Dating as a widow and widower is not just about finding companionship. This particular dating experience is also about rebuilding trust, rediscovering joy, and embracing new beginnings. In this thought-provoking conversation, I welcome Francisco Rodriguez and Jessica Zoeller to explore the unique challenges and profound opportunities widows and widowers face when stepping back into the dating world. Together, they discuss practical advice, emotional resilience, and inspiring stories of hope. Tune in as these two amazing souls offer a roadmap for healing and connection whether you are navigating this journey yourself or supporting a loved one. I am sharing my experience of loving the same man for 32 years, a mother to two adult children, a retired military officer, a breast cancer survivor, and my connections with others. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should reach out to a suicide hotline or local emergency number in their country: Suicide Hotlines and Prevention Resources Around the World — Watch the episode here   Listen to the podcast here   Widow Dating Experience With Francisco Rodriguez & Jessica Zoeller We are at our final conversation with Francisco and Jessica, and I am so grateful for the love of commitment. Welcome to the show. Maybe your final conversation with this, but maybe not final overall. Thanks for having us. Thank you for having us. Thank you. Fran, what was your experience entering the dating world? I have no experience of entering the dating world, especially in these COVID times. Everything was more complicated to do in person. Everything was complicated because I didn’t know anyone in the area. I remember I talked to one of my friends, and he told me about the app Hinge. That was the one that he also used. He told me that one was probably the one that I should use if I wanted to find someone who was serious and open to commitment and being serious in a relationship. I’m glad that you mentioned that because a lot of people or everyone has their opinion of what they think is on a particular app, and this is not TikTok, this is real talk. Hinge, a lot of people think is a booty call or a hookup app. I hear a lot of people saying that, but I’m saying what I hear. You are probably the third couple that I know that met or I’m guessing you met on Hinge, but I know three couples that have met on Hinge and married.     I’m glad that you said that because you don’t know what is on that app until you try it out and see. I’m glad that you mentioned that. Some people were thinking Hinge is this and that. Not so. It depends on who you are as a person and what you are going to attract to you and what that’s going to look like and when you find out what’s attracting to you works, then you pursue that. If not, then you pivot. I’m glad that you mentioned that. Jessica, what was your entry point into the dating world? What did that look like? I started on Match.com and matched with some interesting people. You’ve heard the stories. It was not going the way that I was hoping it would. At some point, I said, “That’s it. I’m going to switch dating apps.” I have heard of Hinge on television and stuff, they advertise it very much as looking for somebody who’s serious and wants a serious relationship with them. I went on Hinge as well and then in between that, I also dated a fellow widow who I met through a support group on Facebook, and it was a relationship that wasn’t right. You can like and love a person but know that they are not the right person for you. I moved forward after that into Hinge and talked to some people. I can’t remember when we matched at some point. I was never dating anyone from there. I think I sent you a message because it was something that you were looking for. Someone serious. Since I cannot find it. We were talking about this. Then when I told you, this is probably not the site. How Widowhood Shaped Their Dating Journey His first message to me was so negative and I was like, “A girl can hope that she finds the right person,” and then we ended up chatting for twenty minutes on this particular website. On Match you can say whether you were divorced or widowed. They didn’t have that on Hinge. We did not know that we were widows until we started talking, and about twenty minutes in, I asked the question like, “Why are you single?” The good old “Why are you single” question and he said he was a widow, and I freaked out, and I was like, “Me too.” I was shocked when I saw you are very young. That was my reaction. Just a little bit. We have a six-year age gap. I was widowed at 34. I didn’t know that was your reaction when I was young. There are people who are much younger than us. I want to go back to this first super encouraging comment you made. When you sent the message, Fran, what were you thinking in your head about about how it would be received versus how it came across? When you were typing up, were you like, “I’m going to give her some cool tips on dating,” or it’s what came to mind? How did you think it was going to land? I like her profile and she was living not far from where I was living before. Then I just sent her those messages and we started chatting back and forth. It was very fast replying, which was nice. I regret that we deleted it. When you delete it, you can’t go back and see all the messages. The first one was something that I had written that