Episode 01

Once Upon a Time, a Girl Needs a Distraction in Quarantine

Yves & Heather

A lesson on reflection. The king asked, what is the hardest thing to look at? Meet me, the matchmaker and host, Yves D. Ropper. In March 2020, I was laid off and quarantining alone in a 1 bedroom apartment in Manhattan. In search of connection, I create an anonymous matchmaking experiment on a whim. The twist - no pictures, no names, no direct contact. They can only get to know each other by exchanging 1 voice memo a day, for 30 days. I solicit 100 strangers to participate and within just a couple days, people started sending 40 minute long voice memos to their matches. From behind the scenes, I listened to my participants. By the end of my experiment, I collected 100+ hours of audio from their voice memos. What I heard was empathy, acceptance, and real intimacy. They are all strangers to me, yet after listening to their voices, I feel connected to them. This story is as much about the experiment, its participants, and how it forced me to see myself. Listen to how Yves met Heather.

Episode 03

And Then I Understand

Katie & Robert

A lesson on acceptance. Would you want to change the worst parts of you if it required sacrificing the best parts of you? Katie is a dreamer and entrepreneur. Robert has a phd in computer science and works in tech. They both happen to be 28 and live in San Francisco. Over the 30 days, they unravel the layers and flavors of each other. Through their exchanges, you get to hear Katie’s emotionality surface. Robert shares things that are uncomfortable to say out loud and even more so to record. They reframe each other’s flaws and permission boringness to happen. This 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 if you already listened to ep 2).

HEATHER & CHESTER

A lesson on communication. If we understand all the words, how can we still speak past each other? Meet Chester, the guy who sent me voice memos and inspired my fascination with voice. 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. I finally learn about my love language. Listening to my participants be so forthcoming with each other and share words of affection inspire me to communicate better. And I try, starting with Chester.