Love, Loss & Looking IRL: Stephanie Fischer on Resilience, Humor & Finding Your Person

Have a message for Karena? She'd love to hear from you and share your comment or question on air!Leave Karena a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/KarenaDawnWhat if modern dating wasn’t done with your thumb?In this refreshing episode of The Big Silence, Karena sits down with Stephanie Fischer, attorney-turned-tech CEO of NeverMissed, a proximity-based dating app designed to get you off your phone and into real life, safely.From a hilariously infamous childhood story to caregiving through cancer, and building a women-led tech company, Stephanie serves up honest, witty, and deeply practical wisdom on love, boundaries, burnout, and choosing yourself.What if the healthiest way to date is to close the app and look up?By stripping away the endless swipes and curated profiles, Stephanie argues that confidence, clarity, and community are built in person, one real conversation at a time.(00:00) Why “in‑person first” dating mattersNeverMissed’s premise: check in at your current location and only see others who’ve opted in there. Meet IRL, then put the phone down.Control & safety: you decide when you’re visible, you can check out anytime, and profiles are photo‑verified to be the real you.The point isn’t more messaging. It’s better matching energy in the room, not just in the feed.(01:58) Only‑Child Resilience & a Sense of Humor (The infamous pool story)Early chaos taught self‑advocacy: “Being ‘so mature’ was a response to chaos, not a compliment.”Humor as a coping tool: the infamous urologist‑dad pool becomes a lifelong icebreaker and puts a lens on embarrassment and identity.Takeaway: Name the chaos, keep the humor, and own your story—it stops owning you.(09:04) Reinvention at 30: Leaving the Comfort ZoneLeft Dallas for DC to break stagnant patterns: if your environment doesn’t support growth, change the room.Dating “decades” shift: bars → questionnaires → intentionality.Action: Audit your current circle & city: Do they match who you’re becoming? If not, move or shake up routines.(16:31) How NeverMissed Works (and Why It’s Different)Opt‑in visibility only when you check in at a venue; no searchable database.“Fleeting Moments”: post a sighting (“saw you at…”) to reconnect; uses simple descriptors to help find the person.Goal: to complement other apps, not replace them. Meet people doing what you already love (gym, tennis, concerts).(20:40) Female CEO in Tech: Owning AssertivenessNavigating “men are talking” energy with receipts: you pay the bills, you set the tone.Reframe “bitchy” → clear, paid, and prepared; assertiveness ≠ aggression.Tip: Put decisions and boundaries in writing; lead with outcomes and timelines.(31:49) Caregiving Without Losing YourselfCared for mom and now dad: same love, different game plan.Labs don’t lie: cortisol, hormones, sleep. If you don’t delegate, your body will.Action: Create a care team (siblings, friends, hospital resources); schedule your appointments first each month.(40:56) Dating‑App Burnout: Getting Your Hope BackDitch the artificial timeline (“married by 28”); Stephanie married at 39; right person, right time.Know yourself → know your filter. Less noise = better choices.Micro‑goal: 1 real‑life conversation per week (bookstore, class, coffee line). Momentum beats swiping.(43:59) First‑Date Playbook: Safety + ChemistryMeet in public somewhere you...