Life Advice
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Ask Dating Coach Erika: How do I get him to stop drinking?
In any relationship, budding or established, there are two competing philosophies: Take people as they come vs. ask for what you want/need, especially when it comes to certain behaviors. I want to share that these two things can co-exist, and neither has to necessarily take precedence over the other.
Yes, we have to take people as they come, ...Read more
Millennial Life: What Lurks Outside the Frame
I consumed a lot of horror movies during my teen years. For a couple of my friends, my room became the hub where we watched the standard fare of slashers, munched on overly processed snacks, and critiqued the characters' decisions as they ran for their lives. We, of course, would make better, smarter decisions. Ah, to know more as a teenager.
...Read more
Ask Anna: Am I a monster for wanting my boyfriend to last longer in bed?
Dear Anna,
My boyfriend and I have been together for about eight months, and in almost every way we’re really well-suited for each other. There’s just one problem. Our sex life is lacking, and I don’t know how to fix it. He finishes very quickly during penetrative sex — usually within a minute or two — and while he almost always makes...Read more
Single File: Mystery!
I love mystery. No, not the grisly murder-mayhem crime scene. The mystery that moves me (and maybe you, too, after I make my case) is the aura, the enchantment, the spell we women can weave around our femininity. But before we get to that, I want you to know that my concept of feminine mystery has absolutely nothing to do with game playing or ...Read more
Ask Dating Coach Erika: Is this a date?
“If you don’t know, ask.”
I find myself giving this advice on an almost daily basis.
I got a text recently from a male client who had met a woman at a party the previous weekend. She promptly found him on Instagram and suggested meeting. (Good for her for taking the initiative! How would you feel about that?) He then asked me if he ...Read more
Millennial Life: The Invisible Forces that Keep the Doors Open
We're not southern enough to be yes, ma'am or no, sir, but I try to nudge manners into my kids' daily interactions with strangers. Today, I nudged him when I saw two women cross the parking lot and asked him to open the restaurant door. One of the women was older and one much younger, maybe a grandmother and granddaughter. The younger one smiled...Read more
Ask Anna: The threesome went great. So why do I feel so bad?
Dear Anna,
I’m an experienced threesome participant, but I’ve been happily monogamous for years. Recently, my wife and I decided to try having a threesome together because she never really got to have the fun, slutty 20s experience she wanted. (For context, this is a two women, one nonbinary person situation.) Because it was her first time,...Read more
Single File(: Create Love
You sigh for it -- and sometimes your sighing deepens into outright yearning. You dream of discovering lover and best friend in one wonderful one. Your yearning is hidden from the daylight in a zillion ways, but in the dark of night, masks slip and your yearning for "the real thing" becomes your bedmate.
Listen up. Did it ever occur to you that...Read more
Ask Dating Coach Erika: What did they mean when they said that?
All too often, I get questions like these from clients:
--“What did they mean when they said that?”
--“How can I ask, ‘What are we?’”
--“Why didn’t they text me this morning like usual?”
--“Why don’t we have plans lined up for the weekend already?”
From my 15 years as a dating coach, I can give an educated guess as ...Read more
They've been happily married for nearly 20 years. They just live 3,000 miles apart
PHILADELPHIA -- Duwenavue Santé Johnson and Joseph Carrillo first met in San Francisco when they lived a block apart.
But that arrangement didn’t last. They have now been married for 17 years, and have lived 3,000 miles apart for the majority of the time.
Johnson lives in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood, where she works as a senior ...Read more
Millennial Life: Forget the Rainbow, Let's Taste the Vinegar
My mind wanders, and sometimes I just follow behind it, seeing where it goes.
Driving to the gym recently, I debated bringing in my water bottle before remembering there was a water fountain inside. I started thinking about the person who designed the fountain itself, about the mechanics of the water arcing upward at exactly the right angle, ...Read more
Jill Burcum: Building a sisterhood of the saddle
It’s unlikely that I’ll take up cattle ranching at this point in my life, so the ability to saddle up a horse and separate a steer from the herd isn’t a must-have skill.
But do I still want to learn how to do that at a visionary event called the Top Hand Cowgirl Challenge?
Oh, heck yes.
What’s drawing me, and the hundreds of other ...Read more
Single File: Your Mission
Somewhere along the way, you may find one man you like better than the others. He may not look like Hugh Jackman, but there will be something about his sense of humor or the way he sees life that hits home. This is the moment the real challenge presents itself: to continue treating a man like your best buddy when you care about him romantically....Read more
Ask Dating Coach Erika: Is it wrong to want a partner with the same education?
Black and white, right and wrong, cut and dried. I know how tempting it is to look for a “rule” or a quick answer in dating. Leave or stay? Unmatch or meet? But most things in life are not answered so simply. This week, we have several dating questions looking for a back-and-white answer … and I’m here to show the shades of gray.
...Read more
Ask Anna: My boyfriend used ChatGPT to write romantic texts
Dear Anna,
I’ve been dating my boyfriend for about four months, and things have been going really well — or at least I thought they were. He’s always been really thoughtful over text, sending me these sweet, articulate messages about how he’s feeling or why he appreciates me. I’m not the most eloquent person, so I’ve always been a ...Read more
Millennial Life: A Tale of Two Voices
His voice vibrated with anger. It was contained, waiting for the release of the hello that never came, and my voicemail message forced him to change his tactic. He knew he had to keep that lid on to get a return call, but there was a Tupperware burp at the end, when he spat out an ask on what my plans were to enact the change he wanted.
He ...Read more
Ask Amy: Exiting with some well-worn wisdom
Dear Readers: Since announcing my departure from writing this syndicated column, I have heard from scores of people across various platforms, thanking me for more than two decades of offering advice and wishing me well in my “retirement.” I am very touched and grateful for this outpouring of support.
The thing is – I don’t think of ...Read more
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