Dates & Mates with Damona Hoffman

Amanda Pendleton, Zillow's Home Trends expert, examines whether shacking up with a partner actually saves you money—or if the emotional costs outweigh the benefits. Plus, we’ll explore how to decide when—or if—it’s the right time to merge your spaces and your finances. And later we answer this Dear Damona question of the week: How can you set up a new long-distance relationship for success? VisitZ...

Beatriz Victoria Albina, Master Certified Somatic Life Coach, breaks down the ways a dysregulated nervous system might be getting in your way romantically, how to tune into the cues your body is sending you and how to heal ourselves for happier, healthier relationships. Then the Dear Damona question this week is: 15 years later, I find myself back in the dating pool. Where do I begin? Ready to bre...

Mercury may be retrograde but we are moving forward on a new path to love with an All-Dear-Damona episode. This week’s questions came in from all over the globe: I’ve been told that men should do the chasing. Do I really have to sit around and wait? How do I keep my cool when matches ask questions that I’ve already answered in my dating profile? I’ve done a lot of inner work. How much can I reason...

In this jam-packed Master Class you’ll learn why apathy may be the reason you’re feeling burned out in dating and how empathy is the antidote. Damona shares why empathy makes you more attractive, how to cultivate it, and exercises to strengthen both self-empathy and relational empathy. Plus, our Dear Damona questions for the week include: Why are so many people less emotionally available than they...

Johnny Fernandez, life and love coach, joins Damona to answer the question: is dating really harder today? This is a hot debate and it continues as Johnny and Damona put their four decades of collective experience to work. Whether you're feeling like dating is impossible, or just wondering if you’re doing it all wrong, if you’re intrigued by masculine/feminine dynamics or not, this episode is for...

Lindsay Jill Roth, award winning television producer, shares her new book, “Romances & Practicalities: A Love Story (Maybe Yours) In 250 Questions”, how these questions and ultimately the communication they foster can determine the trajectory of a relationship. Then our Dear Damona question this week is: Is it time for a talk? My man keeps updating his online profile. Get the book: “Romances &...

Devyn Simone, Tinder’s Resident Relationship Expert, joins Damona in celebration of Valentine’s Day to test Damona’s online dating knowledge in a Tinder Trivia showdown! Whether you’re feeling the love or dodging Cupid’s arrow this year, we’ve got something for you. Then in a special Dear Damona and Dear Devyn, our questions this week are: My matches want to skip getting to know each other and get...

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and Damona dedicates this week’s episode to YOU! Whether you're navigating dating apps, dealing with relationship questions, or just trying to avoid all those pink hearts in the grocery store…February can be a tricky time! Set the record straight in this all Dear Damona episode with your top questions like: A hot new match has convinced me the dating apps are w...

Julie Krafchick and Yue Xu, hosts of the Dateable Podcast, share the knowledge and insights from their brand-new book, “How To Be Dateable: The Essential Guide to Finding Your Person and Falling in Love.” Whether you're stuck in the dating rut or just looking for that spark of clarity, they’ve got the tools to help you date smarter and connect deeper. Then our Dear Damona question this week is: No...

“What To Do When You Get Dumped” author-illustrator, mother-daughter duo, Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman take on heartbreak in a refreshing way in their new graphic novel. Discover tips on healing from a breakup, moving on, and leaning into love again. Plus, we have this week’s Dear Damona question:  Why do my Hinge matches like my profile but then never write to me? Grab your copy of Suzy and Ha...

Orna & Matthew Walters, founders of Love On Purpose, share the knowledge and insights from their new book, “Getting It Right This Time: Break Free From Your Hidden Blocks To Finding Lasting Love”. You’ll learn how you might be standing in your own way when it comes to love and what you can do to get yourself back on track. And our Dear Damona question this week is: I want to pay for Premium on...

Carol Allen, Vedic astrologer, returns to kick off 2025 with her annual love forecast in an episode packed with guidance and revelations. Whether you’re single and searching, navigating a partnership, or simply curious about how the stars align for you, this episode will illuminate your path to love by highlighting the times you should lean into love, when you should play it cool and when to follo...

Damona offers a visualization to guide you through the ups and downs of this year and plant seeds for a 2025 full of love in this special minisode. Then, she shares her word of the year along with an exercise that you can try today to begin transforming your love journey. Craving another soothing meditation, transformational tools, and a sense of community? For the first time ever, Damona is offer...

