The Dating Chit

The fastest way to kill intimacy isn’t “bad sex” it’s the silence around it. Tea sits down with Amanda, a certified sexologist, intimacy coach, and former professional dominatrix, to talk about the part of dating and relationships most people overthink and under-discuss: sexual communication. If you’ve ever wanted to ask for something new but worried it would sound awkward, risky, or “too much,” t...

Dating a single parent can feel like stepping into a world with invisible rules, until you realize the rules are just real life: kids, custody, work, and a limited amount of time. I’m joined by Pat Hankin, co-author of Field Guide for Single Parents , whose insights come from years of data and patterns gathered from a massive single parent community. We get honest about what makes dating a single...

Most relationship communication advice fixates on what to say, but the real breakthrough comes earlier than that: understanding what’s driving you. W I sit down with Sandy Gerber, emotional intelligence expert, to unpack why certain people feel effortless to connect with and why other conversations seem to go off the rails no matter how “careful” your words are. Sandy breaks down her model of succ...

If you’ve ever wondered why “being a good guy” still isn’t leading to the relationship you want, this conversation puts language to the problem and a roadmap to the solution. I sit down with Jason Lange, a men’s embodiment coach and certified No More Mr. Nice Guy coach, to talk about the quiet ways men lose themselves in dating: people-pleasing, hiding desire, avoiding tension, and trying to earn...

I sit down with Ed, a Berkeley and Stanford trained engineer who had a startup exit ($8 Billion project), retired early, and is now rebuilding love after a long marriage while staying on great terms with his ex-wife. He is thoughtful, active, and honest about what it is like to re-enter online dating in midlife with real intention. We get into the stuff people usually avoid: when chemistry turns p...

Today, I am joined by Dara Rahill, a former top-ranked premium matchmaker at the country's largest matchmaking platform, and now the founder of Dara Rae Matchmaking, to reveal what actually predicts a healthy long-term relationship when you look beyond photos, height filters, and perfect-on-paper stats.  We dig into the behind-the-scenes reality of modern dating:  “checklists”, dating profile...

Dating a Bay Area engineer can look perfect on paper… but feel unexpectedly lonely in real life. In this episode, we get brutally honest about what it’s actually like dating engineers in Silicon Valley—the parts that feel safe and stable, and the parts that quietly hurt. Violina is back, and we’re sharing real stories, unpacking patterns we kept running into, and reflecting on the moments that led...

In this episode, we explore dating situations in the Bay Area, why some single men are not feeling great about it, and what happens when someone changes their dating “ecosystem.”  My guest Mike—a thoughtful, twice-divorced tech professional who took five years to reset after his marriages—shares how he approaches dating today. We talk about the reality of swiping, slow replies, and the quiet chase...

What does real masculinity actually look like today? In this episode, Tea sits down with her friend Mo to talk about the kind of strength that doesn’t need to be loud—quiet confidence, emotional steadiness, and showing up when it truly matters.  From caring for family to navigating modern dating, Mo shares what are some of the qualities matter far more than chemistry or grand gestures. We also unp...

Men often complain that Bay Area women are “too much”—too picky, too hard to impress, too into billionaires. But this episode may just challenge that narrative. Meet Violina: a globally raised, Thai-born professional whose beauty, grace, clarity, and emotional maturity redefine what it means to be a high-quality woman in today’s dating world. In our conversation, she opens up about what actually m...

Turns out, the strongest relationships are built in the small, everyday choices—calling back the same day, asking for the number with a shaking hand, raising the hard topics early, and repairing fully when it gets messy. Steve joins us to share how clear intentions, shared faith, and no-games honesty turned an easy spark into a marriage he’s proud to wake up and choose. He opens up about navigatin...

What if the biggest upgrade in love isn’t a grand gesture—but a brave sentence said at the right time? In this episode, we sit down with Pie—a nurse, a seasoned relationship wellness coach, mom of two, and partner of 25 years—to unpack the everyday choices that turn relationships from guesswork into something steady, grounded, and joyful. Blending professional insight with lived experience, Pie br...

What if the “cold Russian” stereotype is really just a different way of measuring trust? We sit down with Michael, a Russian-born, Israel-raised, Silicon Valley CEO and devoted dad, to unpack how culture, character, and presence shape modern dating. He brings the calm of healthy co-parenting, the thoughtfulness of real chivalry, and the focus of dating one person at a time—no performative games, n...

Dating gets easier when you stop pretending you’re not afraid and start telling the truth. We sit down with Randy, the magnetic frontman of a long-running Neil Diamond tribute band, to unpack what dating looks like for a self-aware, grounded man who’s not “on the hunt” yet remains genuinely open to connection. He’s divorced, fulfilled, and very clear on his boundaries—and that clarity becomes a co...

Hosted by Tongalag Liu (aka Tea), The Dating Chit is a story-driven podcast that slows dating down—cutting through the chaos of swipes and mixed signals. Each episode dives deep into the emotional realities of dating today, featuring emotionally available singles and happy couples who share honest stories, unique archetypes, and meaningful relationship insights. Expect real talk, emotional fluency...

Dating doesn’t have to feel like a numbers game or a performance review. Tea sits down with Carter, a grounded Gen Z with “golden retriever energy,” to unpack why connection is harder to find online, how speed dating actually feels from the inside, and what turns a first date into a second. His take is refreshingly grounded: show up in person, stay curious, build confidence through self-awareness,...