Linda Marigliano
Linda Marigliano is a radio and TV presenter, DJ, author and host of Tough Love. Follow her on Twitter here and IG here.
Describe Tough Love in ten words or less.
A juicy real-life look at relationships, family, career and health!
How much of Tough Love is totally organic, and how much is orchestrated? It feels so natural! I feel like you’ve plopped us into your pocket and are carrying us around with you.
What a huge compliment! It’s very intentional. We plan out scenes the way you’d storyboard a TV show or documentary - with ideas around what themes we want to explore in each of the conversations. We leave room for serendipity and let real life unfold! So I carry my recorder and react to whatever happens,
Would you just bring your mic with you all over the place to see what you could pick up? Or did you schedule times to record in a more organized way?
We generally schedule it because otherwise I’d have about a million hours of audio to sift through, which would be hell for editing haha! Plus, when you’re intentional with hitting that record button, then you’re on the hook to make meaningful action happen, you know? And I make sure I’m cognisant of the “scenes” unfolding in my weeks, so I can plan what might entail great moments for us to capture on record.
Remind us where we pick up with season two.
At the finale of Season 1, listeners were left wondering “will they or won’t they make it?!” in regards to my long distance relationship with my boyfriend, Magnus. So, we pick up the first episode in Season 2 on the fateful night that I’m finally going to reunite with Magnus after being separated for almost a year and a half. It’s tender stuff!
What can we look forward to in the second season?
There’s a lot we’re cramming in! Drama, tension and affection. High highs and low lows. Tough love lessons on how we manage stress, how to let go of control, how we reset our mindsets and what happens when we people-please too much. There’s special guests and plenty of friends that pop up along the way - including Jessie Ware, Benny Blanco and my brilliant parents. And of course, my Italian nonna.
What does Magnus think about this project? Is he comfortable being so exposed?
Magnus is so supportive but it did take a while for him to wrap his head around what this project is! When I was making the first episode, he said “I think you’ve got a vision for this, and I just need to trust you.” And I’m glad he did, because I can understand how strange and off-putting it would be hearing your girlfriend say “I’m making a reality project and you’re going to be a part of it!”
But then when he listened to the first few episodes, it clicked for him that while our relationship does sit in the centre of the show, it doesn’t cross a line and he doesn’t actually need to be featured much at all. He’s definitely an introvert, and a very private person so I always make sure that he’s never put in a revealing position. I’m still quite conservative as to what I share about our life.
What have you learned about tough stuff making the show?
That we can do tough stuff. I can have hard conversations, I can be honest with myself, and I can do it, more often than not, while having a laugh too.
Any good listener interactions you could share with us?
It was actually quite overwhelming (and beautiful) having listeners sharing their stories back to me on social media! They told me about their close knit families and particularly mixed race families.
Plenty of women really resonated with our ‘Everything I Learned About Egg Freezing’ episode, and groups of girls saying they shared the podcast around and are all freezing their eggs and getting their fertility checked. That actually made me cry when I read those messages!
And most of all, people who have been in similar long distance relationships and are doing their best to make it work. A girl in South Korea has actually messaged me today because she and her boyfriend were (like Magnus and I) separated throughout the entire pandemic and they have just reunited in Australia. They both listened to the podcast and wanted to let me know that their love endured! Incredibly sweet stuff.
What was your favorite thing about making the show?
Being able to be completely in charge of the creative direction in every way! From the sound design, artwork, storyline and guests, to the original music and the style of editing. It’s incredible to build a scene that feels three-dimensional, with a richly recorded atmosphere. We wanted to create a world that sounds unique, and use it to be able to talk about the important shit that matters to us.
Hot take: Night showers are better than morning showers. Don’t bring that build-up of the day’s filth into bed, thank you!
Self-care ritual: Having a night at home, putting a luxurious face mask on and making a big stir fry for dinner while blasting a rom com on my laptop in the background! Simple pleasures, baby.
Thanks, Linda!