Ask a Matchmaker

Welcome to September! A period of renewal… and productive energy. If there were ever a time to kick off dating.. It’s now. It’s also time for Season 2 of the Ask a Matchmaker podcast! This week we’re kicking off our new feature, the Ask a Matchmaker Hotline! Matchmaker Maria is here to answer your dating and relationship questions. If you have a question and want to be on a future episode, be sure to follow Maria on Instagram @MatchmakerMaria to know when she’ll open up the hotline next to get in! Things discussed this week include... Is it okay for women to ask men out first?Is it okay to go on a first date over the weekend?How do you find dates when moving to a new country?What should you do if you find yourself withdrawing from someone you’re dating?How do you tell someone you went on a date with that they’re just not the right fit for you? Follow Maria on Instagram at http://instagram.com/matchmakermaria  If you’d like to learn more about Agape Match’s services or enroll in an upcoming Agape Intensive, visit agapematch.com/services 

While Maria takes a few weeks off, we’re revisiting some of her favorite episodes! The new season of the podcast starts in September!  Long distance relationships are brought up every week on Ask a Matchmaker on Instagram.  This week, we dig deep into the topic with The King and Queen of Long Distance, Maria and her husband, George! They met in Boston while George was living up there and Maria was still in New York City. For the next SIX YEARS (!!), they dated, got married and had a kid while living hundreds of miles apart! Don’t worry, they’re finally together in New Jersey! But how did the two of them do it for so long? What could you learn from their journey? Check out this very personal and heartfelt episode. Enroll in the next Agape Intensive: https://agapematch.com/agape-group-coaching-intensive/  Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com

While Maria takes a few weeks off, we’re revisiting some of her favorite episodes! The new season of the podcast starts in September!  This week, Maria is joined by Rayna Greenberg and Ashley Hesseltine, the co-hosts of Girls Gotta Eat podcast! Girls Gotta Eat is a comedy podcast about dating, sex and relationships.  Listen to Girls Gotta Eat on Applehttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/choosing-to-be-childfree/id1348777092?i=1000501573936  Listen to Girls Gotta Eat on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3Zwh39kXHAk9M6vZvofoxY  Follow Girls Gotta Eat on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/girlsgottaeatpodcast/ Enroll in the next Agape Intensive: https://agapematch.com/agape-group-coaching-intensive/  Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com  

Maria is taking a few weeks off. Before we start our new season in September, we’re looking back at some of her favorite episodes!    He’s been answering dating and relationship questions for years on the JTrain podcast! Now he’s our special guest this week to answer YOUR questions… it’s Jared Freid!   Jared Freid is a comedian based out of New York City. His comedy is current and reflects the ordinary daily thoughts of everyone you know, especially if everyone you know is a millennial, obsessed with dating apps, trying to be a real adult and worried about their body. He’s a regular at the Comedy Cellar, Caroline’s on Broadway, and Gotham. He hosts the JTrain podcast and co-hosts a modern dating podcast called “U Up?” with Jordana Abraham of Betches. Find Jared on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/jaredfreid Check out the JTrain podcast on Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jtrain-podcast/id672249013 Find more about Jared at http://jaredfreid.com  Enroll in the next Agape Intensive: https://agapematch.com/agape-group-coaching-intensive/  Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com  

While Maria is taking a few weeks off, we’re revisiting some of her favorite episodes! Season 2 starts in September! It feels like narcissism has taken a bigger role in society in the last few years. What might start off as charming and great can quickly turn negative and unhealthy. How do we make sure we don’t get caught up with someone who is a narcissist? What should we look out for? How can you know if your partner IS one? Dr. Ramani Durvasula (better known as Dr. Ramani) is a licensed clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, CA and Professor of Psychology at California State University, Los Angeles. She takes on our modern scourges of entitlement and incivility in the book “Don’t You Know Who I Am”: How to Stay Sane in the Era of Narcissism, Entitlement and Incivility She is the author of the modern relationship survival manual Should I Stay or Should I Go: Surviving a Relationship With a Narcissist. The focus of Dr. Ramani’s clinical, academic and consultative work is the etiology and impact of narcissism and related high-conflict, entitled, antagonistic personality styles on human relationships, mental health, and societal expectations. Dr. Ramani is an honest, authentic, and brutally honest voice on the struggles raised by narcissism in the US and globally. Follow Dr. Ramani on Instagram http://instagram.com/doctorramani You can find Dr. Ramani’s books on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Ramani-Durvasula/e/B00C2C5U0O Find Dr. Ramani at her website. http://www.doctor-ramani.com Enroll in the next Agape Intensive: https://agapematch.com/agape-group-coaching-intensive/  Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com  

