Starting Over. Again.: Rebuilding Connection After Everything Has Changed — Including You You did not expect to be here. Single at 47. Or 54. Or 61. Navigating dating apps, bad profile photos, and the strange sensation of putting yourself back out there after a marriage — or a loss — that reshaped everything about who you are. Starting Over. Again. is the midlife dating guide that takes you seriously. Written by a licensed marriage and family therapist (Vanessa Cole, LMFT) and a grief and life transitions coach who rebuilt his own life after loss (Cole Hale), this book gives you the honest, research-backed, no-nonsense guidance that most relationship books are too polite to offer. No empty promises. No ten easy steps. Just the real picture — and what to do with it. Part One is written for women navigating dating after divorce or widowhood in their 40s, 50s, and 60s — covering emotional readiness, online dating for women over 50, perimenopause and intimacy, red flags, and how to understand the men you will actually meet. Part Two speaks directly to men starting over after loss or divorce — the emotional work most men skip, the online dating landscape for men over 50, physical intimacy after a long absence, and an honest field guide to the women they will encounter. Part Three is for both of you — financial conversations, romance scams targeting midlife adults, blended families and adult children, age-gap relationships, and legal protections that matter when you are starting over with real assets and real stakes. Topics include: Dating after divorce and dating after widowhood Online dating apps for adults over 50 (Match, eHarmony, Plenty of Fish, and more) Perimenopause, menopause, and desire: what the research actually shows Physical intimacy after a long marriage Gray divorce statistics and what they mean for your generation Romance scams and how to protect yourself Protecting your finances and estate when dating later in life Navigating adult children's reactions to your new relationship If you are ready to stop waiting and start making honest, informed decisions about love and connection in midlife — this book is for you. For the 40s, 50s & 60s crowd. By people who have been there.