1 True Talks

Renee Richel
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Professional Matchmaker of over a decade, premier relationship coach and founder of 1 True Match Matchmaking, Renee Richel is your source for Christian dating and relationships. In each episode Renee and her special guest dive into difficult questions and hot new topics.

  1. 1D AGO

    Rebuilding After Divorce Part 1

    What if the label “divorced” didn’t get the last word on your life? We open up about the shock of identity shifts, the ache of church missteps, and the fierce tenderness of a God who rescues. With guest voices shaped by ministry, widowhood, and fresh experience, we trace a path from survival to stability: naming harm, choosing safety, and rebuilding with scripture that feels like oxygen rather than noise. We dig into the numbers without losing the humans behind them, and we talk candidly about faith’s real role in marriage stability. You’ll hear how small groups became lifelines, how mentors taught a richer theology of divorce that protects the vulnerable, and why Ezekiel’s Good Shepherd promises—“they shall no longer be prey”—can reframe the whole journey. We don’t romanticize trauma; we give you workable steps: therapy, community care, practical safety moves, and a simple litmus test for when you’re ready to date again. Expect nuance—owning your part without absorbing someone else’s sin, separating emotion from readiness, and choosing partners whose character proves out over time. There’s hope here for the social whiplash too. We trade scripts for boundaries, awkward reveals for honest pacing, and we remember your marital status isn’t your most interesting trait. For parents, we talk about modeling healthy love so kids don’t inherit chaos as normal. And threaded through it all is the anchor image that steadies our hearts: being the bride of Christ, welcomed down the aisle week after week by a Groom who never breaks covenant and never threatens safety. Support the show

    58 min

  2. FEB 26

    Between Us: Chemistry Vs Compatibility

    Sparks are easy; staying power is rare. We sit down with Amanda West to unpack the magnetic pull of chemistry and why it so often gets mistaken for the substance of compatibility. From first‑date fireworks to long‑term foundations, we explore how to tell lust from lasting love, and how to choose a partner you can build a life with. We pull back the curtain on modern dating’s highlight‑reel problem: profiles and filtered photos flatten people into a single frame. Attraction matters, but it’s not a blueprint. We walk through the character cues that actually predict a durable relationship kindness to servers, generosity with time, servant‑heartedness, emotional availability, and healthy communication. You’ll hear practical checkpoints at six, nine, and twelve months when facades fade and real patterns show, plus the essential questions that reveal values, conflict style, and vision for family and faith. If you’ve ever asked why the spark feels so convincing, we break down the endorphins, pheromones, and novelty bias that keep us chasing the next high. Then we pivot to a slower, wiser path: craft a tight list of non‑negotiables, hold new connections to your top four, and date with intention instead of filling empty evenings. We talk openly about taking concerns to God first before friends or feeds writing down what you hear, and letting clarity guide your choices. The surprise ending: when trust and purpose grow, chemistry often deepens beyond the first rush. Press play for grounded advice on navigating attraction, guarding your time, and building love that lasts through every season. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a friend, or write in with the one question you have and we'd love to chat about it on our next upcoming episode.  Support the show

    28 min

  3. JAN 22

    Break The Pattern

    New year energy can inspire change or quietly recycle the same old dating patterns. We dive into the subtle habits that keep love stuck and share how small, honest shifts open the door to healthier connection. From “attraction on autopilot” to the urge to decide everything by date one, we unpack why familiarity feels safe, how pressure clouds wisdom, and the simple questions that restore clarity in the early stages of getting to know someone. If dating has felt like different faces with the same emotional script, this conversation offers a kinder, clearer path forward. Together we contrast scarcity thinking with a posture of peace. Instead of racing a clock, we explore how grounded trust sharpens discernment, protects standards, and makes room for real compatibility to show up over time. We also get practical about speaking truth in love, sharing intentions, setting boundaries, and using calm, direct language that creates safety rather than tension. You’ll hear why waiting to feel perfectly ready can be a polished form of fear, and how growth often happens inside relationship through repair, reflection, and mutual care. Expect encouragement, not pressure. You don’t need a brand new version of yourself to date well this year, just the most aware version. If you’re ready to replace urgency with intention and confusion with clarity, you’ll leave with grounded steps to try on your next coffee date or message exchange. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope for their love life, and leave a quick review so more people can find these tools. What small shift are you making this week? Support the show

