AN AMAZING LOVE STORY FROM BUMBLE

Speaker 1 Are you thinking about planning an amazing vacation or weekend get away and don't know where to start? Do you want the options of amazing hotels or short-term vacation homes in a dreamy destination?

Speaker 1 Or maybe you need a fabulous venue for a really special occasion, such as a wedding or family reunion?

Speaker 1 All you need to do is reach out to Private LA, top luxury concierge services company in the world.

Speaker 1 Privately has a lifestyle management team passionate and skilled in arranging business or leisure trips anywhere around the globe, private yachts, all kinds of transportations, special experiences, sporting events, and much more.

Speaker 1 Take a look at their website, www.prive LA. That's P-R-I-V-E-E-L-A.
Tell them what you need, and all your dreams will become reality on Instagram. Same name, Privé LA.

Speaker 1 Luxury Concierge Services at your disposal worldwide.

Speaker 1 Okay, so

Speaker 1 this is a really fun, fabulous love story. And you guys are going to understand who they are, my guests are very, very quickly.

Speaker 1 But let me introduce them. DJ to my left.
Hi,

Speaker 1 James. Guys, welcome to Cat on the Loose.

Speaker 3 Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 It's such a pleasure and honor to have you.

Speaker 3 Well, you know, it's an honor for me.

Speaker 1 So let's start with you, DJ. And because

Speaker 1 I want people to understand, like, who are they, what's going on? Sure. You sent an email to my publicist a few weeks ago.
Yes.

Speaker 1 And you wrote something that I have to say, it really, that's the reason why I do the show. And it's the best gift anybody can give me.

Speaker 1 You said you were going through some major heartbreak, something horrible. And you listened to the show and it made you laugh and it made you feel better.

Speaker 1 So when I, when Samantha, my publicist, showed me that email, I was like, oh my God, that's like the sweetest thing anybody could say to me.

Speaker 1 Because when I started the show, as you know, I was going through hell and high walls.

Speaker 1 I remember. Yeah, and that's why I started doing it.
And I was venting.

Speaker 1 And I always say, like, I don't care how big the show gets, if I can help one person, one woman out there feel better about what she's going through. I feel like I did my job.

Speaker 1 So I have to say thank you for the email.

Speaker 3 Oh, but it's, Kat, I have to say thank you because when I wrote that email, I knew it was a shot in the dog. I'm like, she gets a ton of emails.
She's probably not going to even see this one.

Speaker 3 But I was like, I think if anybody's going to understand me, it's going to be Kat. And she's gonna know, she's gonna answer me.
Um, but yeah, I discovered you.

Speaker 3 Um, I was had just ended a relationship, and the person I was with was um an addict, so that's why when I listened to you, I was okay, let's let's go by parts.

Speaker 1 So, you were in a long-term relationship, yes, it was about two years, two years, yeah, that's all he was addicted to what.

Speaker 3 Well, he was so he initially he was not, he said, Great guy, but he then became an alcoholic, like my husband that passed away, yeah, exactly and that's why when i heard you i was like oh my goodness and um

Speaker 3 the way you described your husband because you're like it was so hard but he was still a great person yeah same like with this guy i was with yeah right so it was hard to end that relationship but um it was the better thing to do for me but it was so heartbreaking and i never had been with someone who was an addict so i didn't know how to figure out how to move on yeah and then when i heard you and it was so raw and so honest.

Speaker 3 And you're right. When you started, it really was just you talking.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 And because I live in LA and you live in LA, I was like, oh my goodness, I feel so connected to her. And I binge,

Speaker 3 I think I listened to a couple of them and I just binged everything.

Speaker 1 Oh my gosh. I just loved it.

Speaker 1 By the way, congratulations on leaving the relationship because I always say

Speaker 1 It took me 15 years to leave mine. 15 years being in a crazy abusive marriage to an alcoholic who, in the beginning, was not an alcoholic and became an alcoholic.

Speaker 1 And nowadays, of course, you know, I'm more mature and everything, but I say you got to save yourself and get the hell out and figure out that you deserve better.

Speaker 1 So, and a lot of people don't understand how hard it is to get out.

Speaker 3 It is really hard, especially because this was kind of just during COVID. So, you couldn't really get together with your girlfriends to get that support.

Speaker 3 And so, that's why your podcast became my support.

Speaker 2 Oh, thank you.

Speaker 3 And I just loved all the stories you shared when you went out and dated. And I was 47, right? And I was terrified of going back to date because

Speaker 3 in LA, there's this huge thing, though, about age, right?

Speaker 1 You know what I say, right?

Speaker 1 I personally think it's all baloney. I think aging is in our mind.
If you decide you're old, like, okay, I'm out of the dating game, that becomes your reality. Right.
It's like with anything.

Speaker 1 Like, if you decide I'm old, yeah, you're going to age. I think your mind has a lot of power.

Speaker 1 And it's not just LA, right? I know because of Hollywood and everything, but you go to Miami or New York, the girls say the same thing.

Speaker 1 But I think you gotta, you determine like what kind of life you're gonna have, right? I mean, love is ageless. Right.

Speaker 1 And I'm gonna bring, I'm gonna, if you wanna say something, you're welcome to, James.

Speaker 2 I'm listening to you guys.

Speaker 1 But I want to get to your part.

Speaker 1 Yeah, I want to get to your part, which is the love.

Speaker 2 I'm already telling you.

Speaker 1 The countdown is on. Holiday shopping season is officially here.
Uncommon goods takes the stress out of gifting with thousands of unique, high-quality finds you won't see anywhere else. So don't wait.

Speaker 1 The most meaningful gifts get scooped up fast. And now it's the perfect time to cross names off your list.

