Meghan Keane, the founder of NPR’s Life Kit, shares her new book, “Party of One: Be Your Own Best Partner”. Listen in as she peels back the layers of our complicated feelings about being single and dissects the ways that singlism could be dealt with in your own life. It’s time to embrace your single life or the singles in your life so that we can all thrive together regardless of our relationship status. Our Dear Damona question this week is: I recently reconnected with a casual long term friend. How do I figure out if he likes me without making a fool of myself? Fun little announcement, my meditation program is now back on the Dates & Mates website. If you want to meditate and visualize your way out of stressing about your singlehood. Let me help you. Look for my meditation collection on the homepage of DamonaHoffman.com today! Submit your questions on any of the socials @DamonaHoffman or by visiting her website DamonaHoffman.com TIMESTAMPS Introduction to Singlehood (00:00:00) Embracing Singlehood (00:01:03) Interview with Meghan Kane (00:02:54) Navigating Societal Expectations (00:03:18). Understanding Singleism (00:06:24) Confronting Single Shame (00:09:30) Transforming Thoughts: From Why to What (00:10:41) The Power of Storytelling (00:14:50) Intimidation in Dating (00:16:54) The Complexity of Strong Women (00:17:01) Reframing Intimidation (00:18:00) Questioning Marriage (00:19:00) Voyeurism in Dating (00:20:00) Building Intentional Friendships (00:21:54) Diversity in Friendships (00:22:36) Making the First Move (00:23:15) Finding Friends with Shared Values (00:24:56) Lowering the Stakes in Friendships (00:25:50) Digital Connections (00:27:18) Mindset Shifts After Relationships (00:30:32) Radical Acceptance in Singlehood (00:31:52) Values Work and Radical Acceptance (00:33:01) Life Values Inventory (00:34:04) Building Goals Around Values (00:34:50) Changing Scripts in Dating (00:36:35) Unexpected Partnerships (00:37:25) Maintaining Individuality in Relationships (00:38:53) Supporting Single Friends (00:39:34) Self-Work and Future Relationships (00:41:46) Unpopular Opinion on Dating (00:42:14) Understanding Dating Apps and Intentions (00:49:25) Challenging Negative Narratives (00:50:23) Creating Your Own Love Story (00:51:33) Upcoming Episode Teaser (00:52:45) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices