What does it take to find the love of your life? Or maybe even just a great date? For some, it takes a little luck, timing and patience. And others, well – they need a little help.  Enter Hunt Ethridge, a charming New York area dating coach, who promises when he’s done with you – you’d want to date you!

The trick is giving people the best version of yourself, says Ethridge.

“When you are happy, people are going to be drawn to you,” he says. “We teach them to become the prize. As a coach, we teach them to be the best version of themselves. We don’t turn you into something you’re not.”

This Hobokenite learned a lot about the dating scene vastly from experiencing it in the Mile Square. Ethridge moved to Hoboken over 10 years ago straight after college.

“All those late nights out were a great testing area for my future job,” he laughs. “You can learn a lot. It’s a great place.”

He equates Hoboken to one big sandbox. Everyone is concentrated in a small area, connected through the vast circles of friends. Daily interactions and social obligations can provide ample opportunities to improve one’s technique.

Some guys think all they need to do to get a woman interested is to buy them drinks and be funny. Although a certain type of woman will go for that, the coaching sessions are designed to help get you past the first impression. But it’s more than just teaching social skills. While they certainly teach that, it’s more about teaching life skills that can be applied to all areas of your life. It’s a more thoughtful approach to living.

“I had a client’s father tell me that he wanted his son to take the course again because it improved all areas of his life,” he said.

You might think, who is this guy kidding – he’s handsome and charming – how could he know about the difficulties of dating? Hoboken is a great place to be single, he says. But he cautions, if you enter a poker tournament and don’t know how to play – don’t be surprised when you get eliminated. This savvy coach has applied his own teachings to his life. Two years ago, he entered grad school for an MBA in marketing. At the same time, he made a commitment in his personal life and became engaged to his girlfriend Keren.

“I equate our sessions to tennis,” he explains. “It’s our job to teach you the forehand. It’s up to you to hit it against the wall 1000 times. Like anything, people who put the time and practice in become better faster.”

Yet there is still a certain stigma involved with going to a dating coach. There is the impression that something is wrong with you if you need help. Not so, says Hunt, who believes everyone can benefit from a little coaching. “If you took tennis lessons and got really good, you would tell people – ‘I have this really great coach,’” he said.

In addition to coaching, Hunt also runs a local social group Meetup.com. named Hoboken Singles and Friends. While the group isn’t like a coaching session, he believes it’s important to put yourself out there, much like an athlete trains.

While most of his clients are men, he says that women can greatly benefit from a male dating coach.

“For women, it’s about teaching them to not sabotage themselves,” he said. “As a powerful, successful woman, it’s a lot harder because men are intimidated. I’m not saying, ‘dim your star.’”

He explains that strong women could sabotage themselves by being, well, a little too critical.

“Yes, maybe you could have arranged dinner plans better, but it’s important to be grateful to the guy for his effort,” he explains. Simple social amenities like being nice and saying thank you should be employed.

For men, his approach is teaching a mindset: “Confidence. Leadership. Power. Image – it’s about teaching a client to grow these things.”

“We switch it around from the popular approach of ‘getting someone.’ We teach people to become the prize,” he said.

For more information about social groups or coaching sessions, visit: www.NewYorkDatingCoach.com email Hunt at: Hunt.Ethridge@gmail.com. Interested parties can mention they saw this article for a discount for services. Photo of Ethridge by Jamie Greenburg.

If you know a Hoboken local who would make a good candidate for a Faces article, email: Diana@hmag.com.