Kelley Lynn, Author at Love TV

Baby, It’s Cold Outside! Let’s Get Closer: Top Ways to Connect With Your Partner When the Winter Weather Outside is Frightful

December 20, 2017January 22, 2024 by Kelley Lynnin LOVE, RELATIONSHIPS

You know the rest of the song. “But the fire is so delightful. And as long as you love me so, let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”

Sure, cuddling by a warm fireplace sounds all comfy and cozy during the holidays, and during the cold winter months. But what about dating tips for once Christmas and New Year’s is over? What about when it’s January, February, or the dreaded month of March, when it feels like it’s been freezing cold and snowing for 15,000 years, and the romance of the fireplace has worn off but your love hasn’t. What then?

Here are some fun and unique dating tips to stay connected to your partner, on those days and weeks when you are stuck inside. This list of fun and sometimes sexy activities will be so fun, you might be begging for more snow in April!

It’s time to have a snowman contest:

Anyone can go outside and build a snowman. Why not make it extra fun and unique? Try making it a contest, with a theme.

You have an hour to build your own snowman, and the best looking one wins. Build them side by side, and when you are finished, take a picture to post on social media. Let your friends vote on the winner, and then make a private bet for what the loser has to do to make the winner happy. Later on. In bed.

To put a twist on this, part of your contest could be a themed snowmen, such as “celebrity snowmen,” or making a Snowman that looks like your partner. This could provide plenty of laughter and lots of amazing memories for years to come.

You can create intimacy through music:

This is something that my partner and I do quite often, and each time, it is surprisingly moving, as well as an intense way for us to connect.

We choose 3 songs each (you can choose one to start, if three is too many), and we bring them to the CD player and play them for the other person.

We find songs that remind us of each other, of our love, or of something we want to express to one another in that moment. We take turns playing them for each other, with a short explanation of why we chose that particular song.

Some of them are silly, funny, romantic, or sweet. Others might be very deep, with profound lyrics that have a lot of meaning to us.

Everytime we do this, I feel like it brings us closer, and it also helps us learn a bit more about each other, through music.

You can do this in your living room, bedroom, or even in your car, while taking breaks from kissing.

Try making a sexy new recipe together:

Any couple can cook together, but when it’s as cold as a freezer outside, and your hands feel like popsicles, it might be fun to find new ways to be together in the kitchen.

If one of you is a great cook and the other isn’t, perhaps a cooking class with a favorite dish is in order. You can cook it together and then have dinner together with some romantic ambiance.

If both of you can cook, but you’re sick of eating the same meals over and over again, this is the perfect opportunity to try something new and different.. Take to the internet, look up some unique and fun recipes, and pick something special to attempt cooking together.

If it’s a hit, you’ve got a new meal to add to your repertoire. If it’s terrible, you have another great new memory together, and another reason to laugh with one another.

Watch stand-up comedy clips and laugh all night together:

Laughter is one of the absolute best ways to connect with another human being, especially someone that you love. Genuine laughter often leads to feelings of intimacy, which leads to teasing and back and forth banter with delicious flirting madness.

When my partner and I are giggling together over something silly, it almost always turns into more hugging, more kissing, and more of everything else. Trust me on this.

Being mostly homebound for weeks at a time, due to freezing cold or icy weather, can lead to a lot of movie watching. This time, forget the movies. Put your TV on YouTube, or Netflix, and finding some short comedy specials, or clips of favorite or classic stand-up comedians.

You can take turns at the remote, introducing a new comedian to your partner, or re-sharing a classic Carol Burnett sketch that maybe they haven’t seen. Going to sleep at the end of the day, after having just laughed a good amount, is a pretty great feeling.

Try to brave the cold and take a ski lesson together:

Not everyone lives near a ski slope, but if you are reading this article, you probably live in an area that has cold weather or winters. Have you ever tried skiing? It’s one big opportunity for laughter.

