A Tale of Two Singles

The FINALE of season two is finally here! We hope it’s worth the wait… It’s episode 32. We’re 32. And there’s at least 32 reasons we’re thankful for A Tale of Two Singles (…in this episode we share exactly 32 of them). Join us as we reflect on the last two years of the podcast and chat about some of the things we’ve loved, learned from, laughed about and grown from through ATOTS. What a time to be alive. We also share some of your lovely feedback and ideas, revisit our commitment issues, laugh over another listener courting chaos story, and reminisce about some of our fantastic guests. We have grown so much since episode one of A Tale of Two Singles. Our opinions have changed. Our conversations have evolved. We’ve spoken to some incredible people. And we’ve had the best time. Thanks for listening and coming on this journey with us! As ever, we would LOVE to hear your thoughts, stories and reflections, so do drop us an email at ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com or Instagram us @ataleoftwosingles. You can buy us a coffee too, if you fancy it, at www.buymeacoffee.com/atots. And don’t forget, whether you’re single, dating, in a relationship, married, or have no idea where you’re at right now – you’re great and we appreciate you. Thank you! Sarah and Geraldine x

We probably all have a good idea about how Christian relationships and marriage are supposed to go… But how often do they actually work out like that? And what are the dangers of normalising the exception? We were really excited to unpack this with special guest Vicky Walker, who has surveyed hundreds of Christian men and women about their relationship journeys. (Ladies and gents, we have real life statistics in this episode and everything! Like actual research… And everyone knows, you can argue with Sarah and Geraldine, but you can’t fight facts). Vicky is a writer, speaker, interviewer, event host and radio person. She is also the author of Do I Have to be Good All the Time? and Relatable: Exploring God, Love and Connection in the Age of Choice. We’ve been wanting to have Vicky on A Tale of Two Singles for absolutely ages, as we think the findings of her Real Life Love survey are really fascinating and helpful. So we hope you enjoy our conversation! As ever, drop us a message and let us know what you think! We LOVE hearing from you. Email ataeoftwosingles@gmail.com or Instagram us @ataleoftwosingles. And if you want to find out more about Vicky, head to www.vickywalker.info. Love, Geraldine and Sarah x

Have you ever felt embarrassed when talking about your dating history (or lack of)? If you have, we’re here to tell you: 1. You’re not alone. And 2. It’s time to stop being embarrassed! Join us for episode 30 of A Tale of Two Singles, where we challenge the myth that your dating history is embarrassing, discuss some of your amazingly helpful feedback, and share another one of your great courting chaos stories (it was high time for a love triangle, we’re sure you’ll agree). We also chat about some of our more cringey celebrity crushes, Sarah’s inability to hear innuendos before she’s said them, and why you need to start owning your story. As ever, please do drop us a message to let us know what you think of A Tale of Two Singles. Honestly, it’s your feedback that keeps us recording on these dark wintery days. Also – send us courting chaos stories please! We know some of you are holding out on us… Email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com or Instagram us @ataleoftwosingles. Happy listening friends. We love you! Geraldine and Sarah xx PS. Did you also know that you can now rate us on Spotify! So if you’re listening there, please do give us some stars (preferably 5). And if you’d like to buy us a coffee, that would be nice too. Head to buymeacoffee.com/atots.

It’s November and we literally don’t know how we got here – sorry for October’s radio silence! But we’re back and we’re excited to be talking about what makes good girlfriend/boyfriend material. Do all kind people make good partners? Is it bad that we don’t want to spend 24 hours a day with our hypothetical husbands? And is it even possible to fall in love with someone who doesn’t make you laugh?! We also give you a whistle-stop tour of our Octobers (you’re welcome), share your thoughts on what makes a good partner, bring back Tinderella, and talk about our new favourite men: Ted Lasso and Roy Kent. As ever, please do send us your courting chaos stories, your thoughts, your feedback, your hopes and your dreams. Instagram or Facebook us @ataleoftwosingles or email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com. We love your messages! We hope you enjoy! Sarah and Geraldine x

