The Boston Globe

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Channel • 6 Shows

Relationships

Relationships

Updated Fortnightly
True Crime

True Crime

Series
News

News

Updated 24 Feb
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated Weekly
News

News

Updated Weekly
Personal Journals

Personal Journals

Complete Series

1 Sept

The Mother-In-Law Episode

Meredith has wondered: why do so many people despise their in-laws? Specifically … their mother-in-laws?To explore the topic, Meredith welcomes Janice Page, who tells a story about her mother-in-law, Yu Ying.Janice explains how she and her mother-in-law became close, despite not speaking the same language, and how they stayed connected over decades. Meredith and Janice discuss how to see extended family, and what relatives of partners can teach us about ourselves. Want extra new episodes? Join our Friends With Benefits club by visiting ⁠globe.com/loveletters/friendswithbenefits⁠. You’ll get an ad-free experience, an extra episode a month, and a Love Letters journal (if you join for a year). And you'll even be able to hear an extended cut of this episode. Thank you for supporting our show. We want to support you right back. Remember, Love Letters is also an advice column. Ask Meredith a question about your relationship life by emailing ⁠loveletters@boston.com⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
18 Aug

Be sad about loss, but not all the time

Margo Howard, daughter of advice columnist Ann Landers and noted advice columnist in her own right, died recently at the age of 86.Meredith had the pleasure of knowing Margo for years in Boston. Occasionally they lunched at fancy restaurants and talked about the advice column business.Sometimes they gossiped.Sometimes Margo gave Meredith advice about her love life.Today we're sharing an episode from Season 1 that features Margo – with some new thoughts from Meredith about what she learned from Margo about moving on.Remember, Love Letters is an advice column. Send your questions about all kinds of relationships to loveletters@globe.com or visiting our anonymous submission page.You can join our special Friends With Benefits club – for extra episodes, an ad-free experience, and bonus content – by clicking here. Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use the code LOVELETTERS at checkout. Download the Saily app or go to: https://saily.com/your-unique-code Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 Aug

Turning 80, getting a divorce

Want extra new episodes? Join our Friends With Benefits club by visiting globe.com/loveletters/friendswithbenefits. You’ll get an ad-free experience, an extra episode a month, and a Love Letters journal (if you join for a year). And you'll even be able to hear an extended cut of this episode. Thank you for supporting our show. We want to support you right back. In today’s episode we learn it’s never too late to grow, make change, and get single to live your best life. Meet Chrissy, who is 79 and getting a divorce. She explains why this is happening after decades of marriage, and why this new path is essential now. Chrissy also shows us her blooming garden, which is a lovely metaphor for what’s to come. Click here to read the transcript. Remember, Love Letters is also an advice column. Ask Meredith a question about your relationship life by emailing loveletters@boston.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 June

Olivia Wilde on awkward relationships, marriage, and Esther Perel

She directed and co-stars in “The Invite,” a film about two couples who have a fairly monumental, impromptu dinner. It’s a comedy that turns into a drama … and then back to a comedy. It also stars Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton. Meredith saw “The Invite” and thought, "Oh, this should be part of a Love Letters Film Festival, if we ever had one." Today Meredith is joined by Olivia for a discussion about many things, including: why we like to see couples be awkward, Gen Z and technology, polyamory in Massachusetts, the meaning of marriage in 2026, how to stay optimistic about love, and, most importantly, their experiences with psychotherapist and podcast Esther Perel. Meredith and Olivia both have personal connections to Perel, who served as an adviser on the film. Enjoy a lively conversation about love and the stories we tell about it.Also, an event reminder! You can also sign up to attend Meredith’s free June 30th phone booth event – a 6 p.m. celebration of the Tell-A-Booth (featured on the pod) – by visiting bpl.org. Remember, Love Letters is also an advice column. Feel free to tell us your anonymous questions about your relationship life my emailing loveletters@globe.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 July