Speaker 1 Uncommon goods looks for products that are high-quality, unique, and often handmade or made in the USA. Many are crafted by independent artists and small businesses.

Speaker 1 I love that, making every gift feel meaningful and truly one of a kind.

Speaker 1 I found so many adorable things on uncommon goods you guys have no idea for my friends family even for my pets uncommon goods has something for everyone from moms and dads to kids and teens from book lovers history buffs and diehard football fans to foodies mixologists and avid gardeners you'll find thousands of new gift ideas that you won't find anywhere else.

Speaker 1 When you shop at Uncommon Goods, you're supporting artists and small independent businesses. Many of their handcrafted products are made in small batches.

Speaker 1 So shop now before they sell out this holiday season. And with every purchase you make at Uncommon Goods, they give back $1

Speaker 1 to a non-profit partner of your choice. They've donated more than $3 million to date.
How nice is that? So don't wait. Let's cross our names off our lists before the rush.

Speaker 1 To get 15% off your next gift, go to uncommon goods.com/slash cat. That's uncommon goods.com slash cat

Speaker 1 for 15% off a gift on uncommon goods. We are all out of the ordinary.

Speaker 1 Everybody, it's a really happy, happy, happy ending love story. That's why I love it.
I couldn't wait to share you guys with the world.

Speaker 3 But I wanted to mention the age because that's where I was. Yeah.

Speaker 1 Your mindset was like, oh, that's it.

Speaker 3 exactly who's gonna want to date me and then i was listening to your podcast and i was like okay if guy can do it i can do it and it made me laugh the plunger story like i was like just dying laughing i know right i cannot told james about it oh you gotta watch you you saw it i didn't hear but she told me about the plunger episode is you guys gotta actually watch of it episode was a crazy i i she's adorable was a friend of mine and she has this theory that men are shy approaching women in public, which is true most of the time.

Speaker 1 So she was like, if you walk around with something really, really crazy, they're going to come talk to you.

Speaker 1 So me and my friend, it was just before the holidays here on Rodeo Drive, we were dressed to the nines. We look fabulous.
She's super gorgeous. And she's like, I'm going to carry a plunger around.

Speaker 1 And sure enough, every bar we went to,

Speaker 1 all the guys, everybody stop and they laugh and they talk. And I ended up dating.
Exactly. You get it dating? I ended up dating one of the guys and falling in love with the guy, which was like

Speaker 1 huge with because he's like a trust fund, baby, useless guy that doesn't do anything with his life. But anyway, that's another episode.
I can picture that.

Speaker 2 I would 100% talk to some woman if she was carrying a plunger.

Speaker 1 See, there you go. Everybody talks.

Speaker 3 It was such a great idea. But that's how you got me out of my sadness, right? And it's slowly, okay.
I can do this. I can go back and date.

Speaker 1 Oh, thank you. That means the world to me.
So, okay, then as you're mending your broken heart, you're like, I got to jump back into the dating world.

Speaker 3 I got to jump back in the dating world.

Speaker 3 But I just want to say the whole time I'm following you, and I'm a big podcast junkie. And I was looking at the list of the top 200.
And then one day I was like, oh my gosh, Kat is like all that.

Speaker 3 We were climbing.

Speaker 1 Yeah, slowly.

Speaker 1 It is taking forever. But yeah, every little step, you know, it's

Speaker 1 fun. Yeah, it's a good journey.

Speaker 3 But you're right. So

Speaker 3 I decided, okay, I got to start dating. And so I joined Bumble because that's my favorite app.

Speaker 3 I love the idea that I could be the one contacting the guy for yourself.

Speaker 3 And so I started doing it.

Speaker 3 It was not this successful at first. Got my hopes broken a few times here and there.

Speaker 1 You went on a few dates.

Speaker 3 Yes, when on a few dates, some guys were like, yeah, I'm looking for a relationship. And the next thing you know, they send you a message saying they want to do a situation maybe.

Speaker 3 And you're like, that's not what we.

Speaker 1 Unfortunately,

Speaker 1 net. That's the number one complaint of everybody on dating apps.
There's a lot of flakes on there.

Speaker 1 On the men's side, and the women's, everybody complains, like, of course, right? A lot of players, a lot of liars, a lot of BS.

Speaker 3 But yeah, for sure.

Speaker 3 And so, but, but I'm not someone who gets negative. So it's like, okay, I'm going to keep doing it.
I really truly believed I was going to meet the right person.

Speaker 3 And so.

Speaker 1 So your mindset, you notice how this was changing, right?

Speaker 3 I really believe in having a vision. Yeah.
So I was kind of new to this.

Speaker 1 You have to believe. Yes.
Yes. You have to believe.

Speaker 3 And so, yeah, one day I was matched with this guy

Speaker 3 and he looked so handsome in his picture. Oh.
And I think we just talked about this too. I lived in Woodland Hills at the time, which is the valley.
And he was on the west side.

Speaker 3 And I was kind of like, oh, that's not going to work. That's too far.
It's 12 miles.

Speaker 1 Oh, I mean, worse than me.

Speaker 3 Yeah. I'm in LA, 12 miles.

Speaker 1 Like, I tell people there that I want to date within the Beverly Hills ratio. They're like, oh my God, you're such a snob.
Forget it. I'm like, but yeah, traffic is

Speaker 1 tough. It's like it's tough.
Yeah, the first month it's fun.

Speaker 3 You're just all excited. But after a while, it goes.

Speaker 1 But Woodland Hills and West Hollywood is not that bad.

Speaker 3 It's not that bad. Yeah, well, he was in Calvert City.
Calver City. With traffic, it could be an hour and a half, right?

Speaker 1 Or more. Yeah.
Or more.

Speaker 2 I know every inch of that road.

