NOT LOVELINE – EPISODE SUMMARY
“HE PROPOSED TO HER WITH WHAT!?!? + MY FRIEND STINKS!”
Hosts: Tana Mongeau & Trisha Paytas
Date: February 23, 2026

Episode Overview

This week’s Not Loveline is peak Tana and Trisha: oversharing, real talk about self-image and relationships, and their signature blend of empathy, chaos, and humor. The episode focuses on listener call-ins covering everything from engagement ring dilemmas, confronting a “stinky” friend, anxieties over body count, breaking free from perfection in beauty routines, and the uncertainty of being 18. The hosts punctuate the show with personal anecdotes about their own growth, advice-giving fails, and the freedom in rewriting old narratives.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. Trauma Dumping & Social Media Realness [00:21–03:19]

• Both hosts note they “trauma dumped” before recording, and find it cathartic.
• "We're both going through some." – Tana [00:46]
• The illusion that internet personalities have it all together is called out.
• Advice: Focus on small joys each day, like a favorite treat or a hairstyle, as a survival tactic during tough times. [01:18–01:56]
  • “It is about finding joy in moments so small … sometimes that might be the only win of your day.” – Tana [01:18]

2. Finding Escape and Joy: Cosplay, Travel, and Dorky Comfort [02:28–04:54]

• Trisha describes joy in cosplay and her Wuthering Heights shoot.
• Both hosts are speaking at colleges (!), marveling at their “full-circle moments.”
• Trisha is excited about wearing Louboutins and discusses the new, supposedly comfortable styles—leading to a tangent about the horrors of painful shoes.
• “A comfortable Louboutin is like saying a comfortable guillotine.” – Tana [04:20]

3. College Advice & The Value of Education [09:15–12:05]

• Both marvel at being invited to speak at universities and reflect on what advice they’d give to college students.
• Trisha credits college for discipline; Tana highlights life skills learned through social challenges like roommates.
• “The discipline it takes to get a degree … shows you your work ethic even if you never use it.” – Trisha [10:17]
• Trisha and Tana laugh about feeling imposter syndrome at their speaking gigs.
• Both reflect on confronting negative associations with certain places (Trisha: New Orleans, Trisha/Florida), and advocate for “rewriting” your story.

4. Growth, Redemption, & Purpose [14:16–15:49]

• Trisha shares she once doubted her life’s purpose, but realized–through fan messages–she was helping people even then.
• “Who says there’s no purpose? Maybe I did have a purpose that I just couldn’t see.” – Trisha [14:30]
• Tana expands: dark periods can become meaningful chapters in your story.
  • “Sometimes those dark times make the best redemption stories.” – Trisha [15:07]

5. Boundaries, Oversharing & Maturity in the Social Media Age [17:01–19:03]

• Both reflect on learning (the hard way) to set boundaries with what they share about other people, especially significant others.
• “Maturing is realizing you don’t have to air out every grievance.” – Tana [17:19]
• They share regrets about hurting others by oversharing on past podcasts, and now save more for Patreon.
• “If someone else had a big platform, they could be talking about how off your face you were last night…” – Tana [19:06]

CALL-IN ADVICE SEGMENTS

[22:54] CALL #1: He Wants to Propose With His Grandma’s Ring – I Want My Own

Listener Situation:
Her boyfriend wants to propose with his grandmother’s ring; she wants a ring of her own design and doesn’t know how to express this.

Hosts’ Take:

• Both emphasize it’s okay to want your own ring. Sentiment is important, but so is your dream.
• Suggest compromise: keep the grandma ring (wear it on another finger, make it a necklace, combine the stone with a new setting, etc.).
• Trisha retells her own “dream ring” story—her husband remembered her favorite style from a reality show and surprised her by tracking it down:
  • “I really like to be loved is to be remembered … that something you flashed your phone two times was, like, perfectly made for you.” – Tana [26:19]
• Tana: Don’t let guilt or tradition overrule your desires.
• “Those rules were made when, like, we had no rights. You can do whatever you want." – Tana [29:38]
• Consensus: With the right person, it should be a happy, collaborative process. Don’t beat yourself up for wanting what you want – love isn’t about sacrifice at every turn.

[31:28] CALL #2: My Friend Stinks! How to Handle a Stinky BFF

Listener Situation:
How to tell a friend she has body odor (after already hinting: “maybe you smell a little off”).

Hosts’ Take:

• Both admit they typically just deal with it, but explore options:
  • Offer deodorant, perfume, etc. in private, one-on-one.
  • If products don’t phase her, a private, gentle conversation is recommended (“I would just want to help you…”)
  • Normalize human “stink”: sometimes people can't smell themselves or use the wrong products.
  • “I love them for their stink!” – Tana [32:39]
• Tana shares: some friends can banter about it, but only if your relationship allows playful honesty.
• Advice: use friend recommendations (favorite deodorant, scent, etc.) and make it about sharing, not shaming.
• “Hot girls stink. Sometimes we stink! Like, it happens.” – Tana [37:41]
• Both encourage compassion — frame it as a universal, manageable thing.