When, what, how, why, must I really…? In episode 28 of A Tale of Two Singles we chat about defining the relationship. When’s too soon to say you’re a couple? Is it really worth facing rejection by asking if you could be more than friends? And why is it so darn hard to be vulnerable? Join us as we try to tackle all these questions and discuss your takes on when’s the right time to DTR. We also have not one, but TWO great courting chaos stories, update you on our outdoor furniture fiasco, and retraumatise ourselves remembering the spider drama we recently lived through… Sarah also decides it’s a good idea to try speaking in German (for which I apologise profusely). Have a listen and then please send us your thoughts! Your emails and messages make our day. We’d love your stories, ideas, opinions and feedback. Instagram or Facebook us @ataleoftwosingles or email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com. If you’d like to buy us a coffee, that would be nice too. Head to buymeacoffee.com/atots. Love you, bye… Geraldine and Sarah x

Are happily ever afters actually happy? Rewatching The Wedding Planner in our 30s led us to question everything we believe about life. Well, maybe not everything, but it did make Sarah wonder why she used to have such a crush on Matthew McConaughey. (He’s probably great in real life, but he doesn’t come off too well as a 00s chick flick heartthrob…) In episode 27 of A Tale of Two Singles we chat about whether our favourite teenage chick flicks (and yours) stand the test of time and how they might have affected our beliefs about love and happiness long term. We also share a shocking courting chaos story from the Shard (that’s right, we have classy listeners/our listeners have classy friends) and update you on the highs and lows of our lives – from Sarah’s frog encounter to Geraldine’s desire to be a whale. Give it a listen, let us know your thoughts, send us your stories! We genuinely love to hear from you: Instagram and Facebook us @ataleoftwosingles or email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com. You can still buy us a coffee too if you want! www.buymeacoffee.com/atots Big love, Geraldine and Sarah x

Friendship doesn’t get celebrated nearly as much as it should, so we’ve dedicated episode 26 of A Tale of Two Singles to talking all about it. As ever, we’re stepping up and saying what needs to be said… Friends are great. Spread the word. We also share a cracking courting chaos story from one of you lovely listeners (set in an opticians no less), update you on our elderly aches and pains (you’re welcome), and share some of your lovely messages and thoughts. You guys are so great! And don’t worry, we do also carry on laughing about life and finding ourselves hilarious… what a time to be alive. Let us know if you have any great ideas for how we can better celebrate our friends and send us your feedback and dating stories! Instagram or Facebook us @ataleoftwosingles or email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com. And if you fancy it, you can support A Tale of Two Singles by buying us a coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/atots! Love you guys. Thanks for your friendship! Sarah and Geraldine

Geraldine’s tagline is a BOOK?! Say what? Join us for a refreshing and empowering take on dating in the Church with Aukelien van Abbema. Aukelien is a counsellor, dating course leader and the author of Dare to Date and Single in Church. Do checklists make us miss good matches? Does God actually have a perfect plan for us and a partner ready and waiting? Is falling in love a myth? And how can we get rid of the fear around dating? We loved chatting through all this and more with Aukelien, so we hope you enjoy hearing what she has to say. #daretodate Send your thoughts, feedback, hopes, dreams and dating stories to ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com or Instagram or Facebook us @ataleoftwosingles. We genuinely love receiving your messages. Hear more from Aukelien and access the dating course we chat about at: www.aukelienvanabbema.nl. Happy listening! Geraldine and Sarah PS. We create this podcast for free because we believe it is important, but if you enjoy it and fancy supporting us, you can now buy us a coffee! Head to: www.buymeacoffee.com/ATOTS to donate.

It’s what you’ve all been waiting for… Geraldine’s top 12 flirting tips! Join us as we scrap the myth that flirting is bad, completely lose it over Sarah’s devastating run-in with some hot cross buns, and find another excuse to bring up firemen. We also share some of your comments on episode 23 (a great, very honest chat about sex if you haven’t already listened!), share another brilliant listener courting chaos story, and give you more of the A Tale of Two Singles banter you know and (we hope) love. Do drop us a message to share your dating stories, give us your feedback, and let us know what myth you want us to challenge next! Message us on Instagram or Facebook @ataleoftwosingles or email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com. Happy listening. Love you, bye! Geraldine and Sarah