Speaker 1 You memorized it. Yeah.
Yeah. So you guys connected on Bumble

Speaker 1 and you went on a date.

Speaker 3 Yeah. So what I want to say, what I loved about him, because I grew up in France.
And so what I loved about him was that he had lived in Italy for 15 years.

Speaker 3 And so he had a story as well. And we connected.
And the first thing we did first is we did a video chat.

Speaker 1 Which I think is a great idea. I love video chats because you know what? If the person doesn't look like that, if you don't have that initial attraction, you're not going to waste.

Speaker 1 Especially for ribbon, right?

Speaker 1 Because honestly, going on a date, i know guys say i have to pay but for us we pay too because we do our hair makeup nails outfit yeah right it's such a production for sure and you're right it's some people don't look like that pictures but also it's it's that um connection the vibe you can feel right away even on the video yeah you can feel if you're gonna get along with this person so you guys saw each other's profile and you're like let's do a video date yes yes and the minute you did a video date you were like i want to meet you know i was telling him the other day, like,

Speaker 3 I knew I wanted to meet him, but I wasn't like blown away by him on video initially, to be quite honest with you.

Speaker 1 That's why he fell in love with you.

Speaker 2 You're like,

Speaker 1 I'll give you a shot.

Speaker 3 He looks great in person, though. Yeah.

Speaker 3 And I,

Speaker 2 it's like you. It's true.

Speaker 3 I was not.

Speaker 2 I'm a solid five on video.

Speaker 1 Well, you passed. Well, the good news is you passed

Speaker 1 the video.

Speaker 3 He was so charming. And so, so he has so much.
He's an interesting person.

Speaker 3 easy to talk to we laughed it was a fun conversation and so we decided to meet um in sherman oaks but like a week later and then he emailed me saying well actually i have to go to kansas city on that i think before

Speaker 3 the day after yeah like we were supposed yeah we're supposed to on wednesday and he said you had to go on wednesday to kansas city so then we had to push a date to memorial day right the 2023 yeah and then i had to leave the next morning the The very next day.

Speaker 3 So he wanted to meet me before he left.

Speaker 1 But wait, did you plan a nice date for the first date?

Speaker 2 We were just going to meet for drinks. That's all.

Speaker 1 Yeah. But did you plan it?

Speaker 2 Yeah. Yeah, I think so.

Speaker 3 He was new to town, so he didn't arrive.

Speaker 2 You just arrived in LA. Oh, okay.
Where'd you move from? I have lived all over.

Speaker 2 And yeah, I have a crazy time.

Speaker 1 No, but like when you arrived in LA from where?

Speaker 2 I was traveling around the country and

Speaker 2 also and hiking in different areas. Wow.
And my

Speaker 2 son had moved to LA and he said, Dad, come check it out. I think you'd like it.
And I had just never really pictured what the nature was like in LA.

Speaker 1 Oh, I see. So I know.

Speaker 1 It's funny. So many people don't know.

Speaker 2 I rented an Airbnb for a month.

Speaker 2 And I came out and I had so much fun. Wow.
And so I extended for a month and I just kept extending. And I think I don't remember how many months I'd been here when I was meant to be.

Speaker 1 Yeah, it was meant to be. So you agree,

Speaker 1 when the first date, you said let's meet halfway yes yes that's very nice yeah well i think he could have come to me but i just say let's meet in chairman oaks right

Speaker 1 like okay so i'm gonna be completely honest i never ever ever would have done that for a guy yeah i i know i'm that's why like i'm so picky like i just have these things in my mind and i should be more like you that i'm like dude you know you have to come meet me i would have you i know you would have but i think it's very nice of her since you were new in town yeah to like make it easy for you.

Speaker 1 Obviously, that's why you guys are together, you know, but I just think I just wouldn't have done that.

Speaker 1 So I could have lost an opportunity to meet the person of my life, you know, because I'm like that.

Speaker 3 But go with your guts, because I don't think I've done that with some guys, right? But with him, I just really kind of thought that something could happen here for whatever reason.

Speaker 3 So you guys had drinks? Yes. When I saw him, I got to tell you, when I saw him, because in the video it wasn't that, you know, but when I saw him walking towards me, I still remember

Speaker 3 just being blown away.

Speaker 2 Like, wow, he's very handsome.

Speaker 1 So, you saw him, you're like, oh, okay, I like this. How about you, James? What was like, so tell me your impression when you had a video call with her?

Speaker 2 Yeah, I just remembered that she was cute and easy to talk to. And so, I was like, yeah, let's try.
You never know until you meet someone.

Speaker 1 But were you kind of like her? Yeah, you never know. Okay.
And when you saw her in person, were you like, okay, I really like her?

Speaker 2 I was kind of, it was a surprise to me because, so I'm six, two,

Speaker 2 200 ish pounds yeah you're very tall you're very tiny dj is five feet tall and

Speaker 2 like half of my weight right and so i was standing there and i didn't know that she got out of the car and oh you didn't know her height i didn't know so she got out she's walking up the street and i'm i was just like wow she's so like tiny and girly.

Speaker 2 This is really nice. And, and she came.
And so, yeah, it was, it's funny when we look at ourselves in a mirror right now. We look like different,

Speaker 2 like we're from different ranks.

Speaker 1 I personally think it's really cute. I like that because I also like a man that is much bigger than me.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 1 So, you know,

Speaker 1 if it works for you guys, I think it's super adorable.

Speaker 2 Well, you know, obviously she's very, very good looking. So I was happy with that.
But there are a lot of beautiful women around, right, in LA. Yeah.
And I had been here for...

Speaker 2 I don't know how many months, but I...

Speaker 2 Yeah, I started dating already and

Speaker 2 had some funny experiences too, right? Yeah.

