Rachel Russo Relationships

September has always felt like a second New Year to me. ✨

There’s something about the end of summer, the return of routines, and a fresh planner on my desk that makes me want to get organized, get clear, and ask myself:

What do I actually want to make happen before the end of the year?

And yes, a trendy new planner and beautiful fresh flowers help too. 💐 Sometimes those little things just make you feel more put together and ready for whatever comes next.

Summer is winding down. The travels are over. (And I survived—and loved!—my first cross-country trip with my daughter.) Now we’re heading into the final four months of 2026.

Back to school for her. Back to serious work mode for me.

And maybe…back to getting serious about your love life for you? ❤️

If finding a meaningful relationship was one of your goals for 2026, September is the perfect time for a dating reset.

Ask yourself:

Is what I’m doing actually getting me closer to the relationship I want?

Maybe you’ve been dating—but choosing the wrong people.

Maybe you’re exhausted by the apps and stopped using them altogether.

Maybe you keep ending up in situationships that go nowhere.

Or maybe life has simply been so full that, despite wanting a relationship, you haven’t really made dating a priority.

Sometimes you don’t need to date more.

You need to get clear.

That’s why this September, I’m offering something new: The Love Life Reset.

It’s a private strategy session where we’ll take an honest look at your dating life, clarify what you really want, identify what isn’t working, and create an actionable dating plan for the rest of 2026.

Because four months is plenty of time to change the direction of your dating life.

I’d much rather see you enter 2027 thinking, “I finally did something differently,” than making the same dating resolution all over again.

Ready for your Love Life Reset-or know someone who could use one?

Send me a private message with RESET or email [email protected], and I’ll send you the details.

Here’s to enjoying these last days of summer—and starting September with laser focus and love. 🌸

XoXo,
Rachel

Solid advice for anyone who wants to hire a matchmaker. A must read—great advice from my colleague and friend, founder of Sameera Sullivan International!

We’re honored to be featured in Mashable where I had the opportunity to share my perspective on what every client should know before hiring a matchmaker.

Choosing a matchmaker is a significant investment, and not all matchmaking services are the same. In this article, I discuss what clients should look for, the questions they should ask, and the red flags to watch for before making such an important decision.

Thank you to Mashable for including my perspective in this conversation. ❤️

Read the full article here: https://mashable.com/life/hiring-matchmaker-red-flags

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To All The Amazing Moms Out There: Hope you had a day that brought you joy!💓

Happy Mother’s Day!

For the Single Moms:

When did your name quietly become… “Mom”?

You walk into a pediatrician’s office… and suddenly, that’s who you are.

Not your name. Not your full identity. Just… “Mom.”

I remember the first time it happened when I brought my daughter to the doctor—it made me pause.

And it didn’t stop there.

“Hi, Serafina’s mom!” from classmates… over and over again.

But here’s the shift I’ve made:

This isn’t about losing your identity—it’s about expanding it.

That Mama Bear energy? It was always there.
Now it’s just stronger, clearer, more defined.

Yes, some things change.
Some parts of you get quieter for a while (goodbye, regular manicures 💅).

But who you are at your core? That doesn’t disappear.

And this is especially true for working moms.

Because while your career identity often stays strong—or even grows—so many women quietly lose themselves outside of their careers.

I don’t hear this talked about enough:
Women losing themselves in relationships.

After 20+ years as a matchmaker, I’ve seen it far more often than I’ve seen motherhood or career erase identity.

From teenage years to midlife and beyond—
women shrinking, over-giving, or abandoning parts of themselves to make a relationship work.

For working moms, the pull can be even stronger.

You’re balancing so much already… and it’s easy to lose space for you.

And if you’re dating—or thinking about love again—the stakes are higher than ever.

Because who you let into your life doesn’t just affect you…

It affects your child.
Their development.
Their emotional wiring.
Their future relationships.

If you’re a working mom who’s ready to expand your identity again—into partner, girlfriend, fiancée, or wife—I’d love to support you in doing it right.

I’m collaborating with a trusted relationship expert to host a special virtual event in early June (right after Mother’s Day 💐), focused on dating for working moms—both online and in real life.

Comment or DM “LINK” and I’ll send you the details.

And if this resonates, share it with a working mom who deserves this kind of support 🤍

We recently snuck away for a fabulous little getaway to the TWA Hotel, and watching my daughter walk into “Connie” was super-fun—like we were boarding a flight straight into a more glamorous, carefree era of travel. ✈️

And honestly… I haven’t stopped thinking about getting away since. (And not just because it was 31 degrees this morning… in APRIL. Make it make sense. 🥶)

But also—because of something a friend said that sent me.

Hey, NJ… be honest… is there something in the water?!

A friend of mine (and fellow matchmaker in the NYC tri-state area) texted me after trying to connect with THREE different guys from New Jersey on a dating app:

“All three have started —and in less than 5 days, it’s over. Girl, start dating outside the state.”

Outside the state?! The audacity. The betrayal. The… possible accuracy?! 😅

Listen—I (mostly!) love NJ. It’s home. But right now? You all are not helping the reputation.

So now I’m making it my personal mission…

I’m finding my girl a match!

If you are—or know—a quality single guy, 40+, in NJ who is genuinely looking for a relationship (no kids or no more kids), and can handle a strong, dynamic woman who has exactly zero tolerance for nonsense… send him my way. You can email [email protected] to get started.

And fair warning: I will be treating this like I do for my clients.

Meaning yes… there will be a test. 😉 It will start with filling out a profile and hopefully viewing hers if I think the stars may align.

