Episode 147: Maximize Peak Dating Season with Bela Gandhi

Everyone is talking about the holiday season. Well, this week we are talking about peak dating season - which is coming up in ten days. Bela Gandhi re-joins me on the podcast to talk about what peak dating season means and how to maximize it. Plus, if you’re feeling resistant or somewhat cynical about dating, like me, Bela shares some advice to help you (and me) work through those feelings.  Bela Gandhi is a dating/relationship expert, founder of Smart Dating Academy, TEDx speaker, and a media personality who has been featured on most national/local media outlets including Good Morning America, Steve Harvey, the Today Show, Kelly Clarkson, Access, ABC, NBC, Fox, and more. Bela is often referred to as the Fairy Godmother of Dating. And she is! Every time I talk to Bela, I feel confident and am re-energized about dating. Join us for a fun and insightful conversation! Show Highlights Cynicism about dating and what “dateable” means to you. (6:47) What we think of and focus on will grow - if you think everyone is going to be awful, you will be drawn towards the partners who fulfill those prophecies. (9:10) How to maximize peak dating season. (10:29) Dating app communication: Bela shares when it’s appropriate to drop the conversation! (15:53) You want to be with someone who likes you just a little bit more than you like them. (18:09) Why video dating can save you a lot of disappointment and a lot of time. (19:01) Some advice about using dating apps and online dating sites. Quick tip: “Pick one app and get started!” (21:28) Dating profile pictures do’s and don’ts. (29:35) There is no substitute for time in the dating process. (43:44) Learn More About Bela: Bela Gandhi is a dating/relationship expert, founder of Smart Dating Academy, TEDx speaker, and a media personality who has been featured on most national/local media outlets including Good Morning America, Steve Harvey, the Today Show, Kelly Clarkson, Access, ABC, NBC, Fox, and more.  After she graduated (with dual degrees in Finance and German from the University of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign), Gandhi worked in mergers and acquisitions for Arthur Andersen in Chicago for a year before joining her family's chemicals manufacturing company (CCC), where she divided her time between Chicago and Europe helping to expand the business. When the Gandhi family sold its business to Fortune 500 company Akzo Nobel, she was asked to remain its leader, and became Akzo Nobel Non-Stick Coating’s Global Vice President of Housewares. But even as she quickly climbed the corporate ladder, Gandhi had a feeling that her career would one day be taking a sharp turn in a different direction – because she discovered her love of matchmaking and providing dating advice. She launched her Smart Dating Academy in 2009. Smart Dating Academy has quickly become one of the nation's top date coaching firms - and teaches busy, successful professionals to jump start their dating lives successfully. Smart Dating Academy is described by its clients “like going to Harvard Business School, but for dating and relationships.” SDA’s coaches become personal trainers for their clients’ love lives – helping them to navigate the ever-changing world of online & in-person dating. The SDA coaching program is results-oriented and fun - which helps you to clarify who is right for you, stop old dating patterns, and use technology the RIGHT way. Clients become positive and enthusiastic about dating / relationships again and find love! Bela attends more weddings than she can count, and loves love.