This episode, we get sexy. Hannah Tarbuck (@the_missionary_position on Instagram) joins us to talk about all things sex and sexuality. There’s a weird silence around sex in Christian circles. We can all agree that the youth group, gender-segregated sex talk doesn’t really cut it when you’re single in your 20s and 30s. So here we are, once again overcoming our awkward Christian Britishness by… making a guest answer all your difficult sex questions. Sexology student Hannah didn’t have the wedding night she was promised and has been on a huge journey with sex and sexuality. In this episode, she helps us challenge the myth that women aren’t sexual beings, talks about how we can embrace our sexuality as single people, and shares her story. We hope you find this episode of A Tale of Two Singles helpful. As ever, please send us your thoughts, feedback and stories – we make this podcast for you, so hearing what you think is always a joy! Email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com or Instagram us @ataleoftwosingles. You can hear more from Hannah by following her on Instagram @the_missionary_position. Enjoy! Geraldine and Sarah x

Is it ever too late to fall in love? Have we missed our one chance for happiness? Are spinning classes a dangerous pastime? These are some of life’s biggest questions – and in episode 22 of A Tale of Two Singles, we attempt to answer them all. Join us as we chat about changing our perspective, celebrating our victories, and the similarities between Sarah and Angelina Jolie (there aren’t very many, let’s be honest). Geraldine also shares an absolute cracker of a courting chaos story – the list of reasons not to go spinning is getting longer every day… As ever, please send thoughts, stories, gifts and love to ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com, or drop us a message on Instagram @ataleoftwosingles. Hearing from you is always a treat! Happy listening, Sarah and Geraldine x

How do you turn down that second date without looking like a [insert word of choice here]? Is arm touching really the answer to everything? And what even is our obsession with height?! In episode 21 of A Tale of Two Singles, we talk all things singleness, dating and relationships with author Lauren Windle. Join us for deep chats, big laughs and our first-ever quick-fire round. We had so much fun recording this one! Lauren Windle is an author, journalist, presenter and public speaker. Her book Notes on Love: Being Single and Dating in a Marriage Obsessed Church is out in July – and it’s a great read! Find out more at laurenwindle.com. As ever, we would love your thoughts, stories and feedback. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @ataleoftwosingles or email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com. Big love, Sarah and Geraldine

We’re BACK with Season 2 of a A Tale of Two Singles, and we’re excited! Join us as we try to get to the bottom of the saying ‘When you know, you know’, share another classic courting chaos story, and chat about what’s changed since we released our first episode a whole year ago. Is Sarah any better at whistling? Has Geraldine’s leg waxing career progressed? You’ve waited long enough for answers… now here they are. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or SoundCloud. We really do want A Tale of Two Singles to be fun, relevant and helpful to you, so please send us your thoughts, let us know what you want us to talk about, share your stories, and tell your friends about the podcast! DM us on Instagram @ataleoftwosingles or email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com. We love to hearing from you. Thanks for listening, you’re all great. Geraldine and Sarah x

We had SO much fun recording Season 1 of A Tale of Two Singles and chatting all things Christian singleness and dating. We've pulled together some highlights from our first 18 episodes, and we hope you enjoy laughing with us again! Share ATOTS best bits with your friends and get them hyped for Season 2 which is COMING SOON! As always, we would LOVE your hilarious dating stories, your feedback, your ideas for things we should chat about, and your best banter... so drop us an email at ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com. Listen to A Tale of Two Singles on Spotify, SoundCloud and Apple Podcasts, follow us on Instagram and Facebook @ataleoftwosingles, review us on Apple Podcasts, and share us far and wide - Sarah's not going to get on Strictly without your support! Love you guys! Happy listening :) Geraldine and Sarah

Oh my goodness guys, the FINALE of season one of A Tale of Two Singles is here. How exciting! Join us as we revisit all the myths we’ve challenged over the last 17 episodes, laugh a lot, and share another amazing Courting Chaos story – a cautionary tale for any of you thinking butternut squash might be the soup of the day for your next date… We have loved recording this podcast for you over the last nine months, and have been so encouraged by your emails and messages. Your stories, feedback and ideas have brought us so much inspiration, food for thought, and laughter – so keep them coming please! Email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com or drop us a message on Instagram or Facebook @ataleoftwosingles. Sarah will also accept GIFS. We’ll be back in the spring, so do let us know what you want us to chat about (or if you want us to stop haha). Thanks for listening, and merry Christmas! Love you guys, Geraldine and Sarah x PS: you can read the magazine we chat about in this episode (all about singleness, relationships and love) here: www.bmsworldmission.org/ATOTS. (Sarah’s feature is on page 10!) (Sleigh bells sound effect from www.zapsplat.com.)

