Life Advice
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Ask Dating Coach Erika: What are my clients like?
I often get questions from friends and potential clients alike: “What are your clients like? How old are they? What kinds of things do they ask you?”
Let me let you in…
My client base is about 70% women and 30% men, ranging in age from mid-20s to mid-70s. But most are in their 30s, 40s and 50s. In general, I believe that women are more ...Read more
Millennial Life: When Quiet Isn't Enough
I used to believe in quiet resistance. You choose the right moments to slip wrenches into the gears without drawing the guard's attention. Movies love a covert operator like the whistleblower or the silent saboteur who knows that noise gets you caught. But we're not in the movies.
Lately, the vibes, as the kids would say, feel different. There'...Read more
Ask Anna: My partner won't step up--am I helping or enabling?
Dear Anna,
I’ve been with my boyfriend for three years, and I love him—he’s funny, supportive and kind. Right now, we’re living at my sister’s place while saving for our own apartment. He’s 29 and I’m 27. I work full-time as a freelance writer and make a comfortable living, but his part-time retail job barely covers his own ...Read more
Single File: Healthy Brainwashing for You (Part 1)
Trust me. What I'm about to suggest is beneficial. Yes, it may fall into the category of auto-suggestion, but it's the healthy kind. So healthy, indeed, it may very well make you stronger and abler to bring your life in line with your deepest wishes. And isn't that what we all want? Now that we're agreed on that, let's move on to the good stuff....Read more
Ask Dating Coach Erika: How do I make sure I'm mastering first dates?
While a lot of the advice I give revolves around how to get the first date, even more important is how to nail that first date.
Let’s take a look at some tips for the all-important first date:
What not to do on a first date:
1. Be late without notice
2. Be excessively late, with or without notice
3. Have your phone out or text ...Read more
Millennial Life: None of This Is Normal
I used to use the website, the Wayback Machine, to find incriminating teenage poetry on long-lost LiveJournal accounts written by people who are now normal accountants and thought their old emo phase wasn't going to haunt them. Yesterday, I used the Wayback Machine to see a government website delete parts of the Constitution.
The chaos is real,...Read more
Ask Anna: My boyfriend doesn't think I'm 'hot' -- how do I deal with that?
Dear Anna,
I’ve been dating my boyfriend for almost a year, and for the most part, things are great — we’re even talking about moving in together. But recently, during a conversation about past relationships, he admitted he doesn’t find me physically “beautiful.” He said he thinks I’m pretty and loves my personality, intelligence ...Read more
Single File: Marrieds -- A Close-up
Indulge me if you will, dear reader, and agree to take a test. (Nothing written. I promise.) Over the next few weeks, I want you to make a point of closely observing married couples -- your parents, friends, relatives -- being careful, of course, not to make them feel as if they're under a microscope. (That alone requires tact, so there may be ...Read more
Ask Dating Coach Erika: How do I not lose hope that I'll find the right person?
I understand how frustrating dating can feel sometimes, especially when you feel like you’ve been putting yourself out there over and over again. Feelings of frustration are valid.
My first question is this: Are you putting yourself out there in a productive way? Are you on two dating sites? (My recommendation is two, and if that feels ...Read more
Millennial Life: There Should Be Signs
There's a joke that goes, "I wouldn't tell anyone that I won the lottery, but there would be signs." Most recently, I told a friend that I'd buy her a vintage car that could park next to my brand-new-to-me DeLorean.
My fantasy of coming into money -- maybe through the lottery, or forgotten Bitcoin, or a long-lost magical trust fund -- always ...Read more
Ask Anna: My boyfriend's fitness comments are hurting my self-esteem
Dear Anna,
I've been dating my boyfriend for two months, and while he's incredibly kind and caring, I'm struggling with something that's making me feel insecure. He regularly makes comments like “we should go to the gym together” or “when are you going to start going to the gym?” He works out multiple times a week, follows fitness ...Read more
Single File: Turn the Tables
Let's celebrate your singleness in a new way, making the celebration a family affair. After all, the most telling show of your enhanced pride will be with your parents, those people of a different generation who do their very best to understand yours. They may not always fully "get" the message in your undependence, but in the end, their ...Read more
Ask Dating Coach Erika: What if my match doesn't ask me any questions?
It happens all the time. You match with someone online. You ask a thoughtful question about their profile, and they respond… with no questions about you back. You try again with a question. They respond with no questions back. Now what?
I want to introduce a concept called 2QS, or Two Questions and a Statement.
Here’s how it works: Give ...Read more
Our House, in the Middle of the Street
There was a running joke with my in-laws that a compliment on cooking would be, "Well, now you can get married." This started after I began collecting the most exotic peppers at my Mexican grocery store, names I had never even heard of before, and threw them together in a blender with boiling water, chicken bouillon, and some cross-border, ...Read more
Ask Amy: Exiting with some well-worn wisdom
Dear Readers: Since announcing my departure from writing this syndicated column, I have heard from scores of people across various platforms, thanking me for more than two decades of offering advice and wishing me well in my “retirement.” I am very touched and grateful for this outpouring of support.
The thing is – I don’t think of ...Read more
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