Podcast Summary: NOT LOVELINE – “HE TOLD ME HE'S A CHEATER! BUT HE'S SO HOT!”

Hosts: Tana Mongeau & Trish Paytas
Date: February 16, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Not Loveline, Tana and Trish dive into the chaos of their personal lives, the realities of homeownership, empath energy, and lessons from past toxic relationships. The duo tackles a call from a listener struggling with whether to trust a self-admitted cheater, and along the way, they candidly discuss everything from black mold to head spas, influencer friendships, and the let-them mantra.

The signature unfiltered, best-friend-energy is on full display, with real talk, laughs, and memorable confessions that make it both therapy and chaos in podcast form.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Catch-up: Life, Struggles & Black Mold (01:13–13:08)

• Tana is having a “bad week,” despite good things happening. She finds escape hanging out at Trish’s, which she describes as a “happy vortex.” (01:28–02:09)
• Tana details the struggles and unexpected expenses of homeownership: black mold in her "new build", rats/mice, and repair costs.
  • “To all of you out there who have positioned the be-all-end-all to being a homeowner, I'm going to tell you that it is the be-all, end all of my mental health.” – Tana (03:32)
  • Real advice: buy a house well under your actual budget, because hidden issues can be financially devastating. (05:09)
• Both reflect on being pressured by society to buy homes and realize renting can be underrated for its lack of stress.
  • “I was 1000% like societally pressured into buying a home...making me feel like I was a failure because I wasn’t.” – Tana (09:46)
• Simultaneously, they're grateful for their cozy, drama-free moments at Trish’s, from food to slime to playing with kids. (13:13–13:41)

2. Emotional Growth & ‘Let Them’ Mantra (13:41–18:48)

• Tana shares her journey of trying to “fix” people and learning she can’t control other’s paths, especially as she gets closer to 30.
  • “I want to do everything in my power to fix it and to change it. ... But, like, people have their own timelines and their own journeys.” – Tana (14:46)
• Trish recognizes herself as both the fixer and the one who needed to go down her own path, expressing that making mistakes can be formative. (15:08–15:37)
• The “let them” mantra by Mel Robbins becomes a central theme—reminding to let others make their own mistakes, even if it’s hard.
• Sobriety and watching others battle addiction is highlighted as a tough lesson. Both agree: lead by example, but “let them.” (16:46–18:23)

3. Korean Head Spa, Beauty, and Wellness Tangents (19:15–27:02)

• Tana describes her transformative experience at a Korean head spa—detailing the in-depth scalp analysis, treatment, massage, and feeling “like a newborn baby.” (24:15–25:43)
  • “They scrub the *** out of your scalp. Like, I've never felt cleaner.” – Tana (25:05)
• Both discuss the obsession with new beauty products vs. simple routines of previous generations.
  • “Our grandmas used Dial soap and Oil of Olay, and they looked amazing. We’re out here with salmon sperm on our faces.” – Tana (28:30)
• They trade beauty horror stories—Trish talks about pillowcases being bleached by skincare and viral beauty products. Tana laughs about walking around the house with a UV light mask (Jason Voorhees style). (29:13–29:56)
• Pause for musings on random wellness items like boric acid and Let Me Sleep gummies, praising the effectiveness of certain Kardashian products and SKIMS bras. (31:49–32:43)

4. Social Media, Influencer Life & Friendship Dynamics (39:01–64:30)

• Trish and Tana discuss Shane Dawson’s recent media appearances, with nuanced perspectives on canceled culture, accountability, and the performance of public redemption.
  • “I would love to see Shane Dawson sit down, down and do like a hard hitting, no cuts, real interview...about all the old stuff and like how he feels about it and like how he’s changed and grown.” – Tana (42:42)
• The difference between “influencer friends” vs. true friendships is explored. Tana acknowledges her circle has shrunk with age and realness.
  • “When it comes to, like, would this person, like, be there for me if I, like, fell off tomorrow?...it's a much smaller list.” – Tana (63:42)
• Thoughts on influencer brand trips and the pitting of Rare Beauty vs. Rhode; they'd go wherever they're invited but reflect on aesthetic and vibe differences. (64:42–66:42)

5. Answering Listener Calls: The Cheater Dilemma (71:16–84:11)

• Caller Question: She went on a great date with a guy who openly admitted to cheating on his last girlfriend with his (still) girl best friend. Should she overlook it or run?
• Hosts' Take:
  • Immediate, emphatic advice: “Run.”
  • “If you are innately a fixer and someone shows you their true color colors and tells you blatantly who they are, take that as face value. Do not think I am different. I am the exception....Do you really want to be the lab rat?” – Tana (73:35)
  • Trish chimes in with celebrity examples—cheating is a pattern, and people “show you who they are.” (74:13)
  • They urge listeners: If someone presents a red flag, especially early, leave before becoming attached. You’re not the exception.
• Anecdotes are shared about putting up with bad behavior for “hot guys” or famous people—ultimately, the moral is, “Don’t do it for a lizard.” (79:31)
• They reminisce about ignoring warning signs, how everyone does it once, but urge: “If someone tells you who they are, really listen.” (84:11)

6. Closing Thoughts (85:04–85:36)

• The call segment ends with both hosts celebrating the community of listeners, expressing gratitude for the connection and healing sharing space (“just knowing how many girlies are calling in...I feel the love”). Plans for future rapid-fire episodes focused on advice calls are teased.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Homeownership:
  “It is be-all, end-all of my mental health.” – Tana (03:32)
  “Buy a house well under what you think your budget is as a safety net for the things that could go wrong.” – Tana (05:09)

• On Letting People Be:
  “I'm trying to be so Mel Robbins. So let them. So just let them, let them, let them. But it's hard because it goes against everything I am, like, intrinsically.” – Tana (16:04)

• On Relationships/Fixers:
  “I think I thought love was trying to fix people and, like, having to, like, earn it...and that's what love was.” – Tana (45:51)
  “If you sit down on a first date with someone and someone tells you, like, 'I just cheated on my last person,' like I said, there's the one in a million where they don't do it again—but, like, are you willing to be the lab rat?” – Tana (76:59)

• On Hot Guys/Famous Boyfriends:
  “Hot guys really think, like, they are the only seed. They're the only one. Like, the God complex of, like, I'm hot, you'll never do better...they're everywhere. Hot guys are everywhere, everywhere.” – Tana (81:15)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Personal catch-up, mold drama, and renting vs buying: [01:13–13:08]
• Emotional growth, ‘let them’ mantra, and friendship boundaries: [13:41–18:48]
• Korean head spa review & beauty/wellness talk: [19:15–27:02]
• Social media, influencer culture, and shrinking friend circles: [39:01–64:30]
• The cheater call & relationship red flags: [71:16–84:11]
• Closing gratitude, plans for more listener calls: [85:04–85:36]

Tone & Style

The episode is conversational, funny, tangential yet reflective—like a modern Sleepover with brutal honesty and pop culture savvy. Tana and Trish maintain a candid, occasionally irreverent tone, blending vulnerability with dark humor and life lessons only learned “the hard way.”

Summary for New Listeners

You don’t have to know Tana and Trish’s history (or even follow pop culture that closely) to find this episode relatable if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by adulting, struggled to let go, or rationalized a red flag because “he’s so hot.” The advice is refreshingly real, the stories as outlandish as they are honest, and the vibe is strictly “best friends talking you out of making the same mistakes they did.”