Speaker 2 But then we sat and talked at the corner of a bar and we're drinking these spicy margaritas and the conversation was just so natural and flowed really well and we were laughing our heads off and part of it was these margaritas were so spicy i don't know if you remember that yeah that our mouths were literally on fire and then when we kissed at the end of the night it was almost panicked oh you guys kissed the first date we did i actually kissed him

Speaker 1 yeah though that's right yeah we're sitting at the bar that's another thing that i would never do i never had that done.

Speaker 3 And knowing DJ, it surprises me.

Speaker 1 I was annoyed. You know, you're not going to believe that.
But sometimes I go on a first date, and if the guy's pushy

Speaker 1 to try to kiss me, that's a deal breaker for me.

Speaker 1 I got super annoyed.

Speaker 2 No, but cat.

Speaker 1 She kissed me. Obviously, you guys are really meant to

Speaker 2 kiss me. She leaned across and kissed me.
And the way she says it is, she's like, I could tell you wanted it because of the way you were sitting there.

Speaker 3 And I can tell you was way too polite to do it.

Speaker 1 Well, you wanted it too.

Speaker 3 I did because I knew he was leaving the next day. And I was like, okay, I need to know if he's a good kisser.
So, yeah, I mean, we had been drinking, so I mean, there was a bit, you know, margarita,

Speaker 2 but it was just good fun. I mean, I literally remember like just laughing our heads off until you almost cry, right? Yes, okay.

Speaker 1 So, that was the first day. So, after that date, you're like, I want to see her again.

Speaker 2 Yeah, and so then I had to travel for three weeks. I decided I was going to stay in LA.
So, I had to go back and get my car and drive across country in the car.

Speaker 2 And I had some work things to do. So, for three weeks, we didn't see each other, which was kind of nice because three weeks after the first date you did

Speaker 2 and you were still connected we started texting and talking and it was really a nice way to like get to know each other in a non-physical way yeah with this like forced separation and i was and she would see pictures of me like okay now he's in new mexico and i'm coming across the country taking pictures out the window and so it was really sweet and we were really looking forward then to seeing each other again yeah and he doesn't know this but and i think you'll understand for me i was really scared that because sometimes you know how people you meet and then you sit you don't see each other for weeks and deals.

Speaker 2 Yeah, right. Yeah.

Speaker 3 But he was so consistent.

Speaker 3 Every day I would hear from him every day. And so

Speaker 1 I think this is really important because

Speaker 1 if the person wants you, if they want to see you again,

Speaker 1 they're going to communicate. Like especially women, they make excuses like, oh, he's busy.
He's no.

Speaker 1 Nobody's too busy to be in contact with you if they care about you. Like if they really care, like, I want to see this woman again.
Yes. They can be working 12 hours, driving cross country.

Speaker 1 They're going to find the time, even when you go to the bathroom, right? Or when you go to sleep, hi.

Speaker 1 So this is really important.

Speaker 3 I always tell my girlfriends, Kat, I said, you'll know a man is really into you when he's consistent. Yeah.
And he, James, was always consistent. I never worried about whether or not he was into me.

Speaker 3 Yes. And then tell her about what we did

Speaker 3 after you came back.

Speaker 2 Yeah. So we got back and I don't remember.

Speaker 3 We got back on Father's Day.

Speaker 2 Yeah, we had another day. We had a dinner.
It was very nice. And then I was like, I need to learn LA.
So I'm going to plan a trip for us. So I planned, was it like a five-day trip?

Speaker 1 That was the second day to

Speaker 3 ask me to go on a trip with you before the second date.

Speaker 2 Yeah, because I wanted to go around. So we went to Idol.
Was it Idol Wild?

Speaker 3 We went on a one-week vacation after barely knowing each other. Yeah.

Speaker 2 And she's, and as we were talking, she's like, I'm not sure if I'm going to make it home from this. I don't really know you.
And I rented a tree house in Idol. Idol Wild.
Idol Wild.

Speaker 2 And then we went to Big Bear and we went to Joshua Tree. And we had so much fun.

Speaker 2 She, I'm not especially outgoing in public. And she got me to go on stage and sing karaoke.
Oh, wow. She sang like a virgin.
I love that. And there was an audience of like six people in this theater.

Speaker 2 And I got up and sang Johnny Cash song. Oh, my God.
And

Speaker 2 we just had a great time. We went to Joshua Tree and climbed around boulders and things.

Speaker 1 And if you guys love taking care of your bodies and health as much as I do, I invite you to check out this brand that I love so much: Nutra Harmony.

Speaker 1 Look well, feel well, be well, stay beautiful on the outside with care and health from the inside. Nutra Harmony is your daily dose of perfection, confidence, health, and beauty.

Speaker 1 Each supplement is made for you with love and care, made in the USA with globally sourced all-natural ingredients. I love their biotin with collagen.
I am obsessed with their hair mask.

Speaker 1 They have so many incredible products. I invite you to check out their website and shop now, nutra slash harmony.com or you can go directly on their Amazon store.

Speaker 1 You will absolutely love the quality of their products. I am completely hooked and I highly recommend them.
But let me ask you something, DJ.

Speaker 1 Okay, so you like this guy, you're communicating with him for all these weeks.

Speaker 1 and he's saying yeah let's go on another date and but you were you know you had gone through a bad relationship and everything did were you a little afraid like does he really want a relationship absolutely or is he just wants to travel with me you know let's be honest like have sex and dump me or was he telling you i want a relationship no he was not i i was did you know you wanted a relationship james uh

Speaker 2 I was open to one for sure, but I didn't need one, but I was open to one. Yeah, right.

Speaker 3 I think I was, no, I was scared the entire time. I think, like most girls, we don't know, right? The first couple of months, you don't know.
So you just try to enjoy the moment. And so I had no idea.

