Love Bites

Today, Americans own twice the amount of stuff we did 50 years ago and bill more out-of-office hours than any other advanced economy. We online date, binge-watch, thumb through social media, and often wander around exhausted and unsure. Food journalist and Love Bites Radio host Jacqueline Raposo took note of this cultural struggle and intimately embraced a life stripped down in her recently-released book THE ME, WITHOUT: A YEAR EXPLORING HABIT, HEALING, AND HAPPINESS. Throughout the course of a year, she progressively shed her most constant habits, alternately removing social media, sugar and alcohol consumption, waste, unnecessary spending, and more in the effort to measure this abstinence against her physical health, social interactions, and sense of self-worth. The results are moving and surprising. To celebrate the book's release, Jacqueline was joined by celebrated chef Missy Robbins, Food & Wine senior editor and Chefs with Issues founder Kat Kinsman, and food writer and The Lonely Hour host Julia Bainbridge at Strand Books on February 4th for a panel discussion on what has become a constant buzz word in recent years: self-care. Led by Kat, they discussed how they define self-care in each of their lives outside the typical wellness industry, how they work to lead in their industries by example, how their work in food and media affect their physical and mental health, and what steps they're currently taking to maintaining their self-care and wellness. Thanks to Heritage Radio Network and the Strand Bookstore for recording this live event, and to Listen Bar and pastry chef Daniel Skurnick for providing book-themed food and beverage. Details and photos on the event can be found here. Love Bites is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Will impending holiday eats help or hinder our health and happiness? How does what we eat affect our brain’s relaying of joys and frustrations? How does food best support our brain health, so that in turn we can best love ourselves and others? In this Love Bites Special (’cause we’re still taking a season break, hi!), Jacqueline interviews Dr. Leslie Korn, an integrative medicine doctor whose latest book, The Good Mood Kitchen, explores the simple recipes and nutrition tips that best clear our neuropathways and help us eat happier! Can food help us correct trauma holding us back? Can a pair of blue-light glasses connect us to the natural circadian rhythms of nature? Join us for gentle guidance on how to bring health and happiness into modern life. Love Bites is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For our first Love Bites Radio special this season, tarot reader Sasha Graham returns to guide us through how we can establish our own daily practice, which cards in the deck we should keep an eye out for when seeking peak romance, and how to pull a talisman that will see us through a particular time in our lives. This episode was recorded at Kettlespace Tribeca! Kettlespace are restaurants converted into daytime workspaces for freelancers, entrepreneurs and other untethered workers. Members get unlimited coffee, tea, snacks, high-speed wifi and more, and there's a discount code for your first month of membership at the end of this episode! Woohoo! More about Kettlespace, Sasha and Jacqueline's tarot decks, and Sasha's advice in this episode at www.LoveBitesRadio.com! Love Bites is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The short story is that we're taking a break this season from live shows to focus on some personal necessities and to regroup artistically. On today's episode, Jacqueline shares the story behind why we're hitting the pause button. Then we throw back for a listen to the very first show that launched us on this journey, and one recent segment that shows have far we've come. Love Bites is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's show marks the end of our Summer Season and two years of Love Bites Radio! In celebration, we're reflecting upon some of the poignant moments that most stuck with us. Which guests' revealed wisdom is still lodged in our brains? What moments of our lives shared on the show felt simple and insignificant then but, looking back, were actually huge turning points in our self-growth? We talk love, food, and conversation in our 83 episode of summer magic. Love Bites is powered by SimplecastSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Two food perspectives, both alike in dignity, in fair New York City where we lay our scene..."* On today's show, Saveur Senior Digital Editor Max Falkowitz and freelance food writer and Love Bites co-host Jacqueline Raposo dig into their varying experiences. How does Max's analytical curiosity contrast Jaqueline's emotional? How does his experience as an editor on a masthead contrast her constant freelancing bylines? And how do they combine those experiences together to best execute one piece after another? The final episode of our Me & You series before we wrap our summer season with a show on takeaways, this is the most foodie-focused Love Bites Radio to date. Have a listen. *Play on the prologue to Romeo & Juliet. You should know that. Love Bites is powered by Simplecast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"I don't date other actors." That's the hard-and-fast rule of many thespians, who find their careers, artistic, and personal lives so difficult to manage that the idea of merging with someone else with the same struggles sounds like a terrible nightmare. Today, co-host Ben Rosenblatt invites his girlfriend, actress Deanna McGovern, onto the show to share their joys and challenges in defying this conventional wisdom in the fourth of our Me & You series.