S E15: Falling in Love is Beyond My Control

2026-08-17

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Hunter speaks with three strangers about meeting partners who changed the course of their lives. Meet this week's strangers:- Niko is a school teacher from New York City who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. During treatment he grew closer to his long-time friend Lauren who gave him gift packages, which became a catalyst for rekindling their relationship and eventually dating. He describes Lauren’s support as essential, saying he would not have gotten through cancer or remained m...

Hunter speaks with three strangers about meeting partners who changed the course of their lives.

Meet this week's strangers:

- Niko is a school teacher from New York City who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. During treatment he grew closer to his long-time friend Lauren who gave him gift packages, which became a catalyst for rekindling their relationship and eventually dating. He describes Lauren’s support as essential, saying he would not have gotten through cancer or remained mentally okay without her; she showed up early, handled everything with grace, gave him hope, and made him feel handsome and normal even when he had lost his eyebrows and eyelashes. He explains that falling in love with Lauren during treatment meant everything; she became the person he wanted around when he felt worst, and he now sees her as his life partner, having already bought a diamond with plans to propose.

- Selene's greatest love is Ethan, whom she first met in 2010 through her cousin on the day of the World Cup final; he is half Spaniard, and they initially connected over rooting for Spain. Their relationship unfolded over years of near-misses: she moved to California and he dated someone else; later they reconnected while she was in another relationship; then again as friends in a group when both had other partners, with him repeatedly “popping out of nowhere.” Eventually, after both had ended other relationships, Ethan directly expressed that he still had feelings and wanted marriage, and despite her hesitance, his clarity led her to give the relationship a serious try, including moving in together earlier than planned. She recalls the relationship feeling easy and largely conflict-free, later wondering if they didn’t argue enough; the turning point came when a disagreement over her wanting to attend a concert prompted him to admit he hadn’t felt the same for some time, which shocked her. They still went on a planned trip to Spain, where she had once imagined getting engaged, but despite trying, he couldn’t rekindle his feelings, leading her to conclude that two good people aren’t always a good long-term fit and that some loves aren’t meant to last forever.

- Kyle’s greatest love is his wife, Bethany, whom he met in Long Beach, New York, during a grassroots effort to petition the city to reinstate the music portion of a surf contest that had been canceled after Hurricane Irene. They first met at City Hall while working with mutual friends to gather signatures; later that night he visited her house, met her family, and, too nervous to ask for her number, wrote his number on her hand at her request. They first said “I love you” about a month into dating while sitting on a couch with friends, describing it as something that felt natural to say. Now married nearly 13 years, Kyle reflects that love has evolved: he feels most loved when he feels truly seen, especially through life’s challenges, and emphasizes that marriage is not easy but that growing up together and sharing those struggles is something special.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Unexpected love stories from strangers

00:03:28 Niko faces a cancer diagnosis at twenty nine

00:06:05 Reconnecting with childhood crush during chemo

00:08:56 Celebrating remission and ringing the bell

00:12:08 How unconditional love provided strength

00:15:37 Realizing she is the person I want to marry

00:21:11 Selene shares her story of an old flame

00:24:38 Trying to make a relationship work through timing

00:28:39 When two good people still grow apart

00:32:06 What lost love teaches us about self focus

00:35:30 Kyle on meeting his wife while petitioning