Life Advice
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Erika Ettin: What can older generations learn from Gen Z about dating?
Gen Z is on the dating scene, and according to the latest study from Tinder, they’re changing the game.
In the popular dating app’s new Future of Dating Report 2023, 69% of Gen Z respondents feel they are putting their own spin on conventional dating standards. More than half of millennial respondents agree, reporting that they feel dating...Read more

Erika Ettin: How do I write a profile that attracts the person I'm looking for?
This is a question I get all the time: “How do I write a profile that attracts the person I’m looking for?”
My answer may surprise you: You don’t.
Often, when clients come to me wanting/needing a new online dating profile, they say they want to write in such a way that targets their preferred audience. Even this morning, a woman ...Read more

Young people are having less sex than their parents did at their age. Researchers explore why.
Young adults aren’t behaving the way their parents did: They’re not drinking as much, they’re facing more mental health challenges, and they’re living with their parents longer. On top of that, computer games and social media have become a sort of stand-in for physical relationships.
All that means young Californians aren’t having as ...Read more

Erika Ettin: Is summer a good season for dating? The pros and cons of warm weather wooing
If you Google “best time to start a dating profile,” you’ll find no shortage of answers. Some are based on personal experiences and some are based on research or polls, but the results feature a wide range.
My thoughts? There are pros and cons to every season when it comes to dating — and summer is no exception.
Pro: People are ...Read more

Remote work: An underestimated benefit for family caregivers
For Aida Beltré, working remotely during the pandemic came as a relief.
She was taking care of her father, now 86, who has been in and out of hospitals and rehabs after a worsening series of strokes in recent years.
Working from home for a rental property company, she could handle it. In fact, like most family caregivers during the early days...Read more

Stop putting off the end-of-life talk with your aging loved ones. Here's what to say
Amy Pickard wants you to talk about death. Specially, she wants you to make your healthcare planning and end-of-life arrangements known to your loved ones.
She knows that talking about death is going to make most people squirm. But the Southern Californian, who runs the end-of-life consulting company Good to Go!, says an awkward but respectful ...Read more

Erika Ettin: Breaking up is hard to do
I got this question the other day:
“What’s your advice on getting back into the dating pool after a breakup? Is there a certain amount of time one should wait? Or, is it a case of getting back on the horse right after falling off? My heart was broken recently … and my friends are telling me to get back out there and date. My walls have ...Read more

Erika Ettin: 5 ways to recharge after online dating burnout
As a dating coach, a question I get all the time from clients and friends is, “What should I do if I feel burned out by the dating process?”
Let me be the first to say that it's completely normal to feel overwhelmed and exhausted by the online dating process, and dating in general. It can be a lot of work to sift through profiles, craft ...Read more

Erika Ettin: If someone says they can't or won't do something, listen
A client recently reached out to me to ask for advice on a dating situation. (It’s my job!) After a “great” first date, the man told my client he’d be interested in connecting again but noted that he was looking for “something casual” because he was recently divorced. She said that despite looking for a long-term relationship, she ...Read more

Erika Ettin: If at first you don't succeed … go on another date?
I get questions like this all the time (just received this one yesterday):
“I went on one date with a guy I met online. It wasn’t horrible, but I wasn’t left feeling giddy. I talk to the guy every day, but I don’t think I feel anything towards him. He asked me out again for this Friday night, but I am having second thoughts because I ...Read more

Parents behind 'Bree's Law' blocked by Dunleavy administration from adapting Alaska's teen dating violence classes for nationwide use
JUNEAU, Alaska — An effort by the parents behind "Bree's Law" to adapt the state of Alaska's teen dating violence curriculum for nationwide use has hit a roadblock after the administration of Gov. Mike Dunleavy this month declined to grant a copyright release.
Butch and Cindy Moore are the parents of Breanna "Bree" Moore, their youngest ...Read more

Erika Ettin: Let sleeping ghosts lie
I have a former male client who has what I’ll call “a ghosting pattern.” He will text someone after a date that he thinks went well to ask her out again. (So far, so good!) She doesn’t answer. (Annoying.) He writes to her again. She doesn’t answer again. He writes again (maybe this time on Facebook and LinkedIn also) … you get it.
...Read more

She was chosen for '50 Dates 50 States' series on TikTok
MINNEAPOLIS -- Olivia Stapleton always wanted to visit all 50 states. What she hadn't planned on was going on a date in every one of them — and doing it in just six months.
The Minnesota native will have over eight dates a month as she travels across America. They will range from adrenaline-inducing parasailing to a laid-back bike ride along ...Read more

Erika Ettin: How to turn negative dating profile statements into positive outlooks
As a dating coach, I’ve read a lot of online dating profiles … which also means I’ve read a lot of bad dating profiles. From bad grammar to lack of photos and rants about politics, many things can turn me (and my clients) off to a person’s bio, but perhaps the worst perpetrator is general negativity.
More often than I wish to see (which...Read more

Erika Ettin: All people are different people
In anticipation of Season 3 of "Ted Lasso" (which has not disappointed as of yet!), I decided to rewatch the first two seasons. And while the show is an obvious comedy, there are some nuggets of wisdom in there that I certainly couldn’t have written as well as the writers did, even if I tried. One such nugget: “All people are different ...Read more

Erika Ettin: Why we want people we can't have
You like someone. They like you. You continue liking this person. This person pulls back. You wonder why and push a little. This person continues to pull back. You get anxious and obsess. Sadly, in dating, this is a common occurrence.
Why might a person’s feelings actually grow the less someone reciprocates those feelings? In truth, it’s ...Read more

Erika Ettin: 3 pieces of old-school dating wisdom that have not stood the test of time
Once in a while, something pop ups on a website or social media site: dating tips and advice from a bygone era. In most cases, the tips are quite obviously outdated and prompt a laugh at how much things have changed, but many people still follow some dating “rules” or bits of wisdom, even if they’re old-fashioned — and for good reason. ...Read more

Erika Ettin: Dating advice from my dad
The first time my dad gave me dating advice was my freshman year of college. After a very short-lived relationship — or whatever you call a two-week PG-13 love connection when you're 18 — I called my mom to sob to her when my crush broke up with me. Mom wasn’t home, so I got Dad.
Dad, in all his wisdom, said, “Boys are stupid.” ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Erika Ettin: How do I write a profile that attracts the person I'm looking for?
- Young people are having less sex than their parents did at their age. Researchers explore why.
- Erika Ettin: What can older generations learn from Gen Z about dating?
- Remote work: An underestimated benefit for family caregivers
- Erika Ettin: Is summer a good season for dating? The pros and cons of warm weather wooing