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Very few couples will ever get to say they've made it to sixty-nine years of marriage. As we explore how to find and maintain loving relationships of all sorts here on Love Bites, it seems only fitting that when we have one of those couples at hand, we ask them how they did it. Pasquale and Hansine D'Ambrosio have been married since 1948. On today's show, they sit down with one of their nine grandchildren -- your humble co-host Jacqueline -- to share a little of the wisdom they've gleaned in their nine decades on this planet. As this is the third in our Me & You series, they speak one at a time, answering just a few simple questions about what they know to be true about love. And as this series is designed so that our hosts answer some questions in return, Jacqueline shares back what her grandparents have taught her about love, too."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How has Trump's America changed the way two single lady writers think, eat, love, and express themselves? On today's show, author Jen Doll returns for our second Me & You episode. She'll interview Jax and be interviewed on how the current political landscape has shifted the thoughts that become words, and the words that become work in their various niches of the writing world. How does Jen, as a savvy social media presence, navigate the landmine of Twitter with humor and confidence? Does she feel defeated or inspired by the women in the coming generation? How has Jax's study of habit removal in her Year of Abstinence helped or harmed her during this tumultuous time? Today, we ask each other these questions in a boost of lady love.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Love Bites Radio explores "why and how we love." So why do we love the way we love right now? In what ways does that love physically manifest? How are those manifestations different than what they've been in the past, and what do we hope to get from love in the future? In the first of our Me & You series, we take an entire show to interview each other on how the love in our lives has changed since we started Love Bites almost two years ago. With one of us now just having celebrated an anniversary and the other back playing the field, what do we cherish the most about our current relationship status? What do we most want for in each other's? In the coming weeks, we'll invite guests and co-hosts to do the same, as we continue to explore this crazy little thing called love.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We asked every guest in our New Beginnings series what starting over has taught them about love. In this special episode, we share their answers as well as a little insight into why each story had personal resonance, and what we learned about love in turn.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A career change can be a difficult thing, especially when leaving behind the financial security of life as an attorney for the uncertainty and instability of life as an artist. But what if you were also leaving behind your marriage, family, and the community you were indoctrinated into all at the same time, shedding an entire belief system and way of life for a new one? How might this hinder your career change? How might it fuel you as an artist? Former ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jew-turned actor Eli Rosen reveals his story of how repression, longing, and guilt brought him to ultimate freedom...at a cost.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cynthia Cherish Malaran was making mad money as a freelance graphic designer. She was married. She was "successful." But she was miserable. Then she got in an accident that left her body shattered and her mind with amnesia. Over a year into her recovery, music started to trigger her memories and she began to rebuild, leaving her miserable self behind. Then she got a diagnosis of a violent, advanced form of breast cancer. "If I hadn't gotten into that accident, I would have still been miserable in this other job. Making money, but dying very slowly. And miserable." Join us as Cynthia talks through the two tragic events that brought her life a New Beginning so rich that she's now been regularly called the "Drama-Free DJ" who's worked for clients from Oprah to hospice patients to women in prison. She has quite the story to tell.