1 • Derek Lenington

Welcome to the very first episode of Friends, Loves, & Life! I’m so excited to finally share this project with you—and it felt only right to start this journey with the person who’s been beside me for nearly two decades: my husband, Derek.

This episode is more than just an interview. It’s a conversation between two people who met in the most ordinary (yet hilarious) way and built an extraordinary life together. We talk about how we met—yes, it started with a gym, a trainer, and a compliment I blurted out without thinking—and what it’s been like to grow as individuals and as a couple through twenty years of love, parenting, major moves, and all the chaos and beauty that come with that.

One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Derek is how thoughtful he is, and in this episode, you’ll hear that. We dive into parenting—especially what it meant for him to step into raising another child after already raising one. We touch on how we’ve navigated big decisions like where to live, how to support each other’s careers, and what commitment looks like when it’s rooted in mutual respect rather than rigid expectations.

We also explore the emotional layers of our relationship—what it means to be monogamous when you’ve never actually sat down and made that decision consciously, and how our past experiences, fears, and growth shaped the partnership we have today. For both of us, love and family didn’t follow a straight line. We came together with history, with wounds, and with lessons—and we made something out of that. Something real. Something imperfect. Something lasting.

I hope this episode feels like sitting down with two people who’ve loved deeply, made mistakes, laughed a lot, and are still figuring it out together. Because that’s what this show is about—real conversations, shared experiences, and getting to the heart of it all.

If you’re in a relationship, have been in one, want to be in one, or are just curious about how two queer men built a life together, I think you’ll find something in here that resonates. Maybe you’ll laugh at our awkward gym meet-cute. Maybe you’ll nod along when we talk about moving and longing for “home.” Maybe you’ll feel seen when we get vulnerable about insecurity and self-worth.

However it lands for you, I hope you take something from it—and if you do, please share it with someone who might need it too.

You can listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, and YouTube. New episodes Wednesday. And if you enjoy it, leave a review—it helps more than you know.

Thanks for being here at the beginning of this journey. There’s more to come. And who knows? Maybe you’ll be a guest one day.

Until next time,

David

#FriendsLovesLife #LGBTQPodcast #QueerLove #RelationshipGoals #GayDads #PodcastLaunch #DavidBegor

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