🏋️‍♀️ Afraid to approach your gym crush? Most dating advice tells you to "just be confident and approach them," but does that actually work at the gym? The gym should be a safe space, kind of like your respawn point, where you recharge after a tough day. People go there to lift weights and decompress, not to be hit on by random NPCs. So how do you bridge that gap? 🤨

👨🏻‍💻 In this episode, Jordan Yaklin, an online health and lifestyle coach who helps gamers level up their fitness and reclaim their health, breaks down why the gym is a completely different dungeon than bars, dating apps, or cold approaching strangers 👀

💡 If you've ever wondered when it's okay (and how) to start a conversation, how to tell if someone's open to chatting, or what separates a friendly gym regular from a creep who makes everyone uncomfortable, you will gain the clarity you've been searching for.

🎯 Whether you're a gamer who's new to the fitness meta or an introvert who struggles with small talk, this episode will help you gain enough charisma to navigate gym social dynamics. Just like 68% of nerd couples who started as friends, the gym can be one of the best places to meet people who share your goals. You just need the right build for it 💪

🎧 Press Start to learn how to approach your gym crush without being creepy! 🧟

👾 FREE GUIDE: WHERE NERDS REALLY MEET THEIR PLAYER 2 🕹️

Based on real-world nerd data. Download it at https://datelikeanerd.com/reality

📱 Have questions? Join me on Discord! https://www.datelikeanerd.com/discord

Jordan's Links:

1. https://www.instagram.com/jordanyaklin/
2. discord.gg/pnfW7jZp42

Related Episodes:

1. Beat the Fear of Rejection Through Your Gamer’s Journey, with Dr. Daniel Kaufmann
2. Gamify Your Dating Anxiety, with Michael Berger
3. The Nice Guy vs the Kind Man, with April
4. How to Make Nerd Friends, with Pete “Belmont”
5. The Hidden Cost of Finding Love With Red Pill Dating: John’s Nerd Love Story

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:08 How to Approach Your Gym Crush
• 00:02:01 Gym Etiquette
• 00:04:53 Fear of Looking Dumb
• 00:07:08 Gradual Escalation
• 00:09:27 Benefits of Making Friends
• 00:11:14 Meeting Outside the Gym
• 00:13:32 How to Show You're A Nerd
• 00:15:29 Your Safe Spaces
• 00:20:28 Gaining Confidence and Energy
• 00:23:28 Gamifying Social Skills
• 00:29:48 Conversation Starters for the Gym
• 00:36:12 Jordan's Contact

#datingtips #datingadvice #dating #nerdlife #nerd #gamer #single #socialskills #podcast

Contact:
dm@datelikeanerd.com or
@datelikeanerd on social media

🏫 How do you find dates after you're done with college? 🕰️ For many people, high school and uni gave us the perfect place to meet people. But once that's over, what do you do? How can you meet someone to date if you're not meeting... well, basically anyone? 🤷

📜 After graduating, Brandon went from having built-in social circles to basically meeting nobody new. His dating life? Non-existent. His social life? Hanging out with the same small group of friends 2-3 times a year. His solution attempts? Cold approaches (didn't work) and dating apps (traumatizing) 😰

🏢 "I'm stuck in the office for most of the time," Brandon explains. Between his 9-to-5 and studying for nursing boards, he's caught in the classic post-college trap: knowing he wants to meet someone but having zero clue where to start and feeling like he has no time to do it.

🥘 If you're feeling "cooked" because college social life seems like a distant memory, this episode breaks down exactly how to transform solo activities into friend-making (and potentially date-finding) opportunities 💘

🎧 Press Start and learn how to set your single-player hobbies to multi-player mode!

👾 FREE GUIDE: WHERE NERDS REALLY MEET THEIR PLAYER 2 🕹️

Based on real-world nerd data. Download it at https://datelikeanerd.com/reality

📱 Have questions? Join me on Discord! https://www.datelikeanerd.com/discord

Related:

• The Tolkien Association: Where to Meet Nerds, with Vir
• Find Your Nerd Community: Where to Meet Nerds, with Jose
• Animé Los Angeles: Where to Meet Nerds, with Matt
• Find Love Through Online Games, with Kaylee Lopez
• Hobbit Hike: Where to Meet Nerds, with Sompi Harmetz
• Dating In The Tolkien Association, with Jose
• How to Make Nerd Friends, with Pete “Belmont”
• Where can Nerds Find a Partner? (Without Dating Apps!)
• Challenges of Dating Without Apps (for Shy, Introverted Nerds)
• How to Find Groups and Socialize as a Shy, Introverted Nerd (Step-By-Step Guide)
• I Surveyed 273 Nerds in Canada: Here's The Dating Strategy That Worked