Skiing is fun, but it’s not easy. Taking a first-time lesson together on the beginner bunny slope with an instructor teaching you how to stand up and then move, can be fun and silly time. You can reward yourself afterwards with some hot cocoa and brownies or cookies back at home.

Another option is to find a local skating rink or hockey game. Any kind of one-time class can be a fun adventure to do together, and another way to stay clear of doing “the same old things.”

If you can’t go outside, try something new in the bedroom:

What better time to spice up your love life, than when you are stuck inside together during cold winter months? Having a lot of intimate time is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it can become repetitive.

A cold winter’s day is a perfect time to sit down with your partner, and each of you can share a fantasy you might like to try. Or, if you are too shy to tell each other, write down ten fantasy scenarios, put them in a bowl and pick one out. You can write two or three that are “real” fantasies and and the others can be fakes.

You can take turns reading them out loud, and try guessing which ones are the actual fantasies your partner wrote down. The next step is making them happen!

This can be another super fun way to get close again, turn each other on, and to keep discovering new things to love about your partner.

It’s certainly cold out there, but, baby, we’ve got a lot that we can dodo!!!

For more articles about dating tips check out, 15 Sexy Holiday Dates to Get You in the Mood This Festive Season or 10 Signs Of A Healthy Relationship According To Experts.

Making Long-Distance Relationships Work: How to Stay Connected When Your Love is Far Away

January 9, 2018January 22, 2024 by Kelley Lynnin LOVE, RELATIONSHIPS

Finding love is tricky. Finding someone to love who lives nearby, or at least in a zip code not too far away, can be a challenge. But a long-distance relationship can present a unique opportunity to get close in other ways.

What if you connect with someone on every level, and you really like them a lot, but they are either moving away, or already live far away from you? What should you do? Keep dating them and get emotionally invested? What if it doesn’t work out? Should you continue seeing them, (gulp) long-distance? How does that even work? Can you get frequent-flyer miles for this sort of thing?

There are no guarantees that any relationship will work out in the long-run, so no one can give you a definite answer on that one. However, if you decide to go forward into a long-distance relationship with someone that you care about, there are certainly a few things you can do, to help your new love be as successful as possible.

Many years ago, back in 1998, to be exact, I was hanging out one night on my computer, in an AOL Music Trivia Chat Room. (they were all the rage back then) A man with the screenname “Wayabovepar” entered, and 5 hours later, we were still typing and chatting into the night.

He lived in Florida. I lived in NYC, and then New Jersey. We had a very happy (although challenging) long-distance relationship for almost 7 years, before he finally packed up his life and moved it to New Jersey, to start a new life with me.

We would marry in 2006, and live happily ever after, for 4 years and 9 months. He died at age 46, very suddenly, from a heart attack, and our time together was over. Would I do it all over again, knowing the ending? Of course. Love is always worth the risk. Every single time.

So, for those of you considering entering into a long-distance relationship, here are some ideas that should help you to navigate through it together, and to make it a successful love story.

Communication is key. You should do your best to start and end the day together.

Since you aren’t able to wake up in each other’s arms each morning, waking up to a good morning text or phone call is the next best thing for long-distance couples.

Know each other’s work schedules, at least generally, so that you can give your partner a nice greeting at the start of each day. “Good morning, sweetheart!”, is a lovely way to put a smile on your face, and begin the day with purpose. .

Create an outline or schedule that works for you both, a far as when you will talk each day. My late husband Don and I used to have a “nightly date” around 9pm each weeknight, where we would sit at our computers and talk on Instant Messenger. Then most nights, we would call each other for the last few minutes, to hear each other’s voices, and to say goodnight.

Set up something similar that works for the two of you, but make sure that communication is happening regularly.

Try to get as creative as possible, to make up for lack of physical time together.

It is really hard to not physically see the person you are in a relationship with, on a regular basis. However, there are several things you can do to help someone feel special, and to make up for the time you can’t be together in the same place.

