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Love, Take Two has officially hit twenty episodes. To close out Season One, hosts José Rolón and Jaimie Kelton sit down — remotely, glasses slightly broken — for a celebratory recap of everything that got them here.
This episode looks back at the show's origin story: how José almost said no, the pitch deck that changed his mind, and the behind-the-scenes scramble to build a podcast from the ground up, including re-recording eight intros after their producer cut them down from fifteen minutes to five.
José and Jaimie also run through their Season One superlatives, covering standout moments with guests including Brian McManamon, Dominique Jackson, Bryce Ziskin, Alessandra, Lena Hall, Morena Baccarin, Dana Goldberg, Sophie B. Hawkins, and Drew Droege. From Brian's surprisingly calming real-life presence to psychic medium Bryce Ziskin's reading that still has both hosts thinking about their auras, this episode is a celebration of every guest who shaped Season One.
The conversation turns reflective as José and Jaimie talk about what hosting together has taught them — how to listen better, when to step back, and how their on-air chemistry has evolved. They close out with a Pride Month toast, a Father's Day shoutout, and a tease of one very exciting Season Two guest.
Key Takeaways
Season One Guests: Drew Droege, Dominique Jackson, Bryce Ziskin, Alessandra, Lena Hall, Morena Baccarin, Dana Goldberg, Sophie B. Hawkins, Brian McManamon
If this episode made you laugh, tear up, or want to binge Season One from the top — share it with a friend and tell them to start with Episode 1.
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Credits
Edited by: Jerson Barajas
Recorded by: MCM Creative
Produced by: José Rolón and Jaimie Kelton
Brian McManamon has spent his career bringing complex characters to life on stage and screen. But his own story is just as compelling.
In this episode of Love, Take Two, Brian opens up about the loss of his father, surviving a violent attack in New York City, and the life-changing period that led him to his husband of more than twenty years. He reflects on how grief, love, and resilience shaped his journey as an actor, teacher, husband, and father.
Brian also discusses Bad Dad, the powerful new short film he produced and stars in, which explores bullying, LGBTQ+ parenting, and what happens when people are pushed to protect the ones they love. The conversation expands into Pride Month, representation, raising children in queer families, and why visibility still matters.
This is a conversation about second chances, chosen family, creativity, and finding meaning in the chapters you never planned to write.
Key Takeaways
If this episode stayed with you, send it to someone who could use a reminder that life's biggest pivots often lead us exactly where we're meant to be.
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Love, Take Two Tiktok
Love, Take Two Youtube
Jaimie Kelton Instagram
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Brian McManamon
Credits
Edited by: Jerson Barajas
Recorded by: MCM Creative
Produced by: Jose Rolon and Jaimie Kelton
Bryce Ziskin spent years trying to build the kind of life that looked stable and predictable on paper. But motherhood, grief, and a series of unexplainable moments ultimately pushed her toward the path she had spent most of her life trying to avoid.
In this episode of Love, Take Two, Bryce opens up about growing up with intuitive abilities she did not fully understand, the traumatic experiences that changed her relationship with control, and how becoming a parent cracked her wide open in ways she never expected. She talks about signs, synchronicities, spirit communication, queer family building, and why she believes we are all far more intuitive than we realize.
Bryce also shares the story behind her work with the Forever Family Foundation and her role on the true crime paranormal series Voices from the Grave, where she helps investigate unresolved cold cases alongside forensic experts.
This is a conversation about grief, purpose, inner knowing, and what happens when life keeps pushing you toward the thing you were never planning to become.
Key Takeaways
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Credits:
Edited by: Jerson BarajasRecorded by: MCM CreativeProduced by: Jose Rolon and Jaimie Kelton
Tony Morrison has spent his career making sure the right stories get told. It took a little longer to turn that same intention toward his own.
In this episode of Love, Take Two, Tony sits down to talk about the journey that took him from producing at CNN and Good Morning America to working at GLAAD to launching Morrison Media Group, where he now builds culture moving campaigns for brands like Disney, Netflix, and the NFL. It is an extraordinary career built on one consistent through line — the belief that representation is not a nice to have, it is a necessity.
