Podcast Episode 22. Dancing Through Divorce

Transcript

Craig: One of the favorite things we get to do on the podcast is hear from former clients and there is not any client more dear to me than my friend, Marek. Marek has an amazing story, really, that actually started in Eastern Europe. Thank you for being with us today. I’m really honored that you would share your story with our listeners.

Marek: Thank you so much for having me Craig. I would just say it’s not really Eastern Europe, but central Europe.

Matt: Can we start with the geography lesson?

Craig: That’s okay. Marek grew up and what was then known as Czechoslovakia, which is now the Czech Republic. I’ve actually been there. It’s been a little time in Prague. Well, backpacking through Europe many, many, many years ago, but tell our listeners, um, mostly Mississippians listening to this about, uh, about your childhood, about what it’s like growing up in the Czech Republic.

Marek: Yeah. So, um, I wish to say, you know, it was great. It was just tale, which many times it could be, but no, I was born into a communist Czechoslovakia, which of course was kind of a weird times because, you know, communism is pretty challenging in so many different levels, but I was pretty small when all that changed. It changed kind of in about when I was nine years old, but you know, I grew up in a small family, have one sister. My parents were working, you know, people kind of middle-class family, essentially my parents divorced. So, I mostly kind of live with my mom, but yeah, it was what I thought at the time, you know, kind of a typical childhood in a small country. And, uh, yeah, uh, I thought I had a somewhat normal childhood.

Craig: How old were you when your parents were divorced?

Marek: I was around 12 years old.

Craig: How would you characterize your parents? I mean, because the country changed and transitioned communism while you were a boy, how did the communist regime impact your parents and their outlook on life?

Marek: To my understanding, none of my family were fans of communism. And, uh, you know, if you look at the history of the country, it has a very rich history and, uh, you know, unfortunately the whole communism, which lasted about 40 years, that, you know, impacted really everybody. And, um, I think with the whole idea of communism comes a lot of fears. So I think that now looking backwards and having some conversation, especially with my mom about like our family and my grandparents who were impacted the most, because they literally spent most of their lives living in that regime. I know there was fear, you know, there were, there were fear of talking about certain things. There were fear of persecution because, you know, the regime really persecuted people who were not really wanting to, you know, obey the rules or go with the flows. So, you know what I understand or now think of it, it was just kind of a lot of fear or some fear aspects on, on, on their lives.

Craig: So, what do kids do growing up in the Czech Republic?
Marek: I think it’s similar, you know, you just play games and try to make friends and, you know, back then, of course, you know, that was the era when internet was not around. So that was just kind of, uh, you know, I remember playing like Tetris. That was probably the only game that I ever played, But yeah, we, we just played outside. It was a lot of, you know, outdoors being outdoors, playing games, uh, just simple, you know, comparing to today’s age. I think it was much simpler and a little bit freer because, you know, parents just let their kids go outside and, you know, you don’t necessarily know where they are. You just kind of, as long as you come home at certain time, you know, you were fine, which I think today wouldn’t really work anymore.

Matt: So Marek, what actually brought you to the United States?

Marek: Yeah, so I, you know, one of the things I did growing up, which kind of was a big outlet for me, I got into dancing, which was, you know, very unusual, especially for a guy, but, uh, yeah, I, I just grew up. That was, you know, when you ask people what they did, what kind of sports? I did some other sports, but I kind of a waste, uh, ended up doing different kinds of dancing. So I grew up folk dancing at first well gymnastics, but then folk dancing, which is this really cool, you know, regional, I guess, style of dance over there. And then I switched into ballroom dancing. So I competed ballroom dancing

Craig: As a teenage you were doing these things?

Marek: Well, even prior to teenager, you know, like I started really, I don’t know, maybe six, seven years old with the folk dancing. And then I was maybe nine or 10 when I switched into the ballroom dancing. And so my, my life actually was quite unusual, you know, just spend most of the time, you know, doing dance. And essentially I went to pursue it as a career. Uh, like kind of at the age of 15, which was somewhat little bit late, but, uh, I was trying to decide, you know, what to do, where to go, what to study and found there is this school called dance conservatory in Prague, which is the Capitol. And yeah, they accepted me to basically pursue ballet and modern dance, which I really haven’t done until that point. So that’s what I did. And that’s what essentially brought me to Mississippi.

Craig: And how, how old were you when you moved to Prague?

Marek: I was 15 years old. Yeah.

Craig: And how long did you live in Prague? Uh, pursuing ballet

Marek: Five years. Yeah.

