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The Break-Up Diet
Carla Borges was in an OPEN Relationship for 3 Years and Still Got Dumped... No One's Safe!
Season 1, Ep. 20
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What happens when a monogamous relationship evolves into something more complex? Carla Borges, rising top model and dear friend, joins us to unpack her journey through the emotional landscape of open relationships and breakups. Carla's candid recount of her six-year relationship, marked by the transition from monogamy to openness, gives us a raw glimpse into her world. She opens up about how she navigated her partner's insecurities and her own path of self-discovery, including the embrace of her bisexuality. This episode offers a unique perspective on balancing personal growth with the emotional intricacies of love and loss.
Together, we tackle the nuanced dynamics of relationships, reflecting on the delicate dance between jealousy and territoriality, and how societal expectations shape our personal narratives. Our own experiences from high school relationships shed light on the challenges of polyamory and monogamy, especially during life-altering moments like university and lockdown. It's a thought-provoking conversation about the importance of setting boundaries and the fine line between connection and codependency. We share stories that illustrate how relationships can both test and nurture our personal evolution, underscoring the value of respecting ourselves and each other.
The journey doesn't end with a breakup; rather, it marks the beginning of profound self-reflection and healing. Carla and I share our experiences in processing breakups that lack definitive closure and how embracing vulnerability can lead to newfound strength. We discuss the liberation found in self-awareness and independence, and the courage required to wish for mutual growth following a breakup. This journey of personal transformation is filled with honest reflections, as we highlight the empowerment that comes from fully understanding and embracing our emotions, setting the stage for new beginnings and aspirations.
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3. The European Kid: Breakups in Big Cities
24:32||Season 2, Ep. 3This week on The Break Up Diet, Yaz is in New York with Aris Yeager aka The European Kid for a very real, very honest conversation about breakups in big cities and why they somehow hurt more the older we get.Aris opens up about his worst breakup and why the ones from your teenage years do not even compare. We talk about how moving to a fast paced city like New York can completely shift your priorities, your relationships, and your sense of self. And like a lot of men, the heartbreak did not hit straight away. It crept in weeks later through the small things. Seeing something funny and instinctively wanting to text them. Reaching for your phone out of habit. Realising someone quietly became part of your everyday life.We get into modern dating in big cities, fake energy, surface level connections, and how social media makes it feel like there is always something better around the corner. Aris shares what it is like navigating relationships while having an online persona, why genuine people feel rarer than ever, and why closure actually matters when it comes to moving on.This episode is thoughtful, relatable, and very Break Up Diet coded. It is for anyone who has ever wondered why they are still hurting while their ex seems completely fine, or felt like a breakup is less about losing a person and more about losing a version of your life.Press play if you are healing, reflecting, or just want to feel a little less alone.2. You Don’t Miss Him. You Miss the Fantasy (With Madi Rouse)
26:46||Season 2, Ep. 2Be honest… you don’t actually miss him — you miss the version of him you made up in your head.This week on The Break-Up Diet, we’re joined by breakup creator Madi Rouse, whose raw, no-BS advice has helped thousands of women navigate heartbreak, anxiety, and that “why can’t I let go?” phase.We get into:Why you’re not in love — you’re in limerenceHow hope after a breakup keeps you stuckFalling for potential (and why it’s your biggest red flag)Why stalking your ex is literally an addictionWhy men and women heal so differentlyHow to stop romanticising someone who couldn’t show up for youIf you’re “fine” but still checking his Instagram, replaying the relationship in your head, or secretly hoping he’ll come back… this episode is your reality check.It’s time to stop missing the fantasy — and start choosing yourself. 💔✨1. Do I Actually Like Them… or Do I Just Want Them to Want Me?