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Packing up and moving to a whole new life. Tempting, huh? Mobility glimmers on the horizon and everything you know -- home, friendships, work -- await reinvention. But what realities play out when embracing relocation? In our third episode exploring New Beginnings, Julia Bainbridge shares what happened when she moved from New York to Atlanta. What rituals did she invoke to help find closure, what did she enthusiastically leave behind, and how has she explored her new home? Is being a single thirty-something woman all that different now? How has her New Beginning affected her feeling lonely -- the subject she tackles in her Lonely Hour podcast? We collectively discuss how to say goodbye to home, and then dig in. *Photos by Amelia Tubb, courtesy Bourbon and GlossSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens after you realize you were born into a system that you don't believe in? How do you discover what you really think? How do you escape from all you've ever known? How do you find the confidence to express the new person you want to become? Where do you find a creative outlet, and how do you find new people to fill your life when old relationships are forcefully shed? On the second episode of our New Beginnings series, writer Aimee DeLong shares how moving to New York helped her break from the Fundamentalist Christian "cult" she grew up in so that she could become the genuine intellectual artist she is now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"How does the relationship between mother and child change when the child moves out of the house? What does mom get to reclaim for herself, or what new things may she welcome? In celebration of Mother's Day (!), we've lured our moms onto the show to talk us through this unique kind of New Beginning -- the first in our series exploring what happens after the Ending has dimmed. Plus, we get some dirt on Ben as a baby (!), and surprise our moms by sharing what they've taught us the most about love."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

According to Brian Kateman, if every American reduced their intake of meat and fish by 10%, huge gains would be made in personal and global health. So how do we moderate our consumption, and why should we? On today's show -- the second in our series studying Moderation -- we discuss why it's so hard to not go whole-hog with certain foods overall. Then we dig into Kateman's work with Reducetarianism and his new book, The Reducetarian Solution [Tarcher Pedigree]. How do the essay contributors see this reduction as playing out in religion, politics, and science? How do the most productive conversations come about in regards to this kind of moderation? And can just tightening by 10% really help ourselves and the planet?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sometimes living as the best version of yourself means knowing when to say "no", avoiding drastic fad lifestyles, and allowing both joyful leisure time and periods of overwork to play together. Which is why we've asked Sarah Robb O'Hagan, the author of Extreme You: Step Up. Stand Out. Kick Ass. Repeat, to join us as the first show in our series studying MODERATION. Sarah inspires colleagues, readers, and those who have heard her speak to make brave choices in their lives. But she's also a big-picture dreamer, wrapped up in an energetic, vulnerable, humble, and friendly package. So come along with us as we dig into the question: How can we be our most extreme selves without going too far and burning out?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"So much time and attention are given to a restaurant's opening: Who's the chef? How will the menu be different than everything that's come before it? Who's designing the space? Will there be craft beer or craft cocktails? We fill reservations books. We rush in to review. We Instagram furiously. But when a restaurant closes? The process is colder, quieter, and far less bombastic. On today's show -- the last in our six-week series on Endings -- chef Chris Jaeckle joins to share the process of closing his Italian-Japanese restaurant, All'onda. Opened to much critical acclaim in New York's East Village in 2013, he and his partners closed it two-and-a-half years later. How did that process break down, and how did it make Jaeckle feel?"See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“It wasn’t just losing him with the breakup, but a lot of the dreams and hopes I had for the future. It was coming to terms with the idea that this illness might be chronic. That there was no fix.” - Katrina On Part II of our episode on breakups because of chronic illness, we first hear from Katrina, who contracted Malaria while in Uganda and then developed Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (also called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease) after the initial infection. She shares the process of understanding her new reality while in a relationship, its eventual demise, and where she's at regarding the potential for new love now. Then after the break, we're joined by Kirsten Schultz of Chronic Sex, who addresses questions that arose from last week's show regarding the absence of sex in relationships because of illness, and what resources out there might help. And before we close out, Jacqueline addresses a question from a recent reader: Do you ever feel your shortchanging someone in a relationship with you because of your physical limitations?"" Links to resources referenced throughout this episode can be found at www.LoveBitesRadio.com. And if you have anything you'd like to share on anything you've heard here, email us at [email protected] Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's show -- the first of a two-part episode during our series on Endings -- Jacqueline speaks with two women who recently underwent breakups they attribute to their chronic illnesses: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and Interstitial Cystitis. They both reached out to J after reading her Cosmopolitan Essay, How I Learned to Date with a Chronic Illness. On top of sharing with J similar struggles of food restrictions, pain, and living with an exhausting invisible illness while maintaining a job and the semblance of a romantic life, the two contemplate the unique pressures their physical limitations put upon the early stages of romance. How does having a chronic illness change the way people can be seen romantically? Is breaking up with someone because they have health issues fair? And what can we learn about dating in the future from rough breakups of the past? Today, two singular stories shed some insight.