Good Life Project — How The World’s Worst First Date Led to a Video that Changed Everything

Episode Air Date: October 30, 2025
Host: Jonathan Fields
Guest: Elise Meyers

Episode Overview

In this inspiring, candid, and often hilarious conversation, Jonathan Fields sits down with Elise Meyers—a creative storyteller and advocate for neurodivergence and mental health—whose viral video about “the world’s worst first date” catapulted her from an unknown web developer to “the Internet’s best friend” for over 12 million followers. This episode goes far beyond the mechanics of internet fame, delving into vulnerability, boundary-setting, family, authenticity, creative process, and what it truly means to live a good life—especially in the face of hardship and massive visibility.

Major Themes and Purpose

• How a single, authentic moment can change everything overnight.
• Navigating the psychological and emotional whiplash of viral fame.
• Setting and communicating boundaries as a public creator.
• Balancing vulnerability, authenticity, and private family life.
• Redefining gratitude, belonging, and self-knowledge.
• Living and creating “scared”—and how to move forward anyway.
• The importance of small, everyday moments in shaping our lives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Life Before Viral Fame (04:34–07:01)

• Elise’s Pre-Fame Life: Working remotely as a web developer, feeling disconnected from herself post-childbirth.
• First Foray Online: Started telling funny, sticker-embellished stories online to reconnect with her identity.
• Unexpected Virality: Her video about an online date gone wrong exploded during postpartum—a tumultuous, surreal pivot point.

“Probably the worst time for a new postpartum mom to accidentally become famous...I remember telling my husband…I’m so sorry I’ve done this to our family.”
—Elise Meyers (05:21)

• Family Dynamics: Jon (Elise’s husband) had just offered her a decade centered around her growth, which became real faster than expected.

The Infamous “Hundred Tacos” Story (07:01–07:33)

• The Viral Video: Elise recounts, with trademark deadpan humor, a disastrous date where her companion ordered 100 tacos and made her pay.

“He ordered a hundred tacos in a Taco Bell drive through and then…left his wallet at home, so I had to pay for them. And then we ate them in his house with his dad standing over us…”
—Elise Meyers (07:13)

• Impact: The story's relatability and absurdity struck a chord, leading to overnight fame.

Sudden Exposure & Overwhelm (07:33–11:18)

• No Warming Up: The viral moment felt like being “shot out of a cannon”—zero adjustment period.
• Internal Dissonance: Struggled with sleeplessness, physical anxiety, mental racing. Needed to decide—should she keep going?

“The human brain is not built for fame. … I don't believe that I am meant to have an understanding of what every angle of me looks like...It's just not normal.”
—Elise Meyers (14:36)

• Family & Safety: Quickly set boundaries about what to share, prioritizing her family's safety and privacy (with an advantage from past cybersecurity work).

Navigating Fame with Boundaries (11:29–22:05)

• Boundary-Setting: Created strict lines about sharing her son/family; learned to pull back when the online world demanded too much.

“With every big thing...sometimes you just get to this place where you're like...if I were to flex anymore, I would break.”
—Elise Meyers (14:06)

• Public Expectation vs. Private Need: The more she shares, the more she needs to “vacuum-seal” private experiences.
• Community Expectations: Once you let people in, they often expect continuing openness, and create stories to fill any perceived void.
• Modeling Healthy Boundaries: Sees part of her work as modeling boundary-setting and self-care for her audience.

Mental Health, Belonging & Loneliness (28:41–34:02)

• Superficial Belonging: Millions of followers may soothe childhood wounds, but do not provide authentic, deep connection.

“The little kid in me...is stoked…But that keeps you good for, like, a week and then it gets so old…The healthy part of me...is not fed by this.”
—Elise Meyers (29:35)

• Real Connection: True belonging is forged in real-life relationships, not social media numbers.

Processing Trauma & Privacy (34:02–38:28)

• On Her Son's Health Crisis: Enduring her infant son's medical ordeal transformed her views on privacy and meaning.

“The person that walked into that doctor's office...she died, she's gone. She literally doesn't exist...because how could she?”
—Elise Meyers (34:12)

• Protecting Family: The ordeal increased her protectiveness, wanting some parts of life away from the public eye.

Book Insights & Finding Meaning in Tiny Moments (35:12–41:09)

• New Book Structure: Not a linear memoir, but a series of vignettes—biggest life-shaping moments often stem from tiny details.
• Example: A childhood Halloween, magic 8-ball (“Lucy”), and learning to “do it scared”—how these micro-moments shaped her resilience.

