Ask a Matchmaker

Did millennial women grow up inside a system designed by powerful men? In this episode, Maria is joined by journalist Ileana Justine to unpack how mall culture, Victoria's Secret, JUICY sweatpants, low-rise jeans, and dress code "fingertip rules" shaped millennial body image, and how the Jeffrey Epstein era exposed who held the power behind those brands. They break down the male gaze vs. the female gaze, trad wife influencers, the "provider" debate in modern dating, GLP-1 skinny culture, and how shows like Grey's Anatomy changed women's dating standards. Plus, a listener asks how to date confidently after major surgery, weight changes, and visible scars. This is a deep dive into cultural conditioning, patriarchy, body image, and how it all affects who we choose to love.
 
♥️JOIN MARIA'S COMMUNITY + SUBMIT A QUESTION ❓
Ready to date with intention?
💌 Join Maria's Roundtable community or submit your own dating question: 👉 https://www.matchmakermaria.com/askaquestion Use promo code ROUNDTABLE50 for $50 off.
✈️ TRAVEL WITH AGAPE ESCAPES
Make new friends. Travel the world. ☀️ Check out upcoming trips: https://agapeescapes.com/ Use code ESCAPES150 for $150 off early bird pricing.
📚 ORDER MARIA'S BOOK + FOLLOW ALONG
✨ Order Maria's book 👉 https://www.matchmakermaria.com/book 🎧 Subscribe to the podcast ⭐ Leave a 5-star review if you're feeling lovable and likable
🌐 CONNECT WITH MARIA
Everything: https://www.askamatchmaker.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matchmakermaria TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realmatchmakermaria Agape Match IG: https://www.instagram.com/agapematch/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgapeMatch
Agape Match: https://agapematch.com/
🎙️ CREDITS
Producer: Venetia Geras https://www.venetiageras.com/
Studio: WTF Media Studios https://www.wtfmediastudios.com/home

Hard conversations in relationships, attachment styles, anxious vs avoidant dynamics, and emotional disconnection are at the center of this week's Ask A Matchmaker. Matchmaker Maria sits down with therapist and author Colette Fehr to explain why couples fight about small things like Duolingo, texting back, or Valentine's Day flowers when the real issue is feeling unheard or unimportant. They break down how to stop people pleasing, how to say "that hurt me" clearly, and why serious conversations should never happen over text. Colette shares tools from her book The Cost of Quiet, including her emotional Mad Libs method for speaking up without pushing your partner away. They also tackle anxious and avoidant attachment patterns and whether separate bedrooms, like Keke Palmer suggested, can actually work in a healthy relationship.
 
♥️JOIN MARIA'S COMMUNITY + SUBMIT A QUESTION ❓
Ready to date with intention?
💌 Join Maria's Roundtable community or submit your own dating question: 👉 https://www.matchmakermaria.com/askaquestion Use promo code ROUNDTABLE50 for $50 off.
✈️ TRAVEL WITH AGAPE ESCAPES
Make new friends. Travel the world. ☀️ Check out upcoming trips: https://agapeescapes.com/ Use code ESCAPES150 for $150 off early bird pricing.
📚 ORDER MARIA'S BOOK + FOLLOW ALONG
✨ Order Maria's book 👉 https://www.matchmakermaria.com/book 🎧 Subscribe to the podcast ⭐ Leave a 5-star review if you're feeling lovable and likable
🌐 CONNECT WITH MARIA
Everything: https://www.askamatchmaker.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matchmakermaria TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realmatchmakermaria Agape Match IG: https://www.instagram.com/agapematch/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgapeMatch
Agape Match: https://agapematch.com/
🎙️ CREDITS
Producer: Venetia Geras https://www.venetiageras.com/
Studio: WTF Media Studios https://www.wtfmediastudios.com/home

Dating across cultures, first-generation identity, and family pressure in relationships take center stage on this episode with Matchmaker Maria and licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Rosette Elghossain to unpack how immigrant upbringing, enmeshment, and early family dynamics shape adult dating choices. They dive into navigating parental expectations, setting emotional boundaries, dating outside your culture, and what to do when your family doesn't approve of your partner. You'll also hear practical advice on values-based dating, dealing with guilt, and how to advocate for your relationship without abandoning your roots. A must-listen for anyone balancing love, identity, and modern dating!
Dr. Rosette Elghossain is a licensed clinical psychologist and first-generation Lebanese-American. In her private practice, she focuses on relational and trauma work to help people navigate cross-cultural dating challenges, family pressures, relationship patterns, and the journey to a fulfilling life on their own terms. Check her out👇
@drrosette on Instagram
 https://www.drrosette.com for info about therapy
Listeners can use discount code MARIA100 to download this personal values guide for free!
 
☀️ https://agapeescapes.com/  use ESCAPES150 for an early bird discount! ☀️
 
✨ Don't forget to order Maria's book,  follow us on social, and leave a review if you're feeling lovable and likable. 💕
🤩    Check out Maria's Websites and Socials!   🙌
💖Podcast Website: https://www.askamatchmaker.com/ 
💖Agape Match Website: https://agapematch.com/ 
💖Matchmaker Maria TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realmatchmakermaria 
💖Matchmaker Maria Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matchmakermaria 
💖Agape Match Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agapematch/ 
💖Agame Match Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgapeMatch 
💖Agape Match Twitter: https://www.x.com/AgapeMatch 
🙋‍♀️Our Producer Venetia AKA V 
Website - https://www.venetiageras.com/ 
Twitter - https://X.com/venetiaageras 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/venetiaageras/ 
🎥 by WTF Media Studios
Website - https://www.wtfmediastudios.com/home 
ABOUT THIS PODCAST 🔗
Ask a Matchmaker is your weekly go-to podcast for all things love and relationships. Hosted by fourth generation matchmaker and founder of Agape Match, Maria Avgitidis, Ask a Matchmaker gives you no-nonsense insight into dating, relationships, compatibility, and love. Maria and her weekly special guest answer questions to help you venture through the jungle that is modern love. Whether you're looking for someone or you're happily taken, Maria will keep you inspired to keep going down the path of love every week, and hopefully, gain a great tip or two to ignite the spark or keep the sparks flying!

