This week, Maria is talking about one of the most unique dating apps on the internet right now, Snack, with its founder Kim Kaplan! Kim Kaplan was one of the earliest employees at Plenty of Fish. She led product marketing and revenue on the executive team that eventually sold PoF to Match Group for $575 million in 2015. After a two year hiatus after Plenty of Fish, where she spent her time advising and angel investing, she scrolled on TikTok and saw that many users were creating essentially dati...
Jul 14, 2021•44 min•Ep. 56
Personality tests have been around for many years. Sometimes they’re used for fun, sometimes your employer might want you to take them to help with your career. This week, we talk about personality tests with Erin Baute and how they can help you in love and dating! AND Maria takes one on the podcast! Erin has been studying and working in the field of behavior change for over 20 years and uses the Enneagram, consciousness practices and behavior change theory to help individuals, couples, leaders,...
Jul 07, 2021•41 min•Ep. 55
This week, Maria welcomes author Nancy Jo Sales. Nancy Jo Sales is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist who has written for Vanity Fair and Harpar’s Bazaar among others. Sales famously exposed Hollywood’s “Bling Ring," a group of teens who broke into the homes of celebrities like Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom, stealing millions of dollars’ worth of luxury goods. Known for her stories on youth culture, celebrity culture, and the effects of tech on kids as well as dati...
Jun 30, 2021•53 min•Ep. 54
Arguments happen in relationships. That’s just a fact. But we’re not really taught how to handle it when we start dating. There is no rule book on how to handle the situation! This week, Maria chats with Monica Berg on how to handle arguments and disagreements with your partner in a healthy way! Monica Berg is a spiritual thought leader and author of “Fear is Not an Option” and “Rethink Love.” She’s also the host of the Spiritually Hungry podcast. She has a fresh voice that channels her many yea...
Jun 23, 2021•43 min•Ep. 53
This week, Maria is so excited to welcome Marlo Thomas! Marlo Thomas is an actress, a producer, an author, a philanthropist and a social activist. In fact, she's in the OG group of feminist icons. Having starred in the sitcom “That Girl” in the 60s, she is the prototype to the "single girl in the city" sitcoms that have been in production ever since. She's won four Emmy awards, a Golden Globe and Peabody for her work in television and a Grammy for her children's album, “Free to be You and Me.” I...
Jun 16, 2021•50 min•Ep. 52
This week, we’re talking about love on a different level. Maria talks so much about her belief in manifestation. Is it possible to call in your soulmate? Do we really HAVE soulmates in our lives? We’re going deep into the soul with physic medium, Michelle Clare. In a span of 11 years, Michelle had had 3 near death experiences. The second one was a monumental life changing event in which Michelle suffered a traumatic brain injury. Shortly after this life altering event, she started receiving info...
Jun 09, 2021•38 min•Ep. 51
This week on the podcast, Maria talks to the co-hosts of the Shooters Gotta Shoot podcast, Erica Spera and Molly DeMellier. NCAA athletes Erica Spera and Molly DeMellier have always taken shots on and off the court. They know how to get what they want, except when it comes to men. Recently, dating has become harder to navigate with Erica getting diagnosed with herpes and Molly’s sister/best friend excommunicating herself from the family. But instead of giving up on love, they've made a pact to c...
Jun 02, 2021•54 min•Ep. 50
This week, Maria is so excited to welcome Dr. Helen Fisher to the podcast to answer your dating and relationship questions! Fisher has written several books about the evolution and future of human sex, love, marriage, gender differences in the brain, how your personality style shapes who you are and who you love, and more. Her books include Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray and Why Him? Why Her? Finding Real Love by Understanding your personality type. She ...
May 26, 2021•54 min•Ep. 49
While we spend much of our time on the podcast talking about finding love, what do you do once that happens? How do you protect yourself and your family when you decide to say “I do!” to one another? It’s time to talk about the big D… divorce. This week’s guest is Certified Family Law Specialist Kelly Chang Rickert, better known online as Lawyer Kelly. She has exclusively handled family law cases and prenuptial agreements for over twenty years. She is the author of several divorce articles publi...
May 19, 2021•40 min•Ep. 48
This week Maria welcomes your new gay best friend, Matthew Anchel, to help with your dating and relationship questions! Maria and Matthew tackle body image in dating as well as some unique insight into dating from around the world. Follow Matthew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewanchel/ Visit Matthew's website: https://www.matthewanchel.com/ Enroll in the next Agape Intensive: https://agapematch.com/agape-group-coaching-intensive/ Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Ha...