Matt: And then that’s when he came to the States?

Marek: and right after I finished the school, I came to the United States. That’s right.

Matt: So you’ve been out of your parents’ home since you were 15 years Old.

Marek: That’s right.

Craig: And so what, um, what attracted you to Mississippi specifically?
Marek: Yeah, so it’s, you know, another kind of a really cool, unique story. I, uh, you know, I became a believer, uh, shortly before, so

Craig: before you moved to the U S or to Prague?

Marek: Moved to the States. Yeah. I was basically doing all kinds of projects, uh, in, uh, mostly in Germany, but I got to meet some, uh, you know, uh, Christian dance companies and, uh, Christian dancers. And I was just privileged to basically do different projects, uh, in Europe with them still while I was at school and through one person to another one, connection to another, I found out about ballet Magnificat, which is a local professional Christian dance company. And, uh, one of the first one ever created actually. And, uh, so I found out about ballet Magnificant and since I was a child, I always wanted to come to the States. I was always intrigued, mostly watching, you know, American movies about this country. And, you know, I’ve knew I’ve known Europe up until that point pretty well. So I was like, well, let’s just try something else. You know, when I was very, very young. And so I was like, Hey America, and there’s an opportunity. So I decided to jump on it and came here. So

Craig: So, Marek, you are from a relatively small village, and at 15, you traveled by yourself, uh, to the capital city of the Czech Republic, which is Prague. And you study there, uh, for five years. And from that point, you became a new believer and you were interested in pursuing your dance career professionally, and you had watched good old American movies, uh, growing up and where these were the movies in English, or were they, were they in, um, czech and then subtitle?

Marek: Most, mostly they were actually changed, adapt into a Czech language. They are actually really known. They always win prizes for dubbing, the foreign films into the language. So some, most of them were really dug into the czech.

Craig: What was your favorite American movie growing up?

Marek: You know, to, to be clear, it really wasn’t necessary movies. It was like TV series. Okay. I remember, you know, back when I was a child, they played like the series called Dallas.

Craig: Yeah. No, I’m surprised you didn’t end up in Texas, but you married a Texan. We’re going to talk about that soon.

Marek: Yeah. So there was one of the series, but, you know, as I was a teenager, one of the, uh, you know, series that were really, really popular and hooked up the whole country, really, I, I thought was like, you know, series like Beverly Hills 90210. And just kind of this soap, teenage opera is kind of a thing, so. Sure.

Craig: So I mean, what an adventurer though, as a 15 year old kid, your parents get a divorce. When you’re 12, three years later, you moved to the capital city by yourself, and then five years later, you board an airplane to the United States. Um, had you visited ballet mag before you came?

Marek: No, I did not. They didn’t really know that much about me. I didn’t know really that much about them either. So that was just kind of, you know, big step into an unknown.

Matt: So when you landed here in Mississippi, what I mean, did you speak English fluently or

Craig:  Some people would question whether or not he speaks English fluently now

Marek: I Speak English, but I remember, you know, certainly it wasn’t what it is today. Um, but I was taught British English. So I thought, you know, I could speak it, but of course, suddenly you come to a new country and of course, Mississippi, English has really pretty much nothing to do with British English. So I remember, I just could not understand at first, pretty much anybody, you know, from around here, it was the whole dialogue, the whole twisting words, and yeah, I couldn’t, I had issues let’s put it that way for a while for a while.

Craig: That had to be a lonely experience for a young man.

Marek: Little bit, little bit. Uh, I mean, I had, you know, there was a Czech friend, uh, who actually there’s another check dancer who is still with ballet magnific card. So I remember, you know, at the beginnings, I was, you know, speaking with him quite a bit and if we could, we would speak the Czech language together. But, um, you know, it just took a little time to adjust and, you know, and it got better of course, as time went on.

Craig: So what was life like as a professional ballet dancer as a, you know, 20, 21, 22 year old, a young man from the Czech Republic?

Marek: Yeah, it was great. You know, I, um, with the dancing and, you know, the companies that I’ve been part of, you know, they, they travel a lot, they tour a lot, and I always loved that, you know, traveling around, going to new places, meeting new people. So it was really exciting. It was just something I’ve pursued, you know, growing up. And, um, you know, I really enjoyed just doing it during that season of my life.

Craig:  And you met your wife

Maric: and I met my wife through that. That’s right.

Craig: Talk about that. Talk about how, how that came to be.

