Welcome to Mostly Dating, a weekly newsletter designed to help you transform your dating life and relationships. I believe that every aspect of your well-being impacts your relationships (& vice versa!)—and I’m all about living a (mostly) balanced life.

What you can expect each week:

• Dating tips

• Relationship advice

• Reader Q&As

• Product recommendations (+ promo codes!)

• Giveaways

• Community chats & events

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Your pre-DTR date checklist 📝 

Dinner and drinks are great dates, but there are so many ways of getting to know someone. Below, find six types of dates you should always go on before defining a new relationship.

The screener date: On a first date, your only goal should be to decide if this is someone you want to get to know better. This could be over drinks, coffee, or even just a walk outside. If you’re going for a walk, do it in a well-populated area. Save the hikes for when you know them better (if ever 😂). *Use these openers for better conversation.

The more vibey getting to know you date(s): You’ve made it past date one—congrats! Now it’s time to create some chemistry and start to build a connection. For this, I prefer dinner or a drink with a vibey setting. And make sure you’re asking the right questions.

The dinner date(s): You need a few meal dates! I’m always surprised by the different things I notice about a person in a restaurant setting compared to when out for drinks. I also love learning the types of restaurants they like going to and how they order.

Activity date(s): If you’re not going on activity dates, it’s time to start. I don’t care what stage of dating you’re in, these are SO helpful not only for getting to know someone, but also for building a deeper connection! Think pickleball, darts, mini golf, shuffleboard, etc. *Here’s a whole list of ideas.

Educational date(s): Learning together is literally proven to bond people! I’m not saying you have to take a math class together (unless that’s your thing), but couples who learn and try new things together have been shown to have stronger, longer-lasting relationships. Try a cooking class, a trip to a museum, or a trivia date.

Friend date(s): Potentially controversial opinion, but I think you should meet at least a few of the friends (or the people they spend the most time with) before defining the relationship. It’s so important to see how someone acts around their friends and how they present themselves around yours!

Is it time for a relationship check-in?

📣 you shouldn’t wait for something to be wrong to check in on how your relationship is going.

here’s how to bring up a check-in in a long-term relationship:

✔️ pick a time when you’re both comfortable (without outside stressors or distractions)
✔️ make it playful and fun! preface that it’s not because something is wrong, you just want to make sure things stay great
✔️ if you don’t know how to start the conversation, try saying I heard these questions on a podcast, saw them on instagram, read them in an article, etc.
✔️ don’t do it interview style, make it a conversation—and have your own answers ready, too!
✔️ LISTEN!! & have clear takeaways

5 questions to get you started:

This week on the pod:

Episode 195. Getting From Dating To A Relationship + How To Improve Communication

what we talk about:

• how to integrate into each other's lives & get to know each other better in the early dating stages

• how to get past your partner dating someone else while you were on a break

• what to do if you feel like someone is “out of your league” but they ask you out

• how to strengthen communication in a long term relationship