It's Nice to Hear You

HEATHER & ARTHUR: A lesson on growth. What happened in the end? I debrief with all 3 pairs you met in the previous episodes. Find out if anyone ends up together and meet one more pair. In eavesdropping into the participants of my experiment and in creating this podcast, I gained a new perspective for living. I start dating again, and I meet Arthur. No longer dating to win, I am now dating to grow. I practice these lessons I learned - taking time to experience compatibility, communicating how I feel, recognizing when vulnerability happens and showing up to reciprocate it. Yves D. Ropper Created the experiment, but Heather created this podcast. This is the last episode in season 1. Thank you for listening.  3 things to explore after this: School of Life’s definition of Love https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/what-is-love-2/ Podcast Death Sex & Money on ep 1 of the podcast Constellation Prize. This is the interview that inspired me to do the perfect moments with Arthur. - Interview with Bianca Giaever NPR Invisibilia’s exploration of Slow Tv and narrative structures - “The Great Narrative Escape” (58 min podcast)

A lesson on communication. This is the story of Heather before Yves. We all want to be heard, but we forgot how to listen. Yet, listening can misguide us if we just hear what we want to hear. If we only say what we want to hear, we can be misunderstood. It’s so easy to speak past each other, despite understanding all the words. Heather’s participants inspire her to communicate better. She tries, starting with Chester, the guy that inspired this experiment. You’ve already heard a little bit about him in the previous episodes - now, meet him and hear what he wishes Heather had said.

A lesson on vulnerability. This is the story of Graham and Xena. Our voices betray us and we can sense when someone is not being truly vulnerable. There is a difference between being open and being vulnerable. Their conversations over 30 days show us what vulnerability can unlock. Feeling inspired by the unfolding of Graham and Xena’s connection, the narrator Heather also gets vulnerable, and shares a confession with you, the listener.

A lesson on acceptance. Some participants like Robert and Katie just pair themselves. Hear the story of how they start to unfold the layers and flavors of each other. Hearing Katie’s emotionality surface. Hearing Robert share the things that feel uncomfortable. Listening to Robert and Katie reframe each other’s flaws and permissioning the boringness is what acceptance sounds like and what understanding feels like. Again, there is a surprise at the end (not that one you are thinking of). For more content, check out itsnicetohearyou.com and on Instagram @itsnicetohearyou.

A lesson on compatibility. Meet our first pair, Brian and Isabelle. Even though they don’t know each other’s names, don’t know what each other looks like, they “fall into like” within a couple days of exchanging voice memos. Over 30 days, they develop a deep connection, confess secrets, and are excited to finally meet each in person after the experiment ends. Listen to how everything unfolds.

A lesson on reflection. Meet me, the matchmaker and host, Yves D. Ropper. After being laid off at the beginning of quarantine, I envelope myself in creating an anonymous matchmaking experiment. Participants exchange voice memos for 30 days. No pictures, no names, no direct contact. They are all strangers, yet after listening to their voices, I feel connected to them. This story is as much about the experiment, its participants, as the creator behind it. Live listening session of Ep 1 and Q&A happening on Club House on Friday 3/26 4:30pm PDT / 7:30pm EDT. www.joinclubhouse.com/event/mgNY0a5B

Could the power of just hearing someone’s voice lead to a deeper connection? Maybe, this little red button on our phones is a power button to turn on connection. We all want to be heard, but we forgot how to listen. At the beginning of quarantine, I created a matchmaking experiment based on the exchange of voice memos between strangers. Eavesdrop into some conversations and hear what all went on inside my mind at the time. This is what human connection sounds like. Episodes launch mid-March. Episodes launch mid-March. More content on Instagram @itsnicetohearyou and itsnicicetohearyou.com.