Openlove101 Celebrates 10 Years
By: Jackie Melfi
“Celebration is a kind of food we all need in our lives, and each individual brings a special recipe or offering, so that together we will make a great feast. Celebration is a human need that we must not, and can not, deny. It is richer and fuller when many work and then celebrate together.” Corita Kent
First of all I want to thank everyone who has ever watched, read, attended, emailed or joined Openlove101.com. It is because of each and every one of you that John and I and our wonderful Openlove101 staff have been delivering our message.
I remember all those years ago, when we were first tossing the idea around. What would we call the site, what would the message be? Who was our audience and did we even have anything worth sharing?
Sitting down that first time to write was an anxiety ridden task. I called one of our partners in tears. I wanted to share my story but wasn’t sure whether or not I could do it. “Just be yourself and tell your story,” I remember him saying. I dried my tears and got to work. Soon John and I were doing videos along with my blogs. Week after week, year after year we produced content. We poured our heart and soul (and our checkbook) into each week. Before we knew it, we were being asked to speak at seminars. People began reaching out to us for guidance on their own open relationship journey’s.
What started out as a grassroots effort to bring knowledge and insight about open relationships to our local community had turned into a global message. I’m still amazed when John and I get approached by someone who has watched an Openlove video or read an article and they tell us how impactful our message has been. What’s really crazy is when we are recognized in other countries and are told to keep doing what we’re doing. It is all these encounters that feed us and give us the energy to keep going. It can be so easy to wonder whether all the years and years of hard work are making a difference, but after 10 years we see the change.
John and I see the growth not only for Openlove101 but for all the incoming information. All you have to do is key in open relationships and a plethora of content will materialize. You can read magazine articles, science papers, listen to podcasters and watch other Youtubers spouting the benefits of our relationship model. The change might be slow, but like Bob Dylan says, “the times they are a-changin.”
When I sat down to write my celebratory article about Openlove101 and its 10 year milestone I didn’t expect to be hit so deeply by its impact on me. John and I talk all the time about how we started our little company as a way to reach people who didn’t know much about the “lifestyle.” We wanted to pay forward what we knew. What I hadn’t expected was the profound jolt it would have on my own life. With each blog or video I fit a little neater into my own life. I was growing up. The passion I felt each and every time I spoke about the journey John and I were on was like being forged in the fire of truth. I was finding my voice and my place. Life no longer seemed way out there somewhere. With each seminar and each conversation with a viewer I saw life up close. Life was finally feeling intimate and warm and a place I fit.
The last 10 years have been an absolute honor. John and I’ve met so many wonderful people. We’ve loved and laughed and yes sometimes cried with friends and followers. We continue to strive for a site that spreads reassurance, growth, and acceptance. We want others to know that life is so much more than fitting into a role or a series of required steps. Life should be lived up close and personal. We want you to go out there and grab yours.
Courtney is the Marketing Director for Openlove101 and colette Clubs.