Today's episode is all about dating.

I haven't been dating in the past year, but even before going on Love is Blind I was not very active in the dating scene. Like many people, I experienced burnout as a result of complicated social rules and other blockers that make it difficult to find someone you have a genuine connection with. This is rooted in today's app-based dating culture, where the system is built to keep us asking "Who's next?"

There are plenty of good things about modern dating, but the technology portion has led to a lot of uncertainty. It takes time and effort to build a solid relationship, and so many traditional norms are gone. One of the reasons I decided to be a participant on Love is Blind is because it addressed a lot of my concerns. When you go on a social experiment like LIB, you're eliminating distractions and focused solely on forming that connection.

The approach with technology is to utilize it, but ultimately be real and true to ourselves and treat one another as human beings. Use technology as a tool, not a means - use it to communicate, not play the game.

This brings us to today's guest, Naza Shelley. Naza is an attorney and the creator of CarpeDM, a member-only dating community that is centered around people who are seeking relationships with professional black women. We discuss Naza's dating experience and what she's learned, what led her to create CarpeDM, what her vision is, and how she believes by merging technology with personal connections, you can build a better experience for what it's like to date online.

You can find Naza and CarpeDM here:

Website: https://carpedmdating.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carpedmboss/

https://www.instagram.com/carpedmdating/

Find Nick Thompson here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nthompson513/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXipWcR8Pit6vYHd1ZcKgKg