I’m excited to be a part of Romance Writer's Weekly Blog Hop. I hope you just came from Kate Robbins. This week we're talking about our day jobs. What we do when we're not writing.

When I graduated with a Master’s in Social Work over 20 years ago, I had no idea I’d be doing what I do today.

For 15 years, I served children and families in the foster care system, in school programs, in addictions treatment centers. And then I burnt out.

Some people describe burnout as not caring anymore. But it’s really caring too much. It’s the inability to go home to your own family and dial back the concern for your clients. It’s staring at the ceiling at 1:00AM mentally rehearsing your sessions for the next day.

I was no longer any service to the kids and families I set out to serve.

But what was I going to do with my degree and years of clinical experience?

A friend I had been giving some advice to about her dating life put me in touch with a seasoned dating and relationship coach. And now I help people find true love.

Together, my clients and I navigate the world of online dating. We develop profiles, craft email responses. I help them prepare for a date by finding their true sincere best self, making that manifest in their interactions, and choosing which shoes to wear.

I debrief with them after a date, evaluating their performance. Evaluating the men they meet. Helping them make good informed choices about who to date further, who to say goodbye to, and who to pursue a long term committed relationship with.

I have the best job in the world. Yes, I need to provide support when a client experiences rejection and heartbreak. But I also walk alongside them as they discover who they are, who they are meant to be with, and form that lifelong relationship.

No, I don’t get inspired by my clients’ stories to write fiction. It’s a completely different hat I wear when I’m in coach/therapist mode. But that’s okay. I like it that way.

I love exercising all the parts of my brain in my many different roles. I hope it keeps me active and alert so I can enjoy my own lifelong love for many years to come.

Thanks for stopping by. Now head over to Kim Handysides to find out what her day job is.