It was the beginning of quarantine––that’s how most stories about trying something new start off now, and I’m no exception. It was the beginning of quarantine; I was walking and baking and reading and doing all the things I was supposed to do. My best friend and I FaceTimed every week, filling each other in on what we were doing. Over the next ten weeks, we’d start dissecting our love lives, our traumas, our psyches, and our fears. All because of a podcast, Monica and Jess Love Boys.
Monica and Jess Love Boys is a ten episode podcast series presented by my favorite podcast, Armchair Expert. Monica is the co-host of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, and Jess is their mutual friend. As Armchair explains, Monica and Jess Love Boys is a series that follows the relationship struggles of two opposites as Monica and Jess dive into their love lives with the help of a new expert every week. They ask themselves what they want, what they don’t want, why they might need to change, and how the hell they should go about changing. Monica and Jess are given challenges to be completed each week, challenges meant to take Monica––an accomplished gem who’s never had a boyfriend––and Jess––an outgoing guy who’s had hundreds of flings––way out of their comfort zones and show them that they are worthy of loving relationships.
My best friend and I devoured these episodes. Each expert brought in new insights into love, relationships, dating, and psychology. We heard things we’d never thought to consider, and we were giddy over things we always thought, but never said. My best friend and I now quote advice from the podcast to ourselves, laughing at our inside jokes while genuinely trying to hold fast to the wisdom. If we learned anything, it was that we weren’t alone.
This time after Valentine’s Day might feel depressing. The pandemic isn’t over and your dating life may be good, bad, or non-existent. Whatever you are experiencing, there is joy, connection, laughs, challenges, and wisdom in Monica and Jess Love Boys. Give it a listen, but be aware that the theme song will be stuck in your head all day and the advice will be stuck in your head for life. Listen wherever you subscribe to podcasts.
(And season two will be starting soon…)
Sources: https://armchairexpertpod.com/monica-jess-love-boys