May 12, 2021•50 min•Ep. 47
This week, Jenna Langbaum joins us to discuss her new book, “Me in Seach of You”, which is a collection of stories inspired by her dating life as well as others through prose. “Me in Search of You” is the kind of book you’re going to stop after every story and reflect on your own dating experiences. It is available where all books are sold. Jenna Langbaum is a creative director, copywriter, poet and playwright. Her original play, The Night of Blue and Salt, was produced through the New York City...
May 05, 2021•39 min•Ep. 46
It’s easy to sit on our phone, scroll through social media and feel the fear of missing out, or FOMO. Everything looks amazing! Why aren’t I doing that? Why don’t I have that in my life? When it comes to dating, it’s easy to not make a decision or commitment when there are so many options available. It’s the fear of better options, or FOBO. But how do we live in the moment? How do we make the decision? How do we appreciate what we already have? This week Maria discusses this and more with the ma...
Apr 28, 2021•51 min•Ep. 45
Long distance relationships are brought up every week on Ask a Matchmaker on Instagram. This week, we dig deep into the topic with The King and Queen of Long Distance, Maria and her husband, George! They met in Boston while George was living up there and Maria was still in New York City. For the next SIX YEARS (!!), they dated, got married and had a kid while living hundreds of miles apart! Don’t worry, they’re finally together in New Jersey! But how did the two of them do it for so long? What c...
Apr 21, 2021•55 min•Ep. 44
We’re so excited to have her back! In episode 2, we welcomed Fotini Iconomopoulos to talk about negotiating in every part of your life, including your relationship! This week, she’s back to talk about new upcoming book “Say Less, Get More” and share some tactics in negotiating in your job, your relationship and every part of your life! e! Nicknamed “the negotiator” as a child, Fotini has been honing her skills her entire life. For the last decade, she’s been empowering Fortune 500 executives and...
Apr 14, 2021•43 min•Ep. 43
So often we focus on what a potential match is saying to us. But also what can we learn from their body language? Those little things we see can say so much. This week, it’s all about the power of body language with body language expert Blanca Cobb! Blanca Cobb has been featured on national TV as well as numerous publications across the country. If they’re talking about body language, Blanca is there to give her expert advice! When it comes to love, relationships and romance, Blanca helps you fi...
Apr 07, 2021•44 min•Ep. 42
With the vaccine rollouts across the world, is it safe to start dating in person again? What does dating look like once we have the shot? How do we keep ourselves safe as we transition through the vaccine process? So many questions. Today, we have some answers for you. Last week, Maria was the moderator of a special panel called “Dare to Date: The Covid Vaccine and Dating Safety.” It was put on by The Meet Group’s Safer Dating Advisory Board, which was formed in July 2020 and is made up of healt...
Mar 31, 2021•59 min•Ep. 41
This week on the podcast, Maria is reading your closure letters with one of her good friends, Katie Murphy! Katie took the crazy situation of 2020 and made something amazing out of it! When she lost her job at the beginning of the pandemic, she bought a tent, packed her car and camped out across the country! Plus, they will share a letter Maria received from someone that was gaslit by a man last year. It involves travel, facetime calls and even her daughter. You’re not going to want to miss this...
Mar 24, 2021•51 min•Ep. 40
During the pandemic, she was bored. So she started her own dating show! This week’s guest is Serena Kerrigan, AKA Serena F*cking Kerrigan, or SFK. She hosts her own dating show on Instagram called Let’s F*cking Date, in which she goes on weekly live dates as her friends and fans watch and comment. Watch episodes of Let’s F*cking Date on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsfuckingdate/ Follow Serena on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serenakerrigan Get Serena’s Card Game: https://letsfu...
Mar 17, 2021•35 min•Ep. 39
“Did I just date a narcissist?” More than likely you or someone you know has asked this question. Narcissists come off as charming and amazing at first. But then you start to see the patterns. The truth comes out. What do you do then? This week, Maria is joined by Heather Kent to help you, whether you’re currently dating one or dated one in the past. Heather Kent is a Registered Psychotherapist with a training background in trauma assessment and treatment. She is the #1 Amazon bestselling author...
Mar 10, 2021•42 min•Ep. 38
Financial compatibility is such an important part of a relationship. Yet it’s also one of the toughest things to talk about with a potential partner. Heck, it can even be tough to talk about when you’re married! Do you two have the same beliefs about money? Are you two in debt? Do you spend a lot or do you prefer to save? How do you take care of the bills when you get married? So many questions! This week, Dr. Shannon Curry is here to help answer them! Dr. Shannon Curry is an award winning Clini...
