Well, hello! Now that my maternity leave is over and Rachel Russo Relationships is back and fully open for business,  I am hoping to bring you a little love. But ,first, that quick glimpse of my "little love"- pictured above- who has my heart overflowing!

Why love? Why love now? WHY NOT!?

While it is easy for many of us to fall in love with babies and puppies, sometimes, finding and keeping love with an actual adult human can be a little more challenging. 
If you are up for the challenge, here are seven things you can do to keep the love flowing:
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1. Manage your emotions: "Keep Calm & Carry On" is my personal mantra. Create a "mission statement" for your love life and make it a priority to stop any difficult emotions from getting in the way of you carrying out your vision.
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2.Make decisions that are based in love--self-love, love for people, love for the planet, and love for God--if that's your thing.
 
3. Be "love-savvy": I think I just made up a word! The point is: Know how to love those around you by understanding their "love languages". Then, become fluent.
 
4. Maximize your relationship potential:  Whether single or coupled, check in on your weekly progress toward your relationships goals and make plan on how to get more of what you want.
 
5. Eliminate negativity & insecurity: Just STOP talking about anyone and anything negative, complaining about things in your dating life or relationships, and worrying about things going wrong in present or future. Ditch bad habits NOW  internally and externally.
 
6. Be authentic: Think about your personal brand and style of being in a relationship. Know who you are, be who you are, and watch how magnetic it is.
 
7. Seek what you are: Do not entertain anyone who isn't on your level in terms of their ability to love. Don’t waste any time on them. Focus on attracting & maintaining relationships with high quality people only. If someone you are already involved with isn’t adding to your life, think about...subtracting.
 
Ready to work on finding or keeping love? Email Rachel@RachelRusso.com, subject "Love Now", for details on a special offer--that your heart really won't be able to resist!

Its been a while since I last wrote, and it may be a while since I write again, but I wanted to let you know about some exciting, limited-time offer opportunities.

If you haven’t heard the news: I am now very pregnant, a proud single-mother-by choice-to-be, with a Blessingway and (Surprise!) Virtual Baby Shower under my belt, and my article “A Matchmaker’s Perspective On How Single Motherhood By Choice Could Upgrade Your Love Life” set to be published in Pregnantish Magazine soon. I look forward to my labor, birth, and slowing down as I transition into mom life with my baby girl; I just wanted to say: Its time for last call!

If you are in my database at Rachel Russo Relationship, you may know that I have been working to transfer database member profiles to another highly-respected company I am working with-Maclynn International- to double the chances of getting matched while I am on maternity leave (for the next three months) and beyond.  If you haven’t completed your application for open membership: They have hundreds of clients throughout the US and internationally, and it would be no cost to you to be an open member. It is also no cost to be a database member at Rachel Russo Relationships. so if you aren't in the database, you can get in here. 

If you want to know more about this matchmaking opportunity with Maclynn simply email Rachel@RachelRusso.com. I am happy to speak with you and/or send you information about their terms and conditions of open membership. If you want to actually hire a matchmaker, I can make referrals to colleagues, and I am also available to support you with 1/2 price coaching sessions. Last call for dating and relationship advice-via virtual coaching-at the reduced rate of $125 per session. This offer stands until November 2, 2021 when I will officially go on maternity leave.  To apply to Maclynn after November 2nd, please select open membership, and use the code “RachelRusso”. 

​As always, I wish you luck in love and life, and I look forward to being in touch soon!. Feel free to follow me on Instagram for more on my solo mom by choice journey in the meantime.

There is no doubt about it: The pandemic changed things--and the dating culture was no exception!
 
As many singles have discovered, "video dating" is a thing now that is here to stay. The apps are still alive, well, and generally as awful as ever, but: Some people are still finding success. And I am happy to help them navigate the ups and downs along the way. Sometimes the right coach makes all the difference.
 
Meanwhile in the matchmaking world: A lot of us matchmakers are wondering: Is dating officially back? Are people serious about finding relationships or will it be "a hot girl summer"?
 
I'll be honest: I am getting a lot of women wanting to be matched up from NYC, New Jersey, and Long Island, but since the pandemic, it seems there have been less men reaching out for matchmaking!
 
Hence, the ad in Newsday. Don't get me wrong: I am always looking for quality women to match with male clients, but right now I am wondering:
 
Long Island men, where are you!? I am especially looking for very successful men there and in NJ.
 
Know any? Feel free to refer to me in exchange for generous commissions. Single yourself? You can always apply to be in my confidential database here.

This is a tough blog post to write. Just weeks after I excitedly announced my pregnancy-as a single-mama-by-choice-to-be on social media, I received some devastating news about a friend of mine who was also a single mother.