Speaker 3 But, but I was like at an age where I was like, you know, I'm just going to do it.

Speaker 1 Yeah. And you followed your instincts.
Right, right.

Speaker 3 Take a chance. And he's such a good guy.
And even then, I knew he was a good guy.

Speaker 3 So, but yes, I was always nervous.

Speaker 2 I don't know if you knew that.

Speaker 1 That is like the sweetest thought. Of course, I mean, in the beginning, when you get into know someone, I think that's the test of fire when you travel together.

Speaker 1 Right? Because one thing is go on a date, dinner, but like when you're traveling, you're like sleeping, waking up, you're doing everything.

Speaker 1 Then you really find out, like, do we have similar lifestyles? Do we really want the same things? Right. It's like make or break

Speaker 1 for a lot of couples.

Speaker 2 Anybody can fake it during a dinner or a day. Yeah.
But, you know, if you're going to be with someone for six days, right, you're going to really get to know who they are. Yeah.

Speaker 3 So I have two dogs, and it was very important for me that he loved dogs. And we took them on a vacation, and he was super with dogs.
That was a big plus. Yeah.

Speaker 3 And we, like you said, our lifestyle is very similar. We wake up early, we like to exercise.
I mean, we just had a lot of things in common. It was easy.

Speaker 1 I think you have to have that. I always say, yeah, of course, love is important and chemistry and physical attraction.
But if you don't have similar lifestyles, it's not going to work in the long run.

Speaker 1 Right. Great example is, I always say, like, J-Lo and Ben Affleck.
Yeah. Right.
They love each other. Obviously, they tried twice.
Why didn't it work? Because they're like night and day. Right.

Speaker 1 She loves the limelight and traveling and parties and everything. And he's the opposite.
Exactly.

Speaker 1 And you have to have like, like you said, if you wake up early and he wakes up at 10 a.m., it's never going to work.

Speaker 3 And I got to tell you, Kat, I want to say this.

Speaker 3 I've always had not great luck with men. So I've always,

Speaker 3 it's always been very difficult for me to the point where I was like, okay, I must be cursed somehow, never to be a mother.

Speaker 2 of.

Speaker 1 Oh my god, obviously not.

Speaker 3 Yeah, I was very, and so.

Speaker 1 But yeah, I know, you start feeling like you said insecure. Like, what's going on? You know, where's my person?

Speaker 3 Right. So the whole time I'm dating him, right? I'm, I'm, I'm showing him like this confident woman, but deep down, I'm like, so scared, right? Scared to get hurt, scared to get disappointed.

Speaker 3 But, but he's, he's just great.

Speaker 1 So after this trip, how long did you guys date until, did you say let's be exclusive? Did you say let's be exclusive? How did that part happen?

Speaker 3 It's just kind of new, right? We didn't really.

Speaker 2 It was pretty quickly, actually, I think, after a month or two. And I remember you saying to me, I don't know if you remember this.
You're like, well, in France,

Speaker 2 because she grew up in France. Yeah.
In France, you just, you know, you date until you decide to not date. Right.
And it's not like you date around with a bunch of people. You're exclusive.

Speaker 3 There's no multi-dating.

Speaker 2 Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2 You just try one until other people.

Speaker 1 That's how I am. Yeah.

Speaker 1 Like I know, I know a lot of people, a lot of, even girls, like even matchmakers, they're like, oh just keep right your options open I can barely focus I barely have time to focus on one person I don't know how so many girls like right focus on two three four five at the same time It's crazy, right?

Speaker 3 Well, especially if you really like someone I feel bad not you know, so so I had expressed expressed that to him, but I think what really

Speaker 3 I had my appendicitis had to be removed. And this happened like three months after we did it.
And he was amazing. I think that's really what cemented how I felt about you and how you felt about me.

Speaker 2 He wasn't sure to go to the emergency room. She wouldn't have done it.

Speaker 3 He wasn't really there.

Speaker 2 We were in the hospital together.

Speaker 1 That's very, then you know the person really cares about you, of course, in times of stress.

Speaker 1 And how about, did you guys have the conversation about let's delete our bumble profiles? Because that's a big deal, right? I had this bumble star years ago.

Speaker 1 I don't know if you listened to the bumble episode. I was dating this guy for,

Speaker 1 like you guys are, we're dating. Like we are literally all over each other's lives.

Speaker 1 he's staying my blade we travel and then one day i'm sitting at his house like my dog's there i'm like literally i'm not kidding i was naked on his couch a towel wrapped around me yeah having an ice cream my little dog napping yeah after me and he decided to tell me that he was still on bumbo

Speaker 1 because he was feeding his ego feeding his ego like after all these months right right you know and i'm like uh

Speaker 1 i don't think so you know like i i deserve better. Goodbye.

Speaker 1 So, I think the deciding when you delete the app is a really important part

Speaker 1 in a relationship if you're meeting through a dating app. Did you guys have that conversation? I think we did.

Speaker 3 I think we just did

Speaker 3 that on our own. We didn't have a conversation about it.

Speaker 2 I don't remember, but I know we told each other that we had we had done that.

Speaker 3 Yeah, just because we knew a couple months in that this was a serious thing. Yeah, so we no, we didn't have that conversation.

Speaker 1 But what you never asked him like, hey. No, I just you just knew he wasn't looking.

Speaker 1 looking yeah and i just i i feel like for at least for me for things to work out i just have to trust right for sure yeah because if i start to have doubts then it yeah it's crazier oh my god i completely agree if you can't trust someone if there's no loyalty right right there is nothing right and how about for you jane you just like you were dating her you're you're

Speaker 2 i was i just arrived in la and i had been dating around for a couple years um i've been divorced for i guess 15 years now right and i had a few long-term relationships since then.

