Date Like A Nerd

Unlock Your Player 2!

Anxiety

Never Know What to Say? Play “Speak Without Freezing”

by

with Catherine Richardson

💬 You’re in a group. You know you want to say something. You just can’t find the right time. The conversation moves on, the moment passes, and you spend the rest of the evening wondering why it’s so hard to just speak up 😶

🎮 In this episode, I talk to Catherine Richardson, a psychologist specializing in geek culture and mental health. She blends Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with gaming and pop culture to support neurodivergent professionals. And she just created something that might change how you think about social skills entirely.

🕹️ It’s called “Speak Without Freezing,” a free visual novel designed to help you practice what to say before you actually have to say it. Not by giving you a script to memorize, but by letting you rehearse in an environment where there’s no social cost. Think of it as a dating sim, except instead of trying to win someone over, you’re working on yourself 💪

⚠️ But here’s the challenge: practicing something in a game and actually doing it in real life are two very different things. So how does muscle memory work when the stakes are real? And what do you do when the social rules change depending on who you’re with, what culture you’re in, or even what room you walk into? 🗺️

🧊 If you ever freeze up during conversations, go quiet at the worst moment, or wait so long to say something that everyone has already moved on, this episode is for you.

🎧 Press Start and learn how to speak without freezing! 🥶

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Catherine’s Links:

Related Episodes:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:01:00 Speak Without Freezing
  • 00:03:19 How it Helps with Social Anxiety
  • 00:07:37 Social Anxiety and Perfection
  • 00:12:22 Skills to Learn
  • 00:14:55 Dating Sims
  • 00:19:37 How to Apply the Skills IRL
  • 00:22:14 Playing the Game While in Therapy
  • 00:23:57 Not Waiting for Perfection
  • 00:25:46 Adapting to Different People
  • 00:31:48 Social Anxiety and Cold Approaches
  • 00:36:55 Catherine’s Links

Tolkien meets Star Wars

by

the Nerd Love Story of Kaia and Celania

👀 Can your Tolkien hyperfixation get in the way of your Love at First Sight? Love at first sight is rare. But if it happened, what would you do? Would you talk to them or text them first? What if they don’t like you? What if you don’t know what to talk about? What if you have nothing in common? Or worse, what if you overwhelm them with your hyperfixation about Tolkien? There’s only one way to find out. 👇

In this episode, Kaia shares how she managed to date her now-fianceé… with a little help from her boss. 👨🏻‍💼 Because Kaia knew she wanted to marry Celania as soon as they met. But her social anxiety blocked her from a conversation in person or even via text! 😫

🧝‍♀️ One of Kaia’s fears was related to her passion for Tolkien’s work. The same hyperfixation that led her to become a Tolkien-centered content creator didn’t help her when relating to others. She knew she would often overshare information about the Lord of the Rings. Way more often (and longer) than most people enjoyed. 🥱

And she was right. However, she didn’t know Celania was into Star Wars and LEGO 🪐 Not LotR. Fantasy and sci-fi can be considered opposite fandoms. But they’re still close enough that they’ll understand each other better than most. Over time, however, they became interested in each other’s passions, which built more trust and security and strengthened their relationship.

🙅‍♀️ Sometimes, people won’t share your interests or humor. And that’s ok. But if you take small steps and test for their interest slowly, you might find someone who’ll want to spend their life with you 💍

🎧 Listen to this episode to find a partner who enjoys your hyperfixation! 💪

❤️ FREE GUIDE: 🎮
Where (and How) to Meet Your Player 2 Organically

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Kaia Kay’s Links:

Related Episode:

Related Blog Posts:

Timestamps for lazy nerds:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:00:36 What Makes Kaia a Nerd
  • 00:02:15 Love at First Sight
  • 00:04:01 Fear of Rejection
  • 00:05:12 Info-Dumping
  • 00:05:59 Afraid to Text Your Crush
  • 00:10:07 Testing for Compatibility with Humor
  • 00:15:03 Forced First Date
  • 00:19:05 Disclosing Your Sexuality
  • 00:23:51 Signs of a Good Date
  • 00:24:59 Second Date
  • 00:26:27 Unprepared for Conversation
  • 00:28:47 Avoiding Info-Dumping
  • 00:36:15 Dealing with Opposing Fandoms
  • 00:40:18 Kaia’s Contacts