Marek: Well, you know, we met at the ballet company, we became pretty quickly, really good friends. And I still talk about that, you know, at, at, at first. Uh, and I still believe we had a really beautiful story. We had so much in common and yeah, we were just dancing together. We were really close friends for quite some time. And, and, um, then the friendship kind of evolved into more than just friendship. And, um, essentially we go Marriott and yeah. And started a life together.

Matt: Is your wife or she originally from the United States or?

Marek: Yeah, she from Texas. She was from Texas. That’s right.

Matt: How long did the two of you date before you got married?

Marek: Uh, well, that’s a tricky question because we were, you know, really close friends for quite some time. The actual dating, it was a little complicated because I was here and then I kind of went back to Europe and kind of mostly our dating kind of was happening while I was gone. So, you know, I would say, Oh gosh, I don’t even think about, I don’t remember, but it was probably three quarters of a year, something like that. And the actual date.

Craig: And, uh, when did you finally hang up your ballet shoes? If that’s a thing that you said,

Marek: Well, you know, I’m afraid that I thought I hang them up several times, but it’s just a weird thing about dancing. You know, once you had density, you’re always a dancers, so believe it or not, I just started to actually to go back to the studio and take a class here and there. So I haven’t like completely hang them up, even though I thought I, you know, I’ve done that several times, but it somehow still has this magic to sack me back in. And so I still go in occasionally. And of course, you know, not every day, just, you know, once a week or every other week,

Craig: Marek, are you announcing a comeback on the podcast today?

Marek: Well, I don’t think it’s a comeback. It just kind of keeping myself in shape somewhat so

Craig: So talk about your life. So you’re, I’m just, man, I’m just brave is the word that comes to my mind. Um, brave. And you, you go to the capital city, you pursue your dancing, you become a believer. You come to the United States after years of training, watching Dallas and Beverly Hills 90210, you sweet talk a Texan into becoming your wife and talk about your life together.

Marek: Mm, well, you know, we’ve been married 15 years and again, I think that, uh, like I said already, like I thought we just had a great story. You know, we had so much in common. I really, uh, liked her very much at the time. And, and, uh, yeah, we just got married. We actually got married and, uh, kind of retired from touring and dancing professionally right away. So we both started kind of new careers and just tried to do other things than just dance. And, uh, and, uh, yeah, we just kind of started a simple, you know, new life together. Uh, you know, both of us, like I said, uh, in my case, you know, my family wasn’t necessary very functioning. It was somewhat dysfunctional family, as many families, unfortunately are these days. And, you know, and hers was too, uh, like I said, that it really wasn’t talked about that much or seen that much. So, you know, I kind of saw very early on in our marriage that, you know, there’s not really much examples to look backwards in our own families of origin to kind of follow any of the possibly, you know, good routines or whatever. So I was like, well, you know, early on, I was very firmed that, you know, we are our new, you know, you and I are our new family. We, we need to start things together kind of on our own. And, uh, we need to learn, you know, probably from other places, not just our families of origin, how to make this work. And that was quite intentional about it. And I think, again, for a long time, it, I think we just were doing quite well. You know, probably the first 10 years of marriage were really, I thought, you know, really, really good.

Matt: So what, uh, what changed after the first 10 years?

Marek: Well, uh, several things has, has kind of started to change. You know, I think that, uh, part of every human life is, is changed. We all change. And, you know, I, you know, I always a firm believer in growth and personal growth and, uh, you know, sometime, may be a little over the top with that. And I thought everybody’s like that, uh, you know, I honestly was kind of, I just thought everybody wanted to grow and better themselves somehow. And, uh, but I realized that’s not the case, my ex-wife now, uh, even though she was somewhat attracted to it, you know, she just wasn’t really much into, you know, growing as a person and I’m not saying that’s necessarily wrong. It’s just, it just kind of started to drift, you know, we, you know, another probably major dilemma was that I realized again, because of the dysfunction of both of our families and of course living here, her parents actually lived in town at the time. So we were so much kind of close to her family. And like I initially thought was hoping for that. We starting our own family. That didn’t necessarily happen in my head. It did, but in reality, it didn’t because, uh, as I’ve learned many years later on my own journey, there’s the idea of leave and cleave. When, you know, you get married, you kind of leave your family, start your own. And, and it, again, unfortunately didn’t necessarily happen in our case. Uh, you know, my ex wife was constantly kind of prioritizing her parents and we were so much part of their life and their mess in the way that there was always kind of drama dealing with, you know, her family of origin. And essentially just was so much that we didn’t really necessarily have time to deal with our own things. So

Craig: It’s almost what I’m hearing you say is almost your marriage and your family did not develop its own identity and your family of origin, wildest functional was an ocean away. That’s right. But yet hers was down the street and there was a, you didn’t use the word of measurement, but that’s something that we hear a lot about in our practice is, um, just, just that what you spoke so beautifully was the inability or unwillingness to, to leave mom and dad and one’s family of origin, and then create this new thing, this new family, this new relationship. And, um, it sounds like that’s what sidetracked you to a large degree.

