Kismet: Real love stories of serendipity, cosmic timing, and meeting “the one”

Samantha had always followed the path of least resistance. A people-pleaser to the core, she molded herself to the wants and desires of others. After a devastating breakup blindsided her and robbed her of the future she thought was ahead, she was left in shambles. She didn't know who she was, what she wanted, or what her purpose was. She knew she needed to figure out the answer to that question in order to be happy, so she sold everything, bought a 28-foot RV, and hit the road with no plan except to find herself.

What followed was a season of total reinvention: new hobbies, redefining her perception of herself, deep inner work... and zero interest in dating. She'd reached a place of true happiness in the life she'd created, when out of the blue, a new man unexpectedly entered her life. 

This is an episode about self-love. And, how once she learned to really, deeply love herself and find her voice, Samantha unexpectedly found her one true love... who had been doing the same work on himself to be ready for her.

Thank you, Samantha, for sharing your bright light with us! 

Samantha's Gift to Kismet listeners: A Free, Relaxing 10-minute Meditation
Connect with Samantha on Facebook
Connect with Samantha on Telegram

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This week's episode is a little different - it's just me. In this solo edition of Kismet, I'm getting vulnerable and sharing a tool inspired by my Kismet guests that has helped me clarify my dating goals: my non-negotiables list.

This episode isn't about manifesting the "perfect" partner or writing down a wish list of attributes. We all have our big deal breakers, but this episode gets into the nuance. It's about digging deep to uncover our individual, harder-to-name emotional needs and values that help us feel safe, loved, and supported. These are areas that we too often ignore, avoid, suppress, and hope that love will be enough. Spoiler alert: it rarely is. 

I'm walking through how I built my own list, some of the non-negotiables I've landed on (and why), and how using this tool has helped me to be more comfortable recognizing and releasing people who aren't the right fit earlier.

If you're single and figuring out what actually matters to you in a partner, I hope this gives you some language for it. And if you've got your own non-negotiables you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them! Drop me a comment on my YouTube page, or send me an email: [email protected]

Until next time, be bold, be kind, and be open to every day magic.

Share your own Kismet story: [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast

Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KismetStories

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Melissa met Kevin in a very college way: he bought her booze for her birthday party. They lived a floor apart in the same complex in Los Angeles, but were just friends. Years after graduation, a Facebook photo stirred her interest: he was at a fountain in the same park she used to go to as a child... across the world in Hong Kong.

They reconnected over the photo and met up, and a romance began to stir. But, they were in a transition period in their lives. He moved to Japan for a post-grad program. When visiting, she made a confession that nearly derailed things before they'd even started. 

While they were both figuring out the direction of their lives, their next steps serendipitously took the same course... to the same city. To the same office. To the same apartment. To each other.

But, getting together was only the beginning. Years later, they faced a much harder chapter: one that pushed them to their edge before bringing them back together, stronger than ever. 

This is the story of friendship to romance, and the non-linear road to love.

Purchase Melissa's Hong Kong themed card game
Kevin's Puzzling Proposal Scavenger Hunt

Share your own Kismet story: [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast

Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KismetStories

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Tess was back in NYC after a breakup, and she needed to make friends. Not particularly a sporty type, she found herself in a bowling league. The bowling league led to a new friend, and the new friend convinced her to join dodgeball... an activity that summoned grade school trauma. She gave it a go anyway. 

The dodgeball group was a social one, meeting weekly after games at a neighborhood spot for meeting and mingling. It was one of those nights where she broke out her mom's favorite flirting technique: faking a gift for palm reading to hold a cute guy's hand.  She approached a stranger with bushy eyebrows, pulled out her party trick, and told him he was going to die broke and alone. He didn't appreciate it, and they parted ways after a shared cigarette.

That same stranger crossed her path again a few weeks later, and her prediction was proved gloriously wrong as the two realized that in the search for friends, they'd found their person.

In this episode, Tess shares the story of her slow-burn romance, overcoming "the ick", and falling in love with her best friend.

Thank you to Tess Dreizen for sharing your story!

Share your own Kismet story: [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast

Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KismetStories

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Genevieve Dreizen stumbled into the wrong art gallery in Edinburgh in 2010. She spoke to a handsome attendant who shared that the gallery she was seeking was directly behind his building. They chatted briefly, discovered a mutual love for poetry, exchanged Facebook handles, and that was it. Genevieve returned to the US and back to reality. For the next decade, this stranger was just one of those people added to a social network who exists, indefinitely, in the background of our lives. She had relationships, got a big girl job, got engaged, and planned a wedding.

Until the day that everything changed. 