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23:01||Season 1, Ep. 64It’s cold. London is dark by 4pm. Raya is suddenly popping off. Which can only mean one thing… it’s cuffing season ❄️💔In this episode, Yaz & Ilmz get painfully honest about winter situationships, temporary boyfriends, and the very real question: are you actually lonely — or are you just cold? From the intimacy of doing the food shop together to cosplaying a relationship that has absolutely no future, cuffing season has a way of blurring the lines between comfort and commitment.We talk about why winter flings hit harder than summer ones, how easy it is to confuse closeness with intention, and why being single during the festive season might actually be elite. There’s Raya chaos, London dating droughts, the Great Lock-In, and a reality check on letting winter trick you into someone who won’t survive spring.If you’re debating texting your ex, settling for a “just for now” situation, or wondering why everyone suddenly has plans with a boy, this episode is for you. Grab a blanket, light a candle, and press play — hot water bottles over exes, always.🕯️✨63. I Loved Him So Much… I LOST Myself (ft. Holly Valentine)
25:13||Season 1, Ep. 63This week on The Break-Up Diet, we’re joined by Holly Valentine — the TikTok breakup girlie who turned her heartbreak into a full-blown community of women healing right alongside her.Holly gets real about the breakup that made her lose herself: the on-again-off-again chaos, the begging and bargaining phase she’s now emotionally allergic to, and the moment she hit rock bottom and said, “Right. I’m done.”She talks about blocking literally half her hometown, skydiving two weeks after getting dumped (because why cry when you can jump out of a plane?), walking for hours just to feel human again, and the terrifying-but-freeing reality of realising she had no idea who she was without him.We get into losing your identity in a relationship, rebuilding your entire life from scratch, learning to be alone for the first time, and the power of choosing yourself even when your ex is 100% stalking your TikToks. (Hi babe — enjoy the content.)If you’ve ever rotted in bed after a breakup, checked his socials like it was a full-time job, or fallen in love with a man so deeply you forgot you even existed… this episode is a warm hug, a wake-up call, and a group chat all in one.Grab your iced latte, re-block your ex (again), and heal with us. 💅💔✨62. From ‘I Do’ to I’m Done. Marriage, Mess & MAFS UK with Steven Springett
40:44||Season 1, Ep. 62This week on The Break-Up Diet, we’re joined by Steven Springett from MAFS UK Season 10 and trust us, the drama did not end when the cameras stopped rolling. From marrying a complete stranger to surviving an edit that had everyone talking, plus Hinge chaos, hate DMs, and one breakup story so wild it sounds illegal… Steven is finally telling all.We dig into everything Season 10 didn’t show: the mess, the pressure, the off-camera conversations, and the therapy that followed. And yes — Steven shares the breakup moment that lives in our heads rent-free: the time he tried to return his ex’s things… and ended up hearing her with another man on the other side of the door. Truly cinematic trauma.It’s raw, shocking, hilarious, and everything we love on this podcast.If you’re addicted to reality TV tea, modern dating disasters, and men being painfully honest for once… this episode is your whole personality today.61. Tell Me the Truth… Just Don’t Ruin Me.
23:01||Season 1, Ep. 61Is honesty actually the best policy in a breakup, or is it just the official excuse people use right before they emotionally drop-kick you? This week, we unpack the breakup truth spectrum — from the clarity you deserve to the chaos you definitely didn’t order.Ilma and I get into it: the difference between honesty and emotional sabotage, why some people romanticise closure like it’s a personality trait, and why the delivery of the truth can sometimes feel more villain-coded than the truth itself. We talk brutal timings, ego-fuelled confessions, shock-induced silence, and the breakup questions spiral we all pretend we’re above… until we’re in it.This episode is for anyone who’s ever thought: ‘Okay, fine, I can handle the truth — just don’t emotionally ruin me in the process.’ Because honesty? Gorgeous. Weaponised honesty? Jail, immediately.Think of this as your breakup survival guide, but actually fun — smart, warm, insightful, and full of bite-sized wisdom you’ll want to share straight to the group chat.Welcome back to The Breakup Diet — where we keep it real, keep it classy, and keep it very, very honest (minus the emotional arson). 🎧✨💋60. Why You Keep Dating the Same Man in a Different Body ft. Jessica Ella
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