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"When at the age of 31-yrs old my boyfriend of five years broke up with me I was deeply heartbroken but also stunned that I was no longer on the path of getting engaged, getting married, and having children by the age of 35. That was the course that I had seen so clearly unfold in my head, and when I vocalized this desire to him it was then that our relationship began to systematically implode." - Sari Kamin On today's show, we discuss a specific kind of ending: the breakup that hurts in a way you didn't think possible. The kind that changes the way you look at love. That sets you on a path you never wanted to walk. Writer and Heritage Radio host Sari Kamin joins to share her story, and we difuse some of our collective tension midshow with a round of breakup MadLibs."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Making it look easy is the point, right? Writers, actors, and artists of all sorts tell stories about real life experiences, defending their choices, owning their truth, and leaving a trail of wisdom in their creatively-tuned path. We see them at the climax, the triumph, the TED talk --- the ENDING. But what about all the steps before they hit SEND on that manuscript? On today's show, we're joined by writer Jen Glantz, who combines public and private in her work as a Bridesmaid for Hire, blogger, and two-time author with her most recent book, Always a Bridesmaid (for Hire), now out by Simon and Schuster. We discuss finding your voice as a human-turned-writer, how that voice gets whittled through a process, and how that voice needs defending when the work is finished and subject to the public eye. Plus, we play a little foodie TRUE OR FALSE game, pitting her against Ben with some food news of the week.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"What's a life experience you're holding onto that you wish you could emotionally shut the door on? What's holding you back? Who has helped guide you through growth the most? What positive new tactics or tools did you pick up to battle the tough stuff along the way? And do you wish the situation had never happened to begin with? On today's show, we launch the first in our series on Endings with Suzanne Riss and Jill Sockwell, authors of The Optimist's Guide to Divorce (Workman, 2017) and founders of the Maplewood Divorce Club. Their friendship formed during a rough period of their lives, morphing into a community set to inspire others going through a kind of ending most hope never to experience."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this Presidents' Day, we invite you all to #GiveLove and take care of yourself and others. For the first half of the show, we hear Floyd and Barkha Cardoz of Paowalla restaurant in New York talk about how their work in Indian and American cuisines have changed since they immigrated in the eighties. Then, we turn to our broadcast right after the election in November. What were we feeling, and how we did tackle personal interactions when riding waves of emotion and angst? We'll be back together (finally!) live in the studio next week!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We just wrapped our series on Power Couples -- five couples in hospitality who work alongside each other by day and someone manage to still love each other enough to share a bed together at night. The series came about for deliciously selfish reasons: we both need a little inspiration in the healthy marriage department and figured relationship goals were out there for the stealing. On today's show, Jacqueline -- abandoned in New York while Ben continues to wow the theatre world out west -- breaks down some single gal insight while sharing five major takeaways from the series. Sharing the 2010 origin story of this series and moving into what nuggets of wisdom from our guests she's pocketing, today's show is a primer for singletons out there holding out for serious love. Happy Valentine's Day.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Barkha and Floyd Cardoz met at hospitality school in India and became close friends. Eight years later, after emigrating separately to New Jersey and New York, they met once again and started to explore romance. Twenty-five years later, they're the owners of the New York restaurant Paowalla, where their Indian heritage is cooked up through Chef Floyd's modern American lens. Journey with us as they share how friendship evolved into love, and the sacrifice of every young cook into the success of one of New York's most beloved chefs. This marks the fifth and final episode of our Power Couples series. Tune in Monday, February 13th for our Valentine show, when we share insight on marital longevity and favorite takeaways from these time-tested couples."