Love Letters: Recent Episodes
LiveWriters
A single, burning question about love and relationships, every season. Explored through stories. Hosted by Boston Globe advice columnist Meredith Goldstein.
Love Letters is getting ready for next season — and it’s going to be good! You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You might move to Italy. It’ll all be explained. In the meantime, can you help us better ourselves? Please take this survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LLetters I wrote most of it myself! We want to know how to better entertain, serve, and give you great stuff. It’ll be quick, I promise. Again, find it here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LLetters See you soon. - Meredith
In this guest episode from the podcast “Last Day,” host Stephanie Wittels Wachs shares the story of Brooke, who had the best and worst days of her life within a couple months of each other. The whiplash from the bliss of her wedding day to the reality of mourning rocked Brooke to her core. She had to learn how to treasure the memories while sitting in the worst suffering she’d ever felt. Find more episodes of “Last Day” at lemonadamedia.com/show/lastday.
In the final episode of a season all about help, Meredith sits down with students from the writing and publishing organization 826 Boston, which just released a new book — called “What if the World Needs You?”— that’s full of advice and life lessons for young people. Also, Meredith’s producers surprise her with a collection of stories from her friends and loved ones about times she has helped them in ways large and small. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
As The Boston Globe’s travel writer, Chris Muther has gotten very good at navigating the planet alone. But he wasn’t always this way. It took years, through multiple relationships, for him to gain the independence necessary to thrive on his own — and be a better partner. How he got to this more confident place is a long, winding story that involves some of the most beautiful places in the world. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
Can relationships survive a political divide? Meredith sits down with podcast hosts Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers of the grace-filled podcast "Pantsuit Politics" to discuss the growing gender divide and how (and if!) to handle differences in political views within the context of a romantic relationship. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
One day in June of 2014, at the height of the Syrian civil war, Rami made a daring escape from an ISIS militia. But that meant he had to leave his home country, maybe forever. His journey from that moment — into Turkey, then to California, and then to Rhode Island — was something he never could have imagined. Neither was the love story that came out of it. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
On the next season of Love Letters, we’ll be featuring stories that are outside the box. Experiences and stories that fall outside the norm and broaden our understanding of love, gifting us in the most strange and unexpected ways - because love isn't just one thing. It's everything. If you have a story that you EXPERIENCED – or FELT – or are in the MIDDLE of – that was OUTSIDE THE BOX … and taught you something important about relationships — we’d love to hear from you. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Krista Nabar got pretty good at talking about intimate, uncomfortable things. One, she was raised in a household where open dialogue was encouraged. Two, she became a sex therapist. But when it came to confronting things in her own life? Well, that was a different story. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
Meredith sits down with Laura Stassi, host of the podcast “Dating While Gray.” They talk about what Meredith learned from her parents’ divorce, how she found a partner during the pandemic, and growing wiser with age. Also, hear an excerpt of a “Dating While Gray” episode about a widower helping his daughter with dating. Find more episodes of “Dating While Gray” at datingwhilegray.com. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
Can a city be a wingperson? Seongnam City, a community of more than 900,000 people just southeast of Seoul, South Korea, is certainly trying. Spooked by historically low birth and marriage rates, Seongnam City officials have launched a publicly funded matchmaking program to help young people find each other. The goal? Happy couples who start making babies. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
Let’s be honest: There’s a lot of trashy reality television out there. Some shows seem actively manipulative. But Netflix’s "Love on the Spectrum," which follows the dating journeys of young people on the autism spectrum, feels different. Meredith sits down with one of the show’s stars, James B. Jones, to talk about what the show gets right, and how it feels to look for love in such a public way. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
Join Meredith and fellow advice columnist Stacia Brown as they talk breakups with Anita Rao, host of the podcast “Embodied.” Stacia and Meredith give some guidance on how to break up “well” and discuss going no-contact, navigating social media, and finding the right breakup anthem for the moment. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
As an animal researcher, Meghan Martin made groundbreaking discoveries about how giant female pandas choose their mates. She realized that they wouldn’t shack up with just any old male. They wanted a choice. The same held true, she would learn, with rabbits, birds, and other species. The question for Meghan was this: Could she apply those lessons to the human world—to her own world? Plus, we visit a Rhode Island animal shelter that raised money by letting people pay to have cats defecate on the names of exes. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
Are more people considering polyamory these days? Has the pandemic permanently changed the ways we relate to each other? And can Esther Perel take some credit for Meredith's dating success? Meredith sits down with the psychotherapist, relationship expert, and all-around empathetic person to get into these questions and more. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
What does it feel like to be the partner of a pro athlete? Where do you find support to handle the public pressure, the instability, the constant threat of being traded? Today, we bring you a two-part series on elite athletes, their spouses, and the people who help them.
