ABOUT ME
About Me and Why I Started HeyLuv
Hi there. I’m Dana Eliášová. But call me just Dana.
We’re friends already, right? :) Because if you’ve ended here, we probably have one big, messy, beautiful thing in common. We both have an experience with wild, modern world of dating. Which is not fairytale but sometimes creepy jungle out there.
I didn’t start this blog because I’m some "certified dating guru" with a perfect track record and a secret formula for marriage in 30 days. I started it because, not too long ago, I was exactly where you are. I was frustrated. I was tired. I was staring at my phone at 11:00 PM, wondering why "finding a decent human being" felt like a full-time job I never applied for.
So, let me tell you how I got here.
My "Welcome Back" to Being Single or The Great Awakening
A while back, I ended a long-term relationship. It was one of those chapters that simply reached its final page. When I finally dusted myself off and decided it was time to meet someone new, I felt like a time traveler.
The last time I was "on the market," things were different. Suddenly, I stepped into a world dominated by algorithms.
I looked around and saw a chaotic mess. Falsified profiles. AI-generated bios that sounded like a corporate brochure. Men who didn't look like their photos. And the blogs? Every "dating advice" site I found felt like it was written by a robot. It was cold and all advices too much generic for me.
"5 Tips to Win His Heart." "How to Mirror His Body Language."
It was all so... sterile. Generic. Empty. It felt like everyone was trying to "hack" love instead of actually experiencing it. I felt completely lost. I wanted a real man, a real connection, and a real conversation. But all I found was a sea of "Hey" and "How’s your week?"
I almost gave up before I even started. Almost.
The Badoo Experiment - The Phase of "What Was I Thinking?"
I’ve spent my career working in technology. I know how systems work. So, I figured, “Dana, just roll up your sleeves and get to work.”
I downloaded Badoo. I uploaded a few photos where I looked "nice enough." 😄 In my bio, I wrote:
“I’d like to meet a decent, normal guy.”
Simple, right? Honest? Yessss
I went to bed that night feeling a little flutter of excitement. I thought, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll see who