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1976, the restaurant Windows on the World opened on the 106th and 107th floors of the World Trade Center's north tower. As president of Baum + Whiteman Worldwide, Michael Whiteman was one of the restaurateurs behind the space; Rozanne Gold their Chef-Director. Together, the two opened several other iconic projects over the course of several years... which made the early stages of courtship rather risky ones. Now, decades later, they share remembrances of those early days together -- what made them both take the risk, and what falling in love felt like so many years ago -- and how time has both challenged and strengthened their marriage through to this day. The fourth in five shows about couples who cross work with love, Michael and Rozanne give us some serious lessons in long-game investment. Find more about them both at www.lovebitesradio.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stacy Adimando and Steve Graf are a testament to risking big for love whenever and wherever you find it. She was living in Brooklyn, he in Northern California. But when they met working at a food festival in Portland, Oregon, they both felt something strong enough to give a long-distance relationship a chance. On today's show, we track their story as Stacy crosses the country, they court and wed, and eventually move again, this time to New York together. Their biggest fears throughout the process might surprise you. Have a listen to the third of our Power Couples series, quickly becoming our favorite thing so far about 2017.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

He covers savory, she covers sweet, and everything else comes together between them. That's how chefs Andrew and Kristin Wood have been working together since they first met, and how they do now as parents and co-owners of Russet in Philadelphia. Many years, several moves cross-country, and two children later, they've got many pearls of wisdom to share on how they make it all work. So sit back and enjoy the second of our Power Couples series.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the day they first met at a New York restaurant, Jill's first day working the front of house was chef Joe's last day in the back. He was fresh out of a rough relationship; she a ballet dancer twirling her way around New York City. Twelve years later, they're the wife-and-husband team of Joe and MissesDoe, an intimate restaurant on 1st Street and catering company in New York City where Jill rules the bar and Joe the kitchen. They're the kind of fiery couple you wanna be, their relationship forged from long days joined at the hip. What have they learned in their twelve years building a business on their own? How do they separate work time from home time? Where do their differences clash, and how have they strengthened their union? Take out your notebooks, because serious #relationshipgoals await in the first of our Power Couples series.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2009, the percentage of single women in the United States rose above 50% for the first time in history. The median age of first marriages dramatically rose from twenty and twenty-two years old--which it had been steadily for centuries to the 1980s--to twenty-eight. Beyonce's singing about it, countless books celebrate it, and women are living proudly independent more and for longer than ever. Being a single woman in today's world can be empowering! Or, it's just life! Or... it can be really hard. On today's show, Jacqueline is joined in the studio by fellow media ladies Jen Doll, Erin Fairbanks, and Lindsey Rupp, to discuss the intricacies of moving through the world solo. Then, returning guests Jamie Feldmar and Jane Alison and Lonely Hour Podcast host Julia Bainbridge join via some audio tracks, which the in-studio ladies listen to and share: How does being single affect our social interactions during weddings and holidays? Our fiercely ambitious creative work lives? And what would out lives look like if we choose to forgo love... indefinitely? Have a listen as one seriously dynamic group of ladies hashes it all out.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When we discuss family love, we refer to biological families by default. But what about foster family relationships? What does it take for them to succeed, and who suffers the most when they fail? On today's show, we welcome Regina Calcaterra, the co-author of Girl Unbroken and the memoir Etched in Sand. Regina shares how the bond between her four siblings--born of separate fathers and the same mentally ill mother--lasted through years of abuse, displacement, and movement into and out of the foster care system, to where they share healthy lives and relationships as adults. And before we get to that, we discuss Ben's impending move to Portland, Oregon, for a stint in Portland Center Stage's world premiere of Astoria. How do he and his gf plan to weather the storm? How does Jax plan to run the show in his absence? What can listeners expect as we transition out of being a dating show and into becoming a relationship show? And what do we really want out of our lives between now and Ben's return?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do the relationships we form with our siblings shape us as adults? What happens when we don't identify with the roles our parents assign us within our sibling group? And how do our relationships with our siblings change as our parents age? On today's show, Jacqueline's sisters Jessica and Maggie Raposo join to share stories about how growing up as a team of four siblings affected their growth into adulthood, and the relationships they've developed to this day. How do varying ages, professions, and roles within the family unit shape memories and personality traits? Why is the sibling bond one of such lifelong strength and struggle? Tune into find out, in the fourth of our series exploring family love.