While Maria is on a few weeks break, we’re revisiting some of her favorite episodes from season 1! Season 2 starts in September! One of our goals on Ask a Matchmaker is to have real, authentic conversations about all things related to love and relationships. Cut through the BS and talk about things that really matter. This week is no exception. We’re talking about sex. We’re talking about the sexual trauma and shame that we come across over the year. What it is, how to deal with it and how to talk about it. Joining us this week is Dr. Celeste Holbrook. Dr. Holbrook is a sexologist, speaker and author who has dedicated her life to helping women achieve soul-centered sex through perfectly planned mental and behavioral changes.  She inspires women to move through mental blocks surrounding their intimate lives to truly experience the sex that was spiritually designed for her.  Hundreds of women have dramatically changed their relationships by following the sexual and spiritual strategies that Dr. Holbrook has created and tailored specifically for them.  Her favorite moment is the spark that appears in a woman’s eyes the instant her sensual confidence is re-awakened. Visit Dr. Holbrook’s websitehttps://www.drcelesteholbrook.com/ Find Dr. Holbrook on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drcelesteholbrook/ Find Dr. Holbrook on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/DrCelesteHolbrook/ Enroll in the next Agape Intensive: https://agapematch.com/agape-group-coaching-intensive/  Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com

A few weeks ago, Maria received a closure letter that moved her to tears. It was for a relationship in 2018, but the letter’s author wrote it so she could be able to heal and allow love into her life today. Maria decided to invite the woman who wrote the letter onto this week’s podcast to talk about healing and moving on in life. Enroll in the next Agape Intensive: https://agapematch.com/agape-group-coaching-intensive/  Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com

It’s been an amazing year on the podcast! Thank you so much for listening and thank you for your support! This fall, we’ll be starting season 2. And with season 2, we’re starting something new… The Ask a Matchmaker Hotline! You will be able to call in and ask Maria about anything! On the spot advice just for you! Those calls will be on upcoming episodes. This week, we’re giving you a sneak peek into the hotline with two listeners calling into the Ask a Matchmaker hotline.  Take a listen! Enroll in the next Agape Intensive: https://agapematch.com/agape-group-coaching-intensive/  Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com

This week, Maria is talking about one of the most unique dating apps on the internet right now, Snack, with its founder Kim Kaplan! Kim Kaplan was one of the earliest employees at Plenty of Fish. She led product marketing and revenue on the executive team that eventually sold PoF to Match Group for $575 million in 2015. After a two year hiatus after Plenty of Fish, where she spent her time advising and angel investing, she scrolled on TikTok and saw that many users were creating essentially dating video profiles. But TikTok did not have the interface to support this. That’s when the dating app Snack was born!  Download the Snack dating app for iPhone  Follow Snack on Instagram  Follow Snack on TikTok Enroll in the next Agape Intensive: https://agapematch.com/agape-group-coaching-intensive/  Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com

Personality tests have been around for many years. Sometimes they’re used for fun, sometimes your employer might want you to take them to help with your career. This week, we talk about personality tests with Erin Baute and how they can help you in love and dating! AND Maria takes one on the podcast! Erin has been studying and working in the field of behavior change for over 20 years and uses the Enneagram, consciousness practices and behavior change theory to help individuals, couples, leaders, and teams in both life and at work. She has a bachelor’s degree in Human Development, Master of Public Health and is finishing her PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, with a focus on coaching and development. She has been studying and using the Enneagram for 11 years as a tool to get clear about behavioral patterns that align with individual, relationship, and team success.  She is a Certified Enneagram Teacher and Trainer, as well as an Accredited Enneagram Professional from the International Enneagram Association. If you would like to learn your own Enneagram, you can visit Erin’s website to book a session.  Book a session with Erin at http://livingtheenneagram.com/ Follow Erin on Instagram at http://instagram.com/livingtheenneagram/ Enroll in the next Agape Intensive: https://agapematch.com/agape-group-coaching-intensive/  Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmaker.com