Is finding love an intention for 2024? Ready to Love: Make a Move host Tamica Lee says, come to New Orleans to find the one!
“New Orleans is such a great city—the vibe and the culture. Between the food and the people and just the city itself, it’s like you’re dating another person,” she says, adding it was the perfect location for this season of Ready to Love: Make a Move. “New Orleans is like a storybook of love and romance, everything you need. It makes sense for us to be here.”
On the series, four women, Ashlee Akins, Shareese Logan, Zadia Murphy and Verneashia Allen, have relocated to New Orleans, where Lee has been setting them up on dates throughout the season. “Why not move to another city to see if you can find love,” she offers. “If you get out of your city, away from all that noise, you can be more open to finding love and be intentional about being in one space with a goal in mind.”
Lee has always been a matchmaker in her home city. “That’s who I am in my real life,” she declares. “Obviously, I was a news anchor. But I’ve always set people up. When the series opportunity came about, I felt like it was my dream job. I get to do what I love: help people find love.”
She understands that finding the one is a daunting task. “I think the hardest part is finding out what you want.” For the women on the Ready to Love: Make a Move, that meant breaking down their baggage.
“There are those diehard things that we don’t change about ourselves that we bring to relationships,” Lee points out. Vulnerability is key so that you are open to love and can find a partner. “If it doesn’t work out, you’re learning something about yourself,” she adds.
Lee can also drop knowledge on sustaining a marriage. She’s been with her husband, Black Gulf Group CEO Barry Smith, for 20 years.
“I had a certain type of guy that I always would want or go for or date, and my husband fit none of that fit. None of it was any person I ever thought I would date or want to date,” she explains. “I always say make a list, write down everything you want on paper and then tear it up. Because what you want on your list is not probably what you need. Stop looking for those things that we think we want. I found my person. He had a kid, he was older, he had a child, all things I thought I didn’t want. But I tell you this: He is the best man for me as my life partner and soulmate. It worked out. So you have to form a friendship.”
Here’s her advice on sustaining a marriage for two decades. “I’m keeping a healthy relationship. It’s a lot of communication and patience,” she exclaims. “It’s choosing that person every single day. It’s been 20 years. There are days I don’t like this man, but I’m choosing to make myself better as his partner every day. And when you choose, you find your way back into it.”
Catch the season finale of Ready to Love: Make a Move on January 5, 2024, on OWN Network.
