Episode #507

What It's Like To Build A Speaking Business With Your Spouse

With Dr. Reggie & Patrice Wright

“I feel like I’ve always been Reggie’s administrative assistant with our life. So it was kind of a natural transition just to slide into that.” – Patrice Wright 

This week, Grant sat down with not 1, but 2 lovely guests to chat about building a speaking business with your spouse! You may remember Dr. Reggie Wright from Episode 471 last fall, but this week, we’re hearing from him AND his better half, Patrice.

“My first year as a full time speaker, I wanted her to resign. I wanted her to retire the first year and come on board as my COO. And that was a little bit of some tension there, because she wanted to kind of wait and see how things would play out, and that kind of put some stress and strain on things.” – Reggie Wright 

Grant, Reggie, and Patrice get into: 

  • 00:00 Where does the story of Reggie and Patrice start?
  • 04:31 What’s your history of supporting each other in your marriage?
  • 06:24 When did you start using help to scale your business?
  • 10:56 What point made sense to put more time and energy into the speaking side of things?
  • 14:59 Where was the tension in the decision of Patrice still holding down a full-time job?
  • 16:36 How did Patrice know it was time to make the jump?
  • 20:57 What habits/thought patterns/routines do you instill to focus on your family and marriage first?
  • 24:37 What are some examples of setting boundaries around your time?
  • 27:01 How do you balance work and rest and each other’s work ethics?
  • 31:10 Reggie’s reflection on the growth process to build a business like he has
  • 34:15 What should you think about before picking a support system?

“I would not be half of what I am right now if it wasn’t for my wife.” – Reggie Wright 

“Knowing my own worth and value and knowing what I bring to the table helps me to never feel less than or never feel like, you know, he’s up here and I’m down here. We’re on an equal playing field.” – Patrice Wright

Want to know exactly how to find and book more paid speaking gigs?

Download our 18-page guide to the 6 proven steps you can use to book more paid speaking gigs in 2024!

About Dr. Reggie & Patrice Wright

Dr. Wright, a former professional basketball player, has been featured on CNN for his work in educating and empowering students. As a high-energy motivational speaker, he is passionate about encouraging youth to pursue their dreams and goals. A native of Trenton, NJ, Dr. Wright graduated from New Jersey City University. After graduation, he played professional basketball in Europe. He later earned a master’s degree from Cairn University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Liberty University. In addition to his speaking engagements, Dr. Wright teaches a character development and social-emotional learning curriculum to 5th-grade students. He also serves as an enrollment advisor for The Speaker Lab. Dr. Wright went through The Speaker Lab program himself and knows firsthand how valuable it is. His wife of 20 years, Patrice, has been working with him since he began speaking in 2023. She retired from her full-time job as an athletic director at the end of the 2024 school year in order to fully focus her efforts on building his brand and business. Dr. Wright and his wife share one son. In their spare time, they both enjoy working out, eating at great restaurants with live music, watching a good movie, and spending time with their 13-year old son and extended family.

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