Speaker 2 And so for a couple of years, I was just wanting to just relax and just date casually. Yeah.
So I wasn't, but I wasn't against it, right? And

Speaker 2 so I arrived in L.A. Here's a smile.
Yeah. In L.A., the whole dating scene was completely different.
So I had traveled around with this app and dated in, you know, I was in Colorado.

Speaker 2 I was in South Dakota for a while.

Speaker 1 Oh, so you're a good tester for Bumble.

Speaker 2 Yeah. And so I got to LA and it was crazy.

Speaker 1 Was L.A. the worst?

Speaker 2 I had to literally change my dating profile. I don't know if it was before.

Speaker 2 You must have seen it. But I said on there, I had to change it to add a sentence that said, I'm looking for a non-materialistic person.
I actually said that in my thing because

Speaker 2 I was getting like a lot of interactions. And these women were saying, like, okay, let's meet at Rodeo Drive.
I want to go shopping. on our first date.
And

Speaker 2 I thought it was a joke, but then it kept happening over and over again. So I put that on there.

Speaker 1 So it was kind of crazy but um unfortunately by the way it is true it happens every guy i ever dated says the same thing all my guy friends say the same thing so many girls out there even before the first date they're like hey can you bring me a gift can we go to like come on that's disgusting right let's be all like please and like ladies you know have some self-respect happened a lot and i remember dj's profile was like was like mine it was very simple it's like i live here i have two dogs i have this i won't mind i like to sleep in my socks.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 1 You like to sleep with socks.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 1 And you put that on the table. Yeah.

Speaker 2 Something very basic, like just the facts, sir. Right.

Speaker 2 And I like that.

Speaker 1 I still do.

Speaker 2 Even in the summer.

Speaker 1 It's funny that you open up like that. Like, hey, if you don't like me to sleep in my socks.

Speaker 1 Do you have sex with the socks on or you take them off?

Speaker 1 Yeah, I take them off. Thank God.

Speaker 1 When it's time to be sexy, you know, I had sex with this dude that I was dating, and I looked, all of a sudden, he had the socks on.

Speaker 1 I was like, okay, I have to go home and sleep at home because my dogs, you know, and I left. Because that was like a little much.
Yeah. Like, come on.

Speaker 1 If you don't take your socks off to have sex, like, you're not for me.

Speaker 1 No. I lost the track.
Okay, so Bumble.

Speaker 2 We were dating after we started then dating. And I was, you know, I was having fun dating, right? Yeah.
Because LA is a crazy place for that, right?

Speaker 2 I was meeting very interesting people, very nice people, everything.

Speaker 2 and

Speaker 2 after

Speaker 2 a couple months, maybe I sort of realized, well, I could still do this, but I just don't really want to.

Speaker 1 That's awesome, right?

Speaker 2 Yeah, and and so, yeah, that's how we kind of.

Speaker 1 I think that's the

Speaker 1 purpose of it, right? If you like someone, like you said, focus on them, yeah, and that's very unfortunate that a lot of men are still like, oh, let me see what's better out there.

Speaker 1 If that's how you feel, yeah, go see what's better out there. But if you like someone, appreciate them enough to focus on them and see where this is is going to develop.

Speaker 1 So how long after you guys were dating that you decided like, let's move in together?

Speaker 3 I think it was July because I moved to, I sold my place

Speaker 3 for a reason we'll explain later. I sold my place and then I moved to the west side.
So over here.

Speaker 2 And so you moved in, yeah. Between a year and a year and a half.

Speaker 1 Okay, so you guys dated for a year?

Speaker 2 She moved to the west side

Speaker 2 and got a place near me. And then I was still in this Airbnb where I was extending every month.
And then we moved into that place together.

Speaker 1 So how long has this been now?

Speaker 2 Now,

Speaker 2 two-ish years almost coming up on.

Speaker 1 Two years that you guys are living together?

Speaker 2 Oh, no, no. Living together.

Speaker 2 A year plus, yeah. No, it's from the summer.
Yeah. Not even a year.

Speaker 1 So you've been together for what? Three years?

Speaker 3 Almost two years now. Yeah.
Two years now.

Speaker 1 Okay. And you're living together super solid.
So here it is, proof that the dating apps can help you find love because we always talk about it's a shit show.

Speaker 1 It's so frustrating. It's exhausting.
It's stressful, which can be, but I loved the story when I heard it because it is a means to an end.

Speaker 1 You probably would never would have met if you weren't for both. Like you wouldn't cross paths anywhere.
You wouldn't cross paths on Rodeo Drive.

Speaker 1 It's not your style.

Speaker 1 And I liked that people, you know, because a lot of people like they lose hope. They're like, I'm never going to do this dating app shit again.

Speaker 1 But I always say like you gotta keep putting yourself out there because your person is trying to find you and if you give up like if you delete your profile they're you know they're not gonna find so yes guys don't lose hope because there are amazing people on dating apps that actually want a relationship yeah it's you're right i mean i i personally think dating apps are great i know people don't really like them but i i do and i think you just have to meet someone who is on the same page as you are totally timing and everything yeah i think it's honestly, obviously, there's a lot of crap out there.

Speaker 1 I agree. Unfortunately, a lot of gold diggers and escorts and a lot of players.

Speaker 1 But it's like finding a diamond in the sand, right? And the only way to find a treasure is if you keep looking for it.

Speaker 2 Yeah, it's a good way for that first connection. And then I think you have to just meet and then there's either that chemistry or that's not.
And you can't really tell that

Speaker 2 over the app.

Speaker 2 It's a way to meet and then you know it right away.

Speaker 1 You have to meet. And then the story gets better.