How can you make your dating profile stand out? Does online Christian dating actually work? Is there still a stigma surrounding it? And what are the no-gos if you actually want to get a date? Geraldine and Sarah sit down with Paul Rider, founder of Christian dating app SALT, to find out. Join us as we chat all things online dating. We also share a listener medical mayhem story (love that this has become a thing!), Geraldine struggles to read, and Sarah accidently goes against everything she has said in A Tale of Two Singles thus far... As always, we want to know what you think, so do drop us an email at ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com, or message us on Instagram or Facebook @ataleoftwosingles. We'd also love your Courting Chaos stories, ideas for future episodes, and any other feedback! Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy! Love Sarah and Geraldine x PS. If you like A Tale of Two Singles, please do follow us and share us with your single friends! We’re on Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Instagram and Facebook.

It’s their last time to shine! The five guys join us for one final episode to let us know what they really think about online dating, and what advice they have for A Tale of Two Singles listeners. We also share some disastrous medical encounters under the guise of Courting Chaos (we’re not really sure why…), unpack some of the most fascinating insights from the guys, and celebrate the fact we’re all wonderful! Hooray. Please keep sending us your Courting Chaos stories (especially any Christmas ones) otherwise we’re going to have to send Geraldine back to her GP to get us some more material… And as always, let us know your thoughts, questions and ideas for A Tale of Two Singles. We love hearing from you. Email us at ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com or drop us a message on Instagram or Facebook @ataleoftwosingles. We’ll be back with episode 17 soon where we’ll delve deeper into online dating! Happy listening.

What even is ‘the spark’? Having Googled it, we’re more possibly more confused than ever. Join us for episode 15 of A Tale of Two Singles where we tackle the myth that if there isn’t a spark it’s not going to work… and in doing so try to pin down what that elusive spark really is via an inadvertent tour through some (quite frankly stellar) chick flicks. We also catch you up on our latest sporting achievements (you’ve been dying for an update we know), and share an amazing and hilarious first date story (with a happy ending, hooray!). We’d love to hear your thoughts on ‘the spark’, your courting chaos stories, and your ideas for future episodes, so once you’ve listened do drop us a message at ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com or on Instagram or Facebook @ataleoftwosingles. It’s always a joy to hear from you! Love you guys! Geraldine and Sarah x DISCLAIMER: we recorded this before lockdown 2.0 was announced in England, that’s why we sound so cheerful.

The five guys are back! Join A Tale of Two Singles as we find out what they think about the ‘ideal Christian woman’ being meek and mild, and how they’d like to see Christian dating change. In episode 14, we also bring back Courting Chaos (you know you’ve missed it), have an exciting announcement, and share some hilarious and encouraging listener feedback. We loved recording this episode, so we hope you enjoy listening. Join us as we dream about changing the Christian culture around singleness and dating (and you know, transforming the world – one episode at a time…). Singleness can be joyful, and dating can be fun! Laugh with us. Learn with us. And then let us know what you think! Email ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com Instagram @ataleoftwosingles Facebook @ataleoftwosingles Happy listening, love Geraldine and Sarah x

You read that right! For episode 13 of A Tale of Two Singles, we are very excited to be joined by the wonderful John Mark Comer! By popular demand, Sarah overcomes her British/Christian awkwardness to ask author and pastor John Mark Comer about sex. We also chat with him about singleness in the Church, the importance of community, and why single Christians look pretty weird to the rest of the Western world. John Mark Comer is pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church in Portland and the author of some very popular and wise books, including The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, God has a Name, and Loveology. You can find out more about John Mark by visiting johnmarkcomer.com. As always, we’d really like to know what you think, so drop us an email at ataleoftwosingles@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram or Facebook @ataleoftwosingles and send us a message. We love hearing from you! We’ll be back with ‘What guys really think, part 2’ in episode 14. Happy listening!