In Part Two of our series on pro athletes and their spouses, we talk to Shannon Allen, the wife of former NBA superstar Ray Allen, about a bittersweet moment in their lives.
Ever since Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey was a kid, music has played a major role in her life. “Eye of the Tiger” got her pumped for basketball games. She caught sets from Joan Baez and Melissa Etheridge working as a cocktail waitress. When she came out in her early 20s, she found solace in the Indigo Girls. These days, the governor uses music to center herself, especially at hard moments. She and her partner, Joanna Lydgate, sit down with Meredith to talk about how music helps them in their lives and in their relationship. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. You can also send relationship questions to Meredith and sign up for Love Letters updates by texting 617-744-7007.
Meredith’s advice column turns 15 this year. 15! So she’s feeling a little nostalgic. In this episode, Meredith sits down with longtime Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy to trade notes on the thousands of columns each has written over the years. They also compare grief in love to grief in sports, reflect on why sports reporters have always been big fans of Love Letters, and discuss the couple of the moment: Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
When it came time for Sophia to leave a difficult relationship, she knew she couldn’t do it alone. So she assembled a first-rate team, made up of friends, acquaintances, family members, and therapists. Having all of them behind her not only set Sophia free; it gave her back her future. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Michael and Alessandra were both single, bored, and lonely when they got together in mid-2020. It was the height of the pandemic; everyone craved companionship. But in time, Michael and Alessandra discovered that they were better as good friends. And what do good friends do? They help you find true love. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
A bonus episode via the podcast Kelly Corrigan Wonders. Kelly sits down with Krista Tippett, the longtime host and spiritual guide of On Being, which began as a radio program and is now a podcast. At a moment when everything is broken open, when institutions are received with less reverence and more skepticism, Kelly and Krista consider: Where should we point our minds and hearts? What practices serve us best? Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Shirley Leung, a business columnist who hosts Say More — a new podcast from Boston Globe Opinion — sits down with Meredith for a few final reflections on love and money, the theme of Season 8 of Love Letters. Also, listeners weigh in with their takes on the season. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. Find Say More wherever you listen to podcasts, or at globe.com/saymore.
Meredith makes a guest appearance on the podcast Meditative Story, a show that tells human stories but with meditation prompts. Vampires, naming squirrels, the death of her mother — it all comes out. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Meredith visits her sister, Brette, on the West Coast, where Brette is recuperating from knee surgery. Together they tackle a letter from a writer who, after a series of serious relationships, wants a year of just being single. But what if that means missing out on a connection of a lifetime? Send your own letter to loveletters@boston.com.
Erica Spates and Sam Littenberg-Weisberg have been professional television writing partners for 13 years. Together, they’ve co-written dozens of TV episodes, pitched and run their own Netflix series, and even won a couple Emmys. They are also married, which means they understand both the emotional highs of working with your partner and the financial lows – like the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike that's put both of their careers on ice. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Meredith talks to Jenée Desmond-Harris, Slate’s Dear Prudence advice columnist and podcast host, about weddings, commitment, and whether it’s kosher to grow an ugly mustache right before you get married. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
It’s easy to understand why prenuptial agreements get a bad rap. We think of that rich guy, selfishly protecting his assets just in case wife No. 3 doesn’t work out. But it turns out that’s a pretty narrow view. There are plenty of people whose marriages have been made stronger by prenups. For Anne and Nick, it wasn’t a hedge against their marriage falling apart. It was an important gesture of trust. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
As a food and travel influencer, Anela Malik’s social media feeds used to be full of inviting dishes and beautiful vistas. Then, in the spring of 2023, her posts took a turn: Anela announced tearfully to her many followers that she was getting divorced. It was an emotional hit but also a financial one. Anela was suddenly forced to make a major investment in a whole new life. And yet … it wasn’t all bad. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Meredith is joined by two of her favorite Boston Globe colleagues, business reporters Diti Kohli and Dana Gerber, to chat about two things that have long bothered her: the way lease cycles influence relationships, and the financial gap between coupled people and single people. Plus, they discuss a pair of letters, including one from a single person who is worried their married friends are growing distant. Email your dating and relationship questions to loveletters@boston.com.
A portrait of two daters in their 20s — Jackie in Chicago, and Nick in Washington. Both of them have been on lots of dates; Nick went on 46 last year alone. When you date this much, the expenses add up quickly: drinks, food, hair, parking, Ubers, clothes, and more. So how do they do it? What happens when the bill comes — who pays? And is it all worth it? Email us at loveletters@boston.com. Programming note: The next full episode drops July 11th.