[38:15] CALL #3: Body Count Insecurity

Listener Situation:
Caller feels some shame about her “rising” body count post-breakup, even though she knows she shouldn’t.

Hosts’ Take:

• Tana: “It does not matter. It is imaginary—a societal thing to deem people lesser … If someone asks, just say something.”
• Both note they never tally or worry about body count in their own relationships.
  • “Who counts? If someone was like, ‘What’s your body count?’ Like, what loser counts?” – Trisha [44:43]
• Red flag: If a man is obsessed with your number, that says more about him than you.
• Both caution against using sex as self-harm, but assert the count itself is meaningless.
  • “If it takes three more on that list to find the person who’s gonna be there for you … who gives a if it took 50?” – Tana [46:59]
• The hosts debunk gender double standards (men praised for more partners).
  • Trisha joking: “Sometimes a higher number is kind of a flex. Look at all these people that wanted to bang me.”
• Consensus: Don't let social norms prevent you from living authentically—and don't let your “statistic” define your worth.

[49:57] CALL #4: Breaking the Bleach-and-Tone/ Extensions Addiction

Listener Situation:
How do I break the “addiction” to being platinum blonde, extensions, etc., and feel confident naturally?

Hosts’ Take:

• Both hosts empathize deeply; share their “recovery” stories from platinum + extensions.
• Trisha: “You kind of have to hit the rock bottom of hair.”
• Tana admits her in-between phase (“The fantasy I thought I was giving for so long was not in the room with us.” [55:56])
• “The time you save, the money you save, is like, oh my god, I can live my life without coming to the salon every two weeks.” – Trisha [55:31]
• Beauty standards change—what’s “hot” now isn’t always what you think.
• Their verdict: Transition will be rough (“a few months in the trenches”) and you may mourn your old self, but there is joy on the other side—freedom, new routines, and natural beauty. Try new things. If you hate it, you can always go back!
• Do it “for fun” rather than compulsion or belief it’s your sole source of beauty.
• “Both are true. We’re working on loving our natural hair, but we’re excited for the Abby Young method!” – Trisha [66:11]

[66:31] CALL #5: Advice for 18 Year Old Starting Out

Listener Situation:
Caller feels anxious about “setting up” their future and wants advice if given a chance to “start over.”

Hosts’ Take:

• Laugh about having “50 do-overs between 18 and 21.”
• Tana: “You are supposed to not have everything figured out at 18 years old … You just now legally are allowed to figure things out.”
• “All you’re supposed to be doing right now is making mistakes and having fun.” – Tana [67:02]
• Trisha: Don’t stress about love, money, or planning too far ahead; focus on yourself and being young.
• Comparison is toxic—everyone’s faking it, or changing plans year to year.
  • “Even the ones pretending to thrive may have a whole crisis at 20, 22, 23… Nothing is set in stone.” – Tana [71:23]
• Both champion “falling on your face” and embracing mistakes as a natural, healthy part of young adulthood.
• “Making mistakes is so camp before your frontal lobe … it’s literally what you’re supposed to do.” – Tana [70:22]
• “You got this. Go, go diva!” – Tana [72:43]

NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• “Those rules were made when, like, we had no rights. You can do whatever you want.” – Tana [29:38]
• “A comfortable Louboutin is like saying a comfortable guillotine.” – Tana [04:20]
• “Hot girls stink. Sometimes we stink! Like, it happens.” – Tana [37:41]
• “Who counts [body count]? If someone was like, ‘What’s your body count?’ Like, what loser counts?” – Trisha [44:43]
• “The fantasy I thought I was giving for so long was not in the room with us.” – Tana [55:56]
• “Making mistakes is so camp before your frontal lobe … it's literally what you’re supposed to do.” – Tana [70:22]
• “All you’re supposed to be doing right now is making mistakes and having fun.” – Tana [67:02]
• “Sometimes those dark times make the best redemption stories, you know?” – Trisha [15:07]

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

• [00:21]“We just trauma dumped…” – Opening Realness
• [09:15] College Advice for Listeners
• [14:16] Finding Purpose Through Adversity
• [17:01] Maturing Out of Oversharing
• [22:54] CALL #1: Grandma’s Engagement Ring Dilemma
• [31:28] CALL #2: Confronting a Stinky Friend
• [38:15] CALL #3: Body Count Insecurities
• [49:57] CALL #4: Breaking Free from Hair/Beauty Cycle
• [66:31] CALL #5: Advice for an 18-Year-Old Starting Out

CONCLUSION

This episode embodies Not Loveline’s signature ethos: advice from life, not textbooks; humor as therapy; and refusing to be ashamed of “stupid” questions (because, as Tana and Trisha prove, they’re rarely actually stupid). Whether you’re struggling with self-acceptance, friendships, sex, beauty standards, or the pressure of “growing up,” this episode offers practical comfort and the welcome reminder that everyone is just figuring it out—sometimes out loud, sometimes with the bathroom door open.