250. "Nothing Will Ever Change… Right?" Coaching Through Dating Doubt as a Late Bloomer
Release Date: 09/16/2025
Episode Spotlight: Holiday dating survival guide
The Feminist Dating Show
If the holidays bring up nerves about being single — the questions, the pressure, the comparisons — this episode is your Holiday Dating Survival Guide. It's a warm, grounding replay packed with self-compassion, boundaries that protect your peace, and real scripts for handling conversations about your dating life. Inside, Lily shares: how to release the self-judgment we’ve all internalized from patriarchal socialization (that says that coupled women are "ahead" of single women) why self-compassion is the antidote to self-judgment (and how to practice it daily) three phrases from Dr....
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259. From dreams in a drawer to doing the thing: How Laura finally started her business with main character energy
The Feminist Dating Show
Laura sat on her dream for years. She had already moved abroad, left her marriage, rewritten her book, built a whole new life in a new country… and yet the next thing she actually wanted to build — a business supporting women after divorce — stayed in a drawer. In this conversation, you’ll hear exactly how she went from: • paralyzed by fear of judgment • hiding the work she’d been doing for years • waiting to feel “ready” • thinking she “should’ve figured it out by now" to owning her CEO energy, talking publicly about her work, pitching her idea in real life, and...
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258. From "I’m So Behind" to Main Character Energy: How Abby got promoted, found community, and attracted her first healthy relationship in her mid-30s
The Feminist Dating Show
In this episode, Abby shares her late bloomer story with so much honesty and clarity. We talk about what it was like to be in her mid-30s, never having been in a serious relationship, carrying a loud “I’m behind” and “I’m weird” narrative, and feeling totally unsure how to talk about her dating history without spiraling. Abby opens up about moving to a new city, trying to date while feeling embarrassed about her experience, and struggling with the not good enough voice that made her avoid connection. She also shares what shifted for her as she started to process shame, build...
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257. Self-Trust for Anxious Overthinkers: How to stop dress rehearsing tragedy
The Feminist Dating Show
If you’re stuck in a spiral of overthinking — replaying conversations, asking 15 friends what to do, imagining every worst-case scenario — this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Overthinking isn’t you being “careful.” It’s a self-trust deficit. And that is a skill gap, not a character flaw. In this episode, I break down: • Why anxious rumination feels so real and so urgent • How patriarchy, people-pleasing, and fear of rejection trained you not to trust yourself • The difference between careful planning and dress rehearsing tragedy • Why outsourcing...
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256. 10 Seconds of Courage: The Secret to Becoming the Main Character of Your Life
The Feminist Dating Show
Feeling like the supporting character in your own story? This episode is your plot twist. We unpack Main Character Energy (MCE) as a buildable skill set—not a personality type—and show how tending to your needs heals burnout and expands your capacity to show up for the people and causes you care about. In this episode, you’ll learn: The 3-part MCE framework: Permission → Self-Trust → Massive, Messy Action Why MCE isn’t selfish—it’s the power source that fuels your impact (both/and) The tiny tool that changes everything: 10 Seconds of Courage Five rapid-fire ideas to practice...
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255. How to heal burnout, release perfectionism, and be the main character everywhere: Maureen's story
The Feminist Dating Show
If you’ve ever found yourself doing everything right and still feeling exhausted, this conversation is for you. In this episode, Lily sits down with Maureen, a writer, educator, and book coach who transformed her life from chronic burnout and perfectionism to joyful, sustainable main character energy. They dive into: ✨ How perfectionism becomes emotional armor (and how to take it off safely). ✨ Why joy—not hustle—is the most powerful growth strategy. ✨ The role of self-celebration and community in creating a life that feels like your own. Maureen’s story is a reminder...
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Episode Spotlight: "Am I doing enough to find love?" Checklist!
The Feminist Dating Show
Ever catch yourself thinking: “Am I doing enough to find love?” That question sounds productive—but it’s usually fear in disguise. Fear that time’s running out. Fear that what you want might never happen. In this week’s episode of The Late Bloomer Show, I walk you through the 10-step “Am I Doing Enough?” checklist—the one I give my clients when they start to spiral. You’ll learn how to: 💗 Practice self-compassion (so you stop hustling for worthiness) 🎯 Create your Essence-Based Preferences 💎 Bring in community and support 🎉 Celebrate yourself like it’s...
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Episode Spotlight: Slow Burn vs. The "Spark"
The Feminist Dating Show
Should you wait for the slow burn? Or chase the spark? This question keeps so many late bloomers stuck in overthinking, second-guessing, and dating people who aren’t right for them. In this episode of The Late Bloomer Show, Lily breaks down the real truth about attraction and connection, including: The pros + cons of both the spark and the slow burn Why both approaches can lead to wasted time What to focus on instead (hint: curiosity > rules) How to ground yourself with Lily’s Date Feedback Compass If you’ve ever stressed about whether you “knew” soon enough or felt enough...
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Episode Spotlight: Body image and your dating life with Bri Campos
The Feminist Dating Show
Dating while struggling with body image fears can feel like an impossible task. In this episode, Lily is joined by Bri Campos, LPC, and body image coach, to explore the idea of body grief—the distress and loss we feel when our bodies change—and how it impacts dating. Together they cover: → The 4 aspects of body image you need to know → Why rushing to “body love” skips over the real healing work → How fatphobia and privilege show up in dating dynamics → Practical tools to move through body grief with compassion so you can put yourself out there and find love in exactly the body...
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254. Dating with a disability, setting boundaries, and dating post breakup - Live Coaching Session
The Feminist Dating Show
In this powerful live coaching session, Lily sits down with Veronica for a live coaching session—a listener and Main Character Dating client—to explore what it really looks like to start dating again after a painful breakup…while also navigating chronic pain, a disability, and a world that often is deeply ableist. They explore: ✨ How to know if you’re really ready to date again after a breakup ✨ Navigating dating apps with a disability ✨ Setting boundaries that honor your body and your bandwidth ✨ Why self-compassion is a dating strategy This episode is full permission to do...
info_outlineBecca came into this coaching session feeling stuck, frustrated, and deeply alone in her experience:
“I’m 37. I’ve never had a relationship. It feels like I’m missing something that everyone else figured out.”
This episode is for the late bloomer who’s never really seen their story reflected in dating advice—and is tired of wondering, “What’s wrong with me?”
Together, we worked through:
– The fear that it’s too late to have what you want
– How to shift from self-blame to self-trust (without pretending it doesn’t still hurt)
– The exact first step to start dating from your real power
Becca left with a new plan—and a very different energy.
If you’ve ever thought “Maybe it's never going to happen,” I want you to listen to this one.
🎧 The Late Bloomer Show, episode 250. Available now wherever you get your podcasts.
💥 Want more support? Start here:
→ Main Character Dating: datebrazen.com/waitlist
→ Free Essence-Based Preferences workbook: datebrazen.com/workbook
→ Read Thank You More Please: datebrazen.com/book
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