What if the standards you believe are protecting you from the wrong relationship are actually keeping you from experiencing the love you desire?
In Part 2 of this conversation on the Redefining Wealth Podcast, Patrice Washington sits down with relationship coach Mike Speaks to explore dating after divorce, the expectations we bring into relationships, and the difference between having healthy standards and holding on to preferences that no longer serve us.
As part of the Redefining Love 2.0 season, Patrice and Mike challenge accomplished women to look beyond titles, income, appearances, and societal expectations to discover what truly matters in a relationship.
Because finding aligned love isn’t about checking every box. It’s about knowing which boxes actually matter.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
- Why dating with curiosity is more powerful than dating with an agenda
- How high-achieving women can unintentionally create barriers to connection
- The difference between personal standards and inherited expectations
- Why chemistry, compatibility, and lifestyle alignment all matter
- How financial differences can affect long-term relationships
- Why healthy love requires flexibility without self-abandonment
Date With Curiosity, Not Pressure
One of the biggest lessons Patrice and Mike explore is the importance of allowing relationships to develop naturally.
Instead of approaching every date wondering whether someone could become your spouse, what if you simply focused on getting to know them?
Patrice shares how dating after divorce has become an opportunity to explore, observe, and learn without immediately attaching expectations to every connection.
Mike encourages listeners to dance in curiosity—ask questions, remain open, and allow people to reveal who they are before making assumptions.
Because every date doesn’t have to lead to marriage to be meaningful.
Are Your Standards Really Yours?
For accomplished women, expectations around education, career, income, and social status can become deeply ingrained.
But Mike challenges listeners to examine whether those expectations reflect their actual desires or what they’ve been conditioned to believe they deserve.
Do you genuinely need someone with the same professional credentials?
Or do you need someone who makes you feel seen, heard, respected, and supported?
This connects deeply to the PEOPLE pillar, reminding us that healthy relationships are built on genuine connection and shared values—not simply how impressive a partnership looks to others.
Financial Compatibility Is More Than Income
Patrice opens up about the realities of dating as a financially successful woman, including the difference between being comfortable earning more than a partner and feeling responsible for maintaining an entire shared lifestyle.
It’s not necessarily about finding someone who earns the same amount.
It’s about financial responsibility, stewardship, and whether two people can build a sustainable life together.
This conversation highlights the MONEY pillar, reminding us that financial compatibility involves more than numbers. It requires honest conversations about lifestyle, expectations, responsibility, and what each person can contribute.
Chemistry Doesn’t Guarantee Compatibility
Mike shares an experience dating a highly accomplished woman with whom he had incredible chemistry but fundamentally different values and lifestyles.
Despite their connection, they eventually recognized that their lives didn’t align.
Patrice reflects on similar experiences, emphasizing that attraction alone cannot create the infrastructure needed for a lasting relationship.
You can have chemistry with someone and still recognize that you’re not compatible.
And that’s not failure. That’s discernment.
Stop Looking for Perfect
Another powerful theme is learning the difference between compromising your values and making room for another imperfect human being.
Mike reminds listeners that no relationship will provide everything they want, exactly how they want it.
Sometimes a partner can meet you in one area but not another.
The question becomes whether you’re willing to appreciate what someone genuinely brings to the relationship without expecting them to fulfill every need.
Because healthy love requires flexibility, maturity, and the willingness to see people beyond a checklist.
Love Shouldn’t Require You to Abandon Yourself
At the heart of this conversation is the importance of knowing what truly matters to you.
You can be open-minded without lowering your standards.
You can appreciate someone’s potential without ignoring their present reality.
And you can desire partnership without making another person responsible for your happiness.
Patrice and Mike remind us that the goal isn’t simply to find someone.
It’s to build a relationship that genuinely supports the life you’re creating.
About This Season: Redefining Love 2.0
This season of Redefining Wealth is dedicated to redefining what love really means — beyond romance and into how we love ourselves, others, God, and the lives we’re creating.
We’re exploring what it looks like to love without leaving yourself behind — through relationships, self-trust, reciprocity, obedience, and the Six Pillars of Wealth. Subscribe and journey with us as we learn to love without self-abandonment and honor who we are becoming.
Start With Clarity
🧭 Take the 2-Minute Pillar Quiz to discover which pillar needs your attention in this season:
https://patricewashington.com/quiz
📱 Join the FREE Redefining Wealth App (community, book club, and weekly LIVE sessions with Patrice):
https://patricewashington.com/redefining-wealth-app/
💛 Explore Pillar Mastery
https://pillarmastery.com
🎓 Join the Waitlist to The Institute for Redefining Wealth:
https://redefiningwealth.institute/
🎟️ Join the waitlist to Redefining Wealth LIVE
www.redefiningwealthlive.com
📘 Download the Six Pillars Cheat Sheet: https://patricewashington.com/6pillars
Follow Mike Speaks on Social Media:
Instagram: @Mike_Speaks2
Website: mikespeaks2.com
Subscribe & Review
If this episode resonated with you, make sure you’re subscribed to the Redefining Wealth Podcast so you never miss a conversation in this season of Redefining Love 2.0.
And if this episode spoke to you, please leave a review. Your review helps more women discover conversations that support healing, alignment, and a more peaceful relationship with money.
