Ask Elisa: Dating Stories and Advice

NOTE FROM ELISA: This episode feels way more personal than the ones I’ve put out so far. It’s scary sharing this much of me for public consumption. In this episode, Jake teases me a lot and some people may think he's not very nice to me. The episode is a tiny snippet of an interaction between two complex humans who like each other very much. A lot of the sarcasm is linked to our own inside jokes. In the larger context of the relationship, his kindness and care for me greatly outweigh the teasing. And he could stand to work on not reacting to everything with sarcasm. We all have things to work on. I literally sat him down and recorded him reacting to me telling him about my dating history - quite the uncomfortable situation for both of us. But here it is, in an editing form for you to listen to. 
What is the purpose of sharing personal stuff? My purpose is to share authentic stories for people to relate to and learn from. I have to remind myself that being open and vulnerable is something the world needs more of. I can do this.
Send in your dating dilemmas & questions to askelisapodcast@gmail.com or through social media direct messages to have Elisa and a guest share their response on a future episode.
Want to be a guest on Ask Elisa? Complete the Guest Interest Form
 
Find Ask Elisa online @askelisapodcast
www.askelisapodcast.com 
Ask Elisa is a feminist podcast about dating and relationships. Find humor and connection in discussions that challenge outdated gender roles, traditional narratives, and patriarchal expectations. Episodes include dating stories, dilemmas, and questions sent in from listeners. Join Ask Elisa for the laughs, stay for the honesty, and leave feeling a little less alone.
I’m your host, Elisa Sparkman. I found myself unexpectedly single right before my 40th birthday. Now with two years of dating behind me (plus a divorce and handful of break ups), I wanna talk about it! Join me for honest conversations about modern dating, divorce, dating apps, gender dynamics, situationships, red flags, boundaries, and building healthier relationships.

Hilary is back to tell two queer dating horror stories. Did you know that women can lie about things too? And I share a story about a dude I matched with on a dating app who was a little too eager and uninhibited.
Send in your dating dilemmas & questions to askelisapodcast@gmail.com or through social media direct messages to have Elisa and a guest share their response on a future episode.
Want to be a guest on Ask Elisa? Complete the Guest Interest Form
 
Find Ask Elisa online @askelisapodcast
www.askelisapodcast.com 
Ask Elisa is a feminist podcast about dating and relationships. Find humor and connection in discussions that challenge outdated gender roles, traditional narratives, and patriarchal expectations. Episodes include dating stories, dilemmas, and questions sent in from listeners. Join Ask Elisa for the laughs, stay for the honesty, and leave feeling a little less alone.
I’m your host, Elisa Sparkman. I found myself unexpectedly single right before my 40th birthday. Now with two years of dating behind me (plus a divorce and handful of break ups), I wanna talk about it! Join me for honest conversations about modern dating, divorce, dating apps, gender dynamics, situationships, red flags, boundaries, and building healthier relationships.

On this episode of Ask Elisa, (Boy) Kelly recounts their very first match on eHarmony — a weeks-long chat that escalated from sweet to intense, with premature demands, you can't say "cool beans," sexting, a two-hour meltdown, and ultimately an unmatch and deleted profile.
Afterward, Elisa reads a collection of cringe-worthy dating app profiles and messages from Bumble, highlighting red flags, awkward bios, and the strange humor of online dating while inviting listeners to submit their own screenshots.
Send in your dating dilemmas & questions to askelisapodcast@gmail.com or through social media direct messages to have Elisa and a guest share their response on a future episode.
Want to be a guest on Ask Elisa? Complete the Guest Interest Form
 
Find Ask Elisa online @askelisapodcast
www.askelisapodcast.com 
Ask Elisa is a feminist podcast about dating and relationships. Find humor and connection in discussions that challenge outdated gender roles, traditional narratives, and patriarchal expectations. Episodes include dating stories, dilemmas, and questions sent in from listeners. Join Ask Elisa for the laughs, stay for the honesty, and leave feeling a little less alone.
I’m your host, Elisa Sparkman. I found myself unexpectedly single right before my 40th birthday. Now with two years of dating behind me (plus a divorce and handful of break ups), I wanna talk about it! Join me for honest conversations about modern dating, divorce, dating apps, gender dynamics, situationships, red flags, boundaries, and building healthier relationships.

