- 114: Is This Relationship Worth Saving?
Join me as I welcome back returning guest Timka, whose romantic journey has evolved significantly since her last appearance on the show. What began as "just dating" has grown into a deeper connection that has required both partners to navigate grief, trust, separation, reconciliation, and the intentional work of building a healthy foundation together.
Timka shares what she has learned through a year and a half of connection with a man she deeply cares about, including the role that self-awareness, vulnerability, and accountability play in creating a lasting relationship. Together, we explore why personal growth alone is not enough, how relationship skills are developed in connection with others, and what it means to release the need for control in love.
Happy Fun Girl Summer!
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my next study by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
1h 40m - Jul 24, 2026 - 113: You’ve Found A “Good Man”...Now What?
I'm in the studio with a returning guest and client, Shakera, who has spent the past several years intentionally transforming her dating life. What began as a journey of self-discovery has now evolved into something deeper: learning how to build and sustain a real connection with a man.
We explore the shift from dating skills to connection skills—the emotional, relational, and spiritual work that emerges when a connection begins to deepen.
Happy Fun Girl Summer!
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my next study by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
1h 19m - Jul 10, 2026 - 112: What is Pretty Girl Culture?
Today is a conversational episode with a dear client of mine who at this point has really become a true friend as well. We're talking about this notion of being pretty and the culture centered around it, which my guest, Dr. Elizabeth-Rose Amidjogbe, calls "Pretty Girl Culture." Join us for a conversation where an outsider and an insider explore the dynamics of this culture and how we both experience and perceive it from our different positions.
Happy Fun Girl Summer!
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my next study by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
2h 25m - Jun 26, 2026 - 113: You’ve Found A “Good Man”...Now What?
I'm in the studio with a returning guest and client, Shakera, who has spent the past several years intentionally transforming her dating life. What began as a journey of self-discovery has now evolved into something deeper: learning how to build and sustain a real connection with a man.
We explore the shift from dating skills to connection skills—the emotional, relational, and spiritual work that emerges when a connection begins to deepen.
Happy Fun Girl Summer!
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my next study by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
1h 19m - Jun 26, 2026 - 111: I'm Looking for a Real Love [Series Intro]
Happy Fun Girl Summer!
This year, I wanted to dive deeper and with former guests to offer richer and diverse topics in womanhood, dating, and relationships. Across the next five episodes, you’re going to hear from women at different stages of life and relationship experience — women who are reflecting honestly on what it means to love well, date intentionally, build partnerships, and sometimes confront the parts of ourselves that relationships expose.
Each conversation stands on its own. But as you take them in together all summer, you’ll notice a thread between them. And I’m actually curious as to what the thread is for you. So, I look forward to hearing your feedback at the end of the season.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my next study by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
- The DC Relationship Education Center
- What is Pretty Girl Culture?
- The Face-Hand-Heart Theory: A Framework for Reconnection & Repair
- The Misuse of Access: When Availability Becomes a Liability
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
27m - Jun 12, 2026 - 110: What Role Do Men Want You To Play in Marriage?
In this conversational episode, Dr. Jae sits down with her husband, Jeremiah, to discuss how many men—particularly Black men—approach marriage, whether they consciously realize it or not.
Together, they explore four dominant frameworks men often use to imagine what marriage is for and how they expect a wife to show up within it. These frameworks aren’t prescriptions or endorsements—they’re only lenses through their observations.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my dissertation by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
- The DC Relationship Education Center
- The Kind of Love That Black Women Make: Female Capital & Cost [blog]
- Female Capital & Cost [pod]
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
1h 1m - May 29, 2026 - 109: Is There A “Labor War” in Your Marriage?
In this conversational episode, Dr. Jae is joined by her husband, Jeremiah, for a candid, thoughtful dialogue about a tension that shows up in many heterosexual relationships: both men and women resisting being overworked, undervalued, and reduced to labor in marriage and partnership.
Together, they unpack how men and women often name the same exhaustion—but for very different reasons—and how unexamined expectations around provision, domestic labor, lifestyle, and longevity can strain or support relationships over time.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my dissertation by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
47m - May 15, 2026 - 108: Are You Supporting Your Husband’s Social Wellbeing?
