Modern Love

Donna Flagg didn’t expect to fall in love with a supermodel, but her connection with Hoyt Richards was undeniable. The two would talk to each other for hours, effortlessly, over dinner or lying in front of Donna’s fireplace, building a level of intimacy they describe as “a precious gem.” Then, one day four years into their relationship, Hoyt disappeared from Donna’s life. Donna questioned her own reality: Who had she been dating? She tried to move on, but years later, Donna got a phone call that explained everything. Hoyt had disappeared because he was in a cult. Now, he had escaped. This week on the “Modern Love” podcast, Donna Flagg and Hoyt Richards explain the role their relationship had in Hoyt’s leaving the cult, and why they decided to marry last September, more than 30 years after they first met. Donna and Hoyt’s wedding was featured in the article, “He Left Her for a Cult, but It Would Be Years Before She Knew It.”

When Paloma Karr took a job at Sheri’s Ranch, a legal brothel in Nevada, she thought of men as paychecks. Back home in New York City, Karr had just gone through an intense breakup and was stuck with a rent payment she couldn’t afford. She explored “sugar baby” work and, almost on a whim, started applying to brothels in Nevada. Just a few weeks later, Karr was flying to Las Vegas, ready to make the money she needed and return home. But while she was there, Karr had a series of conversations that changed everything. She found herself endeared to her clients, many of whom just seemed to want someone to talk to about their insecurities. When they were honest with her, she was surprised to find herself being honest with them, too. This week on the “Modern Love” podcast, Karr talks about how working in a brothel completely changed her ideas about men, sex and herself.

Explore the trials and tribulations of love in these deeply personal essays. A collaboration of The New York Times and WBUR in Boston, Modern Love: The Podcast features the popular New York Times column, with readings by notable personalities and updates from the essayists themselves. Join host Meghna Chakrabarti (WBUR) and Modern Love editor Daniel Jones (NYT) -- and fall in love at first listen.