Mindy Willens
Drawing from my teaching background and dating app expertise, both as a consumer and a dating app developer, my experience with this subject “dates” back to the dinosaur days of online dating when Craig’s List was among the only options. Finding a compatible match was so difficult that I ultimately co-founded a dating app called Precisely. I had to learn and test the options available in the app-based love landscape and also speak with authority on the features of competing apps.
This drew in people of all ages and varied backgrounds to approach me for dating advice. Many were hesitant to share their interest in finding love and companionship on an app. They needed guidance, support, and reassurance. And that's when I created my comprehensive guidebook. I poured my heart and soul into developing a program that addresses the unique challenges we face in safeguarding our emotional and physical wellbeing when we put ourselves out there to find love.
I wish I had this to offer my little sister when she was dating online. She got into a relationship with someone I can only describe as a walking red flag. Slowly, she became secretive and withdrawn from all of us, acting entirely out of character in a number of alarming ways. We felt so helpless.
By the time we decided an intervention was necessary, it was too late. The boyfriend called us to say she had died. She was 25. Why didn’t we hear from the police? It was because when they arrived on the scene, he told them she had no family and that he was her only family. When we reached her apartment, he had taken her computer along with any artwork she had created. We later discovered 911 calls from domestic abuse incidents. As far as I know, he’s still out there.
As for me, I trusted someone who deceived not only me but everyone in my life. We planned our future together, had a wedding ceremony, even tried to start a family. But it was all a lie. I discovered that he had been cheating from the very beginning and wasn't even single when we met! I have since scrolled past his dating profile, which stated, “you will be enraptured by my honesty.” He is still out there, too.
It was a bumpy road that led me to create this guidebook, but I didn't let it break me. Instead, I channeled my tragedy into a driving force to help others. I wanted to ensure that no one else had to go through what I went through. I don’t always follow my own rules; they are created as I learn from past experiences (mine as well as other peoples’ “he’s still out there” stories). So, when I say that I understand the challenges and complexities of modern dating, it comes from a place of personal experience and a genuine desire to make sure no one feels alone or lost in this.
In regards to her literary works for children:
After receiving her B.A. in Elementary Education/Music from Humboldt State University, she began her career as Music/Art/Drama Program Director at a private school in Los Angeles, CA, working with kids (aged 2-15). She spent the following decade as a childcare professional for individual families and teaching privately. More recently, she launched Nanny University, a 5-Course Nanny Certification.
Every story features the real-life characters from Mindy's life. The lessons are delivered intuitively within the context of the page, so your children easily absorb the concepts and better understand the world around them.
Those who know her, call her "Mindy Poppins." For over 15 years, families have turn to Mindy Willens to kindle their kids' curiosities and lead them on intellectual adventures. Her unique teaching methods and unusual approach to storytelling invite your kids to rhyme right along with her!
