Midlife Dating Podcast
by Paul Nelson
Dating in midlife isn’t easy. After his 21-year marriage ended, Paul Nelson found himself back in the dating world. Over the next decade, he went on over 180 first dates, had countless phone calls, and engaged in thousands of online conversations. What he discovered along the way wasn’t just how to date again, but how much personal growth it takes to become the kind of partner you truly want to attract. On the Midlife Dating Podcast, Paul is your guide to the nuances of dating learned on the street level. It’s the little things that add up. The mistakes you make aren’t setbacks—they’re growth opportunities. They allow you to adjust and course correct. Only then can you find someone who’s also done the work. Episodes blend practical advice, book and movie reviews, and real-life stories with hard-earned insights. Paul’s goal is simple: to help Gen Xers and Baby Boomers date smarter, laugh more, have fun, and conserve our most valuable commodity—time.<
Episodes
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EP38 - Is The Phone Call a Lost Art?
The First Call: A 30–45 Minute Filter to Turn Matches Into Meet-Ups Paul Nelson of the Midlife Dating Podcast notes, based on what he’s seen in the field, that many online daters either attempt to skip the first phone call or let it run so long that they talk themselves out of a meet-up date,...
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EP37 - Stop Calling it a First Date - Do This Instead
Date Zero: The Low-Pressure, Safe First Meetup Strategy for Midlife Online Dating Paul Nelson of the Midlife Dating Podcast reframes the first in-person meeting after an online match as a low-pressure “meetup” or “date zero,” whose sole purpose is deciding whether you want a real date, not…
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EP36 - Ghosted? Now What?
Ghosting, the Rule of Halves, and the 48-Hour Rule for Midlife Online Dating and Repeating Patterns Paul Nelson of the Midlife Dating Podcast explains why dating app conversations often die and maintains that it's usually normal attrition, not a personal failing. He introduces the "Rule of…
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EP35 - Right Swipe Discipline
Right Swipe Discipline: Stop Collecting Matches and Start Getting Dates The episode explains why many Baby Boomers and Gen Xers get plenty of dating app matches but never reach phone calls or first-date meetups: they treat matches as progress, keep swiping, and overload themselves with too many...
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EP 34 - To Venus and Back, Part 3 of 3 – Last Orbits Around Venus: Dakota, Christine, and Moving On
EP 34 - To Venus and Back, Part 3 of 3 – Last Orbits Around Venus: Dakota, Christine, and Moving On In the final part of our series with Turner Grant, we jump into his “last orbits” around Venus: the intense long-distance Paris connection with Dakota, the secretive New York encounters with...
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EP 33 - To Venus and Back, Part 2 – From One-and-Done Coffee Dates to a One-Year Relationship
In Part 2, we leave the “organic” dates behind and dive into Turner’s first years of online dating. That means profiles, one-and-done coffee meetups, and learning about the stereotypical Three-Date Rule. Turner and I talk through the patterns he began to see: the job-interview dates, the “Daddy...
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EP 32 - To Venus and Back, Part 1 of 3 – From Grief to Rookie Year Dating
In the first of three conversations with Turner Grant, author of To Venus and Back: One Man’s Quest to Rediscover Love, we start where midlife dating really begins for so many people: after loss, reflection, healing, and a new start in the search for love. Turner shares the story of losing his…
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EP 31 - Momentum vs. Trust - A Woman’s Perspective vs A Man’s Street Lessons (Part 2 of 2)
If Part 1 was the foundation, Part 2 is where Laurie Gerber and I roll up our sleeves and get practical about the real midlife dilemma: You want a real connection—and you don’t want dating to become a second full-time job. However, Paul’s experience is that dating apps reward momentum; however,...
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EP 30 - Momentum vs. Trust - A Woman’s Perspective vs A Man’s Street Lessons (Part 1 of 2)
In this episode, I’m joined again by dating coach Laurie Gerber (Love at Any Age) to unpack one of the biggest midlife dating challenges: how fast is too fast… and how slow is too slow? Midlife dating mixed with dating apps can create a pacing problem: momentum matters, but trust matters too… and...
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EP 29 - I Scored 104/100 on a Dating Quiz… and Still Needed Help
Highlights for this episode: In this episode, I bring on dating coach Laurie Gerber to coach me in real time—so you can hear exactly how a pro would tune up your dating life, too. Laurie and I talk about my 104/100 score on her “Are You Ready to Date Like You Mean It?” quiz, my 7 deal-makers, and...
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EP 28 - Common Sense Dating Guidelies 1-5 for Gen X & Baby Boomers
Highlights for this episode: Paul reviews the first five or over 30 Common Sense Dating Guidelines for the Gen X and Baby Boomer generations. The guidelines coalesce around the limited dating options these generations had in their youth compared to what is available today. Combining our life...