Marek: That’s very true. And yes, the enmeshment is definitely the right word for it. Yeah.

Craig: So what was the turning point? When did things fall apart?

Marek: Well, um, it really started with her parents getting sick. Um, you know, her father was diagnosed with cancer years and years ago, and it was kind of a long process and, uh, you know, one of the, you know, her response was, well, you know, I want to be with that. I want to do as much as I can with that while he’s here. And another time they actually relocated from here to Texas. So she was like, you know, I really want to be with that. And of course I understood that to an extent. And I was like, you know, I can imagine what it’s like to have, you know, a parent who is, you know, dying of a cancer, but, but it just became, there was just the life, you know, she kind of relocated to Texas and to care of dad and was there as much as possible, pretty much most of the time. And we would just occasionally meet. And of course with that and marriage that doesn’t necessarily really work that well when your spouse is gone. I mean, we would talk on the phone, but, uh, that’s not, you know, a relationship, you know, really. So that’s kind of what it initiated. I realized, you know, we starting to really disconnect and on, on, on home levels, not just emotionally, but so that was the first sign. And I mean, it lasted for a long time, probably almost a year. And, uh, then, you know, things kind of got better and we, you know, got back together and, you know, father died and, and we were together again. And I thought we’re slowly kind of getting back to where we were, but were, you know, she was kind of processing the grief and I’m not sure if she really knew how to grieve all that, but then, you know, fast forward another year or two, you know, her mom had a stroke and the whole scenario kind of started to repeat again, you know, I want to be with mom, I need to take care of mom. And, and again, she’d decided to leave to Texas again. And, and it was very similar, but actually really a little bit worser because you know, it, it just was way the disconnect was on much more deeper level.

Matt: Was there ever a discussion about the two of you relocating to Texas?

Marek: No, it, it really wasn’t, you know, our life, you know, we did, uh, uh, actually, you know, for a long time we actually worked together. We started a business and our business actually is in new Orleans mostly. So we, you know, our life was kind of between Mississippi and Louisiana and suddenly, you know, we added a Texas leg to it. So it just started to get little complicated. But yeah, it just, the second time with her mom getting sick, it was just very clear, of course, me or the marriage wasn’t necessarily the priority. It was unfortunately the parents and that just really made the disconnect much deeper,

Craig: Marek, one of the things that you said is that that human life is, is change. I mean, if we’re not growing and changing, then we’re dying and your wife had some very altruistic motivation. I mean, she was caring for her ailing parents. And so it’s almost like the motivation was, was pure, but what the impact was, was a devastation on the relationship that you guys and the family that you guys, um, had had created together. Yeah. Yeah.

Matt: Well, and even if, if both people are growing, you can be growing in different directions. That’s fan that creates a, you know, a real distance that unless there is great collaboration and intentional, you know, behavior, you’re not going to be able to bridge that gap.

Craig: Um, the two of you did not have children together. So I, I guess then, um, how did that impact you think what ultimately created the end of your marriage? Because it sounds like that if you guys might have chosen to have children, then the dynamic might’ve been different or what do you think?

Marek: Well, certainly I think it would, but, you know, I think really the way it impacted the end of the marriage, it made things easier.

Craig: Well, that, there’s no question about that, because even though you guys had a lot of history together, you had, um, really worked together the whole time. You had even each other, working as a professional dancer and then, um, working, um, as an artist and jewelry maker together. But yet when it came to finally there being a decision to part ways, then certainly not having children allows people to do that fully. Talk about divorce. Talk about when that became a topic of discussion between you and your now former wife.

