Two Day Magazine

COUPLE #3: The celebrity trainer who makes more than her music-producing hubby.

Leah, 40, and Ryan, 35, met in 2004 and have been married for two years. Leah is a personal trainer to the stars, and Ryan is a web marketer/music producer. They rent an apartment in Soho, NYC and are not interested in starting a family, considering they want to focus on their own careers, first. Credit cards are for vacations and emergencies only, and they are very careful with their day to day spending.

TWODAY:  Who makes more money? Did this ever cause tension in your relationship?

RYAN: Leah makes more money right now. She's been established longer. I’ve gone through a career change facilitated by the collapse of the music business. We do what you do when you're married. Take care of each other. There was tension during the beginning, which makes sense. A career change, especially at the height of your skills, is tough on anyone. We had to learn how to deal with individual problems as a couple. As individuals, we had to learn to not feel guilty about sharing the burden of those problems with each other.

LEAH: We approach life together, and deal with it together. Of course, as individuals you have your own feelings, but, as a couple, you have a partner to help you through life’s ups and downs. The balance always shifts, so we're at peace with whatever comes our way.

TWODAY:  Joint accounts, yes or no?

LEAH:  We have a joint account. It was important to me because it symbolized taking a certain step from the 'I' to the 'we'.

RYAN: It's important to be on the same team and contribute to the same pot. That is what marriage is all about.

TWODAY: Who is better with money? Any impulse spending habits?

LEAH: We're pretty equal, but Ryan is more conservative. For instance, I will pay $120 for a limited edition Prince pressing, while hubby thinks he can find it for $1 in some dusty bin in some record geek’s basement.

RYAN: Leah isn’t impulsive, but she will spend on things to save time. I would rather spend time saving money. So, I guess Leah tends to push on purchases more than I will.

LEAH:  We make big purchases after a lot of thought and rarely do we impulsively spend. We'd both feel guilty if we did that!

*Special thanks to everyone who participated in our interview, and note that the names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.*