‘Koined’ couple – Shannelle and Omari J. Harris run food, faith and business together

For the health and longevity of many relationships, time to travel is essential. However, for Omari J. Harris and Shannelle J. Harris, their reunion is successful because of the passion of faith, food, and close friendship.

Like many modern couples, the two first crossed paths on TikTok in December 2021.

“I just saw his news, and I said, ‘Wow! This is quality Christian news’. I didn’t say, ‘Oh, he’s good, eh’. I agreed and I keep going,” Shanelle said.

Omari explained, “It was a few months later that I saw his news, and I found it interesting.”

Using that energy, they started talking, and after a week, they were on their first date. The following April, the couple were officially married, and nine months later, they were engaged.

Appreciating the fast timeline of their courtship, Omari said: “It’s a fast relationship, yes. However, it is intentional. Everything we do, we didn’t waste time trying to understand and explore each other. ”

Shannelle continued: “Yes, what stood out to me was how determined you were, but I think that even for us in terms of the fast time, we both had assurances outside of each other. This is where hope really comes from. We both knew that eventually we wanted to get married. We are adults. It was only if our standards matched. ”

As Christians, the couple say their relationship is based on faith.

Omari began by saying: “Our faith is important in our relationship then and now.” I say that without the center of Christ, we would not have reached where we are. We wouldn’t have been able to get married as fast as we did. We would not be able to enjoy each other the way we live now without Christ. One of the many things people are confused about being married to a Christian is that it’s boring, we only wah meet because of sex. If you really take the principles taught by Christ in the [the] scriptures, you understand that everything that is said, helps to clarify your path and your mind and your heart. And it’s through the process of change that helped us come together.”

Although they spend less than a year since their marriage, they are still hitting each other.

When he locked eyes with his wife, Omari said: “At first, I felt like it was the first thing. Second, she is funny, and third, her love for Christ is something I have never seen in another woman. It’s very child-like, and it’s very relaxing for me. The way he loves Jesus and all his other qualities, is right. And then apart from all that, there was assurance. I know if the Holy Spirit says, ‘Yes, man,’ but there was an assurance that it was a wise choice.”

With a big smile, Shannelle added: “To me, it would be unfair to pray to God for someone’s qualities and give them to me and not love them.” .”

Taking another leap of faith, a few months into dating, the two started their own company, Koined Digital.

Explaining how their professional collaboration began, Shannelle said: “I was a freelance social media manager at the time. I was working with an agency, but I also had and my private clients. With these clients, I also provide content for them, and when Omari and I started getting close, the work would overwhelm me, and I would say, ‘Hey, can you arrange this for me?’.”

Dreaming of the day she would start her own social media marketing agency, it wasn’t until she met her movie star recently that the pieces fell into place.

“I always had the intention of starting my own business, and it would be a social media marketing agency. However, I was not a creative person, so I think that always that’s what stopped me. We’ve worked together professionally even though I didn’t pay him, but we work together, and we work well together. Let’s create a company, that’s not looking back which is crazy. This is only a few months of knowing each other. In November, the company was registered, and we were moving forward.”

With a focus on food and drink, the couple gained notoriety for their social media series, Savor the City.

Taking things to the next level, the J. Harrises say they want to bring people behind the scenes of creative work with their podcast, Koined Insights, and increase the quality of content from that space.

“Our main goal is to make our social media marketing reach the international level, it’s really the saddest thing we’ve had,” he concluded.

shanel.lemmie@gleanerjm.com