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This is a bizarre time for the world. COVID-19 has been incredibly detrimental to the health of people right across the world, and has had massive impacts on the economy and job stability, too. But what about love? Relationships? Sex? What has this pandemic done to the way to relate to each other?That's precisely what we're exploring today. In this final episode of Love Etc season two, we share stories from YOU guys - and they're far more uplifting than we first imagined. Then, we hear from Lauren - a woman who found love on the cusp of it all.Thank you so much for listening over the last three months - it has been such a joy to bring you all this podcast and telling your stories. Keep up to date with Bumble Australia via their Instagram, @bumble_australia.Find Mich and Zara on Insta too, they're at @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Have you always wondered what motivates someone to be the other woman? Why they knowingly choose to be with someone who has a partner? Today on the show we are talking to a woman who has been the other woman. It can be easy to demonise a person for knowingly dating someone who is in a relationship - after all, doesn’t it just come down to values? we think - but of course, the world isn’t as simple as that. So, today we’re talking to a woman called Michelle (yes, a different Michelle) who just happened to fall in love as she entered the police force with a man who had a girlfriend.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in the sex industry? Have you ever wondered how that work would read when it was eventually turned into a memoir?Today, we’re interviewing the powerhouse that is Rita Therese. Here’s the thing about Rita - she’s widely renowned for being one of the most in-demand sex workers in Australia, yes, but she’s also regarded as one of the country’s rising artistic talents. Because as Rita’s profile under her alias Gia James has grown, so too has has her profile as a prolific artist and writer.This interview is actually from a couple of months ago - before the world turned weird and what we consider “normal” changed drastically. We still wanted to share it though, not only as an escape from what’s going on, but to have a much-needed conversation around sex work and feminism, from a woman who isn’t just an expert in the field, but in philosophy too.At 26 Rita has just published her first book - a memoir called Come - which details her time in the sex industry as well a life of significant personal tragedy and trauma. Here, she tells us what sex work is actually like - even when she has struggled with what she calls “debilitating social anxiety” in the past.If you loved this chat with Rita Therese, please do buy her new memoir Come. It’s an arresting read, and unlike anything you’ve probably come across before. We can’t recommend it enough. You can also find her on Instagram @rita_therese__.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Content note: this episode deals with issues around emotional abuse and may be triggering for some listeners.Today, we’re telling a story of emotional and psychological abuse.In the midst of a global pandemic where so many of us are self-isolating at home with our partners, it’s more important than ever we recognise what an unhealthy, abusive relationship looks like. Too, it’s important that we can recognise the signs from afar, to look out for our friends and the people we love to make sure they aren’t trapped or being controlled within the walls of their relationship.If this episode brings up issues for you - or of you or someone you know is experiencing psychological abuse, you can contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or through their online chat.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Have you ever questioned your sexuality? Is there a possibility that your attraction to other people doesn’t fit into a neat box? Or, maybe - just maybe - have you walked away from a great love in search of who you really are, and what you really want?Today, we’re talking to one woman about the experience of discovering her sexuality in the midst of a committed relationship to a man. Here’s Livv. A woman who fell madly in love with a man named Jason, only to learn that deep down she’d always yearned for something he couldn’t offer.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Are you feeling a little lonely? Are you yearning for connection in a period where we’ve been instructed to stay inside? Today, we’re talking about loneliness and connection at a time we are all physically further from each other than ever. You can read How Loneliness from Coronavirus Isolation Takes Its Own Toll by Robin Wright for The New Yorker here.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Have you ever been in a secret relationship? Have you ever felt like if you told the world who you were dating they would instantly judge you? Or, have you always been intrigued by love that seems so much more dramatic than your own? Today, we’re talking about forbidden love. To do that, we’re bringing you three stories from three very different women who all have remarkable tales of keeping their relationship a secret.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Have you ever been tempted to become a sugar baby? Does the prospect of being paid - literally paid - by an older, wealthier partner sound appealing to you? Today, we speak to a woman who did exactly that. Mia spent two years with a married man and gave her bank account a healthy boost after every dinner and fancy hotel stay. So, would she recommend being a sugar baby to other women? We guess you'll have to listen and find out.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Are you one of the four million Australians who has, or has had, an STI? Do you have an STI that is with you for life? And does that fact make you feel isolated and lonely in the dating game?Today, we’re talking about dating with an STI. To do that, we’re going to hear from Bethany, a woman in her twenties who is living with one, and will be for the rest of her life.Don't forget to head to @bumble_australia to get your hands on some free Jonny Condoms.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Do you worry that you’re not with the right person? Does your mind wander into thoughts that maybe, just maybe, the grass is greener on the other side? There’s a chance you might be falling victim to FOBO.Today, we’re talking about Fear of Better Options. But what does that actually mean in the context of love and relationships? You're about it find out.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Have you had an open relationship? Have you gone one step further, and introduced swinging into the mix? Or maybe those ideas make you squirm with discomfort, but you can’t help but feel intrigued anyway.Today, we’re talking about swinging in your twenties. To do that, we’re going to hear from Eleanor, a woman who has a lot to say about opening up a relationship, having sex with someone who isn’t her partner in front of a room full of people, and navigating the jealousy that can come with shattering the lines of monogamy.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

