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Showing posts from February, 2025

Why We Repeat Toxic Patterns in Relationships

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Why do we tend to repeat toxic patterns in relationships and dating? Joan Childs has some insights you’ll want to hear! — Why do we tend to repeat toxic patterns in our relationships? My podcast guest, Joan Childs, is sharing her wisdom in this episode. She’s a renowned psychotherapist, author, and relationship expert with over 47 years of clinical experience. As a pioneer in Encounter-Centered Couples Therapy, Joan has dedicated her career to healing fractured relationships and guiding people toward self-actualization. Her therapeutic journey has included individual, couples, group, and family therapy, earning her certifications in transformative modalities such as EMDR, Hypnosis, and Inner Child Work. In this episode of Last First Date Radio: Why we repeat toxic patterns in relationships Common mistakes couples make and how to avoid them What to do when there’s a loss of intimacy in a relationship The biggest myths about love and relationships EP 649: Joan Childs – Why ...

What to Do When You Have More Money Than Your Boyfriend

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Do you have more money than your boyfriend? Watch this video for tips on how to work through financial disparities in dating. — When you have more money than your boyfriend, it can potentially lead to uncomfortable situations. Should you contribute a larger portion to shared expenses? What about travel? Do you have concerns about power dynamics, his feelings of insecurity, or either one of you becoming resentful of the other? This is a topic that comes up a lot in my coaching practice, which is why I’m sharing some of the key challenges and strategies for when you have more money than your boyfriend.  2 Key Challenges When You Have More Money than Your Boyfriend Challenge #1 – Power imbalance: A large financial gap can create a perceived power imbalance in the relationship. The partner with more money might feel like they have more control over decisions, and the partner with less money may feel disempowered. Challenge #2 – Potential insecurities: The partner with l...

How to Get a Second Date

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How do you get a second date when you’re interested in someone? My podcast guest, T. Joel Wade, has some excellent tips! — How do you get a second date? My podcast guest, T. Joel Wade, has some tips for you! He is a Presidential Professor of Psychology at Bucknell University. His research focuses on mate attraction, mate selection, mate expulsion, love, and relationships. He’s the author of numerous articles in social and evolutionary psychology journals, and his research has been covered in media outlets including the BBC, NPR, and CBC, and numerous national and international news magazines. In this episode of Last First Date Radio: Do the actions men and women use to get a second date differ, and if so why?  What are a few things people can say or do to get a second date?   How the actions men and women use to signal attraction to a potential mate differs EP 648: T. Joel Wade – How to Get a Second Date Do the actions men and women use to get a second date ...

How to Break Toxic Patterns in Dating

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How do you overcome toxic patterns in dating and relationships? Here are 5 signs of unhealthy patterns and how to break them. — Why do we repeat toxic patterns in dating and relationships? Why do we choose unavailable or abusive partners? The short answer is we seek what’s familiar to us. We’re drawn to people who remind us of our most unhealthy relationship with one or both of our caretakers growing up. It’s an unconscious attempt to heal our childhood wounds. Our rational mind doesn’t choose our toxic partners. That’s why it’s important to get support to rewire our brains for healthy relationships. In this video, I share five of the most common toxic patterns and how to begin to heal so you can go on your last first date! 5 Signs of toxic patterns in dating and relationships You don’t feel safe: You’re always editing what you say or do, afraid of what your partner would do or say if you were honest. You feel like you’ve lost yourself: When you’re with a toxic partner, th...

Getting Clear About What You Want in Dating

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Without clarity, how do you know what you want in dating? In this episode, learn how to clarify your dating wants and needs. — What if you could get clear about what you want in dating? My podcast guest, Tracey Gee, is the author of The Magic of Knowing What You Want . She’s a certified leadership coach and consultant and a sought-after speaker and facilitator nationwide. She helps people learn more about themselves and their unique sense of meaning and purpose. She feels honored to have worked with a breadth of incredible individuals and organizations, including UC Berkeley, the Miami Heat, and Coca-Cola, but her great ambition in life remains to pet as many dogs as possible. In this episode of Last First Date Radio: How to discover what you want in dating A practical exercise on uncovering your authentic desires in dating After you have clarity about what you want, what actions to take EP 647: Tracey Gee – Getting Clear About What You Want in Dating What inspired you to w...

When to Introduce a Partner to Your Friends

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When do you introduce a partner to your friends? Here are five things to consider before integrating your new beau into your friend group. — What’s the best timing for when to introduce a partner to your friend group? This is an important step in a new relationship, and the timing can vary depending on many factors. Here are five things to consider before deciding when the time is right and three potential downsides to introducing someone too early. When to Introduce a Partner to Your Friends 5 Things to Consider Before Introducing a Partner to Your Friends Comfort Level : Ideally, both you and your new partner have discussed this and feel comfortable with meeting each other’s friends. If either of you feels anxious or pressured, talk it out, and wait until you are both on the same page. Relationship Stage: There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to meeting friends, but most people wait until the relationship feels pretty stable. Depending on how quickly things pro...

How to Heal Your Relationship

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If you want to know heal your relationship, listen to this episode. Dr. Rachel Glik shares helpful tips to strengthen any relationship. — Rachel Glik is a licensed professional counselor with 30+ years as a couples and individual therapist in private practice. Since 2014, she has been a regular feature on the Fox 2 AM show in St. Louis as a relationship and mental health expert. Her book, A SOULFUL MARRIAGE: Healing Your Relationship With Responsibility, Growth, Priority, and Purpose was published February 4, 2025. In this episode of Last First Date Radio: The essential four pillars that can positively transform and heal your relationship The eight friendships that can influence a relationship  How to diffuse tension in an emotional argument using the love seat listening method  Why we should reframe conflict as an opportunity for growth One step someone could take today to create a stronger relationship EP 646 : Dr. Rachel Glik – How to Heal Your Relationship ...

Why Do We Miss Red Flags in Relationships?

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It’s common to miss red flags in relationships. Why do we excuse or dismiss these bad behaviors? Watch this video to find out. — So many of us miss red flags in relationships. We minimize them, excuse them, and ignore behaviors that should be considered warning signs early on. Why do we make excuses for bad behaviors or even have red flag blindness? In this video, I share six reasons we might miss red flags, and four things we can do if we ignored bad behavior in the past. Why Do We Miss Red Flags in Relationships? Six key reasons why we might miss red flags in relationships Reason #1: Red flags are subtle at first Red flags aren’t always so obvious. They can often start subtly at first and slowly escalate, making them harder to identify when we’re infatuated with our romantic partner.   Reason #2:   We tend to focus only on the positives If you’re the type of person who always looks for the positive traits in others, you’re probably ignoring red flags. If ...