About this episode

In this milestone episode, Kathy O'Connell reflects on the journey of the podcast and discusses key themes around confidence, connection, and confronting sexual ableism in dating for people with disabilities.

Episode 250: Celebrating 250 Episodes of Dating, Relationships, and Disability Marking episode 250 with a look back at why this show exists and what it's covered since October 2021. Kathy founded the show to be a comprehensive resource helping people with disabilities navigate dating with confidence. Her approach blends her professional background as a mental health counselor with her own experience dating for years with a visible disability before finding a long-term partner of nearly 20 years. Core Belief Dating is a learnable skill set, not luck or magic — built on communication, problem-solving, and self-knowledge, for disabled and non-disabled daters alike. Major Themes Covered Mindset & self-worth — how beliefs about yourself shape who you attract Five Stages of Dating Success — her signature framework: Foundation, Confidence, Strategy, Active Dating, Mastery Sexual ableism — debunking the myth that disability makes someone a lesser romantic partner, including a conversation with Tiffany Yu Online dating — app strategies, boundaries, AI tools, and a nod to Dateability's founders Disability-specific dating experiences — neurodivergence, invisible disabilities, Apert…

People in this episode

Host: Kathy O'Connell

Guest: Tiffany Yu

Topics covered

• confidence
• sexual ableism
• dating strategies
• disability and relationships
• LGBTQ+ and disability
• self-worth

Keywords

• dating
• disability
• self-knowledge
• online dating
• neurodivergence
• invisible disabilities
• LGBTQ+
• sexual ableism

More episodes of Dating, Relationships, and Disability

• 252 - Pride, Not Pity: Dating with Disability Pride · July 21, 2026 · 30 min
• 251 - "Permission to Feel Pleasure": Sexuality, Disability & Desire · July 14, 2026 · 38 min
• 249 - Friendship Series: Everybody Has a Thing · June 30, 2026 · 47 min
• 248 - Six Actions to Take When You're Actively Dating · June 23, 2026 · 35 min
• 247 - I Need Your Help · June 16, 2026 · 13 min

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