Speaker 1 And this now, explaining why you reached out to Samantha, my publicist, you guys obviously sleep together, you live together, and you created something incredible. You went into business together.

Speaker 1 So this is like pretty solid. Yes.
Do you want to tell me the story about how you came up with this idea of the sleeping dove? And we're going to explain what the sleeping dove is.

Speaker 1 Because I'm not kidding, guys, like shameless plug because I fell in love with them and the product because I thought it was the cutest.

Speaker 1 Because it's interesting when there's a product with a meaning behind it and a romance behind it. And this is like all around super romantic.

Speaker 2 Well,

Speaker 3 so

Speaker 3 I met him when I was 48. So I always tell people it took me 48 years to find him.
So I was, I love being close to him. I love him.
And so, but when we went to sleep, he loved to spoon hold me.

Speaker 3 But I would get super hot in my midsection. And your midsection is such an awkward part of your body to try to cool off with the regular blanket.
And so

Speaker 3 I was having a hard time sleeping because I kept sweating in that particular area. I didn't want to push him off because we love sleeping together, we love sharing the same blanket.

Speaker 3 And so one morning I woke up and I said, Okay, what if we put windows in a blanket?

Speaker 1 Which sounds like crazy, but you guys actually developed

Speaker 1 an obviously very complicated engineering, so to speak. And you developed this fantastic comforter.

Speaker 1 It's not really a blanket, it's a very high-end comforter

Speaker 1 with windows.

Speaker 3 With windows.

Speaker 1 Which is super cool because you can literally flap it open.

Speaker 1 And so, like, if you're feeling really hot and he's colder, like, you're you can flap open your window and then it cools you.

Speaker 3 Yes, each sleeper has their own windows, and you have top and bottom. So, if it's your feet or your midsection, like me, and I can still cuddle next to him, right?

Speaker 3 He can still hold me, but I can just open that flap and then it cools me off. So, and we wanted something that you didn't have to plug in or use an app to program.
We just wanted something natural.

Speaker 3 Yeah.

Speaker 1 And obviously when she told you the idea, you thought it was a really cool idea. You didn't think like you're crazy.

Speaker 2 No, she told me in the morning and I knew that she'd been having trouble sleeping.

Speaker 2 And I felt for her because I sleep like a rock. And

Speaker 2 she told me, you know, simply like, you know, I wish there was just a window because you like to open the window, you know, the fresh air and it feels great, right? Yeah. And

Speaker 2 I'm maybe a more methodical thinker than DJ has very emotional and very impulsive. Right.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 I just started thinking about it. And the first thing I thought was, well, you know, surely someone has already invented this.
Right. And I was a lawyer at one point years and years ago.

Speaker 2 I started, I did some patent searches and stuff. And I'm like, well, this exact thing we're thinking of, no one has thought of to my knowledge.

Speaker 1 That's amazing.

Speaker 2 And so, I don't know, over the next week or two. And then we thought, well, let's just make one.
Yes. And DJ has a background in fashion and

Speaker 2 product development. And I have sort of a physics engineering team.

Speaker 1 So you guys drew it? Yes. Like on a piece of paper.
We drew. Then you got like prototypes.
Yes. Yes.
And you literally step by step by step make the sleeping dunks.

Speaker 2 When I started dating her, one thing I did not expect was that i would at my age like be on my hands and knees with the scissors cutting up pieces of fabric but oh yeah i saw you guys showed me some pictures of you like literally doing everything so we would we would buy comforters and cut them up and piece them together with like we started with tape and then we started sewing it and then we started uh hiring people to do the sewing for us as they got better and better.

Speaker 2 Oh my God. And so.

Speaker 1 That's like the coolest part because you guys are literally developing this product at home, but but at the same time, it's becoming a real business.

Speaker 3 It is, it is. And it worked.
And it was like, okay, this actually works. These windows work.
Now we just have to figure out how to mass produce this.

Speaker 2 Yeah,

Speaker 2 it's not just that it worked. It was, you know, it was a sort of a clever idea, right? Yeah.
But

Speaker 2 when you start sleeping under it, it really changes the way you sleep because you don't have to move the blanket at all. You just literally flap it open.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 Flip open either the one on your midsection or your lower, and it just folds over. And then when you get cool, you just flip it right back so you stay

Speaker 2 swaddled the whole time you're completely covered because when you open in different temperatures but you can cool off or warm up and it changed our sleep and then we started giving out prototypes to people to test and we learned there's all sorts of other yeah people that love it like expecting friends brothers yeah yeah people women going through menopause people that sleep with their dogs such as myself because i want to be bundled up my big dog phoenix always wants to to be on top.

Speaker 1 My little guy wants to be like under the little window. So, yeah, it's great.
For and you did a video on your Instagram of your dog and your cat, the cutest thing.

Speaker 1 So, it's basically like anybody that, and you know, there's a lot of couples doing um a sleep divorce, yes, they're sleeping in separate bedrooms,

Speaker 1 exactly. So, the sleeping dove, I love the name, sleeping dove, is a great option for people to stay still sleep together if they have different temperatures.
Let's let's get grab one, guys.

Speaker 1 If you're listening to the audio episode, please go to the YouTube because we're gonna dump the video there. Cat on the loose show, because you gotta see it because it's so adorable.

Speaker 1 And you can go to their Instagram as well. It's Leaping Dove Home.
Yes. So you guys can actually see this.
Let's open this box. Let's open this box, Jane.
So open for me. Can I open this one?

Speaker 1 Oh, sure, sure. Oh, this one is the gray one, right? You brought one that is open.
So, no, we're not going to destroy it. The packaging is like super high-end.

Speaker 3 Thank you. Yes.
Yes. Super high-end.

