A few years ago, Sheila Moss, a single, professional sister living in Chicago, had a tough time finding a quality mate who shared her interests.
And she wasn’t alone, as several of her friends were single, too.“Not having the greatest success record, I thought, what’s going on?,” Moss recalls. “I realized that I wasn’t asking enough questions, my friends weren’t asking enough questions, and the divorce rate was high because people were not communicating.”
Moss decided to map out the questions, and she created a novel way for singles to get to know one another, the Authenticity board game.The entrepreneur had key goals in mind, the game had to be an entertaining icebreaker, of course, but couples also had to feel each other out, and ask the tough questions.
“One of the problems in relationships is that people don’t really know who they are, and they are trying to get into a relationship,” Moss explains. “So the game is designed for you to learn a lot about [yourself], as well as the person you are in a relationship with.”
While creating the game, Moss met — and married — Milton Brown, a financial adviser.
“One of the nice things about him is that in the process of creating the game, I did not have a name for the game, and he was just so open and honest when I met him,” states Moss, who now uses her married name. “Milton kept saying that it’s so important that we are honest and authentic; so then I thought, OK, that’s the name of the game, Authenticity.”
Milton says men will enjoy the game as well. “It’s a very fun game for men, because there are several categories like ‘action,’ where you have to get up and do things,” he says. “When I was playing the game I didn’t feel like I was being interrogated because it was a fun way to divulge or share the information.”
The Browns hope that their venture will lead to more successful unions. “The divorce rate right now is about 50 percent, and one of the main causes is that people are not communicating on the level that they should be communicating,” Sheila states. “Sex and money are usually some of the main causes of divorce, but it’s more about communication around sex and money — and so many people are not authentic in their relationships.”
–zondra hughes
To learn more, visit www.playauthenticity.com.