But the conversation goes deeper than the resume. Tony opens up about living with HIV, what that diagnosis meant for him personally and professionally, and how it ultimately sharpened his sense of purpose around the stories he chooses to tell. He talks about what it has been like to navigate a media industry that has historically been slow to center queer voices, what drove him to do something about it, and why he made the decision to live and speak openly about his status.
He also gets into where he came from, how he built something from the ground up, and what it really looks like to run a business that is as much about mission as it is about strategy.
This is a conversation about owning your narrative, showing up fully in an industry that does not always make that easy, and what happens when the person telling everyone else's story finally decides to tell their own.
Key Takeaways
If this conversation stayed with you, pass it along to someone who needs a reminder that the most powerful story you can tell is your own — and come hang out with us on social.
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Credits:
Edited by: Jerson Barajas
Recorded by: MCM Creative
Produced by: Jose Rolon, Jaimie Kelton, and Dianni Hall
Most people move to New York with a plan. Jove Meyer moved to New York with $700 and figured the rest out on Craigslist.
In this episode of Love, Take Two, Jove takes us back to where it all started — a leap of faith into a new city with virtually nothing, and a scrappiness that eventually built one of the most recognized wedding design businesses in the world. His work has been featured in Vogue and The New York Times, he has been named one of the top wedding planners globally, and he hosts his own podcast Wedding-ish. None of that happened by following the traditional playbook.
Jove gets into what it has looked like to push back against an industry that for a long time had a very narrow idea of what a wedding was supposed to look like — and who it was supposed to be for. He talks about the work of making the wedding space genuinely inclusive for LGBTQ+ couples, not just symbolically but in the actual design, language, and experience of the day itself. For Jove, a wedding should feel like the couple, full stop.
He also opens up about his own journey to starting a family with his husband, what that process taught him about love and patience, and how his personal life has shaped the way he shows up for the couples he works with.
This is a conversation about building something from nothing, refusing to let an industry tell you what is possible, and what it really means to celebrate love on your own terms.
Key Takeaways
If this episode resonated, send it to a couple who is planning their day and needs a reminder that there are no rules — and come hang out with us on social.
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Credits:
Edited by: Jerson Barajas
Recorded by: MCM Creative
Produced by: Jose Rolon, Jaimie Kelton, and Dianni Hall
What does it look like to build a life at the intersection of art, activism, and heartbreak — all while the world around you feels like it is coming apart at the seams?
In this episode of Love, Take Two, Marti Cummings gets into all of it. As a drag performer, TV personality, and activist who has performed on all seven continents and hosted their own talk show, Marti has never done things the conventional way. That includes becoming the first openly non-binary candidate to run for office in New York City — a campaign that was as much about visibility and community as it was about politics.
Marti opens up about what drove them to step into the political arena, what that experience actually looked like on the ground in New York, and how they think about advocacy and resistance in the current political climate.
They also get personal about love. Marti reflects on their marriage, their divorce, and what moving through the end of a relationship taught them about themselves. It is the kind of honest that does not show up in press junkets.
This is a conversation about showing up — for your community, for yourself, and for the people you love — even when it is hard, even when it costs you something.
Key Takeaways
If this conversation lit something up in you, share it with someone who needs a reminder that resistance can look like a lot of things — and come hang out with us on social.
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Credits:
Edited by: Jerson Barajas
Recorded by: MCM Creative
Produced by: Jose Rolon, Jaimie Kelton, and Dianni Hall
Most people know David Archuleta from the American Idol stage. Far fewer know what was happening beneath the surface the entire time.
In this episode of Love, Take Two, David sits down to talk about Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself, his 2026 memoir that pulls back the curtain on a journey most of his fans never saw coming. From winning Star Search at 12 to becoming one of the most recognized faces of the American Idol era, David spent years performing for the world while privately navigating something much harder — a faith system that had no room for who he actually was.
