Married, Dating, or Single: Two Relationship Experts Share Their Best Advice

Some conversations remind you that the good stuff in life rarely comes fast, and it almost never comes easy. My conversation with Cory and Lori Romero was one of those. They walked in with warmth, community, and a story that stretched from a chance meeting at Bank of America all the way to Celebrate Recovery leadership, a five-year infertility journey, a homeschooling life they built from scratch, and a real estate lesson none of us saw coming. By the end, I wasn’t just grateful for their honesty. I was reminded, again, why I love this work.

How It All Started

Cory and Lori met at work back in 2010, in the mortgage department at Bank of America, and their story is proof that the people who understand your ambition often understand you best. Cory put it simply: their connection was never about a spark of attraction alone. It was communication. They could talk about anything, without judgment, and that became the foundation on which everything else was built.

Lori’s version is just as striking. She knew almost immediately that she was going to marry him. The only real question was timing.

That instinct about timing would come up again and again throughout our conversation, because timing, it turns out, is one of the biggest lessons their marriage has taught them.

Building a Faith Foundation, Not Just Attending Church

Neither Cory nor Lori grew up with a deep, foundational relationship with God. Lori had accepted Jesus early in their relationship but hadn’t been raised in church. Cory knew of God his whole life but hadn’t let that knowledge move from his head to his decisions.

For years, they simply attended church because it was what people did on Sundays. Somewhere along the way, that shifted from showing up to actually building something. They got involved in premarital counseling before their wedding, something their church strongly encourages for couples preparing for marriage, and eventually found themselves stepping into deeper leadership roles they never expected, including being asked to join the executive team for their Celebrate Recovery ministry.

Celebrate Recovery has become one of the most meaningful parts of their week. They lead newcomer conversations before the evening group sessions even start, meeting separately with men and women to help people understand what to expect and to begin praying with them before the larger group takes over. What struck me most was hearing them describe the people who walk through those doors. Adults in their twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, even seventies, are still trying to heal from what happened in their childhood homes. Households where love and affection were missing, where secrets were carried instead of spoken, where everyone kept a straight face while quietly falling apart inside.

Cory said it plainly. A lot of what they deal with in Celebrate Recovery is people’s secrets and problems that were never fully worked through. It’s not until they sit down and really talk that the roots become clear, sometimes stretching all the way back to five or six years old.

Choosing Homeschooling Over the Career Path

Lori’s decision to leave the workforce and homeschool full time wasn’t made lightly, and it wasn’t made all at once. In the beginning, she admits it came from a place of fear, not wanting her child raised by anyone else because of her own past. But as their daughter approached school age, the decision became about something bigger: giving her a childhood centered on faith and creativity, rather than one shaped entirely by the school system.

A homeschool convention changed everything for Lori. She saw testimonies of kids graduating high school early, learning trades, and having the time and freedom to explore what they loved. That vision stuck with her. Now their daughter takes piano and dance, is asking about horseback riding lessons, and spends her free time building, drawing, and coloring simply because she wants to, not because a worksheet told her to.

Cory and Lori both pointed to something simple as the heart of good parenting: being a positive role model. For Cory, that meant giving up casual drinking so that his daughter’s memories of him would be built around strength and presence, not a beer in his hand at the pool. For both of them, it meant being intentional about affection, patience, and love, especially knowing firsthand through Celebrate Recovery how much damage grows in homes where those things are missing.

The Five-Year Wait

One of the most powerful parts of our conversation was hearing about their journey to have their daughter. It took five years, including a few miscarriages along the way. Looking back now, Cory said something that stuck with me. Had they had her earlier, they wouldn’t have been ready. Their faith wasn’t grounded yet. The waiting, as hard as it was, brought them to a place where they could actually receive what they’d been asking for.

That kind of perspective doesn’t come from a quick fix. It comes from years of choosing to trust the process even when it hurts.

When Real Estate Gets Real

Not every lesson in their life has been quiet or reflective. Over the last few years, Cory and Lori have been building a real estate portfolio, and one property recently threw them into a situation straight out of a crime drama. A tenant was using one of their rental units for illegal activity, and when their property management company couldn’t resolve it, the responsibility landed back on them. They installed cameras, gathered evidence over ninety days, and eventually connected with law enforcement, including a DEA agent who took the case seriously.

The story reached its climax when a full tactical team showed up at the property and made arrests, caught entirely on camera. Cory described it as one of those moments you don’t want to watch but can’t look away from.

Beyond the drama, the real lesson was about control. Cory admitted how hard it was to let go and trust the process while investigators did their work, instead of trying to manage every detail themselves. It’s a theme that shows up again and again in their story: learning to release control and trust a bigger plan, whether that’s in their family, their faith, or their business.

Breaking Generational Patterns

When I asked what advice they’d offer to someone listening, Cory didn’t hesitate. Breaking generational curses. He believes real growth in business or family life starts with understanding what was passed down to you long before you ever met your spouse or had your own kids, and being willing to release whatever still has a hold on you.

Lori’s answer came from a different angle, but it pointed to the same idea. For a long time, she struggled with identity, staying quiet and reserved until she fully surrendered that identity to her faith. Her advice for stay-at-home moms in particular was simple and direct: motherhood is a ministry. It shapes who a child becomes, and that role matters more than the world often gives it credit for.

Looking Ahead

As we wrapped up, both Cory and Lori were looking toward what’s next. Their Celebrate Recovery group is growing fast enough that they’re moving into a larger space entirely. Their oldest daughter is getting married soon, a milestone that carries its own kind of bittersweet joy. And through all of it, they keep coming back to the same idea that shaped our entire conversation: nothing worth having comes without a wait, a lesson, or a little bit of surrender.

About me:

I am currently a Master Facilitator for The Elliott Group in addition to being on the board of advisors for our Cultural Transformation Department in ELLIOTT ARMY.

With over 14 years of client service experience, I have held substantial leadership roles in the automotive industry. I’m also an accredited coach, a speaker, a triathlon finisher, and a wife. To contact me for engagements, you can reach me at[email protected].