Ask Elisa celebrates Pride Month with the first LGBTQIA+ guest! Hilary shares her story of dating women and men. I had so much fun talking with Hilary and I learned quite a bit. 
As always, I share a question from a listener for my guest and me to respond to. The question for this episode is, “What do you think about having a friends with benefits relationship?”
Send in your dating dilemmas & questions to askelisapodcast@gmail.com or through social media direct messages to have Elisa and a guest share their response on a future episode.
Want to be a guest on Ask Elisa? Complete the Guest Interest Form
 
Find Ask Elisa online @askelisapodcast
www.askelisapodcast.com 
Ask Elisa is a feminist podcast about dating and relationships. Find humor and connection in discussions that challenge outdated gender roles, traditional narratives, and patriarchal expectations. Episodes include dating stories, dilemmas, and questions sent in from listeners. Join Ask Elisa for the laughs, stay for the honesty, and leave feeling a little less alone.
I’m your host, Elisa Sparkman. I found myself unexpectedly single right before my 40th birthday. Now with two years of dating behind me (plus a divorce and handful of break ups), I wanna talk about it! Join me for honest conversations about modern dating, divorce, dating apps, gender dynamics, situationships, red flags, boundaries, and building healthier relationships.

In this episode, I finally have a male guest! I talk with Kelly (who I call Boy Kelly, because one of my best friends is named Kellee and she gets to be Kellee. Hi Kellee, I love you.) Boy Kelly shares his experience as a straight man on the dating apps. I give him my permission to trash women on my show, because I know Boy Kelly would never.
As always, I share a question from a listener for my guest and me to respond to. The question for this episode is, “I’m ready to start dating again but I’m scared of rejection. And I’m scared people will be mean to me. What are some tips to work through this?”
Send in your dating dilemmas & questions to askelisapodcast@gmail.com or through social media direct messages to have Elisa and a guest share their response on a future episode.
Want to be a guest on Ask Elisa? Complete the Guest Interest Form
 
Find Ask Elisa online @askelisapodcast
www.askelisapodcast.com 
Ask Elisa is a feminist podcast about dating and relationships. Find humor and connection in discussions that challenge outdated gender roles, traditional narratives, and patriarchal expectations. Episodes include dating stories, dilemmas, and questions sent in from listeners. Join Ask Elisa for the laughs, stay for the honesty, and leave feeling a little less alone.
I’m your host, Elisa Sparkman. I found myself unexpectedly single right before my 40th birthday. Now with two years of dating behind me (plus a divorce and handful of break ups), I wanna talk about it! Join me for honest conversations about modern dating, divorce, dating apps, gender dynamics, situationships, red flags, boundaries, and building healthier relationships.

I apologize for the abrupt ending on this episode. We're new at this; mistakes happen. In this episode, I talk with Morgan. For the past three years, Morgan has chosen not to date. We talk about what it's like to be a single woman in a society that places so much value on romantic partnerships.
As always, I share a question from a listener for my guest and me to respond to. The question for this episode is, "Should people wait until a divorce is final before they start to date?"
Send in your dating dilemmas & questions to askelisapodcast@gmail.com or through social media direct messages to have Elisa and a guest share their response on a future episode.
Want to be a guest on Ask Elisa? Complete the Guest Interest Form
 
Find Ask Elisa online @askelisapodcast
www.askelisapodcast.com 
Ask Elisa is a feminist podcast about dating and relationships. Find humor and connection in discussions that challenge outdated gender roles, traditional narratives, and patriarchal expectations. Episodes include dating stories, dilemmas, and questions sent in from listeners. Join Ask Elisa for the laughs, stay for the honesty, and leave feeling a little less alone.
I’m your host, Elisa Sparkman. I found myself unexpectedly single right before my 40th birthday. Now with two years of dating behind me (plus a divorce and handful of break ups), I wanna talk about it! Join me for honest conversations about modern dating, divorce, dating apps, gender dynamics, situationships, red flags, boundaries, and building healthier relationships.