My partner and I used to make care packages for each other. We would fill them with homemade cookies, goodies, magazine articles we thought the other might like to read, sexy or fun pictures (we didnt have cell phones yet, so we had to get pretty creative), and more.

We also used to make each other “mix tapes”, filled with songs we wanted the other person to hear. I used to mail him a few movies at a time that I owned, and he would watch them, and then give me his review. We would also send cards and love letters, quite often.

We would do these kinds of things spontaneously, in order to keep things fun and romantic, and to let the other person know they were being thought of.

These days, it’s easier than ever to find multiple ways to get creative. Talk to each other on Facetime or Skype. Play a board game or other game together this way. Watch a movie together on your laptops. Eat dinner together, or a nightly cup of coffee to talk about your day.

Make a short video for the other person, where you take them through a favorite neighborhood in your town, or where you just flirt with them for a few minutes and make them feel wanted. This kind of creativity is extremely important when you are miles and miles apart.

Have a plan in place for the future, and discuss your expectations.

This might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many couples go into a long-distance relationship, without talking about their needs and wants for the future. If you are putting your time and energy into this person, you should at least begin discussing what your end goal is.

Will one of you be moving, eventually, to be closer to the other? If so, who? And when? Are you exclusive and committed to each other, even while this far away? How many times per month/year do you expect to see each other? Will you take turns traveling?

These are important things to know, because not everyone is capable of handling the same situation. Our long-distance relationship stretched over 7 years. I couldn’t have done it if I didn’t feel comfortable that we had a definite plan for him to relocate to where I lived.

Because he was leaving his life behind to come be with me, his expectation was that it was leading to marriage. He didn’t want to move his entire life somewhere new, unless this was the real thing. Both parties in the relationship need to be on the same page as to where this is going and when, in order for it to work.

Always keep each other in the loop when it comes to big life changes and events.

When you don’t see someone everyday, it’s easy for things to fall through the cracks when it comes to information. If you’re having a bad day, or a hard week, or if you had a wonderful thing happen to you at work, or you have to attend a good friend’s funeral – your partner should know about all that.

The thing you want to avoid is your partner not knowing what is going on in your life, and you in theirs. Keep each other informed, and be there for each other, whenever and however you can. When you’re far away, it’s even more important that you feel like the person you are doing all this sacrificing for, has your back.

This is the part where I tell you to have phone sex or cyber sex together.

You knew it was coming.(Get it? “Coming?”) It’s vital that you make priority time for one another, to be intimate in whatever ways you can be together.

There are many ways to do this in today’s modern technology world, so find what works for the two of you, and go for it. Make sexy videos. Plan a hot phone call. Create fantasies together and then bring them to life. Talk about all the naughty things you want to do next time you see each other. You get the idea.

Bottom line: Sex is important, especially when you are in a long-distant relationship.

If visits are an option, do it as much as you can.

People are in long-distance relationships for all sorts of reasons, and sometimes visiting is not an option (such as a partner in active duty military). If you are lucky enough to have the option to make visits to one another, plan them as carefully and as often as you can, and make them a priority.

Each time you see each other again and spend more time together in person, you will discover new parts of this person, and you will learn more about them. This will help you to know what they might be like on a day to day basis, and may help you determine what will eventually come of the relationship.

If it’s with the right person, and you both work at it, long-distance relationships can be very happy and successful. If I hadn’t have been willing all those years ago, to be patient and date this person even though he lived far away, I wouldn’t have met and fell in love with, one of the most beautiful people I have ever known.

Love is always worth the risk. Every single time.

For more ways to make your relationship stronger, check out “Normal” Sex for a Long-Distance Couple, 5 Ways You Can Make a Long Distance Relationship Work, or Long Distance Relationships: Do They Make the Heart Grow Fonder?.

My Top 15 Excuses for Not Going to the Gym Today

February 19, 2018January 22, 2024 by Kelley Lynnin Body, Wellness

I can’t possibly work out today — there are far too many excuses why.

