In this episode of My Favorite Couple, John and Crystal welcome their very first guest couple — MJ and Lou — and nothing is off limits. From messy beginnings and “situationships” to parenting chaos, career stress, mental health struggles, and surviving seasons where everything hits at once, this conversation is raw, hilarious, and deeply relatable.

They talk about how love evolves when real life shows up: kids, exhaustion, financial pressure, career sacrifices, panic attacks, and learning how to take turns being the strong one. This isn’t a highlight reel — it’s the behind-the-scenes of long-term partnership.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re holding it together by duct tape and dark humor, this episode is for you.

🎙️ In this episode:

• How MJ & Lou met (and why it was a little messy)
• Situationships, timing, and accidental “traditional” relationships
• Parenting overwhelm and mental health breaking points
• Career sacrifices, long hours, and feeling like a single parent
• Taking turns being “not okay” in a relationship
• Why chaos doesn’t stop — you just get better at handling it
• Laughing through the storms instead of letting them win

This episode proves that strong relationships aren’t built by avoiding hard seasons — they’re built by surviving them together.

In this deeply honest and emotional episode of My Favorite Couple Podcast, John and Crystal open up about one of the hardest chapters in their marriage — the time they almost didn’t make it. 💔 From discovering old emails to navigating the aftermath, they take listeners through the pain, therapy, forgiveness, and lessons that helped them rebuild stronger than ever.

They share what it’s really like to face betrayal, how therapy changed everything, and why working through the hard stuff became the foundation for their unshakable bond today. 💪

If you’ve ever struggled with trust, communication, or finding hope after heartbreak, this episode will hit home.

🎧 In This Episode:

• The moment everything changed (and how they handled it)
• Why therapy became a turning point
• How to rebuild trust after a relationship “rock bottom”
• Real talk about communication, forgiveness, and moving forward
• Why being honest about the hard stuff matters in love and life

❤️ Subscribe for more unfiltered conversations about love, growth, and real-life relationships — the good, the bad, and the healing in between.

Welcome to the very first episode of My Favorite Couple — a real, raw, and hilarious relationship podcast hosted by Krystal and John (yep, the duo behind The Riley Black Project).

In this episode, we’re diving into the full story of how we met — from a chance encounter in a Vegas nightclub to cross-country visits, awkward culture shocks, long-distance love, breakups (yes, with Rihanna lyrics), and eventually… marriage! 💍

Whether you’re boo’d up, single, or navigating the messy middle — we’re keeping it real about relationships, parenting, moving for love, and how it almost didn’t work out. Plus, we share the story behind our podcast name, “My Favorite Couple,” and why we’re bringing this project to life.

✨ Topics in this episode:

• How we met in Vegas
• Dating across the country
• Relationship red flags and second chances
• When moving for love goes wrong
• Navigating different family cultures
• The (awkward) proposal story
• Why we got married in Vegas too

💌 Subscribe and follow along as we talk relationships, parenting, and everything in between. New episodes dropping soon!