    10 min

  4. JAN 15

    Between Us: How Women Can Stay Independent And Still Build Tender, Lasting Love

    Between Us is a monthly conversation series on 1 True Talks where Renee and Amanda sit down for real, candid conversations rooted in Biblical truth and real life. What if strength and softness didn’t compete, but completed each other? In this Between Us conversation, we sit down with Amanda West to unpack the new terrain of dating, the pull of independence, and the quiet need every woman has to feel safe enough to “hang the hat” at the door. From first texts to long-haul love, we explore how clarity, kindness, and congruence turn sparks into something you can actually build on. We dig into the real frictions: men’s single-task focus vs. women’s multitasking minds, why “be direct” beats “drop hints,” and how specific requests paired with sincere gratitude can change the tone of a home. If hot-and-cold behavior drives you crazy, you’ll hear practical language for setting expectations without sounding harsh and ways to protect your time, your hobbies, and your voice. Because the traits that drew someone to you, your faith, your joy, your grit shouldn’t disappear once dating gets serious. Amanda also brings hard-won wisdom for single moms and widows navigating love after upheaval. We explore the difference between rebuilding grit after grief and guarding your heart after divorce, how to avoid comparison traps, and why raising the bar around values like faith, integrity and consistency, outlasts chasing a look or a physical attribute. We talk about guarding your mind, choosing counsel from people who’ve built what you want, and holding the frame of your life while letting God fill it in ways you didn’t plan but deeply need. If you’re ready to date with hope, communicate with warmth and clarity, and keep your identity intact, this Between Us conversation is for you. Share this episode with a friend who needs it, subscribe for more 1 True Talks. Have a question, story, or topic you'd love for us to talk about in a future Between Us episode? Email us at amanda@1truematch.com, we'd love to hear from you!  Support the show

    28 min

  5. JAN 8

    When God Calls You to "Slow Down" with Pastor Steven

    What if the fastest way to love is to slow down? We sit with Pastor Steven Mencia to unpack how a reluctant church visit for a teenage date turned into a life shaped by Jesus and how that journey reshapes the way we approach singleness, dating, and marriage. Steven’s story moves from early skepticism to deep faith, then through trials that tested a young relationship: chronic illness, long distance, breakups, and the question every couple faces will we stay when it’s hard? Together, we explore why singleness is not a penalty box but a formation ground, how to wait without wasting the valley, and what it means to discern God’s voice when urgency shouts for quick decisions. You’ll hear practical markers of spiritual alignment, more Scripture, more honesty, more peace and red flags that quietly dull your devotion. We also tackle identity and worth. Steven shares the “well vs wound” lens for choices, the widow’s quiet gift as a model of obedience over performance, and the freedom that comes from dating as someone already loved, not someone hustling to be chosen. From “microwave culture, crockpot God” to Romans 12’s renewing of the mind, this conversation offers grounded wisdom for moving at a pace that lets character prove itself, community support you, and God’s timing lead the way. If you’ve felt overlooked, rushed, or tired of rejection, consider this your permission to breathe. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs steadiness, and leave a review telling us where you’re learning to slow down and trust God’s best. More Info about Celebration Church: https://www.celebration.org/ Follow Steven: https://www.instagram.com/stevenmencia10/ Support the show

    38 min

  6. 12/18/2025

    Choose A Life You Love, Then Share It with Stephanie May Wilson

    The years between 25 and 35 can feel like a tidal wave: career moves, marriage questions, fertility timelines, money pressures, and the constant hum of outside opinions. We invited best-selling author and mentor Stephanie Mae Wilson to help us quiet the noise, listen for God’s voice, and make choices that create a life we actually want to live, long before the ring, the job title, or the baby arrives. Stephanie shares the moment she stopped living by borrowed deadlines and started trusting God with outcomes, a shift that led her to say yes to adventure, service, and ultimately meeting her husband. We unpack what healthy pursuit really looks like, mutual interest, reliability, and shared effort, while dismantling the myth that a woman must sit on her hands to be “chosen.” If you’re tired of keeping a relationship from hitting the floor, you’ll find language, boundaries, and confidence to move toward certainty and care. Prayer and presence thread through our talk. Stephanie’s 100-day prayer journal, Every Single Moment, guides women to pray for a future partner without idolizing an imagined person or abandoning their own growth. We explore why one of the most transformative prayers is for a best friend, and how female friendships lower stress, build courage, and make the steep hills of life feel climbable. Stephanie also offers a beautiful parenting picture: don’t cram God into a tidy jewelry box; invite your kids into a wide, living relationship with Him. If you’ve felt the squeeze of the “everything era,” this conversation brings relief, practical tools, and hope. Tune in to learn how to curate your inputs, invest in real friendship, participate in your love story, and trust God while taking bold, grounded action. If it resonated, share it with a friend, subscribe for more conversations like this, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. More about Stephanie: https://stephaniemaywilson.com/ Follow Stephanie Here: https://www.instagram.com/smaywilson/ Check Out Stephanie's Podcast: https://stephaniemaywilson.com/girlsnight Stephanie's Prayer Journal Every Single Moment: https://stephaniemaywilsonshop.com/products/every-single-moment Support the show