David opens up about what it felt like to grow up deeply embedded in the Mormon Church while quietly reckoning with his queer identity, the emotional abuse he experienced along the way, and the severe anxiety that followed him through some of the highest profile moments of his career. He talks about what finally pushed him toward deconstruction, what he lost in the process, and what he found on the other side of it.
Key Takeaways
If this episode moved you, pass it along to someone who is in the middle of their own deconstruction — whatever form that takes — and come find us on social.
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Credits:
Edited by: Jerson Barajas
Recorded by: MCM Creative
Produced by: Jose Rolon, Jaimie Kelton, and Dianni Hall
Most people spend their teenage years figuring out who they are. Alessandra Ciuffo spent hers winning on Food Network.
In this episode of Love, Take Two, Alessandra takes us back to where it all started — stepping in front of a camera at 12 years old on Rachael vs. Guy: Kids Cook-Off and then going on to win Guy's Grocery Games at 15. What could have been a fun footnote became the foundation for something real. Today she is the face behind Flavors by Alessandra, a brand she has built by being exactly herself — chaotic, warm, genuinely skilled, and completely unfiltered about all of it.
Alessandra gets into what the journey from child competitor to full-on food personality actually looked like, including the parts that were not glamorous. She talks about how she developed her voice in a space that can feel oversaturated, why she refuses to see other creators as competition, and how her belief that there is room for everyone at the top has shaped the way she moves through her career. Authenticity is not just a buzzword for Alessandra — it is the entire strategy.
This is a conversation about creative confidence, staying positive when the path is not linear, and what it looks like to build something that is genuinely yours.
Key Takeaways
If this episode got you fired up about backing yourself and betting on your own lane, send it to someone who needs to hear it — and come hang out with us on social.
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Credits:
Edited by: Jerson Barajas
Recorded by: MCM Creative
Produced by: Jose Rolon, Jaimie Kelton, and Dianni Hall
What does it take to build something from nothing and then decide to start over again?
For this week’s guest, Alexis Bittar, that question has defined his career.
In this episode of Love, Take Two, Alexis reflects on his early days selling vintage jewelry on the streets of New York City and how that experience shaped his approach to creativity, business, and risk. What began as a scrappy, self-made path evolved into a globally recognized brand known for its bold design and hand-carved Lucite pieces.
Over the years, Alexis built a fashion empire, earning recognition from the Council of Fashion Designers of America and designing for cultural icons like Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, and Iris Apfel. But success didn’t follow a straight line.
After selling his company at its peak, Alexis made the unexpected decision to step back in and reclaim the brand in 2021. A move that speaks to a deeper understanding of ownership, identity, and what it means to evolve.
Alexis opens up about the realities of building and selling a business, the lessons that come with stepping away, and what it looks like to take control of your second act.
Key Takeaways
If this episode resonates, share it with someone thinking about taking a risk or starting over — and come hang out with us on social!
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Credits:
Edited by: Jerson Barajas
Recorded by: MCM Creative
Produced by: Jose Rolon, Jaimie Kelton, and Dianni Hall
What does it actually look like to be a working parent in Hollywood — not the glossy version, but the real one? Morena Baccarin is not here to sugarcoat it.
In this episode of Love, Take Two, Morena gets candid about the side of her life that does not make the press junkets — the school runs, the scheduling gymnastics, the guilt, and the joy that comes with raising kids while maintaining a career that demands everything you have. From her breakout in Firefly to her Emmy nominated turn in Homeland to the Deadpool franchise, Morena has built one of the most respected careers in the industry. And she has done a significant chunk of it as a mother.
She opens up about what it has been like to navigate auditions, sets, and long shoots while staying present for her kids, how her priorities have shifted over the years, and what she wishes someone had told her earlier about trying to do both. She also shares what is coming next, including her work on Sheriff Country and what drew her to the project.
This is a refreshingly honest conversation about ambition, parenthood, and the messy, meaningful work of showing up in both.
Key Takeaways
If this one hit home, send it to another parent who is figuring it out in real time — and come hang out with us on social.
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Credits:
Edited by: Jerson Barajas
Recorded by: MCM Creative
Produced by: Jose Rolon, Jaimie Kelton, and Dianni Hall
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