For this installment of my Women’s Empowerment Series, I had the honor to interview Camille Virginia, Founder of Master Offline Dating. Virginia developed her unique model by exploring her strengths and overcoming her shyness to be able to teach the world how to find love.
Your career is so fascinating and inspiring. Tell us about your career trajectory?
I had actually planned on being “corporate for life” (and worked in the corporate consulting world for a decade) before following my calling as an “offline dating coach” – which wasn’t even a thing, I created it!
Here’s that story: After growing up shy, I gradually pushed past my social anxiety and fell in love with creating deep connections with people – even strangers. Practicing that passion eventually led to a lot of men asking me out in everyday places – like the grocery store, the airport, even just walking down the street. My friends asked how I met so many men without going online, and for the first time I reflected on what I may have been doing to get so many dates in the real world.
Being the good consultant that I was, I created a PowerPoint presentation to teach my friends some “offline dating” tips they could use too.
That presentation eventually become a live workshop I ended up teaching over 100 times, then an online course, and finally my business Master Offline Dating!
I simply kept following the fun, initially with zero intention to go full-time with my unique offline material. But with every step I took, the next one would appear, so I’d take that too and now here I am.
How did you get started in the industry? What got you interested in the industry?
I used to be very protective of my material because no one else in my industry was (or is!) teaching exclusively on how to meet men in the real world. There are plenty of great dating coaches – from sex experts to online profile writers to matchmakers – but I’m fortunate that my zone of genius is very unique and immediately stands out.
My passion goes well beyond dating though. I help my readers and clients live a more fulfilling life in general, across every aspect – whether it leads to getting a hot date, making a new friend, or simply exchanging a smile with a stranger in passing.
There’s an epidemic of loneliness in the world, and even though I coach single women seeking men, most of my material can help everyone to feel more socially connected, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
What amazing projects can we expect to see next?
I’m SO excited for my first book The Offline Dating Method: Master Meaningful Connection to Attract a Great Guy in the Real World to come out this Fall!
Funny story about my book: I went heads-down for 6 months and wrote the manuscript for what I considered my “life’s work” (my 9-step transformational process The Offline Dating Method and 20 years of dating tips and stories). But when I gave it to my publisher he said “Camille, this isn’t a book. This is THREE books.” So I now have 3 books coming out! The first one this Fall and #2 and #3 likely in 2020.
I’m also very excited about working with my new private clients, and launching my group coaching The Offline Dating Academy in June.
How do you create work-life balance?
Uh oh, busted. Writing 3 books in 6 months required some sacrifices on the work-life balance front, like going into deep creative focus during that time, but it was worth it. Now that the manuscript from the first book is almost done, I’m coming back to real world. My friends and family were very patient and supportive of me, especially during that time, but now I want to see them and have some fun!
Can you share some tips on how to cultivate it in our own lives?
Despite not having the best work-life balance recently, I’ve always stayed close to my good friends and family. Even if I couldn’t indulge our normal 2-hour phone dates, I’d send texts, voice messages and keep up on their lives so they knew I still loved them.
My advice: always tell people you love them. I end every phone conversation with my parents by saying “Love you!”
Make expressing your love a habit, regardless of your relationship status.
Not only will it make people you care about feel great, it will help you feel supported and connected – and those two aspects are crucial to living your best life and achieving your goals.
How do define relationship success?
Relationship success is when you can not only be your real self around your partner, but they bring out the best in you and challenge you to be even better.
Also honesty and reliability are essential for relationship success. You and your partner need to have each other’s back no matter what, always.
What would you tell your younger self?
I’d tell my younger self that the aspects I used to be ashamed about are now my biggest assets: my sensitivity (I’m a Highly Sensitive Person), my ability to organize literally anything (and enjoy every second), and my intensity (which comes out when I get fired-up about something or someone I care about).
Those are aspects that the majority of people in the world don’t have, so I always felt different because of them. Flash-forward to today: my hyper-sensitivity enables me to be empathetic with everyone I meet (especially my clients), my organizational ways mean no matter how crazy life gets I always feel on top of it, and my intensity simply means I care a lot – so hey, maybe more people should be intense!