Marek: Well, it, it kind of was very sudden really, uh, again, you know, we were experiencing the whole disconnection on many, many levels, as I mentioned. And, um, and it kind of really worsen. It just became worse and worse. And I was, you know, as most men are, we want to fix things. We want to figure out what’s going on. So I was, you know, I just, I had to ask questions like, Hey, you know, we need to really talk. Um, most of our conversations were over the phone really. And, um, so we agreed that, um, you know, I would, uh, make a trip to takes us to, you know, to visit them. And, and, you know, I haven’t really seen her now for probably a month or month and a half at the point at that point. And, you know, when I showed up there and everything was different, you know, it was just, uh, I was like, Oh my goodness. Like, I could just tell just something is off. And, you know, she looked different, she talked different and it sounds like this is just odd to say the least. And, and, you know, and it was just in a way really bizarre visit. Uh, I was supposed to stay there for, you know, almost a week, but after a couple of days, I was like, this is just strange, you know, the best thing for me would be just to go back to what I was doing. And so, yeah, it was just really odd visit. We didn’t really talk that much. The most attention was again on the mom and, you know, she was at the hospital at the time and, Oh, and then, you know, she actually wrote me a letter at the time and you know, how unhappy she is and you know, how, you know, there’s just kind of finger pointing kind of a thing. And that, you know, we just probably need to take more time to be away from each other. It was like, well, that we’ve had quite a bit of that, but after, you know, then we she’s like, you know, I need time to think. And I was like, okay, uh, you had plenty of time, I thought, but anyway, but I of course respected that. So we haven’t talked for like three weeks, not even on the phone. And then she just called me and says, you know, I think I, you know, I want a divorce. And, and that’s it.

Craig: Describe the feeling that you felt in that immediate moment when those words were spoken out loud?

Marek: You know, it’s just a shocked, it’s less, you know, you feel heartbroken, you feel, I mean, I was just kind of shocked, you know, um, I, I knew things are not right. Uh, I even actually probably thought that could be a possibility, but just the way it came around, uh, was just quite shocking. And, you know, you feel heartbroken after all those years.

Matt: At that moment, I mean, get over the initial shock of hearing that. Did you start to realize that you yourself were in that place too, and you were kind of ready to move on? Or was this something that you felt like you were going to try to hold on to?

Marek: Well, I was in a place where I always thought that, you know, it takes obviously two to tango and there’s always two sides of the stories of course, but I thought that to make some kind of a major change in life like that, you know, you just don’t do that kind of overnight. And that’s what it felt like. So I was like, listen, we need to try to seek some help. You know, we we’ve had resources. I mean, I had resources to reach out to the right people at the time that could potentially help us. Um, but, and I’ve tried that on my part on my end, but she was just unwilling to do that. So, uh, as one of our dear friends told me was like, you can beat your head against the wall and nothing’s going to change unless the other partner is wanting to do something about it. So, you know, it was just kind of, uh, I felt like I wanted to try to work on it, you know, give it a chance to just, uh, repair, whatever has been broken, but there wasn’t really an opportunity. It was just like, no, this is what I want. I made up my mind, I wanna move on. And, uh, you know, so,

Craig: And you decided to let her go.

Marek: Yeah, essentially, uh, you know, essentially, um, I was like, well, you know, I’m not going to be pushing or pursuing somebody who is just, you know, unwilling.

Matt: who doesn’t want to be pursued

Marek: and doesn’t want to be pursuits, you know? And, and it got more complicated later on. I mean, it took me a wise counsel to really figure out, you know, some of the details that were going on in the background, which, you know, where I know I was quite unaware of at the time. So it was just a whole, totally, obviously a new experience for me.

Craig: But I think it says a lot about you though, because what we experience is so many people hold on to that thing, which has died or that, that dream, which did not materialize almost to their detriment, because you, you processed the loss and you, the decision that if that’s what she wanted, then, then you would work through the process and let that happen. And you guys did in fact, um, divorce and, um, you know, probably didn’t feel like it for you, but for, you know, what Matt and I do on a daily basis, it, you know, it was a relatively simple contract negotiation that you guys worked through. I’m really interested in life after divorce. So you, uh, we’ve talked a lot about, um, your story and just the, the adventurous spirit, um, and the artisan spirit that brought you to the U S and you became a dancer and you met your wife and you had this life together and you, you drifted apart and you allow the divorce to happen. So what’s life like now?

Marek: Well, I like to say a lot of my friends heard me say, you know, I’m happily single again, or happily divorced. I don’t know. Uh, it wasn’t, you know, obviously I had to come to that place to be able to say then, because obviously it was difficult for quite some time, but, but then miraculously, you know, things just changed in my mind. Like I just started to look at it differently, I guess. And, you know, I was like, well, you know, it is what it is. Reality is what it is. And I actually embraced it. I thought, wow, well, and I just was like, you know, it’s okay. I can be single for a while now. Uh, again, and, and it’s been a really great journey. I’ve, I’ve, I feel like I’ve been, and other people told me who know me that, you know, this is pretty exciting new season in my life. You know, I feel a bit happier, I guess, than when I, you know, then over the last few years,

Matt: I’m so glad to hear you say that, you know, I know that one of the big struggles that we see every day are people that are grieving the loss of their marriage and things are so dark. It’s very difficult for them to imagine hardly anything positive going forward in the future. And so I think that it’s so helpful for people to hear somebody that’s walked through that, you know, talk about finding happiness once they get through their divorce.