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EP 27 - Holiday Movie Picks for Single Gen X and Baby Boomers Part 2 of 2
Highlights for this episode: Part 2 of Paul’s Holiday Dating-Themed Movie reviews for those Gen X and Baby Boomers who are solo this holiday season. Love at the Christmas Table A destined couple’s trip through time starts at age 4 in the 80s, and at age 4, they meet each year at an annual…
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EP 26 - Holiday Movie Picks for Single Gen X and Baby Boomers Part 1 of 2
Highlights for this episode: Paul reviews holiday dating-themed movies for those Gen X and Baby Boomers who are solo this holiday season. There are a total of four picks. Two picks in this Part 1 Episode and two more in Part 2. Paul points out the common theme in these movies that is missing in...
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EP 25 - Quick Update
Quick Update: After being on hiatus for a little over a year for a variety of reasons, we're back. There will be new content starting late August of 2024.
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EP 24 - Dating Essentials Review
Highlights for this Episode: The Glossary term is: Orbiting, where someone keeps popping up on your social media radar, waiting to make a move for a date. In the Retro/Etiquette Segment – We listen in on how the US Navy demonstrates to their officers the right and wrong way to handle a Dinner...
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EP 23 - The 3-1-1 Rule Refresher
Highlights for this episode: The Glossary term is: The Maybe Date In the Potpourri Segment, Paul offers listeners an excellent refresher on the highly effective 3-1-1 Rule. This straightforward and efficient three-step process not only helps you filter out the flakes and texting buddies but also...
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EP 22 - Knowing Where You Stand
Highlights for this episode: The Glossary term is: Serendipidating In the Retro/Etiquette Segment: We listen in on how the US Navy recommends their officers conduct themselves with their dates in a small gathering. From How to Succeed with Brunettes. 1967 US Navy Instructional Film. Paul reviews...
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EP 21 - Dating Truths: Part 6
Highlights for this episode: The Glossary term for this episode is: Ghostbusting. Paul reviews the movie Big Stone Gap, released in 2014. This movie looks into dating and romance in the late 1970s. It demonstrates the typical outcome of what can easily happen when men try to use logic to pursue...
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EP 20 - Dating Truths: Part 5
Highlights for this episode: The Glossary term for this episode is: Bromance Paul reviews the movie Swingers, released in 1996. This movie gives us a look into dating in the 1990s, how damaging holding on to your ex and being unable to put them behind you can be, and how dance lessons can come in...
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EP 19 - Dating Truths: Part 4
Midlife Dating Podcast EP 19 – Dating Truths Part 4 Highlights for this episode: Have you ever gone on a meetup date only to find out their colorful online charisma is nowhere to be found when you meet them in person? This is known as the Cyrano de Bergerac. It's the glossary term for this…
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EP 18 - Dating Truths: Part 3
Have you been guilty of Professing? It's the glossary term for this episode, and it describes behavior that many of us have embraced at some point in our dating lives, that Hollywood has glamorized but turns out to be creepy in reality. Following the glossary segment, Paul discusses some dating…
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EP 17 - Dating Truths: Part 2
Having problems getting past the first few dates, let alone the first meetup? Then, you could be guilty of "Projection." This glossary term describes how we may subconsciously project our past negative dating and relationship experiences onto our new dates. Following the glossary segment, Paul...
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EP 16 - Dating Truths: Part 1
Have you ever heard of the Flannel Nightgown? It's our glossary term for this episode, and it explains the transition that develops in all romantic relationships. I'll be reviewing the movie Sing Street, released in 2016. It will bring us back to the 80s when things were so much simpler. The film...
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Episode 15 - The Counteroffer
Approximately Half of those you run across on the dating apps seek "Electronic Vanity Validation." This glossary describes those who use online dating apps and legacy websites who validate themselves simply by who they match up with. Paul reviews the book, The Proper Care & Feeding of Husbands by...
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Episode 14 - Tinder for Baby Boomers and Gen X
Are you suffering from “Dating Profile Syndrome”? This glossary term describes what happens to users of online dating apps and legacy websites who are repeatedly subjected to the same mind-numbing profiles. Following the glossary segment, Paul discusses what "Nice Guy" behavior looks like in a...
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Episode 13 - Increasing Your Conversational Prowess
Ever wonder if you're being played when arranging a date? Our Dating and Relationship Glossary Term for this episode, "Call to Confirm," helps decipher the answer. Next, cheerful and funny dating stories are what the Midlife Dating Podcast is all about. Paul shares one of his personal stories in...
