Forming a blissful union in both business and love, Nic Davidson and Sarah Holloway have the kind of chemistry that makes magic happen. Here, in a nod to Valentine’s Day, we talk to the compelling couple about their little love story.
How was it you met and why do you think you clicked?
Sarah: "Funnily enough, we met quite a few times before we actually noticed each other properly. We found out years later that we'd shared a physio in our past lives (Nic as an athlete and myself as a ballerina) when we were very young teenagers. When we really clicked was when we realised that while we both had a very party-loving exterior, we were both actually quite soft at heart. We've been together pretty much since the week of that first long conversation."
You work together and play together, how do you make that work so well?
Nic: "It definitely took some time to get used to! We went from having completely separate careers to living in each other's pockets. Luckily we had done a lot of intensive travel together before and tested out our ability to be together 24/7 in high pressure situations. So we had a headstart on most couples in that regard, but even still it took us the first year or perhaps even longer to adjust to the new life structure and roles. The biggest thing has been learning to communicate with each other differently. You take liberties with your partner that you wouldn't take with a third party business partner, because you're so familiar and it gets really hard to separate your work relationship with your personal one. But once you set up good boundaries, strong communication guidelines and make sure you keep time and energy for your personal life away from work, you can definitely achieve a good balance. Once you get that, there's really nothing as rewarding as working together for the same goals and future."
You’ve been together almost ten years now, is there a secret to building a lasting relationship?
Sarah: "Gosh, that seems so long! But it also seems fresh and new still. One of the big things with long term relationships is that people change so dramatically over time, but if you can change together and compatibly, you can make the distance. We're such different people to who we were when we first started dating, and that's how life is supposed to be - I mean, I hadn't even finished uni, but have now started the work force AND changed careers completely since then. But we have always been open about how we're feeling and how are goals and perspectives are changing and so we've both been able to grow into new people together rather than growing apart. I think it's when you don't communicate that you become stagnant together and can't develop as a unit. There's definitely been tough times but open communication and willingness to work through things is so important. And also continually doing new things and taking on new challenges together keeps things exciting and stimulating - we both have crazily curious minds and adventurous personalities, so life will never be boring!"
Do you find you end up dressing similar like a lot of couples do?
Sarah: "Unfortunately, it's almost a daily occurrence! I still insist though that it's Sarah copying my style, not the "accident" she makes it out to be. We both have similar styles and colour preferences and both love neutral coloured basics, so it's inevitable that we end up in similar clothing. It's been happening for ten years now and we still rock up to events that we arrived at separately in outfits so similar that people assume it's planned."
HIS + HERS
Most treasured memory together:
Nic: "Travelling for sure. It takes someone pretty special to be the perfect travel buddy, and I have that in Sarah. Other treasured memories are probably a lot less glamorous, like road trips and our country escapes."
Sarah: "Oh goodness, there are so many! I think our travels are pretty special, we have some amazing memories together. Getting engaged in Fiji would have to be up there in the highlights. But also our yearly trips to a very unglamorous country shack with the dog where we spend a week barefoot with very little internet are also a highlight of my life. Starting Matcha Maiden and moving into business together instead of spending days and nights at the office without him was also such a special time."
What do you admire most about the other:
Nic: "Her brain. Seriously pretty scary that one - to be that smart but that grounded and normal is pretty special. Also the things she does for others and her compassion and empathy."
Sarah: "His ability to self learn pretty much anything. Nic has the most curious and complicated brain and is always learning new things. He inspires me to always push myself to learn new skills and talents."
Favourite way to spend time with each other:
Nic: "At the shack, watching TV repeats in my trackies with the dog."
Sarah: "At home with the dog over takeaway dinner and Netflix"