Like many women, I have struggled off and on with my weight for many years. For me personally, I didn’t really have any issues in high school or college, other than the typical gaining of 20 or so pounds done by most college-aged kids.

In my mid-twenties, however, while living in my very first NYC apartment in Brooklyn, I suffered and survived through a terrible sexual trauma. This event led me to gain an enormous amount of weight, over a lot of time. I began using food for comfort, for avoidance, and for a way to shield myself against getting hurt again by men. (“If I’m fat, nobody will touch me. If nobody touches me, nobody can ever hurt me again.” That was the logic.)

Eventually, after many years, I got my weight under control. I wasn’t skinny by any means, but I was no longer dangerously large either. I was on my way. And then, out of nowhere in 2011, my 46 year old healthy and active husband, collapsed one morning, went into cardiac arrest, and died. Once again, in my grief, my weight went up and I started eating out of loneliness, pain, and boredom.

The past couple of years, I have finally started to do better. I walk most mornings, love to swim, and try to live a mostly healthy lifestyle. But it’s a daily battle. One thing that helps , for me, is having a sense of humor about life. About the things we all struggle with.

Often times, I will be all set to go and work out, and then I will somehow talk myself out of it. Motivation is so hard, and I’m sure it is something that most of us have a tough time with. I thought it might be fun to share a humorous list of ridiculous reasons I have actually used or at least thought to myself, of why I can’t possibly go work out today.

Maybe you have used some of these yourself. If you havent, you are welcome to borrow a few.

Here are my Top 15 Excuses Why I can’t possibly Go to the Gym and Exercise Today:

I can’t go because I can’t find my gym pants.
I can’t go because I found my gym pants, but they have hair on them.
Where are my sneakers? Oh, I’ll never locate them in this mansion of an Apartment! Forget it. I’m not going.
(To my mom, who I share a car with right now) Well, you need the car in 4 hours, right? Yeah. I’ll never make it back in time. Better not chance it.
I think the pool at the gym is closed today. They are working on repairs or something for it. (I have actually said this one out loud more than once, and it’s usually a lie. Once in awhile it’s true, but usually, it’s a total fabrication. )
Where the hell are those gym pants?
(This one has to be said in a panicky voice) It’s already 5pm. By the time I eat dinner, change into gym clothes, get the gym bag all packed up and ready, yadda yadda yadda, it’ll be August! They close at 10pm. I HAVE NO TIME!!!
I JUST went to the gym five days ago! Who am I, Jillian Michaels???
I can’t remember my locker combination.
It’s the weekend. It’s going to be SO PACKED!!! Screw it.
We don’t have any clean towels! Looks like Im staying home!
My bathing suit is still wet from the last time I went.
There’s not enough gas in the car. I’ll never make it there.
It’s too hot / cold / rainy / snowy outside. Who wants to be out in this weather?
It’s beautiful outside. Who wants to be stuck inside a gym in this great weather?

As you can see, ANYTHING can be used as an excuse not to get healthier, even reasons as ridiculous as the ones in this list.

If we try and create a mindset for ourselves that exercise is just another part of staying healthy and well, like brushing your teeth, good hygiene, or a balanced diet, it might become ingrained in us, and therefore easier to actually get out there and do it. I always feel better when I’m healthier. It’s just making myself get up and actually do it – that is where the challenge has always been.

So here’s a new challenge, for myself, and for everyone reading this. Each day, try and do at least one thing with the specific intention of living a healthy lifestyle. Just one thing. Start writing down your one thing, and then expand to two, and so on.

In the comments below, I’d love to hear about your “one thing!” What one thing will you do differently tomorrow? Let’s start this new list together. #OneThing

Read more stories like this such as: How Burlesque Let Me Claim My Body Image, WHY Do You Weigh Yourself?, or Truly Sexy People Do These 4 Things.