Dating apps, AI matchmaking, modern love, Valentine's Day dating, and real relationship tips collide in this solo episode as Matchmaker Maria breaks down the rise of AI matchmakers and what they actually get wrong about human connection. From chatbot dating coaches to algorithm-driven matches, Maria explores why faster swiping doesn't equal better relationships, and why real matchmaking has always been about community, accountability, and growth. She shares behind-the-scenes insight from the dating industry, explains how AI can help (and hurt) your love life, and calls out the difference between validation and true compatibility. Plus, practical dating tips for 2026, how to expand your social circle, and what to do if you're single this Valentine's Day (hint: it involves dive bars and courage). If you're navigating dating apps, dating fatigue, or wondering whether tech can replace chemistry, this episode is your fun, honest, and deeply human reality check!
Be sure to use the promo code: roundtable50 to join Maria's community or submit your own dating question! 👉 https://www.matchmakermaria.com/
☀️ https://agapeescapes.com/  use ESCAPES150 for an early bird discount! ☀️
 
✨ Don't forget to order Maria's book,  follow us on social, and leave a review if you're feeling lovable and likable. 💕
🤩    Check out Maria's Websites and Socials!   🙌
💖Podcast Website: https://www.askamatchmaker.com/ 
💖Agape Match Website: https://agapematch.com/ 
💖Matchmaker Maria TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realmatchmakermaria 
💖Matchmaker Maria Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matchmakermaria 
💖Agape Match Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agapematch/ 
💖Agame Match Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgapeMatch 
💖Agape Match Twitter: https://www.x.com/AgapeMatch 
🙋‍♀️Our Producer Venetia AKA V 
Website - https://www.venetiageras.com/ 
Twitter - https://X.com/venetiaageras 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/venetiaageras/ 
🎥 by WTF Media Studios
Website - https://www.wtfmediastudios.com/home 
ABOUT THIS PODCAST 🔗
Ask a Matchmaker is your weekly go-to podcast for all things love and relationships. Hosted by fourth generation matchmaker and founder of Agape Match, Maria Avgitidis, Ask a Matchmaker gives you no-nonsense insight into dating, relationships, compatibility, and love. Maria and her weekly special guest answer questions to help you venture through the jungle that is modern love. Whether you're looking for someone or you're happily taken, Maria will keep you inspired to keep going down the path of love every week, and hopefully, gain a great tip or two to ignite the spark or keep the sparks flying!

It's a fun hotline episode with Sex and the City impressions, dating long distance advice, and knowing that marriage isn't for you! Matchmaker Maria is joined by hilarious stand up comedian Anna Roisman for a hotline episode packed with dating advice, love, and real-life dilemmas. Maria even gets to hear Anna's spot-on Steve from Sex and the City impersonation as they break down relationships, commitment, and modern dating expectations.
Callers ask tough, emotional questions, including whether long-distance dating can work when you barely know someone, how to rebuild confidence and flirt again, and how to navigate a relationship after cancer treatment and infertility. Maria and Anna also play a voicemail from a listener dating after the death of a spouse at 50, and what starting over can really look like. With expert matchmaker insight and comedian honesty, this episode delivers practical advice, empathy, and laughs for anyone dating through uncertainty, loss, or big life changes.
 
 
Be sure to use the promo code: roundtable50 to join Maria's community or submit your own dating question! 👉 https://www.matchmakermaria.com/
☀️ https://agapeescapes.com/  use ESCAPES150 for an early bird discount! ☀️
✨ Don't forget to order Maria's book,  follow us on social, and leave a review if you're feeling lovable and likable. 💕
🤩    Check out Maria's Websites and Socials!   🙌
💖Podcast Website: https://www.askamatchmaker.com/ 
💖Agape Match Website: https://agapematch.com/ 
💖Matchmaker Maria TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realmatchmakermaria 
💖Matchmaker Maria Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matchmakermaria 
💖Agape Match Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agapematch/ 
💖Agame Match Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgapeMatch 
💖Agape Match Twitter: https://www.x.com/AgapeMatch 
🙋‍♀️Our Producer Venetia AKA V 
Website - https://www.venetiageras.com/ 
Twitter - https://X.com/venetiaageras 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/venetiaageras/ 
🎥 by WTF Media Studios
Website - https://www.wtfmediastudios.com/home 
ABOUT THIS PODCAST 🔗
Ask a Matchmaker is your weekly go-to podcast for all things love and relationships. Hosted by fourth generation matchmaker and founder of Agape Match, Maria Avgitidis, Ask a Matchmaker gives you no-nonsense insight into dating, relationships, compatibility, and love. Maria and her weekly special guest answer questions to help you venture through the jungle that is modern love. Whether you're looking for someone or you're happily taken, Maria will keep you inspired to keep going down the path of love every week, and hopefully, gain a great tip or two to ignite the spark or keep the sparks flying!