"Doing It Scared"—Growth through Anxiety (41:09–44:39)

• Childhood Ritual: Used a Magic 8-ball for hard decisions, which evolved into the philosophy of “doing it scared.”

“What that showed me was I really can just do things scared...”
—Elise Meyers (43:10)

Chasing “More”—Yearning, Restlessness & Neurodivergence (47:36–52:49)

• The “More” Question: Sometimes “happy” isn’t enough; wanting more is not selfish—it’s about deeper fulfillment.
• Neurodivergence: Self-acceptance came with understanding her need for new obsessions or learning; finding a partner (Jonas) who championed, not suppressed, that.

"It's not enough for other people to be happy with my decisions. I need to be happy with them as well...I'm the one that has to live in this life that I build."
—Elise Meyers (48:23)

The Story of Jonas—Radical Love and Acceptance (52:49–56:54)

• Persistence and Acceptance: Jonas met her volatility with patience, never trying to “fix” her. Demonstrated radical acceptance and unwavering support.
• Re-writing Patterns: She tested his commitment repeatedly; his steady love helped her trust and settle.

"He just kept saying, like, until you tell me to stop chasing you...I'm just gonna keep showing up because you're worth showing up for in every way. And that was the most radical form of love I had ever received in my life."
—Elise Meyers (54:14)

Redefining Gratitude—Wanting More While Being Thankful (56:54–61:15)

• Complex Gratitude: Grappling with societal narratives that equate wanting more with ingratitude.
• Her New View: Now grateful for each “almost missed” moment, able to hold gratitude and desire together.

“Every good thing I experience…I almost missed it. … I want so much more. And there’s also like 10 million times more to be grateful for.”
—Elise Meyers (58:10)

The Good Life: Knowing Yourself (60:37–61:16)

• Defining a Good Life: Self-knowledge as the non-negotiable foundation.

“To live a good life, you have to know yourself…you gotta take time and get to know yourself because it’s really important and it matters a lot.”
—Elise Meyers (60:37)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Overnight Fame:
  “I just remembered never being able to pay attention to anything...my mind was like racing...so many eyeballs were on me...I just don’t want to do anything wrong.” (08:39; Elise Meyers)
• On Boundaries:
  “The human brain is not built for fame...I don't even think that mirrors should exist, really. We're just supposed to know each other, not ourselves.” (14:36; Elise Meyers)
• On Real Connection:
  “This job can feel so lonely. ... It’s only reaffirmed to me how important in-person connections are.” (30:52; Elise Meyers)
• On Doing It Scared:
  “That’s the moral of that story, is like, you can do things scared, but sometimes it helps to have a little thing to help you get through it and feel like it’s going to be okay.” (43:25; Elise Meyers)
• On Love That Doesn’t Want to "Fix":
  “Having this person meet all of me with all of him and being like, this doesn’t scare me. ... I love everything that I see in front of me. ... That is such a radical idea.” (53:13; Elise Meyers)
• On Living Well:
  “To live a good life, you have to know yourself.” (60:37; Elise Meyers)

Recommended Timestamps for Key Segments

• Pre-Fame Life: 04:34–06:49
• The Hundred Tacos Video: 07:01–07:33
• On Boundaries and Fame: 08:10–15:30
• Belonging & Online Community: 28:41–34:02
• Processing Trauma & Privacy: 34:02–35:12
• Book Structure & Meaningful Moments: 35:12–39:59
• Doing It Scared: 41:09–44:39
• The “More” Question & Neurodivergence: 47:36–52:49
• Love & Acceptance with Jonas: 52:49–56:54
• Redefining Gratitude: 56:54–61:15
• What Makes a Good Life: 60:37–61:16

Episode Takeaways

• Vulnerability can be a superpower, opening unexpected doors and creating genuine connection.
• Boundaries are critical—not just for personal wellbeing, but for the example they set for millions navigating similar questions.
• Fame does not equate to real belonging. Real-life, reciprocal relationships matter most.
• It’s okay—and important—to want more, while still practicing gratitude and acceptance.
• Radical love means accepting others as they are, not trying to fix them.
• Self-knowledge is the most important ingredient in a good life.

For Further Exploration

• Elise’s book, That’s a Great Question, I’d Love to Tell You, provides deeper dives into her stories, illustrated vignettes, and the small moments that reveal big truths.
• For listeners interested in further reflection on belonging, Jonathan suggests the earlier episode with Prentis Hemphill.

Summary prepared by Good Life Project Podcast Summarizer.