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When a job, a relationship, or a tradition ends... how do you know how to properly mourn it? When do you lean into the grief, and when do you pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and start all over again? Today, we welcome performer Lindsay Benner to the show to discuss how the recent loss of her father has affected her life and work. And we share our own little forms of loss and grief recently, too, and how the patterns of our lives shift as we struggle through them. Where do we find sustenance, comfort, and love? How do we perform lives that require us to be under a spotlight when it's hard to smile? How can we #givelove when our hearts are hurting?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's show, we take a look at the idea of feeling safe. First, in light of last week's election results and the flood of emotions many of us are feeling because of it, we spend a little time checking in on how we're doing, where we are, and what we need right now. Then, on how we can show a little extra love to those who need it, and what signs of love we've seen in the past week, despite all the anger and pain in circulation. After the break, we're joined by Jane Alison, the novelist and author of the memoir The Sisters Antipodes, for the second of our shows studying relationships with family members. Her stunning memoir tracks an unorthodox childhood following her parents' befriending another couple with two similarly-aged daughters, and then switching partners. How did growing up on opposite corners of the globe from her father and stepsisters affect her understanding of romantic relationships, family, and self-identity? How did writing the memoir -- which often paints Jane and the family that surrounds her in alternatingly sympathetic and brutally honest shadows -- affect their adult relationships? Does she regret bringing her story to light on the page?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our relationships with our parents are fraught with complication. There is just too much – for better or for worse – we can inherit from them. Even if they're ceaselessly loving. Even if they're largely absent from our lives. Even if we resist. On today's show – the first of our five-week exploration of familial love– we welcome author James Rebanks of The Shepherd's Life and The Shepherd's View. Recently in town from the UK, Jacqueline met up with him in a Lower East Side park to ask him five questions about the tough realities of living as a shepherd in the northwest corner of England. What they've taught him about love for his land, love for his work, and for the father and grandfather who had been working that same job on that same land before him. What he expresses eloquently gets at the heart of what we're pondering as we study how we love our grandfathers and fathers in this episode. Have a listen, and then call someone you love.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Timing isn't everything, but it sure as hell is a lot." We've debated variations of that sentence often over the last year, questioning its weight as a dating cliche and the effect it's had on our relationships woes. Today, we discuss how it's woven its way into Jax's current dating mire: basically, how when you're dating three men, life is all about timing, for the good and the bad of it. She's got some explaining to do, and some decisions to make. Then we're joined by burlesque dancer Velvetina Taylor, who talks to us about the spicy world of seduction. How did she fall into the romance of the field, how does she keep herself safe within it, and what can she teach us about how to tease and seduce in our own intimate little worlds?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We are all about using every tool out there to build our strongest selves and most loving relationships. So can we use the ancient practice of tarot to gain insight into our ever-changing inner selves? How can the cards offer guidance, wisdom, comfort, and challenge? What about the practice does pop culture misrepresent, and what does tarot have to offer even the greatest of unbelievers? On today's show, tarot reader and author Sasha Graham shares how her experience with tarot has helped her to nurture and guide clients from all walks of life. How the lessons on the cards can inspire everyday moments, including the meals we make (like matching the Nine of Pentacles with a molten lava cake recipe for one!) and the relationships we build? Then, as Ben and Jax are working at very different places in their quest for lasting love, she turns cards for them, applying their lessons to two very specific conundrums.