When the past sends you a text, you: respond happily and pick up where you left off.ignore it and possibly block them.run like the wind.break your phone, then change your number.Some of the above.None of the above. In Episode 8 of Season 4, the Past makes a surprise appearance in my life while I navigate a new career opportunity, my singleness, am uncomfortable walk down social media memory lane, and my growing hypocrisy as it relates to one person in particular. Topics covered in this...

Picking up where we left off at Episode 6: After a year of misses capped off by holiday heartache, I have an “aha” moment that leads me to create new boundaries, manage my expectations, and finally gain peace of mind as it relates to my ex-wife and all my relationships. But in almost the same breath, I break an old boundary in a moment of weakness as I move two steps forward but three steps backward into 2019. Be sure you listen to the end. Every fight isn't worth winning. Sometimes you...

Thanksgiving isn't about pilgrims for me. It's all about gratitude. In this short bonus episode, I reflect on what it means to be divorced and single during the holidays and why that isn't a bad thing. If you enjoyed the episode: Please subscribe and recommend this podcast to two people (2) who you think will enjoy it. Did I mention subscribing? Subscribe and never miss an episode. If you listen on Spotify, just hit the “Follow” button. Please, follow the Dating After Divorce music playlist...

In Episode Six of Season Four of The Dating After Divorce Survival Guide, the question of “what if” comes up when I get triggered after stumbling upon an artifact from my past. This episode explores: why not having an opinion can be dangerous; what happens when a woman can’t rely on a man; why doing something is better than doing nothing when faced with a challenge; why the past and all its failures and shortcomings will always be a prison if you allow it to be; and how to spin “What if?”...

The ability to choose is a powerful asset to have in your dating/love and happiness toolkit. In this episode, I share why it is of the utmost importance that YOU choose at every stage of the dating experience, most importantly, the beginning.

Things don't always go as planned or envisioned. When this happens what do you do? Do you run away or do you stand and see your way through the mess? I experience this in grand fashion during Episode Four of Season Four.

My family life and my dating life begin to intersect. My youngest is older and has some pretty strong opinions on how her mother and I should be conducting ourselves as single, dating people. I

This is a bonus episode, y'all! I wrote an article over at Medium about getting divorced and starting over in my forties. Of course, I had to share the audio with all of you.

Episode 2 of Season 4 of The Dating After Divorce Survival Guide continues with the ongoing my ongoing post-divorce journey. Broken boundaries, the past, present, and an unconfirmed future relationship collide at a birthday party where my insecurities are running high.

The saga continues as I plot and plod my way through life after saying "goodbye" to forbidden love. While attending a birthday party I cross paths with my past but stumble upon something new. I push past my fear and shoot my shot, sort of. If you're new to this podcast, thank you for visiting and I hope you'll stay awhile! The best place to begin here is all the way that the beginning, Season One, Episode One. That way you won't feel the way I do when I get to a party a little later and...

We're back like we never left! By we, I mean me because I really don't speak in the third person. Season Four kicks off with literally everything that could go wrong going full-speed into Wrong-Ville and Drama Town with a whole lot of texting and not enough talking.

"All my time has been focused on my freedom now. Why would I join 'em when I know that I can beat 'em now? They put their words on me, and they can eat 'em now…" Ms. Lauryn Hill has the right idea on the new track, NOBODY where she spits facts about her growth alongside Nas. There is nothing more joyful and liberating than learning and loving yourself along the way. Season 4 of the Dating After Divorce Survival Guide begins August 26, 2021. The escapades continue as does the growth,...

The Dating After Divorce Survival Guide is a serial podcast that thoughtfully and often hilariously narrates the journey of retired fatherhood blogger Eric Payne as he navigates the challenges of "starting over" after divorce. From one-night stands to ghosting to online dating, to mental anguish and heartbreak to the self-care that is required of a 40+, divorced Black man and father in America, Eric tackles it all with fearless transparency, vulnerability, and a refreshing sense of humor —...

Acting on your emotions always feels good in the moment but rarely works out in the long run. Your host, Eric Payne, a.k.a. the Divorced Dillenger puts both his feet in a pile of you know what when he casts care to the wind (based on the events of Episode 5: A New Orleans Ghost Story) and backslides on his principles when it comes to who and how he dates. But don't lose hope! Things just may end on a high note in the season finale of Season 3 of The Dating After Divorce Survival...