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:02 Dating Life After College
• 00:05:03 Dating App Trauma
• 00:09:57 Getting Rejected
• 00:18:26 Riot Games Arena
• 00:20:33 Where to Meet Someone
• 00:24:35 Step 1: Your Hobbies
• 00:29:45 Step 2: Where to Meet People
• 00:33:00 No Free Time to Socialize
• 00:35:18 Socializing with Snowboarding
• 00:40:05 Being shy... or not?
• 00:46:26 Socializing At The Riot Games Arena
• 00:53:14 A Video Shoot Missed Opportunity
• 00:58:48 Having Options to Meet Someone
• 01:03:53 Difficulties for Meeting Partners

#datingtips #datingadvice #dating #nerdlife #nerd #gamer #single #socialskills #podcast #postcollege #officejob #skateboarding #surfing #esports #riotgames

Contact:
dm@datelikeanerd.com or
@datelikeanerd on social media

≠ Many of us are different in one way or another, so we try to fit into the social mold. Whether it is being asexual, or a preference like not drinking or doing drugs, playing video games, or anything else that makes us different, dealing with a world where we're different has its challenges 🛑

In this episode, Elyse shares her experience as an asexual woman 🙅‍♀️ From her early teens pretending to have crushes, to struggling to communicate with people and partners who couldn't understand or accept her the way she is. Because the pressures come not only from partners who (supposedly) care about you. They can also come from strangers who think they know better 🤨

💁 Whether you're asexual, you know someone who is, or you feel like parts of you don't fit with society in general, this episode will hopefully help you. Many of us have experienced social pressures trying to force us into other people's molds. But that doesn't mean that we have to disrespect our boundaries just to accommodate 🚧

🎧 Press Start and play the games you want to play without worrying about others!

👾 FREE GUIDE: WHERE NERDS REALLY MEET THEIR PLAYER 2 🕹️

Based on real-world nerd data. Download it at https://datelikeanerd.com/reality

📱 Have questions? Join me on Discord! https://www.datelikeanerd.com/discord

Elyse's Links: https://linktr.ee/princessbilbo

Related Episodes:

• Cosplayers and Conventions, the Nerd Love Story of Elyse and Matt
• Animé Los Angeles: Where to Meet Nerds, with Matt
• Find Your Nerd Community: Where to Meet Nerds, with Jose
• The Tolkien Association: Where to Meet Nerds, with Vir
• Dating In The Tolkien Association, with Jose
• How to Make Nerd Friends, with Pete “Belmont”

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:04 Challenges Dating as Asexual
• 00:04:36 Not Fitting Into The Norm
• 00:07:00 Outside Pressures and Expectations
• 00:11:36 Relationship Struggles
• 00:13:10 Dating Tips for Asexuals
• 00:16:35 Friends to Lovers
• 00:21:56 Friends Getting Married
• 00:24:11 Feeling Out of Place

Contact:
dm@datelikeanerd.com or
@datelikeanerd on social media

💊 What happens when red pill advice "works"? John thought he'd found the cheat code to dating when his nerdy high school friend got a girlfriend using pickup artist tactics. But after years of grinding bars and clubs, he discovered the hidden costs of building relationships on a foundation of masks 🎭

👨‍💻 In this episode, a 40-something programmer shares his journey from socially isolated nerd to pickup artist practitioner to married father, and the unexpected ways those dating experiences still affect his relationships today. John also opens up about performance anxiety, avoidant attachment, and the challenge of taking off the masks he's worn for so long 👺

🥷 We explore the darker side of the pickup artist and red pill communities: the confidence that's really avoidance, the "success" that leads to deeper insecurity, and why pretending to be someone else can make it impossible to believe anyone could love the real you 😰 John's story reveals how the very techniques designed to help socially awkward nerds connect actually prevented him from forming the deep, trusting relationships he was seeking.

🛑 But this isn't just a cautionary tale. John also shares what he's learned through therapy about attachment theory, the importance of authentic friendship-first connections, and why the journey to genuine intimacy is worth the work. Even if you're approaching 50 and still figuring it out! 👴

👯‍♀️ If you've ever been tempted by pickup artist or red pill advice, wondered why mainstream dating tips don't work for nerds like you, or struggled with feeling like you have to perform to be loved, John's honest reflection offers both validation and hope.