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What are our best travel memories with romantic partners? Sexiest? Most frustrating? What part does travel play in our hopeful romantic futures? And what do our desires – highbrow, lowbrow, and everything in between – say about who we are and how we love? On today's show, Ella Morton – co-author of ATLAS OBSCURA: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders – joins to discuss some of her book's most mysterious and romantic offerings. What weird and fascinating food and love destinations are out there for us? And what has traversing the globe seeking out weird wonders done for her love life? And before we even get to that, how do we start on the road to romance if no otherworldly sparks are igniting? As J gets back into the dating world, marching boldly forward even if her health hasn't fully returned, can she date a guy (or, this week, um, three), when her body doesn't have the physical energy to make magic happen? For the healthiest among us, how to we finagle romance from slowly-burning embers? Tune in, as we light 'em up.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Enough of dating apps that show you images of potential heartthrobs. What if there were a program that could help you calculate where, when, and how you're most likely to find love? There is. Almost. Sort of. It's getting close, that is. On today's show, Ben and Jacqueline grapple with their current dating woes, which right now are at opposite ends of the dating spectrum: B's in the throws of serious-relationship-ville which comes with mutual respect and trust and all that jazz so he can't really talk about it on the radio as much as he did when we started this show, whereas J is single and frisky and dreaming of a deep emotional connection with the man she hasn't met yet, but can do shit about it because she hasn't been feeling well enough to date in a really stupid long time. How can we host a radio show about dating and love when our dating lives are a bit less exciting now? Harumph! Then we're joined by Rashied Amini, the founder and engineer behind Nanaya, a program where you plug in a bunch of info about yourself and your life, and then the same kind of algorithm that predict lunar habitation module success spits out where in the world you'll most likely find your mate, in which social or work circles you'll have a better chance of finding him/her, and how old you'll most likely be when you settle down. Does the algorithm work? Does Amini apply it to his own life? Does he think we should be applying more head and less heart to our search for love? And will this help J and B with their current dating conundrums?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Technology really burns our bacon sometimes... Ben: "I hate how technology dehumanizes people. Whether it be by swiping, taking a long time to respond to a text, ghosting, or saying brash things we wouldn’t ordinarily say, we don’t treat people with the same courtesy through technology as we would in person. We also don't present our full human selves through technology, but rather a crafted version of our image that is not entirely authentic." Jacqueline: "I feel like technology has shortened our attention spans. We read things--books, articles, messages--on tiny screens while multitasking, and so everything has gotten shorter. We fast forward through commercials. So there's less feeling comfortable in the "space between things," or knowing how to just sit in awkward silence, or enjoying slowing down, or luxuriating in just being. I both like those things, and physically need them. And I find it hard to find that in romantic partner, especially in New York. It makes me feel like the odd person out a lot. On today's show, we continue our exploration of how technology affects relationships with Matt Lundquist, the founder and director of Tribeca Therapy in New York City. He guides us through both how we can take our online interaction to heart less, and how we can better set ourselves up to get more satisfaction out of our personal interactions IRL. How can we more authentically present ourselves to the world through online social platforms? How can we slow down when a potential romantic partner is seated across from us a table? How can we meld what and who we aspire to be with all of the technological tools out there to help us become that person?"See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When it comes to romantic communication, texting and online messaging can be gentle introductions into IRL conversation, or mediums in which you can royally screw another person. Some of us daters of a certain age - ahem - started this whole dating thing before cell phones were glued into our hands. Others grew up with instant communication as the norm. But how can all of us muddle through the dating world with clashing views of normalcy, etiquette, and preference when it comes to getting to know each other, digitally and in person? On today's show, we're joined by Melissa Stanger, Senior Lifestyle Editor at Revelist, and Shana Lebowitz, Strategy Reporter at Business Insider, to discuss technology and modern romance. What do we all love and hate about texting and instant messaging? Can we get a clear picture of who someone is via how they text? What are we working towards in making sure we feel proud of our own actions? And where can we eat in NYC without the light of a dozen iPhone messing up the ambiance of our pasta and prosciutto?