We can finally confirm the exciting news that Sparkle Megan has welcomed a Sparkle Baby into the world: his name is Brooks!

Fans of Love is Blind might remember Megan Walerius as the contestant who stood out for her extravagant lifestyle and the dazzling nickname, “Sparkle Megan.” Before becoming a mother, she was among the few participants to make it to the show’s final stages—well, almost. Instead of going through with a wedding, Megan chose to end her relationship with her pod fiancé, Jordan, on a living room couch, sparing both him and viewers from an on-screen “I don’t.”

Since the cameras stopped rolling over a year ago, much has changed for the 35-year-old entrepreneur. Not only is she now a proud mom, but she also has a new beau, Paul. DECIDER had the chance to sit down with Megan to discuss her journey from the pods to motherhood, touching on her amicable split from Jordan, the origin of her “Sparkle” moniker, her reasons for keeping her pregnancy under wraps from some fellow cast members, and her new life goals beyond reality TV.

Read on for DECIDER’s comprehensive interview with the Love Is Blind Season 9 star.

DECIDER: Megan, first of all, congratulations on your baby boy, Brooks! How has the experience of being a mom been so far, and what has been the biggest change since the show aired?

MEGAN WALERIUS: Mom life is awesome. Even towards the end of the show, I was a little hesitant about becoming a mom. But since I have become a mom, it’s the best thing ever. I couldn’t be happier. Honestly, I’ve kind of been in hiding this past month for obvious reasons. But the biggest adjustment is just that public recognition, which is a little bizarre. But it’s been fun and interesting, 

I’m curious why you kept your pregnancy private from some of your castmates, like Ali. Was that a personal choice to protect your space, or did it just feel like something you wanted to keep separate from the show for a while?

I knew my life was about to be cast into the limelight, and my partner and I decided we just wanted to kind of hold that close and really keep it in our close circle of friends and family. And I was close with Ali, so that was a hard one not to share with her. But I think it was the right decision, and it was nice to just have those, those moments and privacy. And now it’s time to share with the world.

Now that you’re a mom, you’ve mentioned having more selflessness when you think back on your time with Jordan. How do you see that experience differently now, and is there anything you would’ve done differently?

I think I have just a lot more empathy for Jordan. I mean, being a mom is the ultimate act of selflessness. And now I’ve experienced that firsthand. As far as doing things differently, I can’t say I would have. I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason. I really try not to live in the past or have any regrets, and certainly with this experiment, I don’t. I think the trajectory of our experience together, [with] me and Jordan, kind of led me to where I am today. And finding the partner of my dreams, and now having a child, and realizing that I don’t need to compromise on my lifestyle and be a good mom. You know, both can be true.

You and Jordan had such a memorable journey, and he’s spoken so respectfully about you since the show, which isn’t always the case with Love Is Blind breakups. How did you two manage to stay on such good terms, and what did that look like after filming ended?

After we ended things, Jordan and I took some time apart where we didn’t speak, which I think was probably necessary for both of us just to heal and move on. But as the airing of the show approached, we both touched base with one another and kind of offered each other’s support. I mean, I think it just speaks to his character, our character, our relationship. We’ve always been authentic and supportive of one another, and I think we were approaching this no differently. Again, I’m just super grateful that he was kind of my partner in this, and for us to have a really great friendship, still. I just think that speaks volumes to him, and kind of how we approached this whole experiment.

Some fans have said you should’ve known your lifestyles might clash since you two talked about that a lot in the pods, and because of that, a few people have painted you as the “bad guy.” What do you want viewers to understand about what was really happening behind the scenes?

Jordan was very transparent about his lifestyle. Both of us. And how different that was, but I fell in love with him for so many other reasons. I’ve done one way of dating in the past, and I was trying something new. The experience of dating in the pods is so different. Once you get into the real world, it becomes real. And I tried. Ultimately, we weren’t, you know, we weren’t aligned.

Now onto some fun questions, we have to talk about one of the ongoing mysteries of the season: your car. You kept it secret the whole time while Jordan was guessing left and right. Can you please give us a description of your car and how it’s bedazzled, Sparkle Megan.

[Laughs] This is so funny. I can’t believe this has turned into such a hot topic. It wasn’t even in the pods. I feel like it kind of blew up into a bigger deal than it was in the pod. Like, literally, that was the only conversation we had about it was a quick 30 seconds of like, “Hey, is this your car? Is this your car?” And I was just like, “No.” And in my mind, I wasn’t intentionally not sharing it. I don’t know, but I have a black SUV. The emblem is bedazzled.

Speaking of bedazzled, fans really latched onto your nickname “Sparkle Megan.” Is that something people still call you today? Do you have any plans to take this nickname to the next level? Can we expect Sparkle Megan merch in the near future? 

I have no idea. So I do have one group of friends that call me [Sparkle]. There are two of us Megan’s in the group, so they call me Sparkle. I think it’s funny, what most people didn’t see during the show was that there was also another Megan in the pods, which is why I led with that, just as a way to differentiate myself. I thought that was a little more memorable for better, for worse, than just Megan W. But yeah, I did not expect it to be this talked about or polarizing all of the above. I mean, everybody who knows me they always said like, “Sparkle is your brand.” And you know, whether it’s shoes, jewelry, my car, anything, I always have something bedazzled, so I don’t know. I mean, it could be a fun opportunity to play it up? Might as well.

You’ve clearly done a lot of reflecting since filming. Looking ahead, what’s next for you now that the world’s gotten to see the real Megan?

I think just really leaning into this new chapter of my life as a mom. I would say that’s kind of the biggest thing and just continuing to show up as me.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.