Dates & Mates with Damona Hoffman
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.
Episodes
October 7, 2025 • 23 mins
Help Dates & Mates win a Signal Award! Vote by October 9th at damonahoffman.com/award
Loving someone who can't love you back the same way is one of the most tender, complicated situations in relationships. Sometimes the safest relationship in your life becomes the hardest one to navigate, and the person who knows you best is also the one you want most.
This week, a listener shares:
"I'm in love with my best friend. I'm a que...
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September 30, 2025 • 22 mins
Do you believe that Love Wins? Dates & Mates is a finalist for our first-ever Signal Award, and we need every single listener to make their voice heard. We are the ONLY relationship-focused and independently produced podcast nominated in the How To & Advice category.
If you have ever been helped, inspired, or changed by listening to this podcast, this is the moment to let me know.
It takes 30 seconds or less to VOTE at damonaho...
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September 23, 2025 • 29 mins
What happens if you get to the third date and it still feels awkward? Grin and bear it? Or keep waiting for chemistry? And how can you trust that your gut is telling you the right thing?
This week, a listener shares: "I met a man who checks every box on paper. He’s kind, reliable, matches my values… but I feel absolutely nothing. No spark. No butterflies. Is something wrong with me?"
In this episode, Damona shares the truth about...
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September 16, 2025 • 42 mins
This week, Damona is joined by her longtime friend, TV and TikTok superstarMatchmaker Maria, a fourth-generation matchmaker with no time for fairy tale fluff.
They get real about why dating feels so lonely now,, the truth about relationship timelines, and why your deep texting doesn’t count as actual connection.
Whether you're stuck on the apps or spiraling in dating burnout, Maria shares practical tools from her new book Ask a ...
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September 9, 2025 • 26 mins
We often talk about romance, but this week, we’re taking a closer look at the quiet epidemic affecting millions: the erosion of deep friendships and emotional openness, especially among men.
What happens when someone says “I miss you”... and it feels too risky to say it back? How do cultural norms shape our ability to express care, and how can we start to rebuild emotional intimacy, not just in partnerships, but in friendships too...
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September 2, 2025 • 23 mins
We’ve all had that one date…the one that felt like lightning. Everything clicks, and before you know it, you're imagining forever. But when you act on that high too quickly, reality can come crashing down hard.
This week, a listener shares: “Late at night, I had to get these thoughts off my mind. I told her I felt like I think I'd found my wife. She expressed that she was disappointed that I would say this after what she told me...
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August 26, 2025 • 22 mins
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 really means to show up emotionally after loss, and why vulnerability often doesn’t look the same from both sides...
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August 19, 2025 • 25 mins
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 share everything. Lately, it’s just work updates and weekend plans. When I try to talk about deeper stuff, the sub...
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August 12, 2025 • 34 mins
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 sabotage your future relationships and offers step-by-step strategies for gently setting boundaries and building up y...
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August 5, 2025 • 25 mins
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 “in your feminine,” explores the gender polarity debate, and offers a new way to think about strength, softness, ...
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July 29, 2025 • 41 mins
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 illusions behind modern matchmaking, and responds with practical advice for anyone who’s ever felt overlooked or f...
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July 22, 2025 • 29 mins
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 tried everything — hints in my profile, direct chats — but nothing’s working. Where are the men who believe what I...
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July 15, 2025 • 9 mins
Dating today isn’t always smooth sailing. There’s ghosting, bad first dates, texting traps... and if you’re feeling stuck in the same old dating loops, you’re not alone.
In this Dates & Mates Master Class, Damona Hoffman breaks down the eight most common dating mistakes she sees after 15+ years of coaching singles, and shares actionable fixes to help you date smarter, not harder.
Whether you’re tired of swiping, struggling to mak...
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July 8, 2025 • 23 mins
Damona Hoffman breaks down one of the most important moments in dating—the first date—and how to make it count. Whether you’re getting back out there or swiping with new optimism, this episode shares how to set yourself up for success so that first date leads to a second.
Damona covers everything from whether to Google your date to how long a first date should really last, what to wear, where to go, and how to follow up. She even ...
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July 1, 2025 • 31 mins
REWIND: Dear Damona – Besties’ Bro & Never Been Kissed
In this standout Dates & Mates Rewind episode, Damona tackles your real dating dilemmas with her signature no-nonsense advice.
From navigating awkward crushes to handling tricky conversations about intimacy, this episode is packed with guidance to help you date with clarity and confidence.
If you’ve ever wondered what to do when your boyfriend avoids sex, how to approach da...
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June 24, 2025 • 49 mins
This week on Dates & Mates, Damona Hoffman rewinds to her 400th episode featuring a guest who helped inspire the show from the start: the legendary Dr. Drew Pinsky. Dr. Drew has spent decades giving love, sex, and mental health advice on Loveline, Celebrity Rehab, and now on his podcast Ask Dr. Drew, which he co-hosts with his wife of over 30 years.
In this vulnerable and heartfelt episode, Dr. Drew shares his personal journey thr...
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June 17, 2025 • 25 mins
This week on Dates & Mates, Damona Hoffman rewinds to one of her favorite conversations with love coach and viral content creator Shaun Galanos. Shaun is the host of The Love Drive podcast and has become a rising voice in game-free, radically honest dating advice—and this episode shows you exactly why.
In this raw and radically honest episode, Shaun and Damona go head-to-head on the dating games that hold us back, how to ask for w...
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June 10, 2025 • 30 mins
We are back with a no-holds-barred Best of Dear Damona episode—because when it comes to texting mishaps, mixed signals, and dating curveballs, this one hits home every time.
In this candid conversation, Damona answers some of your juiciest dating dilemmas—from the accidental text that lands in the wrong inbox to what it really means when someone texts you “hey you” at 11:30 PM. She shares smart, compassionate advice on navigating ...
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June 3, 2025 • 19 mins
Damona breaks down the 5 core dating “loops” that keep singles stuck and the step-by-step strategies that lead to lasting love.
With over 15 years of experience coaching thousands of daters, Damona shares how clarity, mindset, and follow-through can radically shift your dating outcomes. If you’ve been swiping without success, burning out on first dates, or unsure where to even begin, this episode offers a simple and strategic p...
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May 27, 2025 • 31 mins
Fan favorite, Dr. Orna Guralnik, renowned psychoanalyst and host of the hit Showtime series Couples Therapy, shares what decades of clinical work have taught her about love, connection, and unconscious patterns in relationships. In this conversation, Dr. Orna also opens up about the societal shifts reshaping modern intimacy, the difference between psychoanalysis and surface-level self-help, and why listening, real, curious listenin...
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