You probably wouldn’t know it from watching the show, but it’s the first time Heidi has been part of a TV series – usually she’s behind the microphone as a guest commentator on radio! Despite it being her first time in front of the camera, she steadily gave advice to inspirational over 50s on the show about how they could navigate love in the digital world.

“I loved my experience on the show – much more than I’d anticipated. The crew was particularly welcoming and after running my own private practice for so long, it was nice to work in a team,” Heidi tells GemLife after filming wrapped.

“It also gave me a chance to push and challenge myself. Normally my sessions are private, so it was interesting and fun to challenge my skills while on full display to not only the person I was supporting, but in front of the whole filming crew.”

Heidi, 50, is passionate about helping people with all aspects of their lives, and has worked with clients from all age groups, from children to those in their 80s. She is also a marriage celebrant.

For AGELESS, she was asked to help inspirational Australians over 50 explore the possibilities of finding love again – something she’s familiar with in her practice as well.

“I see a lot of single people in their 40s and 50s and they want to explore how they might play out the second half of their life,” Heidi said. “They might be wanting to change or have been forced into change if they’ve experienced the death of a partner, for example.

“A lot of life has been lived by the time you are 40 or 50 and behaviours are engrained so if you are seeking change, it’s possible but it takes hard work,” she said. “We basically have to ‘unlearn’ the way the way we did things the first time. If someone leaves a marriage where they didn’t feel happy, or loved, or felt unheard, then they might need to relearn and have a refreshed approach to their own behaviours and what they would like in a partner.”

While everyone is different, there are some common themes arising from people wanting to get back into the dating game. For men their fears are often centred around not being successful enough, while for women it’s often fears based on being judged for how they look.

“Generally speaking, women often feel they are ‘too old, overweight, wrinkly, have too much baggage, or have been out of the game too long’,” Heidi said. “Men are often worried about being perceived as successful. They worry women only want money and security.

“When this happens, I generally ask them to look at their own values system, and would their best friend be judging them on those things? Do they look for those things in a potential partner, and often you’ll find the answer is no. They are looking for other traits.

“Of course, there are people out there that do care about status, money, or looks but I say to them that those people are not your people. Put a strike through those ones and hit ‘next’.”

As you’ll see on AGELESS, Heidi is passionate about online dating.

“So many people in the over-50s age bracket are reluctant to do so and that might be because they’re unfamiliar with it. Everything is online though and online dating is efficient. They text their grandchildren, and use the internet for other things so why not for dating? If you’re not going to start lining up at the post office to pay your bills again, perhaps look at this the same way. I’ve done online dating and I walk people through it. There are always going to be red flags to watch out for, but there are red flags to watch out for if you meet someone at the pub. I encourage people to give it a try.”

To see more of Heidi’s great relationship, confidence-building, and dating advice, catch her on episodes 3, 5 and 7 of GemLife’s TV series, AGELESS on the NINE Network.