These Inspirational Celebrity Couples Will Fill Your Heart With Love

March 13, 2018January 22, 2024 by Kelley Lynnin LOVE, RELATIONSHIPS

With the recent passing of Valentine’s Day, and this month being The Oscars, I thought it might be uplifting, hopeful, and fun, to create a list of famous or celebrity couples that feel inspirational and exude positivity in some way.

In Hollywood, hearing about couples separating, or bouncing from partner to partner, is practically commonplace these days.

The list below are couples from all walks of life, famous or well-known for different reasons/things, and are, at the time of publication, still together.

While I cannot guarantee these couples will remain together forever, I will say that right now, on this day, they definitely inspire me, for many various reasons. Some got together out of difficult circumstances, others use their love and influence to help other people, while some seem to have a really beautiful and genuine love story.

Let’s take a look at some of the famous couples in the modern day age, that have given me inspiration about love. And if you want to speed up your search for the kind of love that lasts, let us help you! Join LOVE TV today.

Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan:

The couple first met on the set of Family Ties, back in 1982, started dating a few years later, and have been going strong ever since. This year, they will celebrate 30 years of marriage, with 4 children between them.

Fox told People magazine that one of the things that keeps their relationship strong, is keeping “separate bathrooms and separate DVRS, because we don’t watch a lot of the same shows, and knowing what goes on in the bathroom with your partner, sort of kills the mood in the bedroom.” I agree totally!

Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991, and the couple decided to go public with it in 1998. In living with this disease, the couple feels they have grown closer over the years and through the hardships.

Pollen told Oprah Winfrey in an interview that it is because of Fox’s positive and realistic attitude about his condition, that they are able to live life with joy. Eventually, Michael stepped into his new role as founder of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, where he and Tracy have been able to create great change and hope for thousands of people.

Fox is dedicated to finding a cure, through aggressively funded research. To date, the foundation has been able to award $56 million and counting, in grants, to accelerate Parkinson’s research.

Tracy and Michael are an inspiration, because they have longevity and love, through incredibly difficult times. They work as a team to give hope to themselves and others.

George and Amal Clooney:

This is one supercouple who uses their collective influence to make great change in the world.

Even before he met Amal, Clooney was always known as a bit of an activist in the Hollywood world, and a man with a big selfless heart. So, it seems almost fitting that after years of being an unmarried bachelor dating lots of different women, he would end up with a powerful human-rights lawyer, someone who worked on the famous Enron case, and fights for Syrian refugees, and against genocide.

Clooney met Amal without ever having to leave his house, because why should he have to go out and find love like the rest of us? He was sitting at home one July day in 2013, when his agent called and said he had a friend he was going to bring over for dinner, and told George “this is the woman you are going to marry.”

After a long friendship through emails, they fell in love while Clooney was filming a movie at Abbey Road, in London. He invited Amal to come watch, meet him for lunch, and the rest is history.

“How do you impress someone who has fought on behalf of victims of ISIS? Bring them to Abbey Road, I guess”, Clooney has joked.

In April of 2014, Clooney proposed in his L.A. home, over homemade pasta dinner (he cooks too)! Ever the romantic, he got down on one knee in his dining room, with a 7-karat diamond ring, while his Aunt Rosemary Clooney’s song “Why Shouldn’t I?” played in the background.

They married in Venice, Italy, in front of friends and family.

The pair unexpectedly had 2 kids, and Clooney, who is 17 years older than his wife, is now a dad in his late 50’s, and loving it. The two spend their time working, raising their family, and giving back in several ways.

Most recently, they took in a teenage Syrian refugee boy, who who had escaped war, poverty, and genocide. This couple is an inspiration because they found love later in life (especially George), and they genuinely care about others, and about doing their part to make the world a better place.

Ellen and Portia DeGeneres:

The two prominent female figures had met a few times at events over the years, but the timing was never right. Then, in 2005, at a photo shoot, they connected again, and Portia said later of Ellen: “She took my breath away.”

