Love Factually Podcast & Speke Feast 2025

Love Actually is a 2003 Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The film features an ensemble cast, including Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, and Laura Linney. The film delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a variety of individuals, many of whom are interlinked as the plot progresses. The story begins six weeks before Christmas and is played out in a weekly countdown until the holiday, followed by an epilogue that takes place in the New Year.

In recent years, it has developed a cult following, and is often a staple film shown during the Christmas period in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

With a wink and a nod, two psychology professors have developed a podcast that examines rom-coms through the lens of relationship science, empirical studies, and psychological accuracy.

The podcast is called Love Factually and began in September 2024. The co-hosts are Paul Eastwick, a professor at UC DAVIS, is a social psychologist who studies attraction and close relationships, and is the author of the forthcoming book Bonded by Evolution (2026). Eli Finkel, a professor at Northwestern University, is a social psychologist who studies romantic relationships and American politics, and is the author of The All-Or-Nothing Marriage.

The podcast began strong with one of the most iconic rom-coms of all time, When Harry Met Sally. Critical questions asked by the co-hosts include: How does the trajectory of a relationship unfold over time? What does a good apology look like? Can men and women actually be friends?

Since its inception, the podcast has tackled such rom-coms as Clueless, La La land, Moonstruck, The Notebook, and Brokeback Mountain.

The episode about Groundhog Day was especially fascinating, as it asked: Can interactions with strangers fulfill our need to belong? Does ironic detachment mask attachment insecurity? Should we try to change ourselves into somebody else’s ideal partner? The co-hosts shine here with this timeless philosophical redemption tale starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.

In June, the co-hosts did something different and reviewed a rom-com that was still playing in movie theaters. In the movie, The Materialists, the co-hosts asked: What happens when we treat dating like a business proposition? How important is height in determining a man’s desirability? If love isn’t “the math,” then what is it?

The co-hosts, Dr. Eastwick and Dr. Finkel, are surprisingly lively, funny, and entertaining. They share personal anecdotes and are not above poking fun at each other. Of course, they're still social psychologists, so analyzing the human behavior and relationship dynamics is in their DNA.

Since rom-coms are constructed to entertain and not accurately represent human relationship dynamics, you would assume the co-hosts, our good doctors, would have an easy job picking apart the tropes, memes, shortcuts, and distortions of the typical rom-com. They do choose the low-hanging fruit and have fun dissecting the ways rom-coms distort human interactions and oversimplify complex relationship vortices.

However, our co-hosts toss on their science hats and investigate these films with a more critical eye, often discovering nuggets of relationship insights in these movies.

For example, the co-hosts are effusive in their praise for When Harry Met Sally, and it's not because of the restaurant scene. They rightly point out that romantic relationships often evolve from platonic friendships.

If you're interested, the podcast has a Substack, and it's Love Factually Substack. Moreover, I think the good doctors have new territory to explore with Hallmark movies, since rom-coms have become as rare as coherent sentences from Kristi Noem.

Check out Love Factually. If you love rom-coms, you'll enjoy this scientific yet appealing show that fuses psychology with romance. The show is insightful, amusing, informative, and is a gift to fans of rom-coms.

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Attend Speke Fest 2025: Night of the Living Pod

Most podcasts don’t make it past episode three. They call these “zombie podcasts.” They’re not dead, but they’re no longer releasing new episodes. So they’re not alive either.

Attend Speke Fest 2025: Night of the Living Pod, and help to put an end to the zombie podcast plague. The war for podcasting’s future begins on October 10th and 11th at The National Museum of Funeral History.

Will you be there to help reclaim the airwaves? Indie podcasters need tools to help their podcasts survive and thrive.

On October 10–11, 2025, join podcasters, marketers, and branding professionals at the National Museum of Funeral History (NMFH) for a two-day Halloween-themed event like no other. With workshops, games, keynotes, and networking opportunities, you’ll leave with actionable strategies to resurrect your brand and captivate your audience.

• Theme: Night of the Living Pod — where podcasts come alive!

• Dates: October 10–11, 2025

• Location: National Museum of Funeral History (Houston, TX)

Reena Friedman-Watts says: “Our vision for Speke Fest is simple: Fight the zombie podcast plague by reducing the number of podcasts that fade into oblivion after only three episodes.”

Reena adds: “And you don’t need a show to join the uprising.”

On October 10 & 11, industry leaders, marketers, and bold thinkers take over the National Museum of Funeral History for an event where brands rise and zombie podcasts get buried.

The keynote speakers include:

- Genevieve Keeney-Vazquez, NMFH CEO and host of The Final Curtain Never Closes,

- Britney Crosson, founder of Fun Love Media

- Cathy Christen, serial entrepreneur

- Roger Igo, $100 million executive producer, event doctor, and host of The Roger Igo Podcast

- Rania Mankarious, Crime Stoppers of Houston CEO and co-host of The Balanced Voice

- Laura Pennino, founder of Pennino & Partners

Workshops include:

• Creating a Killer Interview, hosted by Reena Friedman-Watts from Better Call Daddy

• Brand Voice with AI, hosted by Zoetica Media founder Kami Huyse

• Build a Podcast Community, hosted by Pod Houston Founder Ozeal Debastos from The Creator Factor

• Crafting a Bingeworthy Show, hosted by World Podcast Network Founder Bruce Chamoff

One of the attendees and speakers is Reena Friedman-Watts, creator/host of Better Call Daddy, which is a podcast for people who love stories. Reena interviews everyone from influential business leaders to phone sex workers are featured on the show. As she insists, “Nothing is censored here!”

Each episode, her father will chime in with his words of wisdom. The show has released more than 400 episodes and has over 2,500 listeners, so that Reena can speak from experience and success.

About her workshop, Reena comments: “We can help indie podcasters better prepare for the rigors of podcasting so they can sustain their shows and not become zombie podcasts.”

Reena is conducting an invaluable skills workshop to help podcasters nail their interviews.

Reena notes: “In my experience, there are certain podcasting skills that aspirational podcasters vastly underestimate the degree of difficulty involved. The focus of the interview should be on the guest, so try not to interrupt and use your words to keep the interview focused and moving forward. As an interviewer, practice active listening, which means to listen and then process what your guest is saying, and then ask pertinent questions based on their comments.”

Reena continues: “Too many hosts simply follow a script of questions regardless of what the guest just said, often missing an opportunity for revelation. One of many reasons why The New York Times’ podcast The Daily is so popular is that host Michael Barbaro is a superb interviewer. His questions are incisive and probing, and he listens well to his guests and then reacts with a follow-up query that shows understanding and a desire to know more.”

All the workshops offer tools that podcasters can add to their skillset.

Ticket information is HERE. Join the fight against zombie podcasts. Attend Speke Fest 2025: Night of the Living Pod.