Damona shares reflections on the swiping stats from 2024 based on Tinder and Bumble trends from their year-end reports. Then she looks forward to the future to predict what you can expect in the world of dating and relationships in 2025.  Are you feeling burned out on dating—like you’re giving so much but getting nothing back? Then join Damona on February 1st for a one-day virtual retreat - Fairy...

Laura Stassi, author and host of the Dating While Gray podcast, reveals how many of our dating challenges and solutions remain the same, regardless of age, gender, or sexuality. And Laura joins Damona for a special Dear Damona segment to answer your questions, like: I’d like to move to Tennessee and meet a Southern gentleman. Should I start dating long distance in the meantime? I have a medical is...

Aleeza Ben Shalom, celebrity matchmaker of Netflix’s Jewish Matchmaking, shares actionable advice to help you find your path on this dating journey with wisdom from her new book “Matchmaker, Matchmaker: Find Me a Love That Lasts”. And the Dear Damona question this week is: What are the signs that someone is interested in you? Pre-order your copy of Aleeza's new book, “Matchmaker, Matchmaker: Find...

This week’s episode is dedicated to YOU! The holidays are here, bringing all the cozy vibes, family gatherings, and… yep, those inevitable relationship questions. Damona answers all your pressing holiday love questions, from family expectations to finding romance under the mistletoe. She will answer your top questions like: I have been dating a wonderful man for 7 months now and STILL don’t feel a...

Lauren Frances, Love and Relationships Expert, talks all about first dates from when they start (it’s not when you think) to how to graciously end one that’s just not working for you. And our Dear Damona question of the week is, “My match is great, not a single dealbreaker, and I STILL can’t wrap my head around commitment. What now?” Want to join Lauren’s incredible Love Magnet Makeover? Just visi...

Dr. Alfiee, psychologist, host of the Couched in Color podcast and founder of the AAKOMA Project, dives into attachment styles, how depression can impact a partnership, and the ways our traumas and triggers can become unearthed in new relationships. Then this week’s Dear Damona question is: I married too young and stayed too long. Can you please help me get back into the dating game? Ready to brea...

Whether you’re navigating cuffing season, gearing up to meet someone's family for the holidays, or figuring out how to take your dating game to the next level— Damona dedicates this week’s episode to YOU! She’s answering your toughest Dear Damona questions, like: I struggle to find matches in my area and while I am willing to travel, many men aren’t. So what now? My matches keep removing their pro...

Esther Lee, Deputy Editor of The Knot, breaks down the stats released in the website’s Relationship & Intimacy Study, and spills the tea on where singles are finding love, what they’re actually looking for, how they’re spending their time on dates, and those dating dealbreakers we just can’t shake. And, this week’s Dear Damona question is: Is a bra an appropriate gift for a young couple? Ready...

Benjamin Camras, The Flirt Coach & host of the Flirtations Flirtcast, joins Damona for our annual Halloween Dating Horror Stories Special. You’ll laugh, you’ll scream, and you’ll get useful advice to survive your next bad date. Stories include: Blindsided by a Blind Date The Vegetarian Variation The Creepy Car Concert The Deskside Date The Freudian Movie Man Ready to break free of your dating...

Erika Wasserman, Your Financial Therapist, is shifting the narrative around money and using those sometimes-tough conversations to build deeper trust and better communication with your partner and tackling the tricky financial situations singles often find themselves in while dating. Our Dear Damona question this week is: I have social anxiety. Do I need to focus on making more friends before purs...

Take a sneak peak into a private coaching session with our listener, Michelle, as Damona identifies the dating loops and myths that are keeping this Dates & Mates Method graduate from finding the relationship she desires. Listen in as Michelle comes to a realization about the men she’s been dating and why it hasn’t worked out. And help yourself along the way as Damona shares quick tips and tak...

Meghan Keane, the founder of NPR’s Life Kit, shares her new book, “Party of One: Be Your Own Best Partner”. Listen in as she peels back the layers of our complicated feelings about being single and dissects the ways that singlism could be dealt with in your own life. It’s time to embrace your single life or the singles in your life so that we can all thrive together regardless of our relationship...