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Episode 12 - Dealing With Picture Only Dating Profiles
Are you dating someone and seeing them 4 or 5 times a week or more? If so, you had better watch out for Fusion catching up to you, in this episode's Glossary Term. For today’s Chick Flick Movie Review, Paul takes a look at the way love finds people even in the worst of times with Last Chance...
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Episode 11 - Stay the Course, The Odds Are Better Than You Think
Have you ever seen one person in a couple make drastic changes to accommodate the other, only for the relationship to fail? A lack of Differentiation, the Glossary Term for this episode, is why. Next, Paul shares a retro dating clip consisting of a sound bite collage from the 1951 Coronet...
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Episode 10 – The Six Categories of People on Dating Apps
Paul begins with "Soft Ghosting," the Glossary Term for this episode, and how to spot It so you don't waste your valuable time with a Soft Ghoster. The feel-good movie Moneyball, a nonfiction sports drama, is the episode’s Chick Flick Movie Review. How did a sports drama make it into this Midlife...
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Episode 9 - Why He Didn't Call You Back
In this episode, Paul first looks at the dating term "Spilling Your Guts" and how Hollywood has brainwashed men into thinking this is a wonderfully romantic idea. Gals (and guys), ever wonder why you didn't get a second date? Paul next gives the lowdown on the possible reasons as he reviews…
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Episode 8 - Victim of Oneitis
"Oneitis" is a condition we all go through. It can start to sneak up within the first few moments of a phone call and linger for days before a couple even gets out on that first meetup. In this episode, Paul takes a closer look at this vocabulary term. Many romances begin with a couple's mutual...
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Episode 7 - Is There a Case for Ghosting?
They say that breaking up is hard to do—true, but you can remove a lot of pain on both sides by using The Two-Sentence Rule. Paul takes a closer look at today’s glossary term with some examples. Then he discusses what author Vince Guaglione calls the "Tinder Time Wasters" in Guaglione’s book Why...
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Episode 6 - A Glass of Wine on the First Date?
In this episode, Paul breaks down the dating term "Needy" so you can identify what it looks like and steer clear of individuals who display it. When it comes to getting back on the dating horse for Boomers and Gen Xers, Carol in the movie I'll See You in My Dreams provides a good look at what…
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Episode 5 - Why Virtual Dating is Nonsense
Dating with Purpose is one of the main themes here at 50 Dates at 50. Today, Paul defines what that term specifically means. Ever date someone who insists on keeping in contact with their ex? Paul explains what this reveals about your partner and what it says about you if you tolerate this type…
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Episode 4 - Smartphones and Dating
When it comes to dating and relationships, daters are in a constant battle with Cognitive Distortions. Paul takes a quick look here at how this term applies to dating. In this episode's question, Paul explains why less time texting or on the phone equals more quality face-to-face time with your…
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Episode 3 - Your Dating Plan
One of the things many daters need to embrace is the Abundance Mindset, the reality that there are plenty of really great guys and gals to go around. If you're struggling with dating, remember that the number of available men and women is not static. Like real estate, where there is a constant...
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Episode 2 - Defining What We are Looking For In a Partner
Have you ever noticed how online dating matchups tend to come in waves of feast or famine? Or how when you get on a dating app, it's like being in a candy store of endless choices? One of the best ways to address these problems is with Right Swipe Discipline. It's all about slowing the process…
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Episode 1 - Introduction to 50 Dates at 50
Host Paul Nelson introduces both Baby Boomers and Gen Xers to the 50 Dates at 50 Podcast. He explains how singles get back into dating and how couples can benefit from emphasizing date night. After a 21-year marriage ending in an amicable divorce in 2014, Paul found himself back out on the dating...
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Midlife Dating Podcast Preview
Preview of the Midlife Dating Podcast. Supporting Boomer and Gen X singles in online dating and helping couples keep the romance alive.
About this show
Dating in midlife isn’t easy. After his 21-year marriage ended, Paul Nelson found himself back in the dating world. Over the next decade, he went on over 180 first dates, had countless phone calls, and engaged in thousands of online conversations. What he discovered along the way wasn’t just how to date again, but how much personal growth it takes to become the kind of partner you truly want to attract.
On the Midlife Dating Podcast, Paul is your guide to the nuances of dating learned on the street level. It’s the little things that add up. The mistakes you make aren’t setbacks—they’re growth opportunities. They allow you to adjust and course correct. Only then can you find someone who’s also done the work.
Episodes blend practical advice, book and movie reviews, and real-life stories with hard-earned insights. Paul’s goal is simple: to help Gen Xers and Baby Boomers date smarter, laugh more, have fun, and conserve our most valuable commodity—time.<
Hosted by
Paul Nelson
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