Divorce rates are nasty and too many women find themselves in unhappy, unhealthy marriages. I've compiled a list of eight subjects that, if I found myself Dean of Spouse School, I would recommend as prerequisites to marriage.

According to a recent survey, 49 per cent of Canadians tell lies about themselves in the early stages of a relationship. Whether it's your age, salary, or hair colour, are some truths just too compromising to tell the people we're trying to impress?

M.S. Shadlock's controversial sexual thriller, The Inferno, is about a "sex hotel and casino" in Las Vegas where you gamble with sex, not money. It explores -- among other things -- what happens when couples push the limits of their sexuality in an effort to spice-up their marriages. Would couples really go to a place like this?

To most parents Toddlers & Tiaras is so offensive that we can hardly watch it, let alone relate to it. While this may be obvious to many, what we often fail to see are the grains of these behaviours "normal" parents may engage in. Here are the top five lessons all parents can take from these pageant-parents in order to help their daughters build authentic and long-lasting self-esteem.

If you've got money on your mind but little in your pockets, don't expect a date anytime soon. Turns out almost half of Canadians wouldn't date so...

I am friends with all my exes! Many people find this very strange. Many years ago I had an extremely bad break up, and because there was so much hurt between us we decided to not speak. This was one of the most difficult and challenging times of my life. But as I get older I have little time for bitterness, anger, or hurt. If there is an ex in your life whom you feel anger towards or cannot speak to them, let them go.

What is an ecosexual, you might ask? It's about looking at the Earth not as 'mother', but as 'lover' -- calling to reduce our carbon footprints and revolutionize how we each truly impact our environment. What's a better trend than being eco-friendly and increasing your pleasure capacity at the same time?!

Time heals all wounds, right? Wrong. If a couple who has suffered through infidelity does not properly recover and heal from it, time only makes the scar more visible. The wound may even re-open now and then. But if a couple uses time smartly, it can soothe the pain and the scar can begin to fade.

Meeting guys and dating has never been really a challenge for me. But, it is the development of a relationship where I've wavered. My addiction is my struggle to allow someone to get incredibly close to me. There are few things that scare me more than being completely vulnerable.

Dating and social networking sites provide low-risk, high-excitement ways to connect with strangers and/or reconnect with past friends or lovers. The payoff -- a rush of adrenaline and arousal -- is instantaneous and people often mistakenly believe that they have made an authentic, meaningful connection with someone they have either never met or barely know.

It is socially accepted and possibly expected that a man may date many women at one time in search of that special one. Comparatively, many women may date only one guy at a time hoping that that one guy they invest their time and energy in will eventually become their boyfriend. When it comes to dating, a single woman's best friend is The Roster.

I have to admit, I am a through-and-through romantic and, although my love life has had its ups and downs (whose hasn't!?), I like Valentine's Day. But love isn't an easy concept. For me it's something that has changed as I myself have changed. In each relationship and decade of life, love plays a different role.

I jokingly consider myself to be the first, last, and only incidence resulting from a Jamaican-Slovenian union. There is nothing I find particularly unappealing about non-white guys. But there is something I've always found especially alluring about white guys. When I explained this to someone he suggested that maybe I harboured some feelings of self-hatred that I needed to address...

I am a self-professed good girl. The girl who believes it is courteous to reply to a call, text, or e-mail as I receive them. I can't deny I've been tempted to enter the other side and be that "bad girl" but I've been cursed by the inability to feel morally right playing "the game." I have no choice but to build a case for the good girl.

As a couples mediator, I can state with certainty that marriage problems often show up in the bedroom first. For that reason, it's important for a woman to stay sexual. Women often complain that they "don't feel sexy" any more. Weight gain, normal aging and other body changes. If this sounds like you, here are eight steps to go from feeling like a fat cat to purring like a sex kitten.

If you're struggling to get over your ex, be upfront about this and be clear that you need to take things slow. But no one wants to date the Debbie downer at the derby. If strong feelings are still resonating, that might be a sign that you need some "me" time before trying to get into some "we" time again.

I'm all about staying sexual and attractive post-baby. But I'd like to make a suggestion. Let's leave the MILF acronym where it belongs -- in the domain of teenage boys -- while we adult women (and mothers) grow up and show some class. Here are eight ways to be a MILF with class.

Divorce has become less of a stigma -- you don't have to prove fault, and there is more fairness in addressing financial concerns for the disadvantaged spouse. In addition, there has been extensive research on the impact of divorce upon the family, children, social outcomes and so much more.

If you think your partner is to blame for your relationship troubles, scroll through these 10 signs and ask yourself: Am I turning into the spouse from hell? While this list isn't exhaustive, it does highlight some of the more problematic behaviours that many of us show in marriage. Life's too short for that.

I fell deeply in love, but I wasn't enough the way I was. He's right, I thought. I'm too childish. I should grow up. So I put my comic books away. I stopped talking about music and art. I tempered my excitement about creativity. Sometimes, though, I'd feel this terrible ache.

As a couples' mediator, I see many women who have stopped having fun in their relationships. This year, I'm going back a couple thousand years to excavate some ancient advice from history's most cunning women, such as Cleopatra. How'd she do it? If it worked for the Queen of Egypt in 41 BC, it may work for you in 2013 AD.

In many cases, couples' counselling can be the final nail in the marital coffin. Why? Because counselling is a practice that focuses on the self. This "all about me," approach is the precise opposite of what struggling spouses need to save a marriage in crisis. It's naïve to think that an individual's personal experience with marriage doesn't factor into the relationship advice they dispense.