"Revenge is mine!" sayeth the Lord. Revenge may look cool and might seem like a good idea in the movies when the hero goes for broke to even the odds. But that’s the movies. In real life, not so much. Revenge sex (not to be confused with make-up sex) is an even worse idea. But that doesn’t stop me. Mad, sad, disappointed, upset, and completely knocked off my game thanks to the events of Episode 5, A New Orleans Ghost Story, revenge is on my mind. But revenge doesn't accomplish much. EPISODE...

Episode 5 is a ghost story, or should I say a story of ghosting, just in time for the 2018 holiday season. It's a tale filled with hope, mentorship, and an ending that couldn't have been expected but perhaps anticipated. The outcome of this story will set in motion a series of decisions and actions that will lead to series of less than desired outcomes. See below for the episode acts and topics and their timestamps: (01:15) Act 1: Creating Love In New Orleans (06:59) Act 2: All That Glitters...

Moving right along from Episode 3 and just in time for Valentine's Day (if you haven't listened to it start there, actually just start at Season 1 because this is a story, not a podcast made up of standalone episodes)! It's the holidays and yours truly, Eric Payne, The Divorced Dillinger, travels home to visit the family! Before it's all over I will have eaten my way through Chicago, connected with old friends, weighed in polygamy, and held court with a trio of prayer warriors. See below for...

Fresh off my Instagram hunt from Episode 2 of Season 3 of The Dating After Divorce Survival Guide, Episode 3 begins with a reunion (finally!) with C-Sweet Lady. Before it's all over I will have contemplated outrunning a cheetah, I transform like Optimus Prime and bravely set myself up to get rejected by my new IG Crush. Just a regular Tuesday in the life of your host, the Divorced Dillinger. Episode topics:  Game recognize game - learning when to count your losses and move onGetting your...

Fresh of the Birthday Debacle from Episode One, the Divorced Dillenger (Yours Truly) is coming to grips once again with being single and not wanting to just "mingle" if you get what I'm saying. So what do I do to create a love connection? I go to "The Gram!" Oh boy... Episode topics:  Instagram, the pros and cons of the appInstagram, the source of much emotional and mental stress Instagram as a dating app, what to do and what not to do (aka "Instagram Hunting")How to shoot your shot on...

And we’re back! Season 3 of The Dating After Divorce Survival Guide opens with me returning to Atlanta from my Labor Day Weekend love fest in New York City with a pep in my step and my nose wide open. But that post-coitus shine is quickly dulled by a couple of run-ins with the ex-wife. But the Divorced Dillinger (yours truly) manages to end the month with a bang, literally, for my birthday which may or may not be a good thing! Episode topics:  The Afterglow from C-Sweet LadyFighting with the...

New logo. New season. New misadventures and adventures for divorced dad, Eric Payne as he navigates post-divorce life and dating along with a good old healthy dose of self-awareness. In Season 3, Eric deals with:  acceptancetrue forgivenesslust versus lovethe power of rejectionknowing better and ultimately doing better #datingafterdivorce ___________ Links For Ya:  My farewell to 2020: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJbTWYfB4_H/ You are Beautiful, Inside & Out and You are NOT Your Past and...

2020 is officially behind us now (GTFOH). Although currently, the only difference between 2020 and 2021 is one day, that is in fact the gift. You have TODAY. Then tomorrow you will have TODAY. And so on. Decide today to BE different, to BE better, to LIVE a purpose-filled life, and to do so on your terms, which means not in accordance with what social media or anyone else says. Despite what your 2020 may or may not have been, MAKE the effort TODAY to be better and greater than you were...

Pimpin' ain't easy and neither is podcasting! It's been exactly one year and 37 episodes since I dropped the first trailer for The Dating After Divorce Survival Guide, and what a ride it has been! Listen in for a very special Happy Birthday bonus episode where I go behind the scenes of the podcast to share how it's produced, the music that drives it, and of course, talk about relationship stuff. Featuring music by Epik The Dawn. Thank you for listening! Please subscribe and share with a...