By 2006, they were sharing a home, a ranch, and several rescue animals they took in as pets. In fact, the couple has devoted much of their life and time together to rescuing animals, and giving back.

The couple is also known for being historic. When they first got together, gay marriage was still not legal in the state of California. On May 15th, 2008, after the California Supreme Court struck down a law blocking gay marriage as unconstitutional, Ellen announced on the air of her Daytime Emmy Award winning talk show, that the two would marry. She and Portia got married August 16, 2008, at her Beverly HIlls estate.

The couple remains very much in love, and both have given back to the community in so many ways. DeGeneres, as well as winning over 16 Emmys Awards for her show, Ellen, has earned her reputation as one of the most giving celebrities ever, donating millions of dollars over the years to help animals, kids, and education.

She and Portia have vocally fought on behalf of many causes from endangered elephants to LGBTQI rights.

This couple is inspirational to me, because they care so much, they take action, and they work so well together as a team, in support of each other. IT has been beautiful to watch.

Barack and Michelle Obama:

Their story began early, when a young Michelle was assigned to mentor a young Barack, at a Chicago law firm. The two connected, but kept things professional. Their first date, later on, was seeing the film “Do the Right Thing” in 1989.

They dated for three years, and married in 1992. A campaign run, 2 kids, and a Presidency with 8 years in the White House later, the Obamas now live in a regular house of their own, just a few miles down the road from that famous address.

There are a few reasons I chose them. I don’t think I have ever seen a couple, especially one in politics, that is so very obviously, deeply in love with one another. The hundreds of pictures taken of them together by the White House photographers, show one thing for certain; there is a very real and genuine love between these two.

Second, they are one of the few couples in the White House, to never have any major scandals or weirdness surrounding their relationship. No affairs, no bad behaviors with interns, no disrespect toward one another, none of that.

Whenever you hear former President Obama speak of his wife Michelle, it is always with great admiration, respect, and romance. He lights up when he talks about her. This goes the opposite way as well. Michelle has said that not only was Barack a great President, but a wonderful father, husband, and man.

They are historic in every way. The first black president. The first black first lady. The first African-American family in the White House. And just like with their marriage, their children also seem to be respectful and lovely people.

They seem like a family of people I’d love to hang out with. Michelle and Barack seem like the real deal — just regular folk, who happen to have been our president and first lady, for 8 historic years.

They are inspirational because they changed what was possible in America. They gave us hope and they continue to try and make change when it comes to our country’s future.

These are the couples I chose to highlight, but several others also come to mind with Honorable Mentions, such as: Meryl Streep and Don Gummer, Katie Couric and John Molner, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, and Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

What couples would you choose to add to this list as inspirational or hopeful in some way? Why did you choose them? Add your favorite famous couples below!

Dating in the Modern Age and How Women Can Succeed Now: A Talk With LOVETV’s Karinna Karsten

May 11, 2018January 22, 2024 by Kelley Lynnin DATING ADVICE, RELATIONSHIPS

When I sat down for my phone chat with author, producer, speaker, and internationally recognized relationship expert Karinna Karsten, I knew I was in for an enlightening and intelligent conversation.

After all, the LOVE TV creator, innovator, and “The Love Educator,” has had an interesting life so far, so I went into our conversation with high expectations.

Little did I know, that Karinna’s wealth of knowledge and passions goes way beyond studying and making sense of relationships. She has a passion for human beings, for empowering people, and for helping both men and women become the very best version of themselves.

Her 5 books, including the best-seller Intimate Wisdom: The Sacred Art of Love, are just one of many ways she has honed in on love and meaningful relationships. In short, Karinna is definitely living the best version of herself, and she exceeded all of my expectations. Here is my sit-down with the refreshingly honest and wonderfully layered Karinna Karsten:

So tell me a little bit about your early adult years, and your background.

Sure. So, I have always taken an interest in relationships, and in gathering information and personal knowledge about the ways in which people communicate with each other that is based on history, philosophy, systems and anthropology.

