Interview: Real Life ‘Hitch’
Dating Coach Helps Singles Break Negative Patterns
David Coleman, "America's Real-Life Hitch" helps singles recognize bad dating habits in order to find true love.
In the 2005 movie Hitch, Will Smith’s character (Alex 'Hitch" Hitchens) coaches love-challenged gents so they can find the woman of their dreams. The movie is, of course, fiction. But wouldn’t it be great to find a real life “love doctor” to help you through the times when you’re ready to break out of a stalled dating routine?
Turns out, you can. His name is David Coleman, and he’s known throughout the United States as The Dating Doctor™. Coleman speaks to large groups and makes personal “house calls” as well. He is a highly sought after speaker and the author of Making Relationships Matter [Angel Bea Publishing, September 2003] , Date Smart! [Prima Lifestyles, January 2000] and 101 Great Dates [Abingdon Press, August 1995].
Tell me a bit about your background, specifically: How did you become known as “The Dating Doctor”?
I began presenting Creative Dating seminars at colleges around the Midwest and then the rest of the country. When I moved to Loveland, Ohio and someone said to me, "You should call yourself The Dating Doctor!" The name stuck. I have over 2,500 appearances under my belt now in all 50 states, most provinces in Canada to more than 2.5 million people.
In what ways do you assist people in their dating life?
I help people get out of their own way and to stop living their life under the restrictions of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sometimes people think negatively about themselves on a daily basis and then wonder why their relationships are not successful, satisfying and fulfilling. I help people identify their strengths, work on or eliminate their weaknesses and instill the confidence they need to engage in a meaningful and successful relationship with another person.
Tell me about the types of people that typically come to you for assistance.
- Nice guys: everybody's friend, nobody's lover.
- "Blackberry addicts,” or people (men mostly) who are so busy with their career or business that they don't have the time to date or enter into a meaningful relationship.
- Daters after divorce, who fear they will never be wanted again.
- People involved in long distance relationships
- People involved in military relationships
- The list is endless.....
You also speak on leadership. Is there anything that successful leaders and successful daters both share?
Yes, confidence, charisma, character and the desire to reject being ordinary and in order to become remarkable. My definition of being remarkable is performing a common task, uncommonly well. That mentality permeates all areas of our life and is a great philosophy to live by.
What’s the number one thing someone can do to improve his or her dating life today?
- Get themselves in better mental, emotional and physical shape so that they feel better about themselves and project a more positive self-image.
- Spend less time staring at a screen (TV, computer, I-pod, video game...etc.)
- Review their past relationships and why they didn't quite work out and ascertain why.
- Take a hard look at their patterns.
For more information on David Coleman, please visit his website.
This interview was conducted via email on September 27, 2007.