Mar 03, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 37
The cold weather in Texas has been all over the news the last two weeks. This week, Maria talks to someone on the ground and is dealing with it first hand... lifestyle blogger, Danielle Price. After graduating from film school at the University of Southern California in 2014, Danielle worked at a content creation focused ad agency & house of lifestyle magazines in Los Angeles. Danielle quit her job and put her whole life into a storage unit in January 2020 (great timing!) to take the once-in...
Feb 24, 2021•48 min•Ep. 36
You loved it! We loved it! So we’re doing it again! This week on the podcast, Maria is reading your closure letters with her friend Katie Morse. Those words you wish you could say to someone but you know it’s better you don’t. But you still need to get the words and feelings out! We happily read them and put them out in the universe for you! Plus, Maria and Katie talk about how they became friends. Spoiler alert: It started when they realized that at one point they both were with the same guy! T...
Feb 17, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 35
Years ago he was ready to meet someone. But he wasn’t happy with the apps and ways to meet people. So, he took things into his own hands and created his own app! This week’s guest is David Vermeulen. He is the founder of Inner circle, the app where you’ll find some of the world's most inspiring single professionals with similar backgrounds and interests. Plus, we take YOUR dating and relationship questions! Download the Inner Circle app from the Apple App store To learn how Maria can help you fi...
Feb 10, 2021•43 min•Ep. 34
When we think of dating, we think of the feelings. The emotions. All of the feels. But did you know there is SCIENCE behind how we act? Did you know we can LEARN from all of this research to help us find the love of our life? Maria’s guest is here to tell us all about it… author Jon Birger! Jon Birger is an award winning magazine writer and author of two dating books: “Date-onomics: How Dating Became a Lopsided Numbers Game” which was published in 2015 and his new book, “Make Your Move: The New ...
Feb 03, 2021•52 min•Ep. 33
It’s all about confidence in dating. It’s easy to second guess yourself. Ask your friends what you should text him. Survey the crowd to find out what you should do next. This week, we’re gaining our power and confidence back. This week’s guest is Candice Jalili. She is the Senior Dating Writer at Elite Daily and has written over 3,000 articles in the relationship space. Outside of Elite Daily, Candice also write for Cosmopolitan, Tinder Swipe Life, and more. Her book, Just Send the Text, a guide...
Jan 27, 2021•43 min•Ep. 32
This week, we dig into the topic of polyamory... Yup, throuples! Or, as Maria calls it: “a trinity”. This week’s guest, Margaret French, met her husband Cody five years ago. Just nine months later, they would meet their to-be girlfriend Janie. After coming out on social media, they now share insights into their unique life online to help educate those interested in the world of polyamory. Maria and Margaret have a fascinating conversation and answer YOUR questions about how this relationship wor...
Jan 20, 2021•55 min•Ep. 31
This week on the pod, Maria chats with the founder of one of her favorite apps to meet people, MeetMe’s Catherine Cook Connelly! Catherine is co-founder and SVP, Marketing at The Meet Group. The Meet Group owns and operates the most engaging dating communities in the world, spanning five apps including MeetMe, Skout, Tagged, LOVOO and GROWLr. Serving millions of daters daily, our community sends 70 million chats per day. Each month, our livestreaming solutions entice our community to spend 1.1 b...
Jan 13, 2021•34 min•Ep. 30
To kick off the new year, we’re not only talking about how to achieve your love and relationship goals, but your goals in every aspect of your life this week! Joining Maria is Charly Lester! Charly Lester is one of the world’s leading dating industry experts. She is a serial entrepreneur, who currently runs a successful marketing consultancy business for dating apps and tech start-ups. Charly co-founded ‘Lumen‘ – the dating app for over 50s – the fastest growing dating app in the world in 2019. ...
Jan 06, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 29
It’s the end of the year, and you’re in for a special treat. This week, Maria welcomes her husband, George. The two of them talk about what 2020 has been like for them as a couple and as a family. Plus, they share some books and shows they’ve enjoyed through the pandemic that you might use to relax this week. To learn how Maria can help you find love in 2021, go to: https://linktr.ee/agapematch Follow Maria on Instagram Follow Maria on TikTok Have a question for Maria? Visit http://askamatchmake...
Dec 30, 2020•29 min•Ep. 28
It’s a holiday week, so we brought back an old friend to help answer your dating and relationship questions! Sit down, grab a drink and listen in on a chat with these friendly voices, like you’re sitting down with two old friends having a great conversation. Erika Ettin is an online dating expert and dating coach who helps people navigate the world of online dating. Her expertise includes profile creation, photo selection and photography, message writing, and date planning. She is also the autho...
Dec 23, 2020•49 min•Ep. 27