🎧 Press Start to discover why leveling up your game may not be worth the grind! 💪

👾 FREE GUIDE: WHERE NERDS REALLY MEET THEIR PLAYER 2 🕹️

Based on real-world nerd data. Download it at https://datelikeanerd.com/reality

📱 Have questions? Join me on Discord! https://www.datelikeanerd.com/discord

Related Episodes:

• Rejected, Friendzoned, and Not Reading the Signals
• Physical Escalation from Friends to Lovers: the Nerd Love Story of Jose and Julian
• Gamify Your Dating Anxiety
• The Nice Guy vs the Kind Man, with April
• Dating In The Tolkien Association, with Jose
• How to Make Nerd Friends, with Pete “Belmont”

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:02:22 What Makes "John" A Nerd
• 00:05:42 Dating On The Spectrum
• 00:10:31 Intro To The Pickup Artist Scene
• 00:14:53 Becoming Someone Else
• 00:19:51 Introverts Do Find Love
• 00:23:19 Dating Success But Performance Anxiety
• 00:29:32 The Source Of Insecurity
• 00:35:58 Marriage Problems
• 00:41:18 Fake It Till You Make It
• 00:46:14 Becoming Confident
• 00:52:51 The Real Red Pill
• 01:01:15 Closing

#datingtips #datingadvice #dating #nerdlife #nerd #gamer #single #socialskills #podcast #pickupartist #redpill

Contact:
dm@datelikeanerd.com or
@datelikeanerd on social media

😭 Meeting your Player 2 organically can be a challenging quest. It involves balancing making friends while keeping an eye out for potential connections. Sometimes, people in a certain group don't share your same passions. Or perhaps not as much as you'd hope. So, how do you move forward? 🤔

In this episode, Pete and I talk about how we socialize, whether the others share our same interests or not 💬 Because sometimes what can seem like a rejection, may in fact turn into an engaging conversation for everyone. You just need a little imagination! 💭

🙈 Pete also shared how he went from being a shy, quiet, serious kid to being comfortable talking to everyone. Just like Attachment Theory teaches, it often involves the support of other people. In his case, with the help of other kids who invited him to hang out 🥳

💪 This validation of Pete's hobbies gave him the security that he had nothing to be ashamed of as a nerd. Even more so nowadays, with Marvel, Fantasy, and Anime being so popular! 🧙‍♂️

🎧 Are you ready to become a social nerd? Press Start!

👾 Most nerd relationships start as friendships. Download the FREE GUIDE: WHERE NERDS REALLY MEET THEIR PLAYER 2 at https://datelikeanerd.com/reality 🕹️

📱 Have questions? Join me on Discord! https://www.datelikeanerd.com/discord

Pete's Links:

• https://linktr.ee/be1mont
• https://www.instagram.com/be1mont_lotr/
• https://www.youtube.com/@be1mont_lotr
• https://bsky.app/profile/be1mont.bsky.social
• https://www.tiktok.com/@be1mont_lotr
• https://www.youtube.com/@voicesofarda

Related Episodes:

• The High School Reunion: the Nerd Love Story of Pete and Ariana
• Hobbit Hike
• Find Love Through Online Games, with Kaylee Lopez
• Dating In The Tolkien Association
• Animé Los Angeles
• Find Your Nerd Community: Where to Meet Nerds, with Jose
• The Tolkien Association: Where to Meet Nerds, with Vir

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:00:41 Where to Meet Your Player 2
• 00:02:26 Being a Creep
• 00:04:32 Talking About Your Hobbies
• 00:07:11 Dealing With Rejection
• 00:10:56 Not Being Too Serious
• 00:16:07 Gaining Confidence
• 00:21:14 Closing

Contact:
dm@datelikeanerd.com or
@datelikeanerd on social media

💔 How can you find someone to date when dating apps aren't working for you, and all you do is work, stay at home, and meet with the same D&D group or spend full days with one single person at a time playing Warhammer? 🧌

In this episode, Kirk shared his challenges to date as a single nerd 😰 Like many people, he was promised that "if you focus on yourself and sort your life out, someone will naturally come." Unfortunately, that was not the case. He found a steady job and a home, but nobody to share his life with 🏡

📱 Since dating apps weren't working, he decided to shelf the thought of a partner and focus on hobbies like Warhammer and TTRPG. Ironically, that's what led to his first date ever. Even though Kirk started feeling like he was way too busy and almost without options, he managed to find a date. And in the same way that he found one, he can find another. And so can you 🫵Sometimes, we create our characters in ways that don't help us reach our complete specific quests 🤬 We thought a certain build would do the trick for every single area, but that's often not the case.

🏢 The life you thought would lead to happiness may feel more like a trap than anything else. In those cases, taking a step back and thinking of ways to find your Player 2 may be the best strategy. Like Kirk, with some brainstorming and looking at your past successes, you may find a way to defeat the BBEG and get the loot! 🪙

🎧 Are you ready? PRESS START! 👾

👾 FREE GUIDE: WHERE NERDS REALLY MEET THEIR PLAYER 2 🕹️

Based on real-world nerd data. Download it at https://datelikeanerd.com/reality

📱 Have questions? Join me on Discord! https://www.datelikeanerd.com/discord

Related Episodes:

1. Find Love Through Online Games, with Kaylee Lopez
2. IRL Lessons from Video Games, with Dr. Daniel Kaufmann
3. Physical Escalation from Friends to Lovers: the Nerd Love Story of Jose and Julian
4. Shy meets Socially Anxious, and Going Slow: the Nerd Love Story of Steven and Christin

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

#datingtips #datingadvice #dating #nerdlife #nerd #gamer #single #socialskills #podcast

Contact:
dm@datelikeanerd.com or
@datelikeanerd on social media

👯 What does dating within a nerd community look like? Finding a group you're comfortable with can help you "just be yourself" and find your Player 2. 🙌 It also means you'll be enjoying yourself until that happens, which makes you more attractive!

