Coaching Confidence: Marina Lavochin Teaches Singles the Skills to Date Online & In Person

The Short Version: Marina Lavochin coaches singles on how to create a dating profile, how to flirt online, how to act on a date, and generally how to attract a compatible person. She applies her extensive dating experience to offer direct dating advice for Seattle singles. Her mission is to teach her clients what works and what doesn’t so they feel empowered to date online and in person. Whether it’s improving their wardrobe or recommending dating websites, Marina adapts her approach to suit the personality of each client. In just three months, her dating boot camp gives single men the tools they need to become their most attractive, confident selves.

When Marina Lavochin packed up her life and moved to San Francisco because of a relationship, she thought it was her happily ever after. Turns out, this was just the preamble to her story.

Seeking to deal with communication problems with her fiancé, she turned to psychology books for guidance. What she discovered in her studies was her personality type didn’t mix well with that of her fiancé. “I realized we had very different attachment styles,” she said, “so I ended up calling off the wedding and moving back to Seattle.”

Marina Lavochin runs her own dating coaching company in Seattle.

Marina began working as a personal stylist to help people re-imagine their look and build confidence. In her heart, she hoped to find a way to share her newfound relationship insights with singles, but she first wanted to get more dating experience and become a true expert. She challenged herself to say yes to 100 first dates so she could perfect her online dating techniques.

“I really committed to experiencing what it’s like to be single and dating in Seattle,” she said. “I was on a mission.”

In the process, she found a loving partner to heal her heart. She dated first date #74 for well over a year.

After going through her journey of self-discovery, Marina felt more passionately than ever that she could show others how to find success in the dating world. To her, it was a natural fit. In 2012, she started her own dating coaching service, applying her talents for networking, styling, and dating to help singles in their search for love both online and in person.

“I’m like the sister they never had,” Marina told us with a small chuckle. “I’m very blunt and direct with my clients, but my strategy is really teaching them the necessary skills so they feel empowered and confident to control their dating lives.”

Marina’s clients are typically tech guys — hard-working professionals looking for love — in their mid-30s, but she’s also coached people as young as 18 and as old as 74. Whatever their age or background, Marina approaches her job with the same goal: to up their confidence and improve the quality of their dating lives.

“At networking events, I noticed how timid men were in Seattle, and I really wanted to fix that,” she said. “It progressed naturally from me giving styling tips to them asking me for dating and relationship advice.”

When she meets a new client, she closely observes his behavior to get a sense of his personality and then makes specific suggestions on how to attract the right person for him. Her counseling can come in the form of a complete makeover or a reading list of self-help books.

Marina’s on-call support guides her clients through the entire dating process from the first date to shopping for a ring.

Her one-on-one dating package backs singles in four ways and specifically targets their online dating game to give them the ability to find love themselves.

“I base my advice on who the client is in terms of personality, what his purpose in life is, what he wants to accomplish, and what type of woman is ideal,” she said. “It’s a lot of soul-searching, really, through the dating process.”

1. Style Session: Refine Your Look & Up Your Confidence

Thanks to her background as a personal stylist and interior decorator, Marina has an eye for what looks good. She gives personalized wardrobe recommendations to compliment people of all body types and complexions.

“When you feel confident in your looks, you carry yourself differently,” she said, “and then people start looking at you differently.”

“She’s strategic, smart, and holds to the vision even if it pushes your envelope.” — Brian, one of Marina’s happy clients

A client named Brian came to Marina for assistance with his look, and within 20 minutes, he knew he was in good hands. He said she really seemed to “get him.” When she overhauled his wardrobe, she tailored her suggestions to his personality. “The process was fun and painless,” he said. “I get compliments daily on my style, and, I have to say, the ladies are noticing me way more now than ever before.”

2. Photo Shoot: Add Fresh Pics to Your Dating Profile

As part of her online dating consult, Marina includes a photo shoot for all her clients. “We need fresh pictures for dating profiles,” she said. By getting that profile picture professionally done, she gives them a leg up on the competition — which is really helpful to men who are up against hundreds of other guys on the web.

3. Resources: Get Recommended Dating Sites & Books

Marina gives her clients all they need to improve and control their own destiny. As part of her dating boot camp, she recommends dating websites and self-help books to give her clients the tools to date successfully. With these resources, singles can learn how to date on their own, picking up skills that will last long term.

4. Message Strategy: Learn How to Meet People Online

Relying on her own experience with online dating, Marina teaches singles how to send messages that will get replies. She’ll also review your profile itself, giving line edits and considering every word carefully. This could be the first words your future spouse reads about you, so it’s important to get it right.

In weekly conversations, she assesses and tweaks her client’s online dating performance to get them more dates more quickly. As always, she caters her advice to individual personality types.

“We customize a plan on how to attract his ideal person,” she explained, “and that will change based on who he’s looking for.”

Marina has a smart approach to dating coaching. She doesn’t believe in one-size-fits-all techniques because people are all different. By listening to and learning from her clients, she adapts her tactics based on their specific needs and circumstances.

Since 2012, Marina Lavochin has helped countless singles improve their dating skills and find love.

Because she stays open to different ways to maximize a person’s dating potential, her testimonials page is full of success stories.

She told us one cute story about a client who met a girl on Facebook and became infatuated. Marina encouraged him to overcome his self-doubt and take a chance on love.

He flew across the country to meet his crush, and they started dating. “I helped him pack for the trip, and I put him through a mock date so he knew how to carry himself,” his dating guru said. “I was with him every step of the way.”

She even pretended to be on a double date with a photographer months later so they could capture the moment he proposed on video. Today, the couple is happily married with a baby, and they have Marina to thank.

Over the years, Marina overcome confidence issues and failed relationships, and she’s become a stronger, more compassionate person for it. She’s not interested in playing cupid but instead helps her clients find their own pathway to love. Her dating advice draws from her personal experiences as well as her knowledge of human psychology to up the confidence and skill sets of singles.

To reach more people, she’s working on an interactive online course that walks singles through her guiding principles. She also has a book coming out on the art of sexting.

“I have thought about what it is that you do and what is so helpful to me. It is that you see me with new eyes. You have a fresh approach that is trained to maximize a person’s attributes. Thank you for what you’re doing and for being you.” — Sam, a satisfied client of Marina’s

She doesn’t simply tell a dater how to act, she methodically explains why certain techniques work and gives her clients specific recommendations. Marina’s motto is she “makes love less complicated” for singles in Seattle by offering tips to date successfully both online and in person.

“All the dating advice I give is so personal,” she explained. “It’s completely customized to each client’s personality and goals, and I make it possible for my client to attract his ideal relationship.”