My name is Laurie, and I have been a dating coach for women for the last 20 years. If you are finding love after 50, you must begin with believing it’s possible!

If you’re an older woman trying to find a romantic relationship in the real world, you’re not alone. I’ve worked with thousands of single women over 50, and I hear this all the time: 

“I’m tired of online dating apps. I want to meet a great guy in real life.” The kids call it "IRL."

Ever wondered what it’s really like behind the scenes of a professional matchmaking service? I recently sat down with Jill Dunn, a seasoned matchmaker with years of experience helping single men and women find long-term relationships. 

Quick question:

What’s the top reason you’ve given up on finding love after 50?

The dating world has evolved. We’re swiping, chatting through mobile apps, and scanning dating profiles like pros. It can feel overwhelming at times—but here’s the good news: there are plenty of quality dating services out there filled with potential matches looking for long-term commitment.

As a relationship coach, every so often I have to encourage someone to leave their relationship.

But how do we know when it’s time to cut losses?

I have been coaching people for 20 years on how to date effectively, based on Handel Group™’s awesome methodology. I've taught countless clients how to maximize the utility, intimacy, and fun of the first 3 dates, with great questions…

There are dating services offering "meaningful connections," platforms for casual relationships, and apps boasting compatibility scores and in-depth personality tests. Some are free, others want your credit card before you even send a first message.

If you’re post-menopausal and dating (or thinking about dating), I want you to know: you are not alone, you are not too old, too dry, too rusty, and you are not done. So many women in their 50s, 60s, and beyond are re-entering the dating world and wondering with regards to sex… what now?

My sense of priorities in relationships has changed over the course of coaching. I had to reexamine my values because what I was valuing when I came to coaching wasn’t giving me the relationship I really wanted…

First of all, warning: this blog is for women. If you're a man and reading this, you may get some value and some chuckles, but the rules and ideas are really different for men. Maybe I'll write that one next.

Now, ladies, if your flirt game is rusty, good news: you don’t need cheesy lines — just a genuine smile, a little body language, and this expert's opinion (LOL).

Oh, and some "not-that-cheesy" lines.

As a relationship expert, I have been studying dating over 50 for the last 20 years, and I have made an important discovery.

The good news is that the biggest mistakes women make in dating can be avoided. 

One moment you're excited about a potential partner, and the next, you’re wondering if you just wasted a lot of time. Welcome to the dating game! What a ride.

The 3rd date is a significant milestone, it assumes you are really interested in each other and attracted– but you need to know some very important things in order to take it further.

A couple of weeks ago we discussed the most common 1st date mistakes, if you missed it, here’s the link.

This week, I want to warn you about the 2nd date pitfalls!

First, let me just remind you, there will be no first date unless you have had a good time getting to know the person over text, phone call, or video chat, and feel that they meet your 3H criteria.

Good news, everyone is making the same mistakes and they are fixable.

To save you boredom, frustration and heartache, don’t make these FIRST DATE mistakes:

The biggest mistake women make in midlife dating is staying for a long time with the wrong person. If you’re lonely, you are susceptible to picking badly, and then staying put, hoping it will turn into a successful relationship if you’re patient or work hard enough to fix him.

One of the biggest obstacles I see stopping women in midlife from finding a meaningful romantic relationship is a deeply rooted belief that they are somehow “not enough” to deserve it. That they're too old, too damaged, too late, too this or that.

Some men are narcissists.

Some men are full of themselves.

Most men are neither.