Today we’d like to introduce you to Robyn D’Angelo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Robyn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am + always have loved LOVE. As a teen, I saw tenderness between my own parents. In my 20’s I dated guys looking for my “movie boyfriend.” I craved romance, like in the movies. The relationships I saw were meaningful + fulfilling. But something was always missing… As I moved through my adult life, going from a marketing executive in Las Vegas + then San Diego to a licensed psychotherapist here in Orange County, it became clear.
Passionate, connected relationships were clearly what everyone craved but they were also what people complained most about. As a couples therapist, the women I’d meet wanted a partner to desire her, she wanted to feel special + she wanted the freedom to be whoever she wanted to be. The men I talked with craved a relationship full of ease, joy + passion.
Yet both people complained that they weren’t getting what they wanted. No matter how they asked for it. No matter the demands they made. No matter the information they gave their partners, nothing worked. People were miserable. People were being betrayed. People were being heartbroken + feeling completely helpless in their marriages + relationships.
People didn’t know how to be vulnerable, ask for what they needed, give their partners what they desired + create the deep intimacy that’s necessary to sustain a fulfilling, long-term relationship. This is when I knew I had to do something. So over the past 5 years, I’ve been refining my understanding of relationships, human behavior + work with couples. As a licensed couples psychotherapist + the founder of The Happy Couple Expert, I help disconnected + frustrated couples master the messiness of couplehood, together.
With the most progressive research, science + belief in good old-fashioned romance, I help couples create their most EPIC relationships that last. And I am the biggest #LoveGeek you’ll ever meet. If you keep your eyes peeled, you may spot me cruising around LA, San Diego + Orange County! Feel free to honk if you LOVE, love!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Relationships are so messy. Even the good ones suck sometimes. So it has definitely NOT been a smooth road. And as much as we think we desire ease, predictability + certainty – our brains CRAVE novelty, newness + uncertainty to stay engaged. Something I tell the couples working with me is this: Relationships are nothing more than the following experiences: Connection, Disconnection, Reconnection: Rinse + Repeat for as long as you decide to tolerate + accept one another.
So when you know that on the other side of the conflict, disconnection + loneliness (that happens now + then in EVERY relationship) is reconnection, the focus on the hard times becomes less. You start to believe that, “In the end, you’ve got my back, we’re on the same team + while you SUCK right now, I know we love the hell out of each other.”
Please tell us about The Happy Couple Expert.
My psychotherapy practice focuses on helping people to create their most EPIC relationships that last. I use a blend of traditional psychotherapy, neuroscience + educating to help couples understand one another, connect deeply + love, better.
I’m known for being real with everyone who reaches out for help. I’m not shy about what I believe is possible in love – so I am vocal about what I know works in relationships, what doesn’t + how you might be completely sabotaging your own success.
I’m proud of the brand I’ve created in that people know me for being deeply passionate about helping couples to better their relationships.
What sets me apart from other therapists is that I’m not afraid to say that I too SUCK at being married sometimes. I too suck at being a wife. And I too work my ass off to be the best spouse I can be. (and I still suck sometimes). But I never stop practicing what I preach. Oh and I’m pretty open about the fact that when my spouse + I struggle beyond what we can navigate on our own, we see our couples therapist.
Because as Einstein said, “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” In other words, get help when you need it.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My fave childhood memory is of being 9 years old, watching my absolute fave Love Story of all time, Say Anything on VHS, with my sister.
Over + Over again. We’d watch it, and rewind it (yes, I grew up in the ‘Be Kind + Rewind’ days, and just melted when Lloyd Dobbler (played by John Cusak held that massive boom box outside Diane Court’s window, blasting “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel.
We giggled, we cried, + we crushed over what seemed to be the most romantic gesture a girl could think of. Even at such an early age, I just knew EPIC love was possible. The movies made me FEEL what it could feel like.
Fun fact: I walked down the aisle at my own wedding to an acoustic version of “In Your Eyes” and it was like my dream of EPIC love came full circle.
Contact Info:
- Address: 23151 Verdugo Drive, Suite 201
Laguna Hills, CA 92653 - Website: www.TheHappyCoupleExpert.com
- Phone: 714-390-1652
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @TheHappyCoupleExpert
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHappyCoupleExpert
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/yaycoupleexpert
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/robyn-d-angelo-the-happy-couple-expert-laguna-hills
Image Credit:
Tanya Doveton Photography @ http://www.tanyadoveton.com/
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