CORRECTION: I referred to the wrong study in this episode. The study I meant to refer to was a study of never-been married Black men sharing what encourages and discourages toward marriage by Tera Hurt.
In this conversational episode, Dr. Jae sits down with her husband, Jeremiah, for an honest, nuanced discussion on men’s perceived loss of freedom after marriage—specifically around friendships with other men.
Drawing from empirical research, lived experience, and seven years of cultivating intentional Black male community, this episode explores why many married men believe marriage limits their social lives, how some wives respond to male friendships with suspicion or indifference, and what both partners may be missing when male connection is treated as optional rather than essential.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my dissertation by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
E105 - 47m - May 8, 2026 - 107: Becoming a Girl Mom
In this Mother’s Day special, Dr. Jae sits in the guest seat for a rare role reversal—interviewed by Miriam Arvinger, “The Girl Mom Guide.” Together, they talk about what it means to become a girl mom after raising sons, why this pregnancy was deeply intentional, and what it looks like to prepare not just for a baby… but for a daughter.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my next study by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
1h 36m - May 1, 2026 - 106: The Surname Debate: Marriage and Family Names
What happens when love, marriage, identity, lineage, and legacy all meet at the question of a last name?
In this episode, I sit down with my husband to talk through a conversation many couples eventually face but do not always prepare for with enough depth: what happens to a woman’s surname after marriage, and what should happen when children enter the picture?
This episode is for engaged couples and anyone trying to think more carefully about the meaning attached to names, family, and partnership.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my next study by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
1h 37m - Apr 25, 2026 - 106: The Surname Debate: Marriage and Family Names
What happens when love, marriage, identity, lineage, and legacy all meet at the question of a last name?
In this episode, I sit down with my husband to talk through a conversation many couples eventually face but do not always prepare for with enough depth: what happens to a woman’s surname after marriage, and what should happen when children enter the picture?
This episode is for engaged couples and anyone trying to think more carefully about the meaning attached to names, family, and partnership.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my next study by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
1h 37m - Apr 24, 2026 - 105: The Protector-Provider Role for Black Men [Part 2]
Join us for Part 2! Dr. Jae is in the studio with her husband, Jeremiah, to continue their protector-provide conversation.
We explore capacity versus desire, legacy versus lineage, community versus individual responsibility, and the systemic shifts that reshaped dating and marriage in the Black community over the last 50 years.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my next study by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
36m - Mar 20, 2026 - 104: The Protector-Provider Role for Black Men [Part 1]
In this conversational episode, Dr. Jae sits down with her husband, Jeremiah, to unpack a question that keeps showing up at women’s tables and in the culture: Are men naturally wired to protect and provide—and do marriage-minded men actually want to?
Jeremiah offers a grounded framework for what “husband” means to him: caring for the woman and tending to the shared marriage space. Together, they explore “coverage” as a concept that blends protection and provision, the difference between egoless protection vs. possessive control, and why a man’s willingness to compete for a woman’s time and commitment is a meaningful signal.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my next study by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
1h 9m - Mar 6, 2026 - 103: The Media & Black Millennial Relationships
Join me as I discuss a 2025 peer-reviewed study on Black love and media representation to explore how TV, film, and pop culture have quietly shaped Black millennials’ beliefs about love, conflict, gender roles, emotional safety, and partnership readiness.
If you’ve ever wondered why dating feels harder than it “should,” why expectations feel mismatched, or why love feels delayed rather than denied, this conversation is for you.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my dissertation by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
37m - Feb 20, 2026 - 102: Two Coping Strategies for Black Romantic Relationships
What does it really take for Black couples to stay emotionally connected in a world that feels heavy?
