Laura's Story: Finding Love at 49 With Her FBI Agent Husband
Laura & Jeff
A physician in Chicago and a full-fledged Ironman triathlete, Laura had built an impressive career and an impressive level of physical endurance — but dating was the one finish line that kept moving.
Laura had never been married and had struggled with what she called a "bad picker" going back to high school, when she developed crushes on classmates who turned out to be gay without her realizing it at the time. In her 20s, that pattern continued with emotionally unavailable men — starving artists, long-distance relationships, and more — and it carried well into her 40s even as her medical career flourished and she became a competitive triathlete.
Laura heard Bela interviewed by author Arielle Ford and reached out to Smart Dating Academy, telling herself, "If I can do an Ironman, I can find my soulmate."
That decision changed the course of things for her, ultimately leading her to Doug, an FBI agent, whom she met on Match.com.
At 49, after a lifetime of dating the wrong pattern of men, Laura finally recognized what a healthy, right-fit relationship felt like with Doug. The two were married in a ceremony at her house, and today they're living happily ever after — proof that a lifelong pattern can be broken at any age, with the right guidance.