    39 min

  7. 12/04/2025

    Kingdom Dating with Pastor Charles Maris

    What if waiting wasn’t wasted but the very way God builds you for a love that lasts? Pastor Charles Maris joins us to share how a heartbreaking divorce led to surrender, healing, and a whole new way of dating rooted in prayer, clarity, and kingdom purpose. He walks through the “movie clips” God used to correct his patterns, the fasting and prayer that rebuilt his heart, and the moment contentment made space for a Spirit-led match that turned four months of friendship into a confident yes. We dig into what Christlike leadership actually looks like in a home: faithfulness you can measure, honesty that doesn’t flinch, and consistency that holds when emotions swing. Pastor Charles unpacks Biblical courtship, two people asking God separately and together if the relationship is ordained and explains how to end a mismatch without cruelty or delay. We get candid about blended families, co-parenting realities, and holiday decision traps that can fracture unity, plus practical steps to protect peace and keep the marriage centered on prayer, purpose, and presence. If you’re single and tired, you’ll hear why singleness is a gift, not a gap. If you’re dating, you’ll learn how to set non-negotiables, spot spiritual alignment, and avoid idolizing romance. And if you’re married, you’ll find language and tools to reconnect around kingdom vision. We also highlight Pastor Charles’s resources: The Intune Husband, the Kingdom Singledom Workbook, and The True Behavior of a Kingdom Man, guides that help men tune into God and women pray with precision for the partner they desire. Ready to build love on a stronger foundation? Listen now, share this with a friend who needs hope, and subscribe for more conversations that help you become whole, choose wisely, and grow closer to Christ.  Support the show

    45 min

  8. 11/22/2025

    From Loss to Lifted: Amanda's Journey of Grief, Grace & God's Calling

    What if the hardest day of your life became the first step toward your calling? That’s the heartbeat of Renee's conversation with her faith filled friend Amanda West, a mother of two who loved fiercely, lost suddenly, and learned to soar by leaning into God’s strength and a faithful community. Her story begins with a marriage built on showing up at 110% and pivots into the raw aftermath of widowhood, where breath-by-breath perseverance meets the conviction that only moments and relationships endure. Amanda opens up about her faith journey, from growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness to encountering the Holy Spirit through a single worship song. Saying yes to Jesus meant excommunication and a decade apart from her parents, yet it also meant the discovery of grace and the freedom from earning love through deeds. She shares how Scripture, especially Isaiah 40:31, became a lifeline, teaching her to wait on the Lord and rise like an eagle in the face of overwhelming loss. We also dig into the practical side of healing: how friends, neighbors, and church family carried visible and invisible burdens; how serving others sparked fresh joy; and what dating after loss really looks like when grief arrives in waves. Amanda’s candid wisdom helps anyone navigating widowhood, single parenting, or starting again with a tender heart. She explains why mixed-age discipleship groups transform singles ministry, how churches can support without turning community into courtship, and why God wastes none of our stories, especially the heavy ones. If you’re wrestling with love, loss, faith, or the courage to try again, this episode offers honest hope and grounded tools. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs strength for the next step, and leave a review to help others find the conversation. Then tell us: which moment spoke to you most, and why? Support the show

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Professional Matchmaker of over a decade, premier relationship coach and founder of 1 True Match Matchmaking, Renee Richel is your source for Christian dating and relationships. In each episode Renee and her special guest dive into difficult questions and hot new topics.

Information

  • Creator
    Renee Richel
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    205
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 1 True Talks
  • Show Website
    1 True Talks