Dates & Mates with Damona Hoffman

Updated: 26 Aug 2025 • 216 episodes
www.datesandmates.com

From navigating dating apps to overcoming the friendzone to seeking a soulmate, this ain’t your momma’s love advice! Hosted by the Official Love Expert of The Drew Barrymore Show and LA Times advice columnist, Damona Hoffman, Dates & Mates is jam-packed with interviews from your favorites celebs, authors, and experts. Dates & Mates is the 2022 Winner of The Best Podcast of the Year at The Black Podcasting Awards, #1 ranked love and relationship podcast by Cosmopolitan Magazine and a Top 10 Pick by HuffPost in the love category.

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Grief changes us, and sometimes, it’s also what brings us together. This week, a listener shares: “My partner and I both lost our spouses, and we bonded over that. Now, three months in, I’m the only one opening up and being vulnerable. Am I asking too much? Or moving too fast?” In this episode, Damona explores what it

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Friendships can be some of our most important relationships, but they don’t always stay the same.  Careers, relationships, moves, and life stages can all shift the way we connect, sometimes leaving us wondering if the closeness we once had is gone for good. This week, a listener shares: “My best friend and I used to sh

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A long-time listener sent in a heartfelt question: “My Mom constantly has opinions about who I should date, what kind of guy is right for me, even how I should look or act to attract the right person… one comment from her has me spiraling.” In this episode, Damona explores how well-meaning love advice can actually sabo

A longtime listener sent in a question that speaks to something many women have wondered: “How does one become a woman who builds up a man and always makes them more confident and stronger? How do I get into my feminine state and energy around a guy on a date?” In this episode, Damona shares what it really means to be

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After watching The Materialists, a long-time listener sent in a question that struck a chord: “What’s it going to take for us to kill the curve and stop dating by height, BMI, salary, or things that don’t speak to true character?”  In this episode, Damona unpacks the real-life impact of checklist dating, explores the i

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This week, Damona takes on a question from longtime listener Vernee, who’s back in the dating scene after a hiatus… and hitting a wall when it comes to finding someone who shares her political and social justice values. Vernee asks: "I'm politically progressive, very values-driven, and living in a purple state. I've tr

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