Speaker 1 quality it's like a hundred percent cotton yes 100

Speaker 1 is 100 cotton and uh it's absolutely one thing we decided was we were only going to use the very best materials you could find yeah and i'm very finicky i told you with my bedding i'm super picky and when i opened it i was like yeah this is insanely soft i want to show you guys this baffle box construction yeah look this is the window like literally underneath is like a light

Speaker 1 like a sheet type thing and if you're cold you close the window and there is one on the upper body and there is a window on the lower body exactly because like you said some people like oh my feet are cold so like no excuse for anybody in love to not sleep exactly together anymore and the quality is like oh

Speaker 2 yeah we decided not to try and cut any corners on it and so we used the very best uh like the best down no obviously it's very high expensive to just get the oh my god down for it.

Speaker 1 I'm very bougie with my betting. You know, my sheets are Freddy, you know, Fretti, the Italian.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 1 That's why I'm telling you. No kidding.
I only partner with stuff that I believe in and that I would use myself because I don't bullshit.

Speaker 1 Because I think, you know, when we have people out there, I don't want to tell people to buy something that I wouldn't use myself. So no kidding.

Speaker 1 When I got it out of the box, I was like, yes, this is fancy, like a five-star hotel type betting. It's really fabulous cotton.
You guys did an incredible job.

Speaker 1 And now you, on top of being in love and a bumble happy story. And by the way, Bumbo is not sponsoring this podcast.
So you're welcome, Bumbo.

Speaker 1 Right? Yeah. We should have reached that.

Speaker 3 No, I say, please, John, if you're trying to find love, give it a chance.

Speaker 1 No, totally. Like, I do my bumbo.
Like, I take breaks, you know, I do my man diets for many months, but I jump in, like, okay, you know, every once in a while, you gotta go for it.

Speaker 1 Seriously, yeah, totally. But you guys are building an amazing business together.

Speaker 2 Yes, it's very exciting. And we didn't, it would, I had no idea what kind of trouble I was getting into when I decided to meet DJ, but it's been a great ride.

Speaker 1 Yeah, but now you guys sleep snuggled like a spoon under the

Speaker 1 sleeping dollar.

Speaker 3 Yes, yes. We sleep together, and I'm not sweating in my midsection anymore.
And when I do, I just open the window. It's more your feet for you.

Speaker 2 Yeah. Yes.
Yeah. The other thing, some people don't like the weight on their feet.
And so you can flip this off of your feet. And so,

Speaker 2 you know, there are two sort of

Speaker 2 conflicting things that people need when they sleep. One is this, like, what's it called? Parrot,

Speaker 2 you need to feel swaddled. You want to be covered.
And it's like a very primitive instinct, right? I do.

Speaker 2 But at the same time, you have this like thermoregulatory system where you want to be at the right temperature. Yeah, totally.
And there are just no other solutions that do both.

Speaker 2 They keep you completely covered. Yeah.
But they allow you to thermoregulate where you need it almost instantly. And it doesn't have any wires or no.

Speaker 1 Listen, you guys were crazy inspired because, like I said, it's an adorable idea. And like people with pets, the little dogs can be under.

Speaker 1 Sometimes guys feel hotter, you know, like, and they, you know, they don't want to cover. They can move and the girl feels colder.

Speaker 1 This is like great for every, and like you were saying, for expectant mothers. It's not just for couples in love.
You guys created something amazing for a lot of people out there.

Speaker 2 Thank you, yeah.

Speaker 3 And we just love that it is just natural, it's easy to use. Anybody can use it.

Speaker 1 And I think the message as well: like, if you're a couple and you're in love, you should collaborate. You should do it.
I totally believe in power couples.

Speaker 1 You know, some people say, like, don't work together. Don't do it.
It's like, why not?

Speaker 1 Like, you know, if you're feeding off of each other and you can create something incredible together, like you guys are doing, right? Why not? It just solidifies what you're doing.

Speaker 3 You know what? Yeah, I did discover we're very complimentary to each other in terms of because he's great in math, right? And I'm more the creative type, right? So, like, when I told him the idea, he

Speaker 3 made it for me, right? Because there's a lot of math involved.

Speaker 1 Oh, my God.

Speaker 3 I'm sure.

Speaker 2 He did it.

Speaker 1 Guys, congratulations. This is such a heartwarming story.

Speaker 1 And I wish you guys all the success in the world. I think I told you, I can see this brand getting huge.
And from the sleeping dove comfort arm, maybe you can create more products

Speaker 1 with the same idea. It's patent pending.
I know. And if you guys are watching the video episode and you want to get one, which I highly recommend, by the way, it's sleepingdove.com.
Yes.

Speaker 1 And on Insta is sleeping dove home.

Speaker 1 And you guys can check out the videos. You guys are on the videos.
You're such a beautiful couple.

Speaker 1 Congratulations. And I think you, you know, I hope anybody out there that was giving up on love.

Speaker 1 Now they're going to be like, yes, I'm going to give this a world.

Speaker 3 I want to say it doesn't matter how old you are, truly, if you can't find love.

Speaker 1 Yeah, I don't think people put like an expiration date on love, on finding love, right? Especially, I think, now that we're more mature, we know better what we want.

Speaker 2 Right, right.

Speaker 1 We know we're not going to make the same mistakes that we did when we were like 20 or 30, right? So you're like more like, okay, I know what I want and I know what I want in a partner.

Speaker 2 Right.

Speaker 1 So that's the positive about it. And you guys are smiling.
Like if you're listening to the audio episode, make make sure you go watch the videos because they have like the biggest smile.

Speaker 1 Obviously, you're super happy. This was amazing, guys.
Congratulations. Thank you so much.
Get inspired. Never give up alone.

Speaker 1 Sleeping down.

Speaker 1 I'm so proud of you.

Speaker 2 Thank you.