Today on the podcast, I talk with Lauryn, who is struggling with navigating friendships in this season of singleness. She’s single, but all her friends are married… and she can sometimes feel a bit out of place. She feels as though some of her relationships are becoming unbalanced and she called in looking for some advice. We dug a little deeper into her relationship history, and found out that unbalanced relationships aren’t as new as she thought they were … they are just a little more prominent in this season. I encouraged her to take ownership of her role in relationships, addressing and c ..read more

Today on Talk To Me hotline, I talk to Andrew from Texas! His question is, “How do you know you are healed after a past relationship?” After a 16 year marriage ended in divorce, he’s wondering how to know when he has healed… And even more specifically, when is it time to consider dating again after divorce? I answer him by explaining that it’s a complicated question, because everyone’s situation is so different… But if I narrow it down to one thing that I believe differentiates those who are healed from those who are unhealed. What’s that one thing you ask? That’s why you’ve got to tune into ..read more

How do you pray for love? And what if you don’t even have one yet? Should you still pray for love even before you have a relationship?  If I knew the effect that my future relationships would have on my life, I would have been praying for love since pre-school. Prayer is the act by which we hand over our needs to the One who actually has the power to impact those needs.  So how do you pray for love? Where do you even begin?  Whether you’re praying for your future spouse, or future dating relationship, I want to offer you some really specific ways to pray for love.  ..read more

What does it look like to pursue biblical dating? You might be surprised to know.  Being a Christian who also happens to be a Licensed Professional Counselor, I’m often asked to speak about the topic of biblical dating. How does a person date in a biblical way?  What does the bible actually say about dating? How can a Christian manage the world of dating with a God-honoring perspective? Which concepts of dating can you take from the “world” and which should you take from the bible? I wrote my book, True Love Dates, because I wanted to tackle some of these important questions an ..read more

What do you do when you find yourself single in your 30s – your mid 30s, in fact – with no prospect of love in sight? “I never imagined I’d be single in my 30s”.  Today’s caller is looking for some encouragement and trying to assess whether or not she should continue to hold on to hope when she finds herself single at an age she never imagined.  I’m not gonna lie, there are so many times when our life turns out different than we expected. Whether it’s with singleness, marriage, fertility issues, illness, jobs, or so many other ways that life can dissapoint.  And in th ..read more

Does God want me to be single forever? How do I know whether or not I have the “gift” of singleness? How do I hold on to hope when the future seems so unknown and so unclear? So many people are struggling with these questions as they look ahead at an unknown future and wonder whether or not God has marriage in their horizon. Am I Going To Be Single Forever? There are so many things in life where we just don’t know what God has planned. But there are some truths and promises that can keep you grounded and hopeful while you wait. This episode of the Love + Relationships Podcast&n ..read more

I met a young woman who was in search of significance. Everyday she would live her life longing for acceptance from the people around her.  If she got it, she was determined to keep it, and would wake up the next morning and try to emulate everything she did the day before in hopes that she would get it once again. We’re all desperate for significance…longing to look in the mirror and see something meaningful looking back. One thing that I come face to face with every day as a professional counselor is this concept of value.  I am overwhelmed by the amount of people who I meet who ar ..read more

2022 was an epic year.  And I don’t mean that in a good way.  I don’t know about you, but from the scope of my personal life and so many stories I’ve heard, it seems as though 2022 was filled with some pretty catastrophic things for many people. Many of those atrocities, having to do with category of relationships. While some of you experienced the joy of love and healthy relationships- many others experienced a lot of pain, heart-break, and the emotional ups and downs that beg for the start of a brand new year.   Like the rest of you, I’m all for the new-ness of 2023.  I’m ..read more

Have you ever found yourself in one-sided relationship where you are doing ALL the work? Where you are giving, and giving, and giving – and getting little to nothing in return? Why do you find yourself one-way relationships again, and again, and again? The simple answer is this: You attract the type of relationship you think you deserve. (Tweet it!) So how do you change that narrative? How do you start believing that you’re worth more? How do you block out the lies that tell you you’re not capable, able, deserving, or worthy? Why am I always in a one-sided relationship? On to ..read more

Guest Post: Debra Fileta Counselors Network, licensed counselor BRI FRANKLIN, M.A., LMHC To book a 50 minute online zoom session with Bri click here. We are inundated with ideas about how to choose your romantic partner! Well-meaning messages can flood us with ideas about what to look for in a healthy relationship. However, words of wisdom can only get us so far when we have a factor far more influential in how we navigate romantic relationships: our past. Our past can dictate our decisions in our present especially as it relates to romantic relationships. The unique part about this ..read more