Genevieve shares her story of how the end of one relationship opened the door to reconnection with the handsome stranger she met so many years ago. This story is about unexpected love, risking big, and recognizing the real thing when it shows up. 

Connect with Genevieve:

• Genevieve Dreizen - Instagram
• Fresh Starts Registry

Share your own Kismet story: [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast

Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KismetStories

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 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review. It really helps!

Reed had no intention of finding love when he moved to Singapore. He was on a one-year contract as an actor with Universal Studios and had no desire to start a relationship that would inevitably become long-distance with someone living across the world. But after matching with Kez, a Filipina who had called Singapore home for over a decade, he immediately felt a connection. Still, he remained firm: casual only.

Well-intentioned plans are often derailed at the most inopportune times... and Reed's life changed forever when two life-changing events happened on the very same day. What started as a Bumble match became a story of love, resilience, and commitment tested by a global pandemic, closed borders, immigration challenges, and years of uncertainty. From Singapore to the Philippines to the United States, Reed and Kez faced seemingly hopeless circumstances as one challenge after another arose as they fought to build a life together.

This is the story of an accidental love that became a forever love, and the lengths two people will go to choose each other.

Share your own Kismet story: [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast

Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KismetStories

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When Jamie boarded the cruise ship for her Semester at Sea, romance was the last thing on her mind.

Semester at Sea was meant to be an adventure to prime her for her future career in media. She'd never given much thought to dating or relationships, let alone marriage or children. She was laser focused on making an impact on the big stage one day. 

But it was the smaller stage aboard the ship that changed the course of her life. It started as so many love stories do: "It was a guy with a guitar..."

In this episode, Jamie shares the story of falling in love while crossing oceans, navigating new countries, surviving both SARS and storms at sea, and building a relationship in the most unconventional of settings. She also reflects on what 25 years of marriage have taught her about partnership, growth, and supporting each other through every phase of life. 

Topics covered: long distance relationship, travel romance, marriage, partnership, how we met, media, career transitions

Connect with Jamie, and access her wealth of media knowledge:

Learn how to be On-Cam Ready with Jamie

Jamie's Free Visibility Bundle 

Jamie's YouTube 

Jamie's Instagram

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Kismet is a podcast about meeting the one: real stories, real people, real hope. New episodes drop biweekly on Thursdays! Follow along on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast.

Follow the show on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast
Share your own Kismet moment: [email protected]

Share your own Kismet story: [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast

Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KismetStories

🎧 Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app
 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review. It really helps!

British actor Simon Boughey had been engaged (sort of) three times, but never made it down the aisle. By 49, he had made peace with the idea that marriage just wasn't for him. 

A trip to New York and a matchmaking friend changed his plans... and his life. In this episode, Simon shares reflections on why he felt he was meant to be single,  and how the right woman changed his mind. We talk about transatlantic love, taking risks, building a relationship while in the throes of grief, leveling up, and recognizing gamechangers. 

If you've ever wondered whether it's too late for you, this one's for you.

Topics covered: finding love after 40, mid-life love, transatlantic relationships, grief and love, long distance relationships, commitment

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Kismet is a podcast about meeting the one: real stories, real people, real hope. New episodes drop biweekly on Thursdays! Follow along on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast.

Share your own Kismet story: [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast

Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KismetStories

🎧 Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app
 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review. It really helps!

Season 2 Coming Soon! 

Share your own Kismet story: [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast

Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KismetStories

🎧 Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app
 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review. It really helps!

Growing up, Michelle didn't quite fit in. She was diagnosed with three learning disabilities that required special tutoring and prevented her from being able to drive. Kids were mean and said hurtful things. She was told she'd never go to college or find love, and initially she believed it. The dates and relationships she had didn't inspire much confidence.

Eventually, Michelle leaned into her strengths and found community within the artist circles in her town. She went to college and graduated with a Bachelor's degree. She began to write, perform at poetry events, volunteer at an arts center, and make friends who saw her, loved her, and accepted her. Since she couldn't drive, she walked everywhere, and began photographing the flowers and scenery she spotted along the way. While building a rich life of friendship, passion, and self-discovery, she attracted a secret admirer who adored her exactly as she is... and he loves to drive!

This is a story about a patient, steady love that developed slowly and was built on friendship. A love story that was seemingly written in the stars, with premonitions, missed connections, and shared interests lighting the way. A complementary love where each brings their own unique strengths and helps the other shine.

Michelle's story is a reminder the things that make us different also make us special, and that we should never hide who we are... because who you are is perfect to the right person.  

Share your own Kismet story: [email protected]

Follow the show on Instagram: @kismetstoriespodcast

Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KismetStories

🎧 Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app
 🌟 If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review. It really helps!