"The story of my ex, your ex, and also her ex" Meetup Recap

I’ve been hosting meetups in Bangalore for a while now. Some larger ones with games and food, and smaller, more intimate weekly ones built around specific topics.

The other Sunday on 22nd March, I hosted one at Lalbagh around the theme: “The story of my ex, your ex, and her ex.”

I went in expecting it to be light, maybe even a little funny.

But it turned into something else entirely.

As we started sharing stories about heartbreak, regrets, things we tolerated, things we learned, it slowly became a very honest, almost cathartic space.

One thing that really stood out to me was that sometimes we don’t even realise what we went through wasn’t “normal” until we hear someone else say it out loud.

We can recognise red flags in other people’s stories instantly, but completely miss them in our own.

And sometimes, it takes a room full of strangers gently pointing things out for it to finally click.

Over time, I’ve noticed that these topic-based meetups naturally become safe spaces where people open up in ways they probably don’t elsewhere. It’s emotional, but also surprisingly healing.

I’ve also hosted a mix of other meetups before. Some bigger ones around Women’s Day (https://twox.in/post/oWK6-WOMEN-S-DAY-WITH-TWOXTOPIA-AT-A-GLANCE) and Galentine’s Day (https://twox.in/post/NPl5-Galentine-s-Day-Meetup-Recap), and smaller reflective ones like “life lessons to my younger self.” (https://twox.in/post/AkV5-Life-Lessons-to-my-Younger-Self-Meetup-Recap)

This one, though, felt the most emotionally intense so far.

Also I realised that this kind of openness probably wouldn’t have happened in a mixed-gender group.

There’s just a different level of comfort when it’s women-only and it's not because anyone is “bad,” but because safety and relatability matter in conversations like these.

Anyway, I’m planning to host more of these.

If you were to join one, what kind of topics would you want to talk about?

PS : Checkout more such meetups happening in the Hangout section of this platform. And if you like to host your own meetups, let us know. We'll help you promote it!