Downtown dating coach says ‘love is in the neighborhood’

David Moyé | Noticias del Centro

With Valentine’s Day happening this month, love is in the air and one nationally recognized dating expert believes Downtown may just be San Diego’s best place to find it.

“Downtown is a fantastic place for singles. There’s lots of energy, action and professional singles,” said dating coach DeAnna Lorraine, who lives in Little Italy but has her office in Bankers Hill. “It’s easy to get around and meet a lot of people.”

Lorraine should know.

Referred to by her clients as “Ms. Hitch,” Lorraine has been helping single men and women hone their dating skills for the past seven years through her business as “Thee Dating Coach and Romance Resource.”

She has also offered her advice on television, on shows such as “Good Morning America” and “The Rachael Ray Show.”

Being a dating coach is something the twenty-something entrepreneur started after working in corporate America, but the roots started when she was a young girl growing up in Northridge.

“I have four brothers. I’m the only girl and I’m in the middle,” Lorraine laughed. “I grew up in a heavily male [dominated] world and I was sort of the girl in the locker room. I learned insights into a man’s brain.”

Another incident that she believes helped shape her future destiny as an intermediary between the sexes was sadder: her parent’s divorce when she was nine.

“I remember their arguments and I felt like if I had the tools, and better relationship skills, I could have mediated their differences.”

While she couldn’t do that, she has vowed to help others hone their skills at attracting lasting love. What she has learned may surprise people.

“Men make the mistake that women are won over by the perfect and nice gentleman,” she explained. “But guys shouldn’t lead with that. Women need a contrast. They want to see the bad boy side and feel the guy can be a protector.

“On the other hand, the biggest misconception women make is thinking men are complicated. They assume there is a deep meaning to what guys do. Men are simple. If a man is into you, you’ll know it.”

Another misconception, she says, is that guys aren’t looking for serious love.

“Actually, it seems like there’s been a shift and [now] guys are the ones that want to settle down, while women – at least when they’re in their twenties and early thirties – are more interested in building a career.”

Lorraine’s clients run about 60/40 male-to-female and she attributes to this to the male tendency to problem solve. “If there’s something wrong, guys will take action,” she said.

Some of her training includes explaining the social cues of the opposite sex, and Lorraine has had some female clients in powerful, high profile positions that needed help dialing back their tough-as-nails business side when in a casual social setting.

But she also stresses to each client that they have a right to be loved and shows them how to accentuate their best side to potential partners.

“One of my clients was a 39-year-old woman with cerebral palsy who was about to throw in the towel and stop trying to find a love,” Lorraine said. “I got her to become more confident and taught her dating and attraction skills, and she has found a guy – who also has C.P. – that she believes is her soul mate.”

Aside from her private coaching and matchmaking practice, Lorraine makes regular appearances on both national and local TV, and is the resident “dating expert” on a Channel 933 radio show, where she has a regular dating advice segment on Thursday mornings.

She is currently in the process of producing her own product line that includes a DVD/Audio series and e-books, and she published two books in 2012: “The Art of MAN-ifesting Mr. Right” and “The Science of being Sexy.”

Lorraine also leads live seminars and weekend workshops, often at Downtown bars and restaurants, where she helps clients test their newfound skills and learn what works best for each one.

“Sometimes, you have to clean a guy’s glasses and get them to see who they can be a mate with,” she said.

If you’re thinking of looking for a Valentine Downtown this year, Lorraine has these tips that can increase your chances.

1. Don’t hibernate. Don’t let rain or cold keep you inside. To meet people, you have to put yourself out there.

2. Go to a sports bar on Super Bowl Sunday or to watch the Aztecs play. It will be fun and very social.

3. Downtown has lots of hookah bars and even if you don’t smoke, they’re great places to meet people.

To learn more about Lorraine and her dating services and workshops, visit her website at DeAnnaLorraine.com.

San Diego native David Moye writes Weird News for the Huffington Post. You can learn more about him at huffingtonpost.com/david-moye.