This week Nicola and Di chat with the dynamic Pete Simson. He’s an entrepreneur, a farmer, a philanthropist, the co-founder of RedBalloon and a loving father to his 2 children. Pete is also a single man in his 60s, navigating the world of online dating and we wanted to get his thoughts and insights into what this has been like for him as well as any tips he might have for our listeners. 

Pete shares with us some of the highs and lows of online dating including some funny stories of dates that went wrong. He also shares the different lessons he’s learned, the psychological principles that help him to notice red flags, such as attachment styles, and the things he’s on the lookout for when it comes to dating profiles and meeting up with a potential match.

In this episode, you’ll also get to hear more of Pete’s story - growing up on a farm in rural Victoria, and the fateful day he got home from school as a 10 year old and saw that his family home had burnt down. There are tears in the studio as Pete recounts that day, and shares stories from his childhood. 

We talk about his entrepreneurship as the co-founder of RedBalloon, the company he built in 2001 with his wife at the time, and how they were ahead of their time as an online gifting experience company. And we chat about what Pete is up to now - an exciting new film project that is shedding light on white collar domestic violence and raising awareness around this important issue. 

We had such a great time with Pete in the studio - he’s full of energy and the conversation just flowed. We hope you enjoy this chat as much as we did. 

This episode is proudly sponsored by Eir Women. Use code OTBF20 at checkout to receive a 20% discount on any purchase. 

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Books Pete referenced in this episode:

Attached by Amir Levine and Rachel S.F. Heller

Everybody Lies by Seth Stephens Davidowitz

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