Olive Ellis helps people find love with matchmaking

Torquato Tasso once said, “True love cannot be found where it does not exist, nor can it be denied where it does.” What if you’re looking in the wrong places or seeking the wrong attributes for the ideal mate? That’s where the professionals come in. Many still consider matchmaking a foreign concept, but St Catherine native Olive Ellis has found a home in pursuing love connections as a career.

“For a decade, I have been assisting persons with finding love, marriage, and fostering lasting friendship. My main role as a matchmaker is to connect people. As our lives become more and more hectic, and our schedules become more crammed, the opportunity to meet people shrinks, reducing the chance of naturally running into ‘Mr or Mrs Right’,” she told Living.

Using a matchmaker, she shared, increases a sense of safety and security, “The client will have peace of mind knowing that their prospective matches have been screened, vetted by a human being and not a computer algorithm. The client’s private information and photos are safeguarded and restricted to the matchmaker for the client’s safety and privacy.”

Altruistic by nature, Ellis knew from an early age that she wanted to work towards a profession that would help others in the process.

After studying business, the scholar made a switch, reading for her degree in guidance and counselling. She would go on to work with two traditional high schools before leaving the classroom.

Going from banking to food trading, she made a stop in the healthcare services industry. Feeling unfulfilled, she returned to her first love, obtaining a master’s degree in counselling psychology, with a speciality in marriage and the family.

“I worked at a university for five years; first as an assistant dean of practicum, then as a senior director to the president, and later as counselling psychology associate at the university’s counselling centre. I resigned to work full-time in my practice, providing relationship counselling,” she revealed.

As a counselling psychology associate, Ellis recalled women making queries pertaining to the whereabouts of single men. The requests grew in number, so one of her colleagues suggested she offer matchmaking services, to complement her professional portfolio.

After much consideration, Ellis decided to take the speciality for a spin, interviewing her first client in 2014.

She explained that, for some clients, the search for a new partner can induce more stress than anticipated and it is for this reason that they avoid dating altogether, remaining hopelessly pessimistic about any romantic future.

“Having a matchmaker is like having a personal dating assistant who will take all the work out of the process, so the client can focus on getting to know that special person. Clients looking for a committed partner can rest easy knowing that their personal matchmaker is vetting highly compatible singles for them,” she shared.

Speaking briefly on the difficulties in finding eligible bachelors in Jamaica, she noted, ”There were some men who wanted the service but didn’t want to pay the fee. Then there were those who believed that it would ‘emasculate’ them, because men are predators by nature and are of the view that they should seek their mates themselves.”

Instead, she found that taking the practice to Canada when she migrated has been a refreshing change that she welcomes with open arms. “It’s not the same experience with most men in North America or Europe. The men in these countries who use a professional matchmaker are serious about finding a relationship that will last,” she said, adding, “They are as proactive in their dating lives as they are in their professional ones. They are busy professionals who don’t want to waste time playing games with people who don’t share their interests and values.”

Launching in Canada, she offers coaching and matchmaking services internationally. To sharpen her skills, Ellis did a matchmaking course with Global Love Institute. Although it was challenging to set up, the professional believes it was worth the effort.

“Dedicating my work and time to helping clients with their relationship issues, I give 100 per cent customised service to every client. International clients can use phones or any video conferencing platform convenient to them. For matchmaking, I only work with singles who are serious about finding love, and I personally vet, hand-select and connect singles, based on their values, wants, relationship goals and lifestyle,” she pointed out.

It is important when she is matching clients that they are compatible in these elements: they have the same wants in a relationship; they are on the same emotional and intellectual wavelength; they are mutually on the same page about life aspirations, inclusive of level of ambition; have a similar lifestyle and outlook on the world; aligned in values, wants, needs, and desires; a good fit on a practical and logistical level; and have enough common ground and yet enough polarisation in interests to ensure the connection has enough foundations on which to build conversationally.

“Hiring a matchmaker doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with you or that you’ve failed at dating. A matchmaker is simply there to guide you to where you want to go and whom you want to meet. It’s an investment in your happiness,” she added.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com