A story about partnership and compromise, told in two acts. Two working spouses — writer Kara Baskin and psychologist Sadé Soares — talk about how they and their partners have navigated money, ambition, career, and sacrifice. How do people combine finances and lives and priorities without losing out or getting resentful? Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
No matter how much you might click with a potential partner, there will always be something you don’t quite see eye-to-eye on. Maybe it's religion. Maybe it’s kids. Sometimes? It’s money. In Vicki's case, she and her girlfriend, Jessica, seemed to be a good match — if they could just get past that one thing. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Meredith’s childhood friend Justin L. Wilson was standing at a funeral, listening to a eulogy, when he had an epiphany: I’m going to quit my job. This decision to follow his passion took Justin on a journey that involves falling in love. Breakups. Martin Scorsese. Hall & Oates. The Kelly Clarkson Show. And a lesson – very much still-in-progress – about the price of a dream. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
A special visit from our friends at NPR’s Dear Life Kit podcast, where experts answer your most pressing and personal anonymous questions. In this bonus episode: A letter writer loves her boyfriend's parents, but their generosity feels inappropriate. Maya Lau, host of the podcast Other People's Pockets, weighs in on how to move forward. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Meredith and her sister, Brette, take on two letters, including one from a writer who’s happily coupled but still thinking about an ex. Not because the ex was so great, or because there’s any desire to get back together. It’s purely because he came from family money and offered the prospect of financial stability. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
As a 20-something, Alex was determined to “win” at adulthood. And they did. They got a job, responsibly grew their savings, even bought a house. And then Alex met Tim, a kind and smart man who shared their passions, hobbies, and values. But a few years into their marriage, Alex discovered that Tim was carrying a pretty big secret – one that would jeopardize their hard-earned sense of security. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
On Season 8 of Love Letters, host Meredith Goldstein explores all the ways money plays into love, dating, and relationships. What happens when two partners come from different wealth backgrounds? What if someone is harboring secret debt? Who should pay for drinks on a first date? How do couples decide whose “turn” it is to pursue a career dream? Season 8 launches April 25. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Money is a hard thing to talk about – especially when there’s a partner involved. So, before we kick off a full season of stories about love and money, Meredith felt it was only fair that she open up a little herself. In this special bonus episode, she and her longtime financial advisor share some real talk about her finances, paying for psychics, stashing money in the freezer, and the baggage from her parents’ divorce. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Look, money is a hard thing to talk about -- especially in relationships. But it plays into so many of our decisions. For the next season of Love Letters, we're looking for stories about money in love and dating. How do you tell a serious partner about your student loan debt? What happens when two people come from different wealth backgrounds? Why are breakups so expensive? If you have a story to share about love and money -- even if it needs to be anonymous -- please get in touch. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
After years of being told she wasn’t enough – good enough, smart enough, pretty enough – Tooky Kavanagh discovered that, yeah, actually, she was enough. This revelation came in the unlikeliest of places: the basement of a burger place, at a comedy open mic night. For the first time, Tooky could see who she was supposed to be. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Finding and sustaining love takes real work. It takes intention. But we never know when life is going to throw someone important in front of us. Then we’re forced to confront a big question: Is my heart open to love, or is it not? The story of Roz and Ralph is all about that: being open — remaining open — across six decades, multiple states, one bowl of pea soup, and a whole lot of letters. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Meredith quizzes her sister, Brette, on the latest terms of art in dating and relationships. Plus, they discuss a letter from someone who's all worked up after seeing an old flame at Thanksgiving. Email your dating and relationship questions to loveletters@boston.com.
Pebbles is a well-known morning radio show host in the Boston area. Being happily single has long been part of her brand. But her story – how she came to understand her priorities and know her own heart – is far richer than most people realize. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
There’s a reason Meredith and her friend Kumar hit it off when they first met. Well, two reasons. One, they’re both obsessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Plus, they both operate with expansive definitions of love, commitment, and partnership. That’s why, when Kumar was going through a major change in his life, Meredith knew just what it felt like. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Ever since he was young, Jared believed he had to choose between being gay and being Muslim. Because everyone around him was telling him he couldn’t be both. This impossible choice tore Jared apart, up until the day he met a kind, blue-eyed stranger on a park bench. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Ana’s first impression of Paris wasn’t very good. First of all, she was from Mexico. So she didn’t know a lick of French. She also hated the food. But she returned 10 years later and fell in love with the city – and with a tall Frenchman who had kind eyes. This storybook romance came with a cost, though. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Meredith and producer Katelyn Harrop take up two letters to Meredith's Love Letters advice column. In the first letter, a man wonders if he should send that closure email he's got all cued up. In the second, a writer asks if she should have worked harder to fix a former relationship. Email your dating and relationship questions to loveletters@boston.com.