🧙‍♂️ In this episode, Jose and I discuss what it was like to date within the Argentine Tolkien Association, where we met. Just like a Skill Tree, each friend you make can introduce you to others who are similar. From within those people, you may end up finding your Player 2... as long as you focus on expanding your network with like-minded friends.

👀 And that's exactly what we saw. Almost everyone there found someone to date (or have "something" with). Almost. Because some people were trying too hard, and that was what kept everyone away. Both as friends and as benefits 😔

🎧 If you want someone to give The One Ring to, listen to this episode! 💍

💬 And if you're wondering where you can meet your Player 2 organically, here are 200+ ideas and a guide to help you on your Quest! Download them here for FREE: https://www.datelikeanerd.com/where

📱Join me on Discord! https://www.datelikeanerd.com/discord

Related Episodes:

1. The Tolkien Association: Where to Meet Nerds, with Vir
2. Find Your Nerd Community: Where to Meet Nerds, with Jose
3. Tolkien meets Star Wars: The Nerd Love Story of Kaia and Celania
4. Physical Escalation from Friends to Lovers: The Nerd Love Story of Jose and Julian

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:54:09 What to Do and NOT to Do
• 00:06:06 "Just Be Yourself"
• 00:08:44 Choosing Who You Want to Be and Date
• 00:11:53 Go Slow With Your Nerdom
• 00:15:40 Conversation Tips for Info-Dumping Nerds
• 00:19:07 Find Your Community First

#datingtips #datingadvice #dating #nerdlife #nerd #gamer #single #socialskills #podcast #tolkien #lotr

Contact:
dm@datelikeanerd.com or
@datelikeanerd on social media

🦾 What you consider success and achievements in real life could be similar to how you play video games. Dr. Daniel Kaufmann is back to share how learning what we value in video games reflects what we may also value IRL 🌎

Understanding your player type can help you make choices that align with your personality 🤓 Knowing how you play video games can say a lot about the types of challenges you thrive on and how you prefer to overcome them. This new information can help you make choices that align with what you enjoy, helping you get over obstacles and get yourself in situations where you can thrive! 🏆

But just like with any other model of personality type, these are characteristics that can change over time 📈 You likely don't play only one specific type of video game, so you're also likely to enjoy different things in real life. However, using these as guidelines can be the start to enjoying your life to the full 🤩

🖤 Dating, like most things in life, has its own set of challenges. The cheat code is to choose the ones we're more likely to enjoy or, at least, find tolerable enough to overcome ⛰️

Are you ready to learn more about yourself? Listen now and start choosing the best challenges for your player type!

👾 FREE GUIDE: WHERE NERDS REALLY MEET THEIR PLAYER 2 🕹️

Based on real-world nerd data. Download it at https://datelikeanerd.com/reality

Guest Bio

Dr. Daniel Kaufmann is a YouTube Partner as Dr. Gameology, where he teaches about the many positive elements of video games that help us overcome professional and personal journeys in real life.

He is an Associate Professor who’s helped develop programs for gaming and geek therapy training in clinical settings, and his publications cover video games, personality theory, online education, and counselor development.

Dr. Kaufmann recently published the book The Gamer’s Journey, to help you turn the themes found in many video games into life lessons that can unlock your own potential.

Socials: @DrGameology

• https://www.youtube.com/@DrGameology
• https://www.instagram.com/drgameology/
• https://www.facebook.com/DrGameology
• https://www.twitch.tv/drgameology

Other Links

• https://drgameology.com/
• https://discord.com/invite/3bY5u5EBcn

Podcast

• https://drgameology.com/podcast/

Book: The Gamer's Journey https://www.amazon.com/Gamers-Journey-Daniel-Kaufmann-PhD-ebook/dp/B0D7NY5Z1R

Related Episodes:

• Beat the Fear of Rejection Through Your Gamer’s Journey
• Gamify Your Dating Anxiety
• Find Love Through Online Games

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:23 Gamer Personality Types
• 00:07:00 Learn From Your Player Type
• 00:12:28 Understanding Personality Types
• 00:17:58 What Playing Baldur's Gate 3's Dark Urge Says About You
• 00:20:48 Takeaways From "The Gamer's Journey"
• 00:22:21 Contact Info

Contact:
dm@datelikeanerd.com or
@datelikeanerd on social media