In this episode, Claudia is back to share her craziest dating story. She starts off by saying, "This story... I do think should be a Netflix show..." And I share a quick story about the audacity and self-importance of a random dude I matched with on Bumble.
Send in your dating dilemmas & questions to askelisapodcast@gmail.com or through social media direct messages to have Elisa and a guest share their response on a future episode.
Want to be a guest on Ask Elisa? Complete the Guest Interest Form
 
Find Ask Elisa online @askelisapodcast
www.askelisapodcast.com 
Ask Elisa is a feminist podcast about dating and relationships. Find humor and connection in discussions that challenge outdated gender roles, traditional narratives, and patriarchal expectations. Episodes include dating stories, dilemmas, and questions sent in from listeners. Join Ask Elisa for the laughs, stay for the honesty, and leave feeling a little less alone.
I’m your host, Elisa Sparkman. I found myself unexpectedly single right before my 40th birthday. Now with two years of dating behind me (plus a divorce and handful of break ups), I wanna talk about it! Join me for honest conversations about modern dating, divorce, dating apps, gender dynamics, situationships, red flags, boundaries, and building healthier relationships.

In this episode, I talk with Dani. Dani became a single mom in her mid-20s and over the past decade and half has stepped in and out of the dating scene. Dani shares her experience dating as a single mom, through college, grad school, working full time, and being an overall impressive human. 
As always, I share a question from a listener for my guest and me to respond to. The question for this episode is, "I'm finally ready to start dating again. But my kids don't want me to. Do you have any suggestions for how to navigate this?"
Send in your dating dilemmas & questions to askelisapodcast@gmail.com or through social media direct messages to have Elisa and a guest share their response on a future episode.
Want to be a guest on Ask Elisa? Complete the Guest Interest Form
 
Find Ask Elisa online @askelisapodcast
www.askelisapodcast.com 
Ask Elisa is a feminist podcast about dating and relationships. Find humor and connection in discussions that challenge outdated gender roles, traditional narratives, and patriarchal expectations. Episodes include dating stories, dilemmas, and questions sent in from listeners. Join Ask Elisa for the laughs, stay for the honesty, and leave feeling a little less alone.
I’m your host, Elisa Sparkman. I found myself unexpectedly single right before my 40th birthday. Now with two years of dating behind me (plus a divorce and handful of break ups), I wanna talk about it! Join me for honest conversations about modern dating, divorce, dating apps, gender dynamics, situationships, red flags, boundaries, and building healthier relationships.

Bonus mini episode!
If you liked hearing me talk with Rhonda, my boyfriend's mom, in episode 5, you will love this short clip of us chatting away before we started the episode. 
 
Send in your dating dilemmas & questions to askelisapodcast@gmail.com or through social media direct messages to have Elisa and a guest share their response on a future episode.
Want to be a guest on Ask Elisa? Complete the Guest Interest Form
 
Find Ask Elisa online @askelisapodcast
www.askelisapodcast.com 
Ask Elisa is a feminist podcast about dating and relationships. Find humor and connection in discussions that challenge outdated gender roles, traditional narratives, and patriarchal expectations. Episodes include dating stories, dilemmas, and questions sent in from listeners. Join Ask Elisa for the laughs, stay for the honesty, and leave feeling a little less alone.
I’m your host, Elisa Sparkman. I found myself unexpectedly single right before my 40th birthday. Now with two years of dating behind me (plus a divorce and handful of break ups), I wanna talk about it! Join me for honest conversations about modern dating, divorce, dating apps, gender dynamics, situationships, red flags, boundaries, and building healthier relationships.

An hour after meeting my (relatively new) boyfriend's mom, I'm sitting down and recording a podcast episode with her. Rhonda, now 66, tells the story of the worst blind date she's every been on. This episode confirms, that dating was rough before the apps. It's always been terrible, so let's just laugh about it.
Send in your dating dilemmas & questions to askelisapodcast@gmail.com or through social media direct messages to have Elisa and a guest share their response on a future episode.
Want to be a guest on Ask Elisa? Complete the Guest Interest Form
 
Find Ask Elisa online @askelisapodcast
www.askelisapodcast.com 
Ask Elisa is a feminist podcast about dating and relationships. Find humor and connection in discussions that challenge outdated gender roles, traditional narratives, and patriarchal expectations. Episodes include dating stories, dilemmas, and questions sent in from listeners. Join Ask Elisa for the laughs, stay for the honesty, and leave feeling a little less alone.
I’m your host, Elisa Sparkman. I found myself unexpectedly single right before my 40th birthday. Now with two years of dating behind me (plus a divorce and handful of break ups), I wanna talk about it! Join me for honest conversations about modern dating, divorce, dating apps, gender dynamics, situationships, red flags, boundaries, and building healthier relationships.