As a journalist, interviews can be some of the trickiest pieces to work on — partly because you never know how it’s gonna go between you and the person you’re speaking with.

Are they chatty, too chatty (it’s a thing), totally closed up? And are you, as the interviewer, skilled enough at your job to get a person to share meaningful and authentic information, the goal of every interview. Sometimes though, in spite of these concerns, interviews basically write themselves.

This was my experience with Brandi Love.

Love, per her directly, was born and raised in Michigan. She and her husband made their way to the South in 1995, traveling around until they found their home base in North Carolina. They then started their web business in and never looked back.

Now, Wikipedia – the world’s most trustworthy resource (jk) – relays some slightly different details about Love’s history. It also says that, in 2016, “Love controversially supported Donald Trump for President” and that “when fans on Twitter questioned her about her choice, Love responded with insults and was briefly banned from the social media platform.”

(I, of course, followed links to the supposed “insults” and saw nothing more than some mild shit talking in response to others shit talking her first.)

None of this seems to faze Love, who seems to have a litany of other interests beyond Twitter drama to focus on.

For instance, “Something many don’t know about me is that I was big into motorcycle riding. I had my first bike, a Ninja, at seventeen and moved up to a Buell in my mid-20s. I definitely have a need for speed!” she shared. “To this day I am huge fan of super cars. I simply prefer more metal around my body nowadays. I envy and covet Jay Leno’s garage!”

Brandi Love is fiery, multi-layered and incredibly interesting. I recently corresponded with Love, who shared so much information in such a forthcoming way that it’s best to just read it as she said it.

YNOT: How did you come to work in the adult industry?

Brandi Love: My journey into adult entertainment is atypical. My husband and I had been married for nearly ten years and were doing very well in our white-collar careers. He was working as a biotech executive, and I was working in marketing and sales for Harley Davidson — and then everything changed.

My husband had a heart attack. For three years prior to the heart attack, he flew an average of 240 flights a year and was home about nine days a month. It just got to be too much. While his cardiologist found that this was a stress-induced event which left no permanent damage to the heart muscle, he did encourage him to consider a career change.

He resigned from [his job] and cashed out, which left us with a reasonable investment egg and zero ideas for what we wanted to do.

Ultimately, we decided to start a company called Grapevine Greetings, which created custom wine labels for special events, as well as a commercial line which served essentially as greeting cards for wine bottles. The B2B was great, meaning we were doing well with wedding planners, wine shops and so on, but we had no real ability to expand beyond what we could personally service. Additionally, our online B2C business was non-existent, and we didn’t understand why. We spent nearly $12,000 for a website, something we knew nothing about, and everyone exited [it] on the first page.

We began networking here in Raleigh, NC and were introduced to some people who truly knew how to develop and market websites. They developed a new Grapevine Greetings site for us — and then came to us with a proposal.

To make a long story short, what they proposed was lucrative but required an investment. It was also in the adult entertainment industry. After careful deliberation, my husband and I formed and funded a new company and set out on this new and wild adventure.

At that time, the “solo model” site [format] was very popular and the decision that had to be made was “Who would be our first model?” It took me about two seconds to say, “What about me, what about us?”

My husband just about fell out of his chair!

The thing is, we had been sexually adventurous and in our own version of an open relationship for years. The only difference would be the cameras. I also knew [we could trust ourselves] to have fun, show up for the shoots and take it seriously while having a great time. I also knew we would protect our investment, and I was really turned on by the prospect of all this.

In 2005, I put my marketing skills to work and landed a spot on “The Howard Stern Show” back when he was on E! — the rest is history. From that point on I made the decision to treat and manage this as my career. I have loved every second of it!

https://t.co/aluFx9Xtvh this evening woohoo join me for some xxx #milf fun on @CamSodaLive 8:30PM #lovetroopers pic.twitter.com/qtLzGJL1Lb

— Brandi Love ® (@brandi_love) June 9, 2019

It almost makes no sense to ask this, but what else have you done, career-wise?

Aside from my time at Harley Davidson, just after college, when I was in my early twenties, I managed an Einstein Bros Bagels store. After that, I became an account executive for a staffing agency, which really gave me the groundwork for any sales job I would ever want. It was a tough job, but it taught me invaluable skills.

Aside from my adult entertainment career, my husband and I also own a small real estate development company. It’s my second true passion. We purchase distressed lake or beachfront properties in upscale travel destinations, remodel them and then lease them out to our guests. We manage every aspect of the business and treat each of them like little B&Bs.

With all that going on, what keeps you in the industry? What’s so great about it?

I absolutely love my chosen profession. Not many people get to wake up each day and go about doing something that they look forward to. Because of the passion I have for adult entertainment, it’s impossible to narrow it down to just one thing — so here are seven.

1. It’s the world’s most pleasurable activity. No matter the country or study, the world’s first and second most pleasurable activities are sex and masturbation. I get to call that “work.” Pretty damn lucky!

2. It’s lucrative. Let’s face it, we all need to make a living. I believe I earn and deserve it, but I get to make doctor money doing what I love. That is awesome!

3. The hours are flexible. Either I or my husband or both are there for the kids every morning and there when they get home from school. We never miss a play, an event or dinner because ultimately we are in charge of our schedule. There is a tremendous quality of life that accompanies that kind of flexibility.

4. I can work from my home office fifty percent of the time. While I don’t shoot at home, most of what my husband and I do is tech- and business-centered — updating and building websites, online marketing, managing servers, managing finances and the like. Working from home is an invaluable gift for those who are disciplined enough.

5. I meet amazing people. I mean, come on — if I were still working for Harley Davidson or my husband in biotech, we would have never met people like Howard Stern, Penn & Teller, Tyra Banks, Al Bernstein, Andrew Zimmern or Chad Kroeger? And my co-workers are a hell of a lot of fun!

6. I have incredible adventures. I have had adventures that others look upon with amazement. Experiences and adventures are what make life worth living, and I have had more than two lifetimes full.

7. I have a great family life. I have been happily married for twenty-four years now, and I get to spend a tremendous amount of time with my kids. My career in adult has me home and engaged with my family more than anyone else in our neighborhood.

It's concert season! #BrandiPics #BTS #Candid @Nickelback pic.twitter.com/PmqAQup0R7

— Brandi Love ® (@brandi_love) June 11, 2019

Nothing can be all perfect (can it?), so what’s challenging about working in the industry?

The worst thing about being a porn star for me has been the challenge it presents when trying to make real, meaningful friendships. When you work from home, you don’t have the typical office interactions that often lead to social engagements. Add to that my busy schedule and home life, and there just isn’t much time to invest in meeting people through other activities. I have lots of acquaintances but very few true friends.

Outside of your career, what are you most passionate about?

I love to travel, both in the US and internationally. I believe it broadens our minds and makes us more appreciative and understanding in general. I am an outdoor fanatic — from swimming, jet skiing, fishing, hiking, camping, cycling, snow boarding, snow skiing and snowmobiling to chilling in the back yard enjoying a campfire.

Intellectually, I love a good political debate. It may be odd, but it’s true! There is an art to debate, and I embrace it. Fighting is easy. I prefer to listen and exchange ideas, opinions and, of course, facts. I believe we can learn from one another’s differences even if it doesn’t mean changing minds.

Other than that, everybody knows that I am extremely passionate about wine and tequila!

If you could change one thing about today’s world, what would it be and why?

If I could change anything it would be to bring back the commonsense, hard working patriotic attitude of my grandparents’ era. They were not entitled, treated one another with kindness for the most part and were not afraid to get their hands dirty. I feel blessed to have been raised with the help of the greatest generation we have ever known.