Years back, when I was beginning my relationship teaching career, and I worked with various people who were in the public eye; executives, athletes, lawyers, A-list celebrities, I thought it would be fantastic to get a different perspective, from bringing down to earth people together in my living room who were trying to navigate through dating, love, relationships. I was living in NYC, which as you know is this great big melting pot, right?

So I started inviting a group of women over from every corner of the world, once a month, for about 3 years, to talk about relationships.

That must have been pretty fascinating. You know I lived in NYC for the past 26 years, and you really do meet people from every culture, every viewpoint, every background.

Yes! It was wonderful, and interesting, and we would get into these incredible discussions and constantly learn from one another. We covered so many topics, everything from sexual health to not getting discouraged in the dating world. Often times, we would bring in guest speakers, so that we would get a new perspective on a certain subject.

We even had tactile experiences like a sculpting night, where each participant was asked to sculpt their hidden feminine self-very revealing. So, eventually, word got around about my gatherings, and it led to me being asked to speak at places such as N.Y.U., and everything sort of snowballed from there.

What would they ask you to speak about at these events?

Relationships. Wellness. How they affect one another. I started becoming very passionate about the integration of the two.

And how would you define the word ‘wellness?’

Well, my very first company was actually called Paradise Wellness, and those were the kinds of things that we explored. What is wellness? I think there are several components. Wellness is a state of body, and a state of mind, coming together. Having total awareness of your mind and body, at all times. Everything from breathing, to movement, to overall mindfulness. The most important thing to remember about wellness, is that we never really arrive there. As human beings, we are always in a state of learning and becoming more aware.

So how do wellness and relationships affect one another, or connect to one another?

I believe, in every single way. It is extremely difficult to find access to or experience high-quality relationships, unless you are on a path of self awareness yourself. The more aware you are, in terms of wellness, the richer your relationships will be.

I have seen evidence of this connection, in all my collected research and data, of all the many people I have worked with over the years in relationship development. My biggest passion is helping people individually, and collectively, to find and build higher-quality relationships. If I can help move that needle, and assist people in adding a new level of value to their love lives, I will feel like I’ve truly succeeded.

Wow. It sounds as if you have found multiple ways to help people do these things. Tell me about “Sacred Love-Making.”

Sacred Love-Making is a film project I both created and produced, which was distributed by Netflix. It’s a spicy documentary in which we explore ways that couples can add more meaning to the bedroom.

There is so much to deal with in today’s dating world, that people just didn’t have to deal with years and years ago. How do you feel the internet / modern age has changed love and the dating scene?

Technology is powerful. What we do with it determines whether it is empowering or not. I believe that as we have accelerated into being a digital society today, we have lost something in translation for relationships that was part of our DNA in prior generations. We used to get to know someone before we started dating them. The fundamental complexity of today’s world is that relationship building has become transactional. We have lost sensitivity and common courtesy, because this is just a transaction, right? So if I don’t get what I need immediately, I’m going to cut you off or disappear …

Ghosting. I found out all about that when I started dating again after losing my husband to sudden death. It was shocking to me how I’d just be talking to a guy, and think that things were going along wonderfully, and he would just stop contact with no explanation or reason. I never thought about it being a “transaction” for people, but you are so right. That’s the perfect word for it.

Yes, the human factor is missing. We often forget that there is a human being on the other end of that conversation. There are so many amazing people out there dating, such as you, and who are seeking quality experiences in their love life. As a society, we need to crack through this “transaction” mindset, in order to keep evolving forward.

Now, with all that being said, I do want to make it clear that I think online dating is pretty amazing. I am really impassioned by it, because it exposes us to so many people that we would never know otherwise. This is why at LOVE TV — we are giving daters the support and guidance they need, so they can speed up their online dating success. It is so easy to get lost on the apps and sites and actually make headway when what you need is a real buddy system. We provide that for you, as part of a LOVE TV membership.

