Vee Rivera Reveals 3 Marriage Rules She and Husband Follow (Exclusive)

Vee Rivera is still swooning over Jo Rivera.

It’s been over a decade since Jo and Vee first met and fell in love, tying the knot in September 2018. Coming up on their seventh wedding anniversary, Vee tells PEOPLE about how the pair navigate the highs and lows of married life.

“We do follow something called the three C’s that are really important to us — communication, compromise and compassion,” Vee shares.

“Those are the three things that I always keep at the forefront of our marriage, but it’s been a ride,” she continues. “I’ve been with him for a long, long time… a lot of my life, so we’re constantly growing together and growing even separately. I feel like it’s important in any relationship to be able to grow together, but also be able to grow individually and learn about yourself.”

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She continues, “I love that we’re able to do that and he lets me be me. If I have a crazy idea, he’s there and he helps me, but he lets me do whatever it is that I feel like I need to do to find myself and discover myself. I f—— love that about him.”

“Any little crazy idea I have or anything, he’s like, ‘I’m down. I got you, babe,’ and I’m just like, ‘My man, my man, my man!’ ”

One of their biggest areas of growth in the relationship has been communication, which Vee admits took work on both sides.

“I wasn’t always the best communicator and he wasn’t always the best communicator, so we had to learn how to actually understand each other’s needs and how we have to be there for each other. Everyone has different love languages and different needs and things, so it’s constantly changing. You have to constantly keep up with what’s going on in each other’s lives and how you’re feeling, so communication is definitely a huge thing.”

It’s important to the podcaster, who launches her new show The Chisme Corner with Vee Rivera on Sept. 3, that those who show love to her and Jo and their journey recognize, “Marriage is hard work.”

“I want people to know it’s not always rainbows and butterflies. There’s always going to be ups and downs, but I think, at the end of the day, you know this person is always going to be there and, as long as they’re willing to work on whatever it is, you know you’re going to get through it,” she says.

“We could be going through the darkest time and I know it’s okay, we just have to work through this. So, that’s a good feeling, to be secure in the relationship and the marriage and knowing that we can pretty much get through anything.”