On your journey to finding your Mr. Right, you may find yourself getting set up on a date. Whether it’s a cultural thing, or thanks to the (relentless) suggestion of well-meaning friends or family members, suddenly you find yourself sitting face-to-face with a virtual stranger who knows things about you that you’ve never told him. In today’s episode of LOVE Life, I give you some creative ways to break the ice, address the awkwardness, and create a real-life connection of your very own choosing!

Let’s face it – we all work too hard to risk wasting an entire, precious Friday night with someone we just met if the date doesn’t go well.  Allow me to propose the low-pressure, high-value first date: My formula allows you to spend some fun, flirty time with that new guy you’re interested in and you’ll still get to meet up with your girlfriends for a proper night out. You’ll leave on a high note, which is guaranteed to leave him wanting more, and before you know it he’ll be calling (not texting!) for a second date.

If you’re anything like me, the higher the expectations you set for yourself for what you want to accomplish in a day, the more overwhelmed you get. And the more overwhelmed you get, the less stuff you actually get done. So I’m going to get you in on my (slightly embarrassing) productivity trick that – when you put it into practice – guarantees you’ll actually achieve your goal by the end of the day. And no one has to know how you got there but you and me!

Why do bad things always happen to me? If you find yourself thinking that way, it’s time to STOP. We all face problems and setbacks in life, and having a victim mentality is only going to hold you back from having the happiness you deserve. In today’s episode, I give you the two essential questions you need to ask yourself when something goes wrong so you can learn from it, move forward, and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

We all need other people to help us achieve our goals in life. But the more successful our adviser, the more likely he or she is to be insanely busy! So how can we get on their radar… and even more challenging, their calendar? I’ve got a sneaky tip for you that may be just a tiny bit unfair but, hey – you gotta do what you gotta do to get ahead! Plus, it will make your mentor feel like they’ve done something good with their day too. In the end, it’s a win-win for everyone.

Well of course your best guy friend’s new girlfriend is going to be threatened by you. You two have a history that she can only imagine, inside jokes she just doesn’t get, and a friendship that’s stood the test of time… But the reality is, they’re getting serious and she’s not going anywhere. So how can the three of you make this relationship work? I give you 3 quick tips that will put your guy friend’s GF at ease, build your bond with her, and make sure that both of you stay the most important women in your best friend’s life.