Opening up.

Bachelor Nation fans got to know and love Faith on Season 1 of “The Golden Bachelor” as she looked for love with Gerry.

While Faith left brokenhearted, she stopped by for an exclusive chat with BachelorNation.com at “Women Tell All,” where she talked about how grateful she is for the experience.

Check out our full conversation with Faith below.

Bachelor Nation: Faith, first of all, thank you for being a part of this experience and for being so open to love. Now that you’ve had a few months to process, what were some of the things you learned from your time on “The Golden Bachelor”?

Faith: So many things, I don’t even know where to begin. You’re going to get me crying just thinking about it. I remember saying even on day one that I had so many a-ha moments. There was so much self-reflection and introspectivity. It made me realize why I was triggered by some things and how different insecurities show up. There were such heightened emotions and I don’t want to cry already. This experience gave me such an opportunity to really decide to let down all the walls that we put up over the years as adults. Life just happens, and you tend to pull back and not give your all to friendships or romantic relationships anymore. I was able to really be in the moment and let go to see if I could feel, and then I realized how much feeling can come from just an open heart. The whole experience was a short time, but the feelings for Gerry and the friendships I made with the other women were all very real. I also think the show helped me step away from the distractions that get in the way, like our phones, television, and staying busy all the time. We need to let things bother us and not just distract from the pain. We all need to spend some time in it. There is such learning in those feelings that you wouldn’t learn otherwise. People give you so many treasures in your everyday life and we often miss them because we are so busy surviving, so this experience taught me a lot of really incredible lessons. I just found so much importance back in my life from my time on “The Golden Bachelor.”

BN: Wow, that’s so beautiful. It fills my heart to hear all of that. Do you think your experience on the show changed how you will go about dating in the future?

Faith: Absolutely. I was thinking about that because it’s really difficult to see Gerry, it was heart-wrenching, but also great and hard all at the same time. The things that Gerry brought to the table were things I’d truly never experienced before. With Gerry, there is this safety feeling where I was really able to relax into him and feel comfortable. That’s something I’d never had before. I think that’s why I’ve pulled back from so many relationships where maybe there’s chemistry, but it’s not sustainable. What we want is that safety and knowing that the person genuinely cares about your best interest. I don’t know that I’ve ever really sought that out and realized how important that safe feeling is. There is more to longevity with a partner than just chemistry, so as I move forward in dating, that is taking a bit of a back seat to feeling comfortable with someone. I thought before Gerry that I would be okay being by myself for the rest of my life. Then my son signed me up for the show and I thought maybe something was calling me to it and that Gerry could be my guy. While Gerry wasn’t my guy, he taught me that going forward I am going to be looking for different things and being more intentional with dating. I am really specific now with what I want in a partner and I learned that just because I’m this age, that doesn’t mean I just need to wait out time until I die. It’s okay for me to look for love and it’s okay to expect that maybe I can find joyful times and another partner. I feel hopeful!

BN: You should feel hopeful, you have so much to offer! Do you have any words of wisdom for others who may be feeling down about dating during their golden years like you did before the show?

Faith: People always say, “Learn how to be happy by yourself,” and there is some truth to that because you do have to love yourself, but at the same time, don’t give up on looking and don’t give up on being open. If you want somebody in your life, you need to put yourself out there. Not only can you say that you are ready to open yourself up to love but you really do need to take action. I quit my band so I could have my Fridays and Saturdays open to date again. And I mean it: This experience has really made me open to all of this again. If I died tomorrow, that would be okay because this show helped make me feel like I have really lived. I have lived a full life anyway, but also, what an experience this has been! I keep thinking about how I have had an amazing life and have done so many special things, but it just keeps getting better and better. So my advice is just to be a yes person and lean in a bit. Sometimes the universe knows more about what’s good for you than you do. Be open to it all even if you don’t know what it will be like. Just say yes and see what happens.

BN: That’s some incredible advice. Do you feel like the show has made you appreciate being in this chapter of life more?

Faith: Yes! I truly love whoever decided that it was okay to put older women with wrinkles and rolls and imperfect features and imperfect lives on-screen for the world to see. So I just want to say thank you to everyone who worked on this show, because that’s the real reality and it’s helped me and so many others appreciate the age we are now. We’re not all young or perfect-looking, but we still have so much in our heart and we’re all so interesting. I remember thinking that people would only want to watch a dating show about young people, but this proof that that’s not true. There is so much beauty in people of all ages, races, etc. that I’m just so grateful to have been a part of this and that it’s allowed me to embrace and love myself more.