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Where's the romance in a Snapchat? The thrill in an email? When the conversation moves from online dating to texting, how much do flirty digital conversations represent how we're gonna interact in the flesh? And when we're on a dinner date and our lover's fingers are talking to someone else, how hot and bothered can we really get? On today's show, Ben is joined in the studio by Allison Goldberg and Jen Jamula, the founders of the theater troupe Blogologues and the No Text Weekend, which hits the real world September 23rd - 25th. We discuss what annoys us the most about how relationships are carried out via text, if the way we text represents the respect we have for the person on the other end of the line, and if it was a personal or professional drive that inspired the ladies to organize a massive event of events and texting abstinence. Can we put down our phone for 30 minutes and converse IRL? Listen and find out.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Holy testosterone! Jacqueline's out of the country and Ben has invited some fellas into the studio to get REAL about... um... dude stuff. Ladies: Ever wonder how men talk about you when you're not around? Guys: Ever wonder if/when it's cool to let your sensitive side show around your bros? On today's show, hear the out-and-out, unadulterated TRUTH from four humans with Y chromosomes. Joined by regular guest Andrew McLeod (sales manager for Union Beer Distributors), Nick Guitart (General Manager of Big Daddy's restaurant and Ben's sometime boss) and, in a hilarious twist of fate, Jacqueline's real-life bro Dan Raposo, we'll explore men's deepest insecurities, frustrations and confusion concerning the opposite sex, and the under-discussed dating difficulties facing men in today's society.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

No matter the stage of your relationship (or lack thereof), well-meaning jerks often throw old, tired cliches at you in the guise of friendship: "Go with your gut!" "There are plenty of fish in the sea!" "Never go to sleep angry!" "Tis better to have loved and lost..." "You have to love yourself before you can really love someone else." Gag. So today, we're tearing them down, again! We've got returning guests Andrew McLeod of Union Beer and Antony Raymond of the Elsinore County Theatre Company back to break down a few new dating cliches, weigh in on dating profiles phrases that make us yawn and swipe left, and go through a few round of sexy never-have-I-ever. It's our last show of the summer season – and our first whole year of Love Bites! – so we're celebrating with good friends and a fun chat. Have a listen.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ah, alcohol. It can be a first-date necessity, when nerves and questions and vulnerabilities are at their peak. Or it can be our greatest downfall, when "just one more" turns into "one-plus-four too many." On today's show, we discuss how alcohol can help or hinder early love, sharing our worst first-date sloppiness, and how it's affected our lives (and struggles) overall. Then we're joined by sommelier and author Diane McMartin of This Calls for a Drink: The Best Wines and Beers to Pair with Every Situation (Workman, 2016). How does she go about pairing wine with heartbreak? Beer with Netflix? What are the big don'ts she sees first date couples making when they place their beverage order? And what has drinking for a living taught her about love?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It happens. One day, our bodies are crying “I NEED SEX!” with such force that we can barely think of anything else. The next, we couldn’t get in on if our top-of-the-list celebrity was standing in front of us in nothing but their knickers and a smile. What is up with that? On today’s show, we spill on some personal wins, with Ben being in a relationship and Jacqueline deciding to extend her social media / dating app cleanse for another 50 days. Then we’re joined by Dr. Sheryl Kingsberg, who spells out why some of us (cough, Jacqueline) get really frisky in the hotter summer months, why lack of libido can affect any of us at any time, and how we can start a conversation with our doctors about what we’re thinking and feeling regarding a drastic change in sex drive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does "love at first sight" exist? If we break it down to bits and pieces, "love at first sight" is a combination of sexual attraction (hormones), curiosity and the elusive "intuition", right? It can be our best friend... or our fiercest enemy. It can guide us to real, lasting, life-changing love... or to seeking out bottles of whisky and pints of ice cream in our heartbroken despair. On today's show, we discuss how intuition has served us romantically in the past. Then we're joined by Iris Higgins, a hypnotherapist and life coach who founded the online retreat center, The Goldilocks Movement, to help guide women into discovering the most creative and intuitive selves.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today's show, we're joined by Laura Gosheff and Julia Peterson of the Living Lotus Project. Their show, Phoenix Rising (playing off-Broadway at the Lion Theatre through July 16th), tracks the stories of five young girls working through violence done upon them by the family and friends in their lives, and the counselor helping them "find their fire." Gosheff is the writer and director of the piece; Peterson one of the six actors, and a core member of Living Lotus. We discuss the origin stories presented in their piece, the personal histories of the team involved, how they include or separate those stories from their work, and in what ways they most believe we can move forward in ending violence against girls and women.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.