Let’s see if Jersey can redeem itself…

Make time for love… but don’t force it!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about timing—especially when it comes to love. A friend in NYC used to say, “If you don’t make time for love, love won’t make time for you.”

He’s now happily married, with three kids, living in a beautifully renovated house in the suburbs. And honestly? He’s not wrong.

Love does require space. It requires intention. You do have to show up for it in some way.

But -being in the matchmaking industry-I also see plenty of people who have taken that idea and ran a little too far with it.

Swipe culture has turned it into pressure. Into urgency with matches expiring if you don’t reply. Into this feeling that if we are not constantly doing something about our love lives, we’re somehow falling behind.

What if that’s not true?

What if your only mission-should you choose to accept it-is to make space for love-whether now or in the future… without dating like its your job?

To stay open, but not obsessed.
To put yourself out there, but not overextend.

And also to do the thing that I personally learned the hard way: To stop over-functioning in relationships that should have ended a long time ago.

Because here’s something I’ve seen over and over again—in my work, and in my own life:

Timing matters more than people want to admit.

Sometimes, it’s just not your time yet.
Not because something is wrong with you.

Because your life took a different path.

Which brings me to something personal I have shared with friends.

After at least fifteen years of TV production companies and reality producers reaching out to me…

After countless interviews (yes—Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom), sending photos, recording videos, even filming with colleagues and friends…

After reading contracts and deciding not to sign my life away…

After being told I was “chosen” for pilots that never happened…

After long stretches of not hearing back…

After, honestly, reaching a point where I truly didn’t care about being involved in TV at all…

Something unexpected happened.

I was contacted again—and this time, it felt different. And now I recently started consulting for a dating documentary. It is a lot of fun and I will likely be on it too, and, that’s all I can say about that. (Because.. NDA’s!)

But to bring my point home:

People always say, “Don’t give up on your dreams.”
I don’t fully agree.

I think you’re allowed to let things go.
To shift.
To outgrow what once felt important.
Because I did.

And yet—what was meant for me still found me. At the right time. In a way that actually feels aligned, fun, and easy. And I think the same thing will happen for me finding lasting love—which I also couldn’t care less about personally at the moment. (Because…solo mom life: Priorities. Transformation. Content!)

But if you are desiring a relationship, yes—make time for love.
But don’t force it.
Don’t chase it.

Enjoy the season you’re in and know that when it is your time: It is your time!

Got to love a good conversation on red flags though....

I admit I do. I think dating is risk management in many ways. But, of course, no one is perfect and we must stay open if we want love.

Gen Z's "Red Flags" Are Keeping Them From Finding Love As a Gen Zer myself, I’ve been in plenty of conversations about red flags. But after a convo with a Gen X friend, I started thinking…maybe we’re taking them too seriously. Here’s what a relationship expert thinks.

Ladies, isn't it fun to be the hot one in the relationship!?

The cool guy is overrated.

Truthfully? I rarely dated nerds myself. And I sometimes suspect that may be part of why I am currently (though very happily) single.

Because the older I get — and the more couples I match — the more clearly I see this:

Cool is exciting. Cool is charismatic. Cool looks great on social. But cool doesn't always build a life with you.

Nerds, on the other hand, tend to:
Appreciate you more
Have less ego
Lessen the competition with other women
Develop deeper emotional intelligence
Have a surprisingly great sense of humor

And if you're honest…
It's actually kind of fun being the hot one in the relationship.😉
I also hear sometimes: "But nerds cheat too."
Honestly? Think again.

The nerds I've encountered in my matchmaking career tend to be extraordinarily loyal — the kind of men who value stability and partnership. Which brings me the purpose of this post.

I currently have a wonderful man I'd genuinely love to introduce.
He's 40 and thriving in NYC — a deeply curious software engineer who studied everything from math and computer science to media arts and sciences, earning degrees from Brown and MIT before completing a law degree.

He loves travel, trivia nights, and exploring interesting corners of the city. He's a Jewish man seeking a Jewish woman in the NYC tri-state area who wants a real partner — someone to share both the ups and downs of life with.

Most importantly, he is someone who will genuinely appreciate you for who you are.

This is not a mass-market setup — he is a client of a trusted colleague and I specifically asked to share him with the women I know because I think he represents something worth considering.

Sometimes the best matches come from expanding our definition of attraction just a little.

And sometimes…

The nerd turns out to be exactly the man you were hoping to meet.

Email [email protected] if you'd like to learn more or be considered for this introduction.

And hey — if nerds aren't your thing, pass this along to your smartest single girlfriend who would be thrilled to meet one. 🤓

Valentine’s Day can feel different when you want a baby.
It’s not just about flowers.
It’s not just about dinner reservations.
It’s not even just about being in love.
It’s about time.

Another year passing.
Another February 14th.
Another reminder that what you really want isn’t a date — it’s a partner to build a life and a family with.

If you are anything like I was before I decided to have my baby-as a single woman opting to become a solo mom by choice five years ago-you are likely sick of all the first date small talk. You just want to skip to the conversation where you figure out if they want to procreate, how many kids they actually want, what kind of parent they will be, and what their timeline looks like.

I’ve worked with singles for over two decades, and I can tell you this: the people who want children experience Valentine’s Day differently. There’s a quiet urgency beneath the surface. A grief that doesn’t always get spoken out loud.

You might find yourself thinking:
How many more years do I have?
Did I waste time on the wrong person? (Guilty as charged here!)
Should I have started sooner?
Will this happen for me?

If that’s you, I want you to know something important.

Please check out the link in the comments for the insight I'd love to share with you.....