You have so many ideas in your head. Do you ever sleep?

(laughs) Yes. Because sleeping is part of wellness. I definitely receive inspiration though, first thing in the morning.

Any recent or new ideas going on at LOVE TV?

Yes, actually. We are launching a new set of ongoing fictional, narrative videos — based on real scenarios people are going through right now — designed to help people relate and move through dating and relationship building challenges.

That sounds awesome. Here’s an important question. How can women take on more of a leadership role, instead of a reactionary one, when it comes to love, dating, and sexuality? Why is this so important?

Oh boy, how long do you have? (both laugh) It is so, so important. Women innately understand relationships, because of our makeup, our ability to bear children if we so choose, our natural caring, nurturing, and maternal instincts. The instinct to care and nourish — these are so fundamental in relationship building. This is a good thing.

The complex part arises when we look at what women are exposed to, historically, from a young age. The Cinderella or Snow White fairy tales that helped shape us. The Prince Charming coming to rescue us, the happily ever after. The idea that we need to be led into love by the masculine, when, in actuality; the feminine has natural leadership in this area.

This is good stuff. I think you should run for President. (laughs) So how do we begin to change this passive expectation, into something healthier and more realistic?

We have to take initiative. We have to flip that switch on with bright lights, own these innate qualities, and be leaders in our own love lives. If we start to do that, we can create real change on the behaviors that feel insensitive or transactional towards us. We can care for ourselves better, we can choose higher quality relationships, we can share resources that inspire us. This is what LOVE TV is all about, this is that collective support we offer. We say: ‘support your girlfriends, but don’t be their therapist.’

There is a lot of pain around relationship development, more than I have ever seen. Step out of the pain, by moving toward resources that are more empowering and constructive. We can help each other by guiding one another toward more quality connections in our lives. And keep in mind, when I say quality, that word is defined differently for everyone.

There are endless types of relationships, and ways to feel connection. The word “poly” was one of the most googled terms in 2017. People are open-minded today, people are curious, and they define quality in different ways. LOVE TV provides an open platform, in a safe environment; so that whoever you are, wherever you are in your relationship journey, whatever you want to explore, you can find topics that are helpful to you and the relationship life that you want to create.

What advice would you have for men who are trying to navigate both the modern age and the modern woman?

One huge challenge is that too many men and some women do not have the emotional intelligence needed for the dating process. Behaving as adolescents when you are in your twenties and thirties or playing games when others take dating seriously is not helping anyone to find the love they seek.

Dating is challenging. Young men living at home or not hitting their career stride are often insecure and act out when in the dating process. Also, the media often over caters to the immature male and can support their staying undeveloped rather than inspiring and educating them to grow up.

Emotional development can vary from person to person. Playing too many video games doesn’t necessarily help. My advice for men dating online would be to go to LOVE TV and become a LOVE TV subscriber. Here, men can enhance their emotional intelligence with interactive quizzes, and learn from the content library of tutorials in the membership.

Once men have a better understanding of their EQ, when on dating apps explore profiles of a potential date who would match your EQ or be in the same zone. Does the profile match how you would naturally communicate or hold your interest? Men need to seek to advance their relationship development skills, just as they would in business. If you were in a business deal, would you move right to the close? No. So, with females, don’t communicate to close right away. Get to know her, build some trust and develop a relationship.

This has been so educational for me. Writing articles for LOVE TV is such a pleasure, but getting to do this interview with you is definitely ranking up there as my favorite LOVE TV experience so far. When I was doing all my dating, after losing my husband, and before meeting him, I wish I had a “Love Educator” such as you to help guide me through. So on that note — we will end with this — what inspires you? What gives you hope?

Without a doubt, love! Love has the innate power to change any individual’s life, and our collective experience. Whether it be a community, set of friends, romantic love — having the ability to truly see another person for who they are, and understand them — those are the things that inspire me. Those are the things that we will care about in our last breath. It is all that really matters. Love.

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