🔥 Ever get all dressed up for a date... and they never show? Ever wonder if you're too old for love at 43? Ever think maybe lesbian dating culture is just... toxic?

Girl, pull up a chair. We're talking about ALL of it in this episode — and trust us, you're not alone.

📞 FEELING STUCK IN YOUR DATING LIFE?

Dating is hard enough without doing it alone. If you're a sapphic woman feeling stuck, frustrated, or just plain lost when it comes to dating — whether you're freshly out, freshly heartbroken, or somewhere in between — let's chat.

Book a FREE connection call with Barbara — no pressure, no judgment, just a lesbian therapist/coach/guide who has been there and can help you have a successful dating life.

👉 Book Your Free Call Here

What We're Covering This Week:

This week, Anne-Marie and Barbara Rowlandson are back with another round of Reddit questions from sapphic women navigating the beautiful, messy, maddening world of queer dating. These posts hit close to home:

🌈 Is lesbian dating culture actually toxic? Spoiler: No. We're talking about why what feels uniquely lesbian is really just uniquely human — and why pathologizing our community doesn't help anyone.

❤️ What to do when your girlfriend brushes off arguments that leave you spinning. Hint: It's about attachment styles and communication, not your queerness. (And "we never fight" isn't the flex you think it is.)

💔 The woman who got stood up on date three. Dressed up, dinner reservation made, Sephora closed for emotional shopping — the whole bit. We're sending her all the love.

🌸 A tough-love conversation with a 43-year-old who thinks she's too old for love. We're unpacking the stories we inherit and how beliefs like "there aren't enough good people out there" can quietly run your whole dating life.

💕 The sweetest question about first-time intimacy. Why excitement, not nervousness, is way more common than you'd think — and how to make your partner feel safe and comfortable.

If you've ever wondered whether the intensity of your feelings means something's wrong, or if your dating struggles are a "lesbian thing" or a "human thing," this one's for you.

💬 JOIN THE AUTHENTICALLY US COMMUNITY

Authentically Us is a support community for later-in-life LGBTQ women at all stages of the coming out and beyond process. Whether you're deconstructing messages from a conservative faith tradition, experiencing divorce-related guilt, or struggling with feelings of shame around your coming out or sexual identity, Authentically Us has the right kind of support for you.

Monthly subscription: $39/month

👉 Join Authentically Us

💬 GOT YOUR OWN SAPPHIC DATING DILEMMA?

We want to hear from you! Share your dating question or story, and we might feature it on our next episode of U-Haul University.

🔗 CONNECT WITH US

Website: annemariezanzal.com

Facebook: facebook.com/amzanzal

Instagram: @annemariezanzalcoaching

Twitter:

It's the first Friday of the month, and that means we welcome back Anna Empey to the show! In this episode, Anne-Marie and Anna delve deep into their personal journeys of deconstructing their Catholic and Mormon faith, particularly in the context of their LGBTQIA+ identities. Each paints a vivid picture of what it was like to grow up in a home with conservative faith traditions, noting the moments when their "shelf broke" (a metaphor for losing faith), the emotional toll of leaving behind their faith communities and ingrained beliefs, and the impacts it had on their interpersonal relationships. Anne-Marie and Anna also share which pieces of their beliefs they retained, noting how they found freedom and peace as they moved forward in life guided by their values.

❓ What to Expect in This Episode:

✨Exploration of how church policies can be devastating for LGBTQIA+ individuals.

✨Thoughts on how personal relationships with a higher power can evolve over time.

✨Why anger is a valid part of the deconstruction process.

✨Encouragement to ask questions and seek your own beliefs.

Authentically Us is a support community for later-in-life LGBTQ women at all stages of the coming out and beyond process. Coming out later in life is often accompanied by suffering. Whether you're looking to deconstruct messages from a conservative faith tradition, experience divorce-related guilt, or struggle with feelings of shame around your coming out or sexual identity, Authentically Us has the right kind of support for you. Monthly subscription to Authentically Us on Mighty Networks is $35/month, but you can try your first week for free. Find Authentically Us at https://bit.ly/Authentically-Us

💬 Join the Conversation:

Are you someone who is deconstructing the lessons of your life prior to coming out? What are your takeaways from this episode? Let's talk about it in the comments!

🔗 Visit our website:

Anne-Marie's : [ annemariezanzal.com]

🔗 Follow us on social media:

💠 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amzanzal

💠 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/annemariezanzalcoaching/

💠 Twitter: twitter.com/annemariezanzal

💠LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariezanzalpurposefulempowerment/

You can also tune into this episode of Coming Out & Beyond: LGBTQIA+ Stories on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coming-out-beyond-lgbtqia-stories/id1569859569

Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/27kocr4llm6syHKaeX1x9e

👉 Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more inspiring stories and advice on navigating life, love, and everything in between!

#LGBTQIA #LGBTQ #Queer #lesbian #sexuality #identity #selfdiscovery #lesbiancommunity #sexualexploration #queerculture #growth #comingout #podcast #lgbtqpodcast ##religiousdeconstruction #faith #lifeaftercomingout #resilience #exmormon #excatholic

This week, we're revisiting an episode from Season 6 featuring GLAAD Media Award nominee, documentary photographer Morgan Lieberman. Morgan's project, "Hidden Once, Hidden Twice," published with NPR last June was recently nominated in the category of Outstanding Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia

Morgan's work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Bloomberg, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angles Times, among others. Morgan's current documentary project titled 'Hidden Once, Hidden Twice' focuses on documenting the lives of older lesbian partnerships. This project was borne out of a desire for lesbian community and out of recognition that the voices of the older lesbian generation have been suppressed and lost over time. In this episode, Anne-Marie and Morgan's conversation delves into the lessons learned from older generations, the significance of community, and the complexities of lesbian relationships. Morgan emphasizes the need for visibility and understanding of the unique experiences of older lesbians, while also discussing her aspirations for her documentary work.

🔥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

🏳️‍🌈The significance of representation in media for the LGBTQ+ community.

🏳️‍🌈How lesbian relationships are often misunderstood and oversimplified by society.

🏳️‍🌈Reflections on the emotional depth and intensity of lesbian friendships and relationships.

🏳️‍🌈What younger generations of lesbians can learn from the older generation about resilience and love.

🏳️‍🌈 and much more!

You can follow Morgan Lieberman on Instagram, who goes by @thechromaticsheep.

You can also donate to the "Hidden Once, Hidden Twice" GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/photo-book-on-senior-lesbian-partnerships

💬 Join the Conversation!

💬Are you a member of the older lesbian generation? What comes up for you when you listen to this episode? If you're of a younger generation, what surprised you about the episode? Leave your thoughts in the comments and let's talk about it!

❤️Join Authentically Us! A supportive community for those coming out later in life to the LGBTQIA+ community. Connect, share, and find guidance on your journey through mutual support groups, workshops, and live Zoom meetups. 💜Sign up today at www.annemariezanzal.com

💠 Visit our website: : [ www.annemariezanzal.com]

💠 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amzanzal

💠 Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/annemariezanzalcoaching/

💠LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariezanzalpurposefulempowerment/

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