Lisa Portolan Slow Love Podcast Co-host Met At Film Event ((top)) May 2026

Today, Slow Love has grown into a respected platform featuring interviews with psychologists, poets, and everyday people navigating non-traditional timelines. And Lisa Portolan often begins live shows by telling this story: “We met at a film event, not on a dating app. There were no swipes, no profiles. Just two people talking about art and loneliness, and letting something real unfold at its own pace.”

The event was an independent screening and panel discussion focused on love and loneliness in the digital age—topics right at the intersection of Portolan’s work. Among the audience and post-screening crowd was a fellow writer and critic, whose name she recalls with a smile. They had met briefly before at industry gatherings, but never had a real conversation. That night, lingering over wine and discussion about a particularly poignant scene, they discovered a shared frustration: how dating apps had gamified romance, and how media often misrepresented lasting love as boring or unattainable. lisa portolan slow love podcast co-host met at film event

It’s a small, charming proof that slow love isn’t just a concept—it can be the very way partnerships, creative or otherwise, are born. Today, Slow Love has grown into a respected

Lisa Portolan, a researcher and author specializing in intimacy, technology, and relationships, had long been interested in the idea of “slow love”—the antidote to hookup culture and rushed romantic timelines. When she decided to launch her podcast, she wanted a co-host who shared her curiosity about human connection, someone with a complementary voice and perspective, but not necessarily a romantic partner. That’s where the film event came in. Just two people talking about art and loneliness,