From matchmaking to date-coaching, Julianne Cantarella is the Queen of Hearts

By Sarah Emily Gilbert

Yente’s got nothing on Julianne Cantarella, President and CEO of New Jersey’s Matchmaker.

In addition to her current career as a matchmaker and dating coach, Cantarella is a former social worker that worked with hospice patients dying of cancer or infectious disease prior to working for 12 years as a licensed therapist for those with severe mental illness. Thus, it comes as no surprise that someone with such a big heart has a knack for connecting the hearts of others.

After Cantarella’s three children were born, she had an itch to take her talents in a new direction, and her husband persuaded her to go on a rather spontaneous interview for a matchmaking company. Fast forward to 2016, and Cantarella is making her mark as one of the leading matchmakers in the tri-state area through her service, New Jersey’s Matchmaker, established in 2009.

“[Getting into the matchmaking industry has] been a journey for me as well as a learning experience. I thought my husband was crazy when he told me to go for the interview, but I got the job, and my passion was born. I’m here to help people, and that’s what I get to do. It’s such an exciting and rewarding profession. I still get butterflies when I hear about my clients’ dates.”

Many think of matchmakers as having a sixth sense for detecting love, but Cantarella credits her high success rates to hard work and dedication. The Fordham grad puts her social work assessment skills to work when she initially meets with her clients for one to two hours in order to learn about him or her and their visions for dating. Though she works with both men and women in relationship mentoring and date coaching, Cantarella only actively matches men. The reason is simple: there are more women than men to match. She has 10 or so male matchmaking clients at a time, but Cantarella gets five to seven women interested in becoming a free member of the New Jersey’s Matchmaker Rolodex per day. By entering into Cantarella’s coveted Rolodex (available on her website), any woman’s compatibility to one of her matchmaking clients can be assessed based on their profile information. If Cantarella isn’t finding “the one” in her Rolodex, she is all about outsourcing. From networking and recruiting to discreet advertising, Cantarella will do just about anything to find her client a viable partner.

While she loves the vetting process involved in matchmaking, Cantarella’s real passion is date coaching because she can help to transform a client in both life and love. She not only teaches her clients the skills for dating, but also has them go on dates. A modern cupid, Cantarella has her clients use online dating in order to practice what they’ve learned – and this love coach has far more wins than losses when it comes to her clients’ dating success. Cantarella knows that marketing yourself is the key to finding a partner online. That’s why she uses a professional photographer, online profile writer, and her personal expertise as a former eHarmoy matchmaking consultant to create a foolproof online dating profile.

According to Cantarella, nuances such as the body language in her clients’ online profile picture can determine whether or not someone shows interest in them. However, Cantarella knows that no matter how well crafted an online profile is, it’s the changes made within the client that truly determines their success in love.

“I help empower my clients to make healthy changes and extinguish all self-limiting beliefs or behaviors that could be blocking them from love. It allows them to see what changes need to be made in order to move forward.”

Cantarella puts her clients in the best position to find love whether it be recommending them to a therapist or dedicating hours of her own time helping them retool their thinking. However, sometimes the littlest changes can make a world of difference. If you’re looking to be more open to love this Valentine’s Day, Cantarella offers a few quick tips:

Don’t Accept Bad Behaviors: Maybe your date never called back; maybe they treated you poorly. Whatever bad behavior it was, Cantarella says it’s unacceptable. Creating new boundaries in a future relationship can prevent it from happening again.

“Make a plan to find your (wo)man”: Cantarella may be an online dating aficionado, but she’s all about finding love organically. Her rhyme reminds singles to actively seek a partner. She suggests volunteering for a cause that has personal or taking a class that might attract people with like interests.

Present the Best You: Whether it’s updating your online profile picture or getting a mini makeover, you should present the best version of yourself to potential matches. That includes working on beliefs and behaviors that could hinder your love life.

So, instead of lamenting over the fact that you aren’t receiving a box of chocolates of a dozen roses on February 14, make it the day to revamp your love life. Contact New Jersey’s Matchmaker so Julianne Cantarella can help you navigate the modern dating world.