Trailer
Episode 1 - Preview
Behind the Swipe
Launches June 8! In this trailer, host Hoyt Prisock talks about what to expect in the upcoming season.
Show Transcript:
Welcome to this Preview of my new podcast, Behind the Swipe. I’m your host, Hoyt Prisock.
The podcast series launches on June 8. Each week we’ll hear the real, unfiltered stories and perspectives from men and women over forty who are entering the world of online dating. While most dating profiles can only present a one-dimensional, curated view of potential matches, we take you inside their lives to understand their experiences, expectations and occasionally delusions about what it’s really like to meet and date with a swipe.
We tackle a new topic each week. From long distance relationships to profile honesty to red flags to expectations around sex. No holds barred. Our daters freely discuss their hopes and fears in an environment of complete anonymity and trust.
Behind the Swipe is neither a prescriptive “Here’s how you do it” tutorial nor is it about me. It’s my hope is that you can distill some truth for yourself by hearing from those whose experiences are sometimes similar and from those whose experiences are vastly different. I promise you it will be entertaining.
Let me give you some context for this. I am not a PhD, a therapist or a coach. I have no relevant professional credentials whatsoever. I’m just a guy who has walked in your shoes and remains ever curious. Here’s my story:
I distinctly remember deciding to jump head first into the online dating pool. Well, to be fair, it’s not so much the decision I remember the paralyzing anxiety.
The end of my 27 year marriage was a mere two years in the rearview mirror. I had fallen into a rebound relationship and almost convinced myself that was as good as it was going to get. But a cross-country relocation was ultimately the impetus to move forward.
The anxiety and doubt that was haunting me came from the things that i DIDN’T know:
What kind of people were out there on sites like Match, Hinge and Bumble? I confess, a little voice in my head was shouting, “They’re probably all losers!” And worse yet, my joining the throng meant that I would be a loser too.
Which of the 154 dating sites do I try? Where will I find my tribe? Do I have a tribe?
How would I craft a profile that really represents who I am? (and attracts the kind of people I wanted to meet?) I didn’t have ANY suitable pictures of me - at least not alone. And certainly none that were, let’s say, “marketable.” And what to SAY about myself? I felt like I needed a full on PR campaign. It was overwhelming.
There were dozens of reasons I contrived to continue my procrastination. But I really craved companionship and intimacy. Finally, the discomfort of staying in my status quo began to feel heavier than just jumping in. That point happened to coincide with my dermatologist essentially shaming me into action. And she did it in the most devious way possible - MATH. She convinced me that the probability of meeting someone I genuinely connected with was infinitely higher with a pool of thousands than, say, waiting and hoping that my co-worker’s wife would introduce me to her sister’s newly single girlfriend.
I was in. Committed. My friend and startup co-conspirator, Sean, is an amazingly talented designer and technologist. He also happens to be an extraordinarily gifted professional photographer. After a lunch one day in downtown San Francisco I cajoled him into breaking out his camera. He worked his magic. I then cobbled together a few “about me” paragraphs, downloaded the Bumble app and hit GO.
My online dating journey proved to be a rich and fascinating experience. Sure, there were plenty of duds and disappointments, but it was mostly filled with incredibly lovely women with whom I was truly privileged to have kept company. My magical Bumble mystery tour held one more surprise for me. It came at 6:25pm at a stylish bar down the street from my hi-rise condo in Atlanta. I had arranged to meet a woman whose Bumble profile attracted me in a way I could not really understand or explain. Curiosity became fascination became a whirlwind romance became a deep and abiding love that continues to grow stronger to this day.
But the true gift of the totality of my online dating journey was internal. It was a journey of self-discovery that has left me a better, more confident and compassionate human being. It’s my hope that your journey will be equally insightful and fulfilling.
I don’t know where this journey with Behind the Swipe will lead, but I’m excited to be traveling it with you.
Before we go, if you or someone you know are interested in participating as a prospective guest dater on Behind the Swipe, check out our Be a Guest section of the website at behindtheswipe.com.
And between now and launch, we are giving you an opportunity to meet and listen to some of our daters in the Meet Our Season 1 Daters section of the site.
Until then, swipe fearlessly!