In xoNecole's Our First Year series, we take an in-depth look at love and relationships between couples with an emphasis on what their first year of marriage was like.
Sean and Kathlyn Dias are a creative match made in heaven---literally. Kathlyn, a content creator better known as Kathlyn Celeste by her more than 150,000 followers on Instagram alone, and Sean, a producer and creative director in his own right, have been married for eight years. The 27-year-old parents of two boys, Kayson and Avery, literally sow into one another's dreams, working together to keep the creatives juices going, the projects flowing, and the inspiration growing.
The Massachusetts-based couple find that being two creatives bound together by their Christian beliefs and foundation helps them both in their careers, parenting, and in everyday life.
"When we combine our ideas together, we come up with great things," Kathlyn revealed during our interview. "We love being able to do that. Our common goal is to grow and build something that is ours and reach people through creativity. If [my subscribers] are coming to my page for a hair tutorial or fashion, I want them to leave higher in their faith and encouraged."
Read on for insight on how Kathlyn and Sean made it through their first year of marriage:
Courtesy of Kathlyn and Sean
The One:
Kathlyn: I knew I wanted to be with him but I didn't want to make the choice based on just my feelings. I really had to seek God on that. I asked God to confirm, and one day, I opened my Bible to a random page. The scripture was Genesis 2:18, which [indicates that] God created woman for man as his helper. We had started dating February 18---so 2/18 just happened to be our anniversary date.
Sean: When we first started dating, she showed me love in ways I hadn't known before. My past relationships were very surface-level. I can recall being at work, and I'd leave for my shift to find little Post-It notes with song lyrics on them---something I think a guy would do for a girl---but she would do things like that. I was so caught by surprise. It was always the small details. I felt like she was somebody who was really interested in me. I never had that before. I had a lot of issues of hurt in the past---and she stuck through it with me. She wanted me to better myself, and she loved me through my flaws. Also, when dating, I noticed how nurturing she was toward her younger cousins. I saw a mother quality to her.
Courtesy of Kathlyn and Sean
"I knew I wanted to be with him but I didn't want to make the choice based on just my feelings. I really had to seek God on that."
Biggest Fears:
Kathyln: My biggest fear was divorce because no one in my immediate family had a lasting marriage. My grandmother didn't, a lot of my aunts, and my mom---I just grew up seeing her brokenhearted, one after the other. That worried me. I feared, 'Are we actually going to make it?' I knew I had to trust God and work at breaking those family [patterns] to have a healthy and long-lasting marriage.
Sean: We knew each other for so long, I had a fear of the unknown once we got married. I had unrealistic expectations of how life would be after marriage. When marriage came, there were so many things we had no idea about [that were different]. I wasn't entirely sure that the relationship would be the same.
Courtesy of Kathlyn and Sean
Overcoming Challenges:
Kathlyn: A big one for me was habits. He's very musically inclined, so in the beginning stages, he'd always be working on his music [projects]. So when it came down to me just wanting to cuddle, he'd be very focused on the music. He needed to be more understanding on my love language and how to balance spending time with me and doing what he is passionate about. I also had to take a step back and say it's not always about me. I had to give him his space to enjoy his music and his time.
Sean: I had to prioritize my time as well and realize that my wife is my priority. I needed to make that time and condition myself to being in that realm of, 'Music is cool, but my wife is my first priority. If I don't have her, what is music?' She's also a big communicator. For me, I'm the opposite---I can shut down and be to myself very easily---especially in times where I feel wronged. I'm used to walking away from things. It's part of what I saw growing up. I've learned that communication is needed. If you're both on the same page, you cannot lose. It's a necessity. I'm still learning and trying to open up with how I feel and part that is making sure I'm meeting her needs as well.
Courtesy of Kathlyn and Sean
"I've learned that communication is needed. If you're both on the same page, you cannot lose. It's a necessity."
Money Talks:
Kathlyn: [You have to] let one another know what you're spending on. We were trying to save up for a house, so we just knew we needed to be more cautious. It made sense that if he wants to buy something, he just lets me know [and vice versa.]
Sean: She's more financially conscious. I trust and know that since she oversees and manages [finances], she knows if we're saving the right amount of money. I have no problem at all. We [also] both help each other with our work. We're collaborating and making one another income. Whenever we get paid for something, we high-five and celebrate that. That's important as well.
Courtesy of Kathlyn and Sean
Love Lessons:
Kathlyn: I love doing life with you, and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else.
Sean: She helps me grow and is truly my life partner. I'm still working on this every day, but when we put each other first, that's how the marriage flourishes.
For more on Kathlyn and Sean, follow them on Instagram @kathlynceleste and @crualxndr.
Want more Our First Year love stories? Check them out here.
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While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
Just this week on Sunday, April 13, Aaron shared a shirtless selfie to his IG Stories, a classic thirst trap moment, complete with abs on display, and emitting just enough heat to get the timeline talking. Not long after, Teyana hopped on her own IG Stories with a three-word message that had the internet abuzz: “on di wey 😮💨.”
Aaron Pierre/Instagram via people.com
Now, maybe it was just a coincidence... but let’s be honest, it didn’t feel like one.
Especially considering Aaron’s West Indian roots and Teyana’s long-documented admiration for tall men she can climb like a tree (her ex-husband Iman Shumpert is 6'5" and Aaron's not far behind at 6'4"). That “on di wey” hit like a flirty green light. And fans caught it, quick.
Teyana Taylor/Instagram via people.com
This isn’t the first time these two have had us side-eyeing and doing double-takes to their timelines.
On March 3, Teyana posted a striking set of black-and-white photos on Instagram alongside Aaron. The two stood back-to-back, dressed to the nines and giving high-fashion, high-intensity energy. Her caption? “Oscar night in black & white, no grey area. 🤍”
Aaron posted the same photos, except his was without a caption, just vibes.
They also shared a table at the American Black Film Festival Honors back in February (where Teyana was also spotted holding his award that he won that night) and were spotted at the Vanity Fair Oscar party looking entirely comfortable in each other’s space. While they haven’t officially confirmed anything, the visuals have done most of the talking.
(L to R) Aaron Pierre, Teyana Taylor, Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts attend the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Dave Benett/VF25/WireImage for Vanity Fair
And if you're wondering whether Teyana fits Aaron’s type? First, how could she not be? But second, according to a 2024 interview on Buzzfeed’s Seasoned podcast, the Mufasa: The Lion King star had a thing for women like Ashanti and Foxy Brown growing up. "My first childhood crush was Ashanti, and my second childhood crush was Foxy Brown," he shared at the time, sending social media into a frenzy.
Black women who exude sex appeal, confidence, and boss energy, aka, everything Teyana walks with daily. She’s the moment, the mood, and apparently… the mirror selfie responder...
Since finalizing her divorce from Iman in June 2024, Teyana has been booked, unbothered, and flourishing on her own terms. Between starring in a Dionne Warwick biopic and starring in One Battle After Another, a star-studded film led by Leonardo DiCaprio and helmed by director Paul Thomas Anderson, sis is locked in.
Aaron, meanwhile, is fresh off voicing the title role in Mufasa: The Lion King and gearing up to appear in Lanterns, an upcoming Max DC series, as well as the new season of The Morning Show. Lowkey highkey, they’re both in their leading-role eras, on-screen and maybe, just maybe, in each other’s lives.
Or maybe it’s just vibes. Maybe it’s more. But from the flirty exchanges to the red carpet proximity, this pairing feels like the kind of slow burn romance that soft launches are made of.
And if it is what it looks like? We love this for her.
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Featured image by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Vanity Fair