I'm beyond heartbroken for my friend, Ali Kessler, and her family. Not yet having a child, I can only imagine the pain she is experiencing. You may have seen her sad story-one that marks the failure of the criminal justice and legal systems-in the news. 

Her adorable four-year old son's life was tragically taken from him--by his own father, who then committed suicide. Ali did all she could to protect her son; the judge refused her emergency order of protection. She was the best mom she could have possibly been--despite all the challenges in dealing with a co-parent-ex who was clearly mentally ill and abusive.  This is so tragic. I am praying for peace for Ali and her family, and I am sharing her story in an effort to raise money for her—for funeral, legal, and life expenses. This is the first time I have ever asked anyone to donate; if you feel as compelled to do so as I did, please do so here. 

I am also sharing Ali’s story to spread awareness about mental health issues and domestic violence. Thankfully, I never met her ex-as she had relocated from NYC to Florida soon after meeting him. She did not meet him through a matchmaker, but as a matchmaker-responsible for introducing people who go on to create marriages and families- I have chosen to speak out to the matchmaking community about the great responsibility we have. 

I suggest all of my matchmaking colleagues and students at Matchmaking Institute take all the precautions they can in fully vetting people, doing background checks, using their intuition, etc. Personally, if I have doubts about a potential male or female client, I would never take their money and set them up. It is never worth it.  

In addition, I beg all singles to look out for the red flags of someone who is mentally ill, narcissistic,  and/or  capable of domestic violence. I am currently looking into working on some projects to help promoting dating safety and minimize domestic violence. If you wish to collaborate, please email me at Rachel@RachelRusso.com.

Greyson should be here today.  No parent should have to suffer this loss. No man or woman should be a victim of such abuse.  I hope you'll remember this important message and take advantage of any opportunity to promote change. ​​

Do you remember when you were a teenager and you started reading all those magazine articles about how to get him to like you? Ask you on a date? Make him feel special? Get him to commit? If you were shy, you’d try to be more outgoing and flirty ..….
If you were overweight, you’d try to shed the pounds …….
If you were needy, you’d try to tone it down……

You’d make all these changes to modify yourself to appeal to him. The thing is: You do not exist to please men! Making changes in your looks and behavior is more beneficial if you are making those changes because they appeal to YOU.

But, if you are like most women, you do a lot of what you do to please men. And somewhere along the way, you lose sight of what is really important to you. You approach dating with more concern about winning him over than figuring out if he’s actually someone worth the win. You do more to accommodate him than he does to accommodate you. You cater to his schedule more, you commute to him, you decide to put your goals on hold for him.  You cook, you clean, you take care of his kids, and you help him in ways that he does not help out. You’ll have what he’s having, and, sure, you will relocate for him.
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You’ve been making his needs more important than yours. And, then, you wonder why your relationship is imbalanced or why he’s lost interest. Being accommodating seems like a plus in relationships, unless, of course, you are never accommodated in return. If you don’t make yourself the most important person in your life, who will?

Isn’t dating ironic?

You have all these men lining up to date you, yet the one you want to date is nowhere to be found! Most people would look at you and point out that you are beautiful,  personable, smart, accomplished, and with a great circle of family and friends. They couldn’t imagine why you wouldn’t be happily married with 2.5 kids and a penthouse suite by now—let alone wrap their heads around the idea of you having trouble finding a man. 

But you aren’t looking for “a” man. You are looking for YOUR man! And you are probably wondering: How can I attract the right guy?

You can be the catch of the century,  but if you can’t communicate who you are to the man you desire, you’ll be as irrelevant as that “Dusty” creeping in your DMs.

In other words, you need to understand your value in the dating game and in life, in general.  You have a lot of strengths. But do you know which once you should play up to get attention from the right guys?

Once you are strong in who you are at your core, you can position yourself in a way that demands attention from the type of men you are wishing would notice what you have to offer! (Bonus: Once you take that stand and make it known, you’ll repel some of those Mr. Wrongs who just liked you for superficial reasons.)

Before you even think about accepting an introduction from a friend, putting yourself on a dating site, or attending an event where your “type” may be, there is something you need to be know about yourself.

Its your relationship hook. Its that one thing that is EVERYTHING.  Its what keeps him coming back for more—and, sorry,  lady, it has nothing to do with sex. Your “game” isn’t that special, and it is not what makes him emotionally invested in you for the long term.
For the record, its not your Botox either. Botox may get the guy, but it sure won’t keep him.

If you want more than a “hook up” and want to hook the man of your dreams so that you can have the connection, love, and stability you crave, there is something you need to know. Most women don’t know it.

​But you don’t have to be like most women……

Want to take the first step to attracting Mr. Right? Book your strategy session here.  
Interested in being matched? Join my confidential database or update your profile there today.