In this episode, I break down powerful relationship research to explore how Black couples cope with racial stress—and how those coping styles shape intimacy, support, and conflict inside romantic relationships.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my dissertation by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
- The DC Relationship Education Center
- Progressive Couples, Traditional Tensions: Finances, Freedom, & Fairness [blog]
- Love Isn’t Always Enough: Premarital Work That Strengthens Black Marriages [blog]
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
26m - Feb 6, 2026 - 101: From Fear to Forever: Why Black Men Marry
In this research-centered, I dive into a powerful qualitative study exploring why Black men choose marriage—from the voices of Black men who actually said yes.
Building on Episode 100 (which examined how never-married Black men think about marriageability), this conversation centers married Black men and asks a critical follow-up question: What pushed you toward commitment—and what almost stopped you?
Drawing from a study of 52 married Black men, this episode unpacks the emotional, relational, spiritual, and practical factors that shaped their decisions to marry—and what Black women and couples can learn from their honesty.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in our services?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my dissertation by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
- The DC Relationship Education Center
- Black Men Speak: What Encourages and Discourages the Decision to Marry [blog]
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
E101 - 25m - Jan 23, 2026 - 88: Welcoming Joyice to the BIG 4-0!
Join me as I celebrate my 40th turn around the sun and the second anniversary of my pod! Today’s show is a vulnerable, wisdom‑packed walkthrough of my year‑long “Journey to 40” Selfhood Project. From sun‑drenched Mediterranean moments to soul‑stretching grief work, I share how an intentional blueprint can change the way we show up in life, love, and legacy.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in mentorship or coaching?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my dissertation by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
- This is 40 IG Carousel
- Journey to 40
- My 20 Intentions
- The Fourth Generation
- See the new site: The DC Relationship Education Center
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
- Be Featured: Share a Secret Story
E87 - 23m - Jun 2, 2025 - 87: the Beauty of Menopausal Women
Join me as I celebrate women 40+, particularly navigating life beyond their mooning years and entering their wisdom era. With a mix of science, lived experience, and cultural reverence, this episode unpacks the Grandmother Hypothesis, dispels ageist myths, and reminds listeners that the value of a woman deepens, not declines, with age.
From evolutionary biology to ancestral intelligence, I speak truth to power about the distinct beauty and purpose of women in their menopausal and postmenopausal years. Whether you’re a mother, auntie, godmother, or simply a woman growing deeper in her own becoming, this episode is a love letter to you.
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in mentorship or coaching?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my dissertation by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
- Be Featured: Share a Secret Story
26m - Jun 1, 2025 - 86: Our Rebrand Story
In this behind‑the‑scenes solo episode, Joyice pulls back the curtain on her semi-unexpected, but divinely timed, rebrand. Expect equal parts testimony and strategy as Joyice catches you up on the major happenings in her life, shares her choice to rebrand, teaches some spiritual gems, and invites you in on what’s next for the pod!
Don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in mentorship or coaching?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my dissertation by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
- Being Seen in Marriage: Why Year 4 Matters
- AERA Research Recap
- See the new site: The DC Relationship Education Center
Connect with Me:
- Website: www.joyicerobinson.com
- Instagram: @joyicerobinson
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
- Be Featured: Share a Secret Story
E86 - 15m - May 22, 2025 - Pop-Up 27: Validation & Challenge
Join Joyice and Jeremiah, a husband-wife team, in a conversation about a sensitive complementary pair, Validation & Challenge, that every relationship needs. Listen in as we explain their definitions, distinctions, how they work together, and how to provide them with practical examples for both men and women.
Also, as always, don’t forget - if you have a Secret Story you want to share with me like the one I share in this episode, then I invite you to drop your truth for the next Secret Story episode!
HOW I CAN HELP YOU: Interested in mentorship or coaching?
Choose your option here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP ME: Contribute to my dissertation by sharing your romantic experiences.
Submissions:
- Submit your Secret Story or email me a podcast@matchmarrymate.com
- Book your Awareness + Secret Story Session
- Submit your Safe Story
Literature & Links:
CORRECTION: The Conversation is on Feb 16th, not the 9th.
Connect with Me:
- Website: https://matchmarrymate.com/
- Instagram: @matchmarrymate
- Patreon: Become a Patron
- Work With Me: Book a Session
- Be Featured: Share a Secret Story
53m - Feb 7, 2025