Craig: What do you think is the most important thing that you did to come to a place where you’re at peace and that you’re happy and you’re excited about, uh, today and tomorrow?

Marek: Well, I would say really it’s the community that I’m part of. Um, you know, I’ve been really blessed to be part of some great community here in town, and I have some great kind of a support system around me that really what, you know, people walked with me during the bad and the good times. So I would say that is probably what really got me to a place where I am today is, is just being able to rely and to some really close, intimate friendships with other people

Craig: That is just beautifully said, because we are relational beings. And that really is the core of, of who we are as individuals is the manner in which we relate and are in community. Um, talk a little bit about, uh, about your work, because I know that people have been listening and they know you’re an artist and jewelry maker. Um, tell our listeners a little bit about your jewelry and the work you do and where someone could find it.

Marek: Yeah. So I am kind of this split of a person. Really. I am an artist, I’ve been an artist all my life, but I also love business. And, um, and it’s kind of a rare combination. You don’t necessarily always put the two and two together, but somehow that’s just case in me. And, and, um, so yeah, so, you know, we started, you know, the, the jewelry business 15 years ago, and, um, that’s kind of evolved from a little small jewelry business selling at Belhaven market here in Jackson, uh, 15 years ago into, you know, it’s not a big business by no means, but it evolved into a very creative, artistic kind of a jewelry line that I mostly produce and make myself, and most of the time, these days still sell in new Orleans at the art market, the palace market Frenchmen on Frenchman street in new Orleans. So yeah, that’s kind of what I do most of the time, but, uh, you know, also, you know, do some business, personal coaching on the side as well.

Craig: Talk a little bit about the, the business coaching that you do, kind of your mindset, because you’re right. You talked about the, the intersection of, of art and business, and oftentimes they are very mutually exclusive. You either have a artistically minded person or a business minded person. It’s very rare that you see those, those things blend.

Marek: And again, out of that passion for pursuing the, the art as a career evolve, what, you know, this whole business coaching or personal coaching. I, several years ago, I got certified through a John Maxwell team to basically become a life business coach trainer. And I’ve always respected John C. Maxwell for many years. He’s of course, author of many, many books on leadership and personal growth. And this kind of gave me an opportunity to use, uh, his wisdom and his materials to provide to other people. So, you know, when I described the coaching, you know, I like to bring the business side of things to the artist or our art people and vice versa. I want to bring the art and creativity to the business people, because like you said, the two kind of intersect quite a bit.

Matt: Did you see any new changes in your artistic expression as you went through your divorce and, and maybe kind of emerged from the ashes of that relationship?

Marek: That’s a good question. I didn’t think about that, but now that I think about it, yes, sure. I mean, there is my, the jewelry business, you know, I obviously create, you know, designs, the earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, et cetera. And a lot of the designs I’ve been, even though they are one of a kind the, the image or the, the design is somewhat repetitive. I’ve been making certain things kind of over and over again with some changes. But yes, I did create some new designs since the divorce. And I do think they do reflect kind of maybe just being in a little different place. And, you know, as an artist, I’m more of an abstract artists. So sometime, you know, I have to kind of add a little story to what certain piece, my mean, but, but yeah, I, I do think that it changed a little bit on the newer designs, for sure.

Matt: So if, if somebody wanted to look at some of your jewelry or to buy anything outside of going to Frenchman street, New Orleans, uh, which I’m always looking for a reason to go to new Orleans, where can we find it?

Marek: Well, I am a pretty active on social media, so, uh, I’m putting the newest pictures, some Facebook and Instagram under D C Z designs. Uh, I also have a website, uh, DCSI designs.com. Okay. And

Matt: what about the coaching? The coaching have I have a website as well?

Marek: It’s called DCZcoaching.com.

Craig: Marek, your inspirational man, just, uh, the bravery, the adventurous spirit, the commitment to growth, uh, the commitment to your art really inspirational. And I’ve just really enjoyed sitting with you today. And I’m very grateful that, that you agreed to share your story so beautifully. So vulnerably, thank you.

Marek: Well, thank you so much for having me.