From money monsters and fake date fiends to xanax zombies and a salacious tale from friend of the show Matt Marr about a hookup gone terribly wrong, Damona reacts to your dating disasters and gives tips on how to avoid them in the future.

Special thanks to Reddit for collaborating with us to collect stories this year!

For the tell-tale signs of ghosting and to see the new matching questions that Damona and OkCupid added for Halloween, check out Damona’s new post on the OkCupid blog
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Halloween Horror Stories: Gambling with Love & Fake Date Fiend

From navigating dating apps to overcoming the friendzone to seeking a soulmate, this ain’t your momma’s love advice! Hosted by the Official Love Expert of The Drew Barrymore Show and LA Times advice columnist, Damona Hoffman, Dates & Mates is jam-packed with interviews from your favorites celebs, authors, and experts.
Dates & Mates is the 2022 Winner of The Best Podcast of the Year at The Black Podcasting Awards, #1 ranked love and relationship podcast by Cosmopolitan Magazine and a Top 10 Pick by HuffPost in the love category.

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Personal Journals

History

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Self-Improvement

Kara Loewentheil, Master Certified Life Coach, applies an analytical, feminist lens towards understanding our current dating culture and how our old stories may be affecting our decisions in love.

The Dating Dish story this week is based on a national study conducted by Whirlpool:

Spring Clean Your Dating Profile: A Surprising Social Experiment Uncovers What Singles Prioritize Most 

Then our Dear Damona question this week is:

How can I get more messages from my matches?

LIVE ONLINE EVENT: Damona is hosting a one night only, live workshop talking about how to meet your matches online and off. Sign up for the Dating Decoded workshop at DamonaHoffman.com/workshop

Follow Kara on Instagram @KaraLoewentheil and be sure to grab a copy of her new book, “Take Back Your Brain: How A Sexist Society Gets In Your Head and How To Get It Out.”

Read about the Whirpool survey at: prnewswire.com/news-releases/spring-clean-your-dating-profile-whirlpool-brand-uncovers-what-singles-prioritize-most-in-a-potential-partner-302077664.html
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Take Back Your Brain & The Texting Trap

Sara Jane Ho, etiquette expert and host of Netflix’s Mind Your Manners, joins to share the definitive etiquette rules for dating, talking, and texting inspired by her new book.

The Dating Dish story this week comes from CNN: 
Bumble no longer requires women to make the first move! 

Then our Dear Damona question this week is:
My match and I are traveling farther than normal to meet. Does that mean our date should last longer?

ANNOUNCEMENT: For the first time in a long time, Damona and her team are offering 1-on-1 coaching! Apply to become her next success story at DamonaHoffman.com/application

Follow Sara Jane on Instagram @SaraJaneHo and be sure to grab a copy of her new book, “Mind Your Manners: How to Be Your Best Self in Any Situation”.

Read the CNN article for yourself: cnn.com/2024/04/30/tech/bumble-relaunch-men-make-first-move/index.html
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Mind Your Manners & Bumble Bummer

Dr. Scott Lyons, host of The Gently Used Human podcast, talks about his new book, “Addicted to Drama: Healing Dependency on Crisis & Chaos In Yourself & Others”. This week’s Dating Dish is: HuffPost shares the reasons why we try to “fix” our matches…and what you should probably do instead. Then our Dear Damona question this week is: How can I attract more culturally open matches?

Follow Scott on Instagram @DrScottLyons and be sure to grab a copy of his book!

Share the love: Get your copy of Damona’s book  F the Fairy Tale on Amazon too and leave a review and Damona could shout you out on an upcoming episode!

HuffPost article https://www.huffpost.com/entry/taylor-swift-fix-him-relationships_l_662a5511e4b005d7bf0cbef0


TIMESTAMPS
(00:01:36) Why do we try to fix people in our relationships?
(00:08:09) Introduction of Dr. Scott Lyons
(00:13:32) Causes of addiction to drama
(00:17:24) Origin of addiction to drama
(00:18:09) Ecosystem and Turbulence
(00:19:27) Numbness and Seeking Sensation
(00:24:02) Addiction to Drama and Dating Apps
(00:27:00) Attentional Economy and Social Media
(00:33:13) Interrupting Peace and News Consumption
(00:35:26) Dating App Activation and Frameworks
(00:37:21) Awareness and Reflexive Behavior
(00:38:01) Avoidance Tactics
(00:38:24) Escaping Chaos
(00:39:30) Milestones of Healing
(00:42:41) Processing Trauma
(00:43:42) Belonging and Identity
(00:47:02) Cultural Diversity in Dating

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Addicted to Drama & I Can Fix Him

In this all-Dear Damona episode, Damona takes on dating burnout and swipe fatigue by answering your questions, like:

Is it a bad sign if my Bumble match is taking more than 3 days to reply?

How do I manage expectations with new partners?

How do I attract partners that are more financially and emotionally stable? 

And, is it more difficult to find love after 50?


Share the love: Get your copy of F the Fairy Tale on Amazon today and leave a review and Damona could shout you out on an upcoming episode!

TIMESTAMPS
00:00:07 Is it a bad sign if my bumble match is stuck on his move for days?
00:02:19 How do I manage expectations with new partners? 
00:17:27 How do I attract partners that are more financially and emotionally stable?
00:18:30 Dealing with fixer-uppers 
00:27:50 Is it more difficult to find love after 50? 
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His Move & Love After 50

Psychic Matchmaker Deborah Graham teaches singles to dial into their own psychic intuition. Plus, she shares her experiences as a psychic matchmaker, and her own story of being intuitively matched as well. Then, she gives a jaw-dropping live, on-air love reading. The Dating Dish this week is: Beware of Digital Body Language while you’re online dating. The Dear Damona questionis: What signs indicate that a person might be leaning towards commitment?

Follow her on Instagram @PsychicDeborahGraham and learn more about her work by visiting psychicdeborahgraham.com

F the Fairy Tale readers, the Dating Accelerator Program is open for on-going enrollment. Join today and get access to private livestreams with Damona just for VIP clients and Dating Accelerator students at DamonaHoffman.com/program

TIMESTAMPS
00:00:00 Intuition in Dating 
00:02:32 Digital Body Language 
00:13:15 Psychic Matchmaker's Introduction 
00:14:39 Realization of Psychic Gifts
00:16:05 Limitations of Using Psychic Gifts 
00:16:18 Arranged Marriage
00:17:49 Psychic Abilities
00:20:18 Beginning of Psychic Matchmaking
00:23:36 Mission and Intuition 
00:25:48 Reading Energy and Intuition 
00:27:49 Internal Compass and Muscle Testing 
00:30:20 Silence and Energy Communication 
00:30:48 Silence and Intuition 
00:31:44 Psychic Reading for Producer Lindsey
00:33:27 Revelation about L's Past Relationship
00:38:33 Dating Rules and Intuition
00:41:16 Avoiding Ghosting and Dating Process
00:45:01 Early Phase Dating
00:46:06 Reframing Expectations
00:47:18 Enjoying the Process
00:48:13 Clarity and Guidance
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Halloween Horror Stories: Gambling with Love & Fake Date Fiend

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