Red Flags, Love Bombing & Listening to Your Inner Voice

About this episode

Anne-Marie and dating expert Barbara Rowlandson discuss red flags and love bombing in lesbian dating, offering practical advice for women navigating their sexuality later in life.

You're finally dating women — and maybe dating in general for the first time in decades. The apps are confusing, the feelings are big, and it can be hard to know when to trust your gut and when you're overthinking it. In this episode, Anne-Marie sits down with resident dating authority Barbara Rowlandson — therapist, dating coach, and marriage officiant who has literally married hundreds of couples — for a candid, practical conversation about red flags in the world of lesbian and queer dating. They cover the warning signs that show up before you've even met in person: profiles that say "just ask me," someone rushing you off the app, phishing schemes targeting generous women who want to see the best in people. They also get into what love bombing actually looks like and how to know when you're in a cycle that isn't going to change. And because second adolescence is real and needs to be named — they talk honestly about what it means to come into your sexuality later in life, why desire gets amplified, and why you can extend some self-compassion if you've made choices you'd do differently now. From there, they answer two listener questions pulled from Reddit — one about a woman who…

People in this episode

Host: Anne-Marie Zanzal

Guest: Barbara Rowlandson

Topics covered

• lesbian dating
• red flags
• love bombing
• self-compassion
• coming out later in life

Keywords

• dating advice
• lesbian relationships
• red flags
• love bombing
• self-compassion

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