Episode 1,3: We Don’t Date Potential

In this bold and unfiltered episode of High Heels, Higher Standards, co-hosts Ashley Werner and Heidi Hushak unpack the all-too-common trap of dating for potential instead of reality. If you’ve ever fallen for a man’s promise rather than his presence, this one’s for you.

Ashley shares personal insights and lived experiences about investing in relationships that look perfect on paper—but leave you emotionally drained. Heidi helps break down the cultural conditioning that leads high-achieving women to become unpaid life coaches, therapists, or personal development mentors in their own love lives.

Together, they explore the difference between chemistry and compatibility, the importance of emotional safety, and how to recognize when you're more in love with someone's potential than their actual behavior. You'll get a reality checklist to help you break up with fantasy, stop dating resumes, and start choosing partners who show up—right now.

✨ Topics Covered:

• Why “potential” is not enough in a relationship
• The checklist trap: dating for optics over connection
• How to identify emotional unavailability
• Shifting your standard: from performance to presence
• Breaking the pattern of over-functioning in love

🎧 This episode is for the ambitious, emotionally intelligent woman who’s done settling for “almost.” It’s time to raise your standards—not your tolerance.

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Thank you for listening, lovelies!