PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Two Portland natives and longtime besties have turned their countless conversations on dating and relationships into a podcast where they dish on everything from “prison baes” to polyamory.
Nichole Bain and Leigh LaRìe Bohannon, who go by Nik B and Leigh LaRie on the “Dirty Roses” podcast, first met at Northeast Portland’s Beaumont Middle School.
The two women, now in their early 40s, have experienced two sides of the dating world since then. While Bain was sharing her stories of the modern dating world with Bohannon, Bohannon was navigating a relationship with her now-ex-husband who she had been with for 21 years.
After her divorce, the newly-single Bohannon and Bain joined forces as co-hosts of the “Dirty Roses” podcast that debuted this past Valentine’s Day.
As Portland natives, the co-hosts have firsthand experiences of dating in the Rose City. Although many people disagreed with its title as one of the best cities for singles, Bain — who relocated to the Washington, D.C. area — believes the difficulty of dating is universal.
“No matter where you go, there you are,” Bain said. “You may find a bigger pool in a larger city like where I live now, but that doesn’t change the quality of the men. It may change the quantity, but that doesn’t mean that you are picking from better fruit, so to say.”
Regardless of where daters reside, the co-hosts have similar guidance for all of them.
When asked what advice she’d give her younger self, Bain answered that she’d be more intentional about pursuing the person that she’s interested in instead of waiting for them to approach her first.
Bohannon also said she would advise her younger self to be more intentional. The co-host added that she would focus more on her own desires, rather than the idea that everyone has to go to school, get married, have a career and start a family to be happy.
“There’s not a lot of attention being placed on people really knowing who they are, kind of really doing that inner work to make sure that they’re in a healthy space to be in a relationship,” Bohannon said. “I say focus on yourself and really understand who you are and what you want.”
The co-hosts expand on this in “Dirty Roses”, where they’ve covered many topics under the umbrellas of love, lust and perception in just two seasons.
The first season focused on how people’s communication styles with partners, friends or even colleagues can tell you plenty about who they are and how they date. The second season, which featured numerous guest speakers, was more about the “good vibes and the good energies that people were bringing to the table.”
The co-hosts want to highlight more guest speakers, and even local business owners, in the episodes and events to come.
You can listen to the first two seasons of the “Dirty Roses” podcast now, but season three will premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 31. After that, listeners can tune in from their favorite streaming service every Tuesday or watch the video on Youtube.
