. Jimmy, Rachelle, and Clay discuss the benefits of being a couple working together in business.

Part 8 (38:47-44:18) What Does “Work-Life Balance” Look Like for Clay and Rachelle Croft? Clay pushes back against strict adherence to the concept of “Work-Life-Balance.” Clay, Rachelle, and Jimmy discuss how your work can become a lifestyle. Clay explains how your calling and purpose can be found outside of work and how work can help a person maintain that. Rachelle explains the value of having a “work ethic” and finding joy and purpose in whatever you’re doing.

Part 9 (44:19-59:06) How Do Clay and Rachelle Operate On an Everyday Level as a Working Couple on their Overland Expeditions? Clay explains his challenges of leading an expedition and directing the production of a television series while maintaining his role as a husband on an overland journey. Rachelle shares her challenges in maintaining her role as a wife while fulfilling her many professional responsibilities on expeditions. Finally, Clay and Rachelle discuss how they work together in the role of a married couple on expeditions and how this affects team dynamics.

Part 10 (59:06-End) What Was Clay and Rachelle’s Experience as a Couple Like While Filming The Nordic Series? Clay, Rachelle, and Jimmy discuss Clay and Rachelle’s recent experience while on expedition filming the Nordic Series and how their years of experience have impacted how they’re able to enjoy overlanding and filming together. Clay and Rachelle share insight and tips about how to work out your interpersonal dynamics on an overlanding trip and the need to set healthy expectations.

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Helpful Resources

Interested in the Subject of Overlanding as a Couple? You might want to check out these additional episodes of the X Overland Podcast:

Overlanding as a Couple with Richard and Ashley Giordano of Desk to Glory
Overlanding as a Family with Peter and Carol van Stralen of Epic Family Roadtrip
Overlanding with Children Featuring Megan Walthall

Interested in Learning More About How X Overland Got Started? Try reading this blog post on the subject!

Interested in Learning More About Group Dynamics for Overland Travel? Try watching this episode of X Overland’s Proven series on the subject.

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