OH YES, we back for a second season! And what better day to launch that Valentine’s Day?Whether you’re surrounded by a sea of red roses and novelty chocolates, or you’re feeling lonely and a little bit shit, in this episode, the first of season two, we’re going to discuss it all. On a day like today, the only kinds of stories we hear are love stories, or even friendship stories. But what about other kinds of stories? You know, a story of a woman deep into her twenties who has never felt love, and never experienced sex?Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

You’re enough. But how do you truly recognise that?On today’s episode - the final episode of season one - we explore the radical idea that you don’t actually need… anybody. That you, as a vibrant and vivacious human, are already complete. So, in order to do that, we sat down with Julijana, who learned - far younger than she should have - that sometimes a romantic partner will fail you in ways you never thought possible. But it was through that that she found love elsewhere - in her friends, in her family, in herself.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Sure, love is overwhelmingly romantic. But what about platonic love? The kind of you reap from the people you surround yourself with? Today, we want to talk about the friendships that bind us and define us - that surround us with more love than perhaps a romantic relationship ever could.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

When you grow up, you’re sold the romantic fairytale of what true love looks like. It’s enduring. It’s all-powerful. But what if, when you meet the love of your life, things don’t pan out how you planned?Today, we’re hearing the stories of two women who found great, all-encompassing loves. And then lost them.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Have you ever had that niggling feeling that someone just isn’t enough? At first, it feels like an itch. Pretty soon, though, it turns into an all-consuming dread: a realisation that maybe you’re settling for less than you deserve.Today, we’re doing two things: First, we’re going to sit down and chat about the concept of settling. Then, we’re going to hear from a woman named Ashleigh, who knows the concept all too well.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Have you got the ick? Does the way they breathe make you want to die? Do you just bring out the worst in each other? Welcome to Love etc. and today we are talking about how to differentiate a flaw from a dealbreaker.Sign up to Bumble Australia, the social-networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Have you been cheated on? Did your relationship begin with infidelity? Or maybe - just maybe - did you do the cheating yourself?In today's episode of Love etc., we're looking at all sides. Three women are sharing stories from very different perspectives in the hope that we can all understand the psychology of betrayal just a little better.Sign up to Bumble Australia today, the social networking app where women make the first move.Want to follow Michelle and Zara? They're on Instagram @michelleandrews1 and @zamcdonald.

Today, we're hearing from Georgia, Hannah, and Chloe - three women with three very different stories.From falling in love with a woman at the local footy club, to falling in love with a man you're already engaged to, and falling for a guy who's been there all along, we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed creating it.Sign up to Bumble Australia, the social-networking app where women make the first move.Love etc. is a production of Shameless Media.

Does your partner identify as a feminist? Do their beliefs not quite align with your own? And if you have different political values, does that even matter?Love etc. is a podcast by Bumble Australia, the social networking app where women make the first move, made in collaboration with Shameless Media.