Francis Cretarola and Cathy Lee opened their restaurant Le Virtu on Philadelphia's Passyunk Avenue right before the economy collapsed in 2008. This restaurant, one that serves Abruzzese Italian food is Francis and Cathy's passion. They survived 2008 and together they have created community and family for their staff and their patrons. But then the pandemic happened. And Cathy and Francis have had to hunker down and make some incredibly difficult decisions, decisions Francis says are way above his pay grade, to try to keep their staff and their patrons safe while keeping their restaurant afloat. Running a restaurant is like walking a tightrope. Margins are thin and the stress is high, but Cathy and Francis have powered through the pandemic with grace, compassion and humor. I love this story because it's here in my hometown of Philly and it shows just how hard we're all working together to get through this tough year.

How Many Lives Do You Expect to Have?

Join host Jo Piazza as she delves into the hilarious, heartbreaking and inspiring stories of couples of all kinds who’ve soldiered through unimaginable circumstances, and after the longest of days, still want to wake up next to one another in the morning.

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Today we have a very special episode of the podcast Love Letters in our feed. 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.

Love Letters with Gov. Maura Healy

Jessica found out her husband Steve was gay a year and a half into her marriage. They broke up, got back together and tried to make it work because they were living in a very conservative Christian community. And in the midst of it all she met Matt and fell hard for him. Eventually Jessica and Matt got together and today they work with Jessica's ex-husband Steve on a podcast. 

They share stories of love, marriage, coming out, divorce, remarriage, and co-parenting to help others know they are not alone. They are trying to break down stereo-types about what divorce and co-parenting look like every single day. It isn't always easy and it definitely isn't always perfect but they are constantly trying to find new ways to support one another.

We're All In This Together

For the past five years, Alex and Christina had been running a bookstore that is both their primary income as a couple and their passion.  They opened A Novel Idea, bookshop in Philly, a year before the pandemic hit. And when the city closed all of its stores, they had to completely rethink everything about their small business.  They had no one to lean on, but one another. For better. Or worse. This is a story about perseverance and pivoting, about love and about following your dreams.  It's about how the things that should break us often bring us closer together.

Partners in Everything

Molly and Ash met when Molly was in her late thirties, newly separated from her husband and the mother of a four year old. She was just started to explore her sexuality and wasn’t looking for anything serious. But you know what they say…make plans and the universe laughs. Molly and Ash fell in love and quickly knew they wanted to be together, but that meant navigating how to blend a family and reconciling the fact that Ash wanted their own biological child and Molly did not want any more kids. The two of them are here today (and spoiler, they have a new baby) because they put in the work. Their story is a gorgeous narrative of the ways we need to change, adapt and grow for love and family.

It's All About Showing Up

Manny struggled with porn addiction for years. He told himself that when he met the right woman he would be done. Then he met Becca and knew she was the one. But the night before his wedding he was still watching porn and he was so far gone in his addiction that he couldn't perform sexually on his wedding night. Manny and Becca struggled with Manny's porn addiction for years until both of them finally reached a breaking point. This is the story about how they made it out the other side.

How Many Lives Do You Expect to Have?

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