#ItsDateNight with Rival & Queen

Who they are

Welcome Sarah Murphy and Ashley Kielbratowski, two East Coast gals that host the popular lifestyle podcast, Rival & Queen. They first met while working together at Harbr – a construction tech company that Ashley co-founded. Their friendship blossomed into creating a podcast aimed at genuinely getting to know the amazing people around them. They’re diving deep into topics that are totally new to them, finding inspiration from people on unique paths and bringing joy to the Halifax community through these conversations.

"We both come from the startup space and are each entrepreneurs. We were inspired by all the cool creators around us and wanted to get to know them better; and we both had a desire to start a project where we could be really creative and have a lot of fun – that’s where Rival & Queen began"

Let’s talk love languages

AK: Mine is definitely receiving gifts and acts of service.

SM: Definitely physical touch (I hug everyone ha). Acts of service is also a big one.

What is your ideal first date?

AK: I love activities! I think it’s important to see each other in a different way, especially at first. My husband took me to glow in the dark mini putt and then to dinner. And of course, that was my best first date! We had the best day. Trying something new is always fun and makes dates more unique.

SM: I like going for a drink with someone and walking around exploring a neighbourhood. My best dates have involved beach walks – there are so many good ones around Halifax!

What are your favourite local date spots?

AK: Bar KismetEDNA, or drinks at Field Guide are a must. 

SM: Oooh, exploring the waterfront in the summer is a lot of fun or drinks on Citadel Hill. Also, Bar Kismet‘s back patio is very cool.

Do you have a worst first date story to share? Or perhaps a dating pet peeve?

AK: I think being late isn’t cool. That doesn’t set a good first impression. Also, just plain old manners! Don’t be on your phone too much, or talk poorly to servers or others around you. 

SM: If you are having a date in your home, please make sure your home is clean. I was at a guy’s place for dinner once and he had the dirtiest bathroom. Gross. It still haunts me. I never went back ha!

Tell us your favourite part about being a creator in the community.

AK: Getting to connect with interesting people around us is the best part. The podcast really gives us a unique way to reach out to people and we get to build such a cool relationship that way. And we honestly just want to be friends in some respect with people we interview!

SM: The community itself is incredible. Everyone is very supportive, loves to work together, and often extend their own network. Every time we work on a new event or project, it ends up bigger and better than we could ever have imagined. So many people come together to work with us and it always ends up exceeding our expectations. We’re so lucky to have such a great community here!

And to wrap it up, here’s some #datenight advice from the gals of Rival & Queen:

AK: I think it is important to give people a chance and try and enjoy the experience of dating and meeting new people, even if they aren’t the right one for you. And just have fun with it!

SM: Put yourself out there more and be honest about how you feel! And definitely have fun in the dating process. Even if it’s not a match, you get to meet so many cool people.

Click here to read more of our #ItsDateNight series articles featuring amazing, influential people across Canada.

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