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
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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May 20, 2025 • 38 mins
Nick Viall, TV personality and host of the hit podcast The Viall Files, gets real about modern dating—from DM slides to ghosting games—and why the story we tell ourselves about love might be holding us back. In this candid conversation, Nick reflects on his years in the Bachelor franchise, what finally made love stick, and the overlooked ways women can help men feel safe, seen, and emotionally available.
Plus, in a special Dear...
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May 13, 2025 • 7 mins
Former First Lady Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson, co-hosts of the IMO Podcast, join Damona for a compelling conversation on navigating connection in the digital age. Together, they share insights into how they maintain strong family bonds across long distances and the role of technology in bridging that gap.
What You’ll Learn:
How Michelle and Craig keep connected with loved ones despite busy schedules and mile...
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May 6, 2025 • 35 mins
Fan favorite, Jennifer Cook, bestselling author, and autism advocate shares her experience as the on-camera expert from the hit Netflix series Love on the Spectrum. In this conversation, Jennifer also opens up about her late-in-life autism diagnosis, the challenges of dating with a neurodivergent brain, and the surprising tools that can help anyone date with more clarity and compassion.
What you’ll learn:
How neurodiverse an...
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April 29, 2025 • 57 mins
In this special Master Class episode, Damona explains the effect that text-based communication has had on dating today. But rather than thinking of it as us losing the art of communication, she proposes that we consider it as gaining another language and expanding our skills. Prepare to develop a communication code of conduct that will hopefully lead you to a deeper, more meaningful connection!
Submit your questions for Dear Damon...
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April 22, 2025 • 71 mins
Laura Day, New York Times bestselling author, shares the insights within her upcoming book, “The Prism: Seven Steps to Heal Your Past and Transform Your Future”. Her transformational tools will put you back in the driver's seat of your life and lead you to healthier relationships with others and yourself. Our Dear Damona question of the week:
Where do you draw the line between being too picky and settling?
Pre-order your copy of ...
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April 15, 2025 • 62 mins
Damona shares a rare peek behind the curtain of one of her private coaching sessions, with the client’s permission of course! Hear firsthand how she teaches her clients to use their own intuition in dating and beyond. Plus you’ll get to see exactly how Damona uses her own intuition while coaching singles in love from how to tune in, what to look and listen for, and exercises to get started yourself. Whether you’ve been ignoring you...
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April 8, 2025 • 55 mins
Francesca Hogi, TED speaker and host of the Dear Franny podcast, introduces her new book, “How To Find True Love: Unlock Your Romantic Flow and Create Lasting Relationships.” Plus, she will break down her new definition of true love, dive deeper into the Fairy Tale Industrial Complex, explore her meet-cute mindset and so much more! Our Dear Damona question of the week:
Dating apps keep feeding me the same old matches, so how do I ...
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April 3, 2025 • 45 mins
Sharing a new show from our friends at Higher Ground, hosted by Michelle Obama, called IMO. On IMO, Michelle and her big brother Craig Robinson bring candid perspectives to the everyday questions shaping our lives, relationships and the world around us. Each week, they’re joined by a guest to tackle real questions from real folks just like you offering practical advice, personal storytelling, and plenty of laughs. And a lot of thei...
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April 1, 2025 • 47 mins
In honor of their 18th wedding anniversary, Damona’s partner-in-life-and-love, Seth Hoffman, is joining her on the mic to do something they’ve never done before—answer your burning dating and relationship questions together! From first dates to commitment, conflict to chemistry, they’re bringing you the raw, unfiltered truth straight from the front lines of a long-term partnership with questions like:
How heavy should outside op...
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March 25, 2025 • 45 mins
Amanda Pendleton, Zillow's Home Trends expert, examines whether shacking up with a partner actually saves you money—or if the emotional costs outweigh the benefits. Plus, we’ll explore how to decide when—or if—it’s the right time to merge your spaces and your finances. And later we answer this Dear Damona question of the week:
How can you set up a new long-distance relationship for success?
VisitZillow.com for all of your home bu...
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March 18, 2025 • 57 mins
Beatriz Victoria Albina, Master Certified Somatic Life Coach, breaks down the ways a dysregulated nervous system might be getting in your way romantically, how to tune into the cues your body is sending you and how to heal ourselves for happier, healthier relationships. Then the Dear Damona question this week is: 15 years later, I find myself back in the dating pool. Where do I begin?
Ready to break free of your dating loops? Get ...
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