If you read forums online or sign onto Reddit’s "How many relationships did your wedding ruin?”, you will be consumed by the thousands of ways in which weddings adversely affect friendships.

My friend didn’t invite my kids or my partner to the wedding.

My best man got drunk and gave an obnoxious speech.

My MIL stole one of our cash gifts.

My friend showed up with extra guests.

My brother got engaged on stage during his speech.

All types of relationships can be redefined at a wedding — oftentimes because tensions and expectations are simply too high. Jess joined Jeff and Carolyn on The Morning Show to discuss how you can manage sticky situations related to finances and nuptials.

Check out the summary and video below.

How does the cost of weddings negatively affect friendships?

A recent study found that the financial stress of the wedding can also take a toll on close friendships with one third of bridesmaids reporting that the money associated with a...

Good morning! Earlier today, I joined Cheryl Hickey and Jeff McArthur on The Morning Show to talk about the Marriage Pact — an app designed to help students find a backup plan in case they don’t find a forever partner in time to align with their life goals.

Check out the summary and video below.

Important note: Of course, not everyone wants one forever partner, so check out last week’s podcast on Toxic Monogamy and our recent interview on Consensual Non-monogamy if you want to consider alternative approaches to relationships.

1. What is the marriage pact?

The Marriage Pact is a multi-year study out of Stanford designed to match people up in stable partnerships using economic theory and cutting-edge computer science. But it’s not designed to help you find the one — its goal is to help you find a backup plan. The program analyzes core values as opposed to interests and attraction (which can change) and since it was designed for college students, they...

One in five Canadians reports being lonely and research suggests that loneliness plagues Torontonians and folks in big cities across the nation. Loneliness not only affects our quality of life, but is associated with higher rates of depression and anxiety which are tied to physical health issues including heart disease and high blood pressure.

If you’re looking to spark new relationships — intimate or platonic — in Toronto, there is no better time to get started than the present. Jess joined Jennifer Valentyne on Global News Morning Toronto to share five ways to find love and friendship in the city.

Check out the summary and video below and make a commitment to trying one of these approaches today:

Why is it so hard to meet new people in big cities?

The density of our living conditions leads to anonymity as the norm. We don’t take the time to get to know people because we’re surrounded by so many folks that we’re never ever alone. Think about...

Gossip and trash talking in the workplace…sometimes it bonds employees but is it ever worth it? What should you do if you know that you are the subject of it? How do you stop trash talking and gossiping if you’ve developed a bad habit of it? Plus strategies for encouraging co-workers to tone it down. We all know how contagious and toxic it can be, so Jess sat down to discuss with Jeff and Carolyn on The Morning Show.

Check out the summary and video below.

We all gossip from time to time, so what is it’s appeal?

Gossip can be damaging, but research suggests that it can also produce personal and group benefits. For example, some folks report that it eases anxiety to talk about a negative interaction or observation as a means of warning others. Research at Stanford University suggests that when you learn about potentially negative behaviour from others, you can avoid negative interaction and foster collaboration with those...

Road trip season is upon us! In fact, I just returned from an 8.5 hour drive with my partner, @VerityBrandon. We spent the weekend at Wanderlust in the Vermont mountains (near Stratton) where we practiced Yoga, hiked to several peaks and spread good vibrations in the Soul Pleasure tent with We-Vibe and Womanizer.

Here are a few pics from the weekend…

Road trips can be a great way to spend time with your loved ones, but they can also be stressful, so I joined Carolyn and Jeff this morning to share a few tips and insights on how to make the most of your time on the road.

Check out the notes and full video below.

1. Do most people enjoy a long road trip or is it normal to fight?

It’s common to experience tension or argue while on a road trip because tensions are high when you have so little control over your environment. You can’t control traffic, road closures or inclement weather and this lack of control can lead to stress which involves an increase in cortisol...

Research suggests that over a third of Canadians have lied to their partner about money and an equal number of been on the receiving end of financial infidelity. Jess has worked with more cases of financial infidelity than she can count, so she joined Carolyn and Jeff to discuss this hot topic on The Morning Show today.

1. What is financial infidelity?

Financial infidelity can take many forms. It might involve hiding money, lying about debt or income, inflating or deflating figures, falsifying records or using financial power to manipulate your partner. It can wreak havoc on a relationship, but it can also be a symptom of relationship troubles as opposed to the root issue itself. Oftentimes it stems from telling smaller lies at the beginning of the relationship, which snowball into additional lies intended to support the original falsehood.

2. Why do people lie about money?

Oftentimes, it’s related to shame and judgment, but there are many reasons why one might be inclined to...

Research suggests that lying is a regular part of our daily interactions, so Jess sat down with Carolyn and Jeff on Global TV's The Morning Show to discuss the research in terms of prevalence, consequences and how to overcome a lie. Check out the video and summary below.

What do people lie about in dating and relationships?

Research suggests that we tend to lie about the following topics in our dating profiles:

Appearance - Both men and women are likely to lie about physical characteristics such as height (50% have lied and men are more likely to stretch the truth) and weight (women are more likely to subtract pounds — an average of 8.5 for women and 1.5 for men).

Age and Income - Whether they round down to the lower age bracket or round up to a higher income bracket, both men and women are dishonest in this department. If your love interest is sporting fashion or a hairstyle from another decade in their profile pic, they might be lying about their age. Daters also tend...

This morning on The Morning Show, Jess sat down with Jeff and Carolyn to address YOUR relationship questions. Check them out below, along with her video interview.

I love my wife and we have always had a pretty good relationship, but lately we are starting to feel more like roommates and I feel like we’re in a rut. How do we reset and give our marriage a makeover?

You’re already on the right track, because you opened with the positive: you’ve always had a good relationship and you know that this rut isn’t permanent.

Oftentimes, advice related to breaking out of a rut focuses on injecting novelty, but I suggest you look to the past to shape the future:

Can you identify what made your relationship so great in the past? Can you make a list of what you used to do well and can you make adjustments to restart some of these behaviours or rituals? If you look back a few years, what did you do differently? Did you spend more time with friends? Did you spend more...

More Millennials are delaying sex and some experts say that technology and porn are to blame.

"Millennials have been brought up in a culture of hypersexuality, which has bred a fear of intimacy,” psychoanalytic psychotherapist Susanna Abse of the Balint Consultancy told the Sunday Times.

Others suggest that young people are so engrossed in digital relationships that they don’t have the time or skills to develop real-life connections. They theorize that their commitment to their phones, friends and careers has made them fearful of relationship commitment.

Jess doesn’t necessarily disagree, so she sat down with Jeff McArthur to discuss this study and its findings this morning on The Morning Show.

What did this study find?

A study called The Next Steps project examined data of more than 16,000 young people born in 1989 and 1990 starting when they were 14 years old. They found that millennials are delaying intercourse and that 1 in 8 consider themselves virgins at age...

Jeff and Carolyn may not be in the dating market, but that didn’t stop them from creating mock profiles to solicit feedback from Jess. Check out Jess’ advice for crafting effective online dating profiles in the video and notes below.

Make your profile photo pop. Present a clear photo of our face (preferably smiling) and do not include anyone else in the photo, as you do not want viewers to have to guess which face is yours. Online dating moves at a rapid pace, so if your message isn’t clear from the onset or they have to do work to figure out what you’re trying to convey, most folks will swipe away. Take a photo specifically for your dating profile rather than using one from your highlight reel in which you’re all glammed-up and try not to crop photos other than to fit the sizing requirements.

Tell a story with your supplementary photos. Include a few additional photos that illustrate who you are and what you value. How do you normally spend your...