Thirsty: the Podcast

On this week's Halloween special, Laura and Heather are tackling one of dating's spookiest challenges: quitting the toxic relationship cycle. If you find yourself in unhealthy relationships over and over, wondering how you got here (again!), this episode is for you. Thirsty’s doling out tough talk about how to start thinking critically about your relationships, stop confusing addiction for connection, and break your unhealthy patterns. Also in this episode: how to know if your relationship is troubled vs. toxic, flipping the script from victimhood to empowerment, and when to walk away. The curse of toxicity is tough to beat, but if you want to take charge of your love life, you need to start making different choices, and that starts today.

Women who date men unfortunately always have to have a safety plan alongside their getting ready checklist when they’re going on a date. This is a frustrating reality of living on our planet. However, Laura recently realized that even if you have a safety plan, even if you are your most nice and polite self, it only takes one wildcard date to knock you off kilter. This week, Thirsty is hitting pause on the jokes to talk about a deadly serious topic: safety on dates. They’re talking about helpful safety tools, how allies can support women better, why some men feel entitled to our bodies, and a reminder that assault, harassment, and stalking are never your fault. From location tracking to bathroom updates, community help and more—let’s say the quiet part out loud.

Psychology Today recently published an article titled “The rise of lonely, single men”, and a deluge of TikToks were published in response. Laura and Heather are talking about why men don’t match as often, why women’s relationship standards are going up, and whether a relationship is essential in this day and age. They’ll go through what the article got right, what felt like a miss, and how to get more positive outcomes from your dating life.

Trying to manage a career is tough, and if you’re a divorced or single parent, juggling all the pieces can get especially challenging. In this episode, Laura and Heather offer practical advice to make the hard days run more smoothly. They’re talking about how to set priorities, when to say “no”, confidence, authenticity everywhere, and why divorced and single parents are actually primed to succeed at work and at home.

On the surface, this is the story of how Laura found herself flying first class to Vegas for a second date. However, if we look a little deeper, we find that Preston was Laura’s reminder of why she’s dating in the first place. In this episode, we’re talking about how to develop real connections, why taking a chance is sometimes the right thing to do, and proof that Heather is the ultimate matchmaker.

We’ve all heard the phrase “he’s just not into you” or, “if he wanted to, he would.” Today, Heather and Laura are talking about why those phrases are not only out-of-date, but out-of-touch. Let’s talk about how to put your focus in the right place, empower yourself, and stop settling, because in the end, we’re into you (and you should be too.)

We’ve all heard this advice, but it’s so hard to follow: stop worrying about other people’s actions. Someone left you? Let them. Someone ghosted you? Let them. We daters waste so much time trying to get others to act a certain way, live up to our standards, jump through specific hoops, or color within the imaginary lines we draw for ourselves. Today we’re covering how to recover from a breakup, move on from a toxic situation, and choose the very best version of life for ourselves. It’s time we listen to the advice of the great Ariana Grande: “Thank u, next.”

In this season 3 premiere episode, Laura and Heather are sharing updates and a brand new podcast format. They've got fewer dating shenanigans and more life lessons (but don't worry, the laughs are here to stay.) So much has happened since Thirsty went on hiatus, including a whirlwind cross-country connection, a German solo adventure, and a dating harassment situation that galvanized a whole group of Chicago women, and beyond.

Thirsty wraps up season 2 by diving into a conversation about sex, dating, and the idea of the ever-elusive soulmate. No matter whether you are partnered, dating, or single, we all look for meaningful relationships that make our lives better. Laura and Heather download how real connections are the secret to unlocking… everything we ever wanted.

In dating, sometimes there just isn’t anything left to say. Ghosting is a common dating phenomenon, and even Laura can admit that she’s gone silent on a match from time to time. However, what if that match pops up six months later? A year later? When is it time to take the plunge, and when do you need to walk away? We’re talking about it all in this week’s episode.