Trying Very Hard: The Podcast
Dating Outside the Lines: On Culture, Religion, & Money in Relationships
What happens when love isn't the hard part — but everything around it is?In this episode of Trying Very Hard podcast, Amanda and Monica get honest about dating across cultural, religious, and socioeconomic lines, and the quieter question underneath it: how much of yourself are you giving up to make it work?They both grew up in international schools in Jakarta and have almost never dated within their own background. Between them they've navigated a traditional Malaysian Muslim family, an Indian Indonesian relationship where they never met his parents, a boyfriend who made them feel bad for what they ordered at dinner, and family members with strong opinions about who they should end up with.We get into the "love conquers all" belief that had never actually been tested, being asked to cover your head and dress differently, what it means when introducing your partner to your parents carries completely different weight in different cultures, the passive aggression that shows up around money, and being called a "crazy rich Asian" by someone you'd just met.They also talk about what's different now — the small acts of thoughtfulness that turn out not to be small, why parental advice reads as control to one person and as love to another, and the question they think matters more than compatibility: am I liking the person I'm becoming in this relationship?No conclusions about whether it works. Just two friends being honest about what it actually costs, and what it gives you back. Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tryingveryhardpod/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TryingVeryHardPod Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4kQL0nJmPhv38D8io58eMX Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/trying-very-hard-the-podcast/id1878052269 Website: https://www.tryingveryhard.com/
