Dates & Mates with Damona Hoffman

What is the magical first date zone between oversharing and playing it too cool? A listener named Brian shares: "I realize I have two dating modes. Either I dump all my emotional baggage on the first date, or I stay super chill and keep everything surface level, even when I want to go deeper. I've been hurt enough time

You've been married for 29 years. You're newly separated at 52. Your inbox is suddenly full of men in their twenties and thirties. And you're sitting there wondering: what the heck is going on? A listener we call Confused in Coatesville shares: "I'm separated a year in the process of divorce after 29 years of marriage.

How can you have 50+ matches and still no dates? Every conversation either fizzles out or someone reschedules and disappears. And worst of all, you keep seeing the same faces on every app year after year. A listener named S shares: "I end up with 50-plus matches like within 48 hours, which okay, great. But then I eithe

Ever notice how the holidays have a way of forcing conversations you've been avoiding? When someone you're dating wants to introduce their whole life to yoursbut you've been keeping parts of that life hidden,it's not just awkward timing. It's a moment of truth. A listener named Kayla shares: "I've been dating this guy

He says he wants to take things slow and get to know you organically. But when direct questions about his background get dodged, he frames your need for basic information as paranoia, and something's off. A listener named Jada shares: "We matched two weeks ago and the chemistry is amazing. He texts good morning and goo

Your best friend used to be your first call. Now you have to schedule weeks in advance just to see her, and her new boyfriend keeps calling your friendship "codependent." A listener named Sarah shares: "My best friend and I have been inseparable for six years. We talk every day, we're each other's emergency contacts, a