My high school boyfriend is better than yours

First: please join our Love Letters “Friends With Benefits” group. You’ll get extra episodes, swag, and an ad-free experience. For more info, visit globe.com/loveletters/friendswithbenefits. Today Meredith revisits an episode from the vault that features her high school boyfriend. She offers some new perspective – and fun updates. Meredith wanted to take a closer look at this story because of 18-year-old Lyla, our most recent guest, who explained her own high school breakup. In this one, there are lessons, laughs … and some new perspective. Enjoy revisiting former loves, and remember, Love Letters is also an advice column. Send your questions about relationships to loveletters@boston.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
7 July

How (not) to break up with your high school girlfriend

Join our Friends With Benefits club for an ad-free experience, a monthly bonus episode, and more. For details, visit Globe.com/loveletters/friendswithbenefits. In this episode, we meet Lyla, a recent high school graduate who tells a story about being dumped by a college-bound senior when she was a junior. It was a devastating breakup. It was also messy.A year later, it’s also a bit funny. The truth is, it’s hard to know when to end a high school relationship. It’s confusing, emotional, complicated – and there’s so much changing all at once. A year after this breakup, Lyla – now a college-bound 18-year-old herself – shares this story, with lessons about how to manage a relationship that’s probably temporary, and how to be kind when you’re letting go. Remember, we’re also an advice column. Send your questions about relationships to loveletters@boston.com. When you share your quandaries, you help others dealing with the same thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Season 1, Episode 1

EPISODE 1: Officer Pastillas

On the docks of New Bedford, Massachusetts, whispers about a rogue police officer harassing fishermen and stealing drugs come to a head aboard a scalloping boat late one night. The officer forces his way on board, saying an informant told him there would be drugs on board, and demands some. But when another officer, Mark Raposo, shows up, he thinks his colleague is in the middle of a “drug rip.” Now Raposo is ready to blow the whistle on what he’s seen. And it turns out that this officer’s abuse of the informant system is just the tip of the iceberg in this historic port city. *Note: this episode was updated Mar 12, 2025, to include a statement from police that the Globe received after the deadline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Season 1, Episode 5

EPISODE 5: “All this for nothing”

Two former New Bedford informants tell shocking stories. The first: a woman who didn’t even know she was being used as an informant by the cop she was sleeping with. The second: a man who was Paul Oliveira’s informant decades ago and who knows – better than anyone – how the police chief exploits the secrecy of this world. Spotlight reporters Dugan Arnett and Andrew Ryan try to get answers and accountability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 June

When to get off that train, with Drag Queen Jujubee

Jujubee, the boisterous drag queen and fan favorite on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” is the alter-ego of Airline Inthyrath, a relatively introverted homebody from Massachusetts. In this episode, Airline tells us a story about a recent relationship – and the lessons that came with it. In short: sometimes it’s difficult to be present. Other times it’s hard to know when to stop that relationship train. Learn all about Airline – and then see Jujubee in “Stop! That! Train!,” a new movie directed by Adam Shankman, who made the musicals “Hairspray” and “Rock of Ages.” The movie also stars RuPaul as the President of the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Season 1, Episode 2

EPISODE 2: Blind Trust

Spotlight reporter Dugan Arnett receives a desperate phone call from an informant who’s now in prison. He says he's afraid for his life because other inmates know he cooperated with police. This informant always knew he’d be in danger if someone from his gang found out that he was a snitch. What he didn’t anticipate was being betrayed by police, including a New Bedford officer who shares information with a member of the informant's gang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Narrative mini-series, news, commentary, and audio storytelling from the leading newsroom in New England.

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The Boston Globe

Top Shows

The Mother-In-Law Episode

Be sad about loss, but not all the time

Turning 80, getting a divorce

Olivia Wilde on awkward relationships, marriage, and Esther Perel

My high school boyfriend is better than yours

How (not) to break up with your high school girlfriend

EPISODE 1: Officer Pastillas

EPISODE 5: “All this for nothing”

When to get off that train, with Drag Queen Jujubee

EPISODE 2: Blind Trust

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