Mel and Jay met way back in seventh-grade social studies class. Then in high school, they co-led the Gay Straight Alliance. Mel was straight; Jay was gay. In the years that followed, their love and connection remained durable, even as their relationship took many different forms. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
In 2020, Somerville, Massachusetts became the first municipality in the country allowing polyamorous relationships to qualify for domestic partnership status. Meredith talks to one of the first people to register for the new designation. They discuss what it means – and what it doesn’t. Meredith also talks to a legal expert about the broader social and legal implications of the Somerville ordinance. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Love Letters producer Katelyn Harrop just saw "When Harry Met Sally" for the first time, which leaves Meredith (a WHMS superfan) with one burning question: Has it aged well? They discuss in this Sidebar mini-episode. Email your dating and relationship questions to loveletters@boston.com.
Michaela always craved the kind of life she didn’t have as a kid. She’d find a stable guy, settle down, and start a family. For several years, she seemed to be on her way. But then she discovered that, no matter how clear that original path may have seemed, she ultimately had to build her own. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Meredith and producer Katelyn Harrop take on two new letters, including one from a woman in her 40s who digs her new boyfriend but wasn't thrilled to learn that he'd previously hooked up with most of the women in his friend group. Is this a red flag, or just ancient history? Email your dating and relationship questions to loveletters@boston.com.
All this season, we’ll be telling stories of big changes and how they reshape people’s romantic lives. In the first episode, Meredith shares the story of Bill and Jen, who did that thing many people fantasize about: They quit their day jobs and built a business from scratch. What has this shift meant for their lives – and for their marriage? Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Our new season is launching soon. But first ... Meredith and producer Katelyn Harrop dish on letters to Meredith's Love Letters advice column. This week: A single woman says men in their 30s fall into three categories: already coupled up, recently uncoupled and uninterested in anything serious, and too focused on their careers to contemplate a relationship. Does the LL team agree? Email us your dating and relationship questions at loveletters@boston.com.
We're trying out this new thing today. It's called Sidebar. It's a snack-sized episode in which Meredith and producer Katelyn Harrop discuss their favorite recent letters to Meredith's advice column in The Boston Globe. We'll drop you a Sidebar every now and then, between our usual, full-length episodes. In today's episode: finding love in the carpool lane and what it means to date a divorcee. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Meredith chats with business writer and journalist Jon Birger about why he thinks we should get off the apps and seek connection in other ways. Birger is the author of the books Date-Onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game and Make Your Move: The New Science of Dating and Why Women Are in Charge. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
We’re back with a bonus episode today. Meredith chats with writer Casey McQuiston about all the things: finding romance for yourself in times of uncertainty, how they get their work done, and what makes a really good love story. McQuiston is the author of the new book "I Kissed Shara Wheeler," the widely successful "Red, White & Royal Blue," and "One Last Stop." Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Sometimes life is about big change. You move across the world. Quit or lose a job. Suddenly get Internet famous. Decide you must join the circus. Maybe not that, but you get it. For the next season of Love Letters, we’re looking for stories about big, monumental changes in people’s romantic lives. Have you ever made a 180 like this? Share it with us at loveletters@boston.com.
For our final episode of the season, we collaborate with the podcast This Is Dating to bring you the story of Manny, a San Francisco thirty-something who’s been kinda sorta breaking a big relationship rule for 11 years and counting. The one that says: You’ll never get over an ex without making a clean break. Email us at loveletters@boston.com. For more on This Is Dating, visit thisisdatingpodcast.com.
Yes, Devin Tomb knows that TV isn’t real life. That “Sex and the City” never explicitly promised her anything. And yet, it was hard not to believe in the future the show presented. Devin figured she, too, would have a squad of single women for adventurous nights and opulent brunches well into her 30s. So what happened? Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
When Margaret hit her early 30s, she felt like one of those collectible toys you keep in a box – in mint condition, untouched. She wondered: What am I saving myself for? So she said yes to a throuple that seemed romantic and daring and exhilarating. It turned out to be all of those things and more. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Meredith sits down with two smart people who have spent a lot of time studying relationships – how we make them, what we look for in other people, and the “rules” that color these big decisions. Lamont White is a dating coach and matchmaker. Angela Bahns is a social psychologist whose work raises an important question: Is it actually true that opposites attract? Email us at loveletters@boston.com.
Ayesha Mattu was supposed to marry a man whose background mirrored hers: Pakistani, Muslim, and from a certain caste. For a time, that was the plan. Then, one night in a dimly lit club, she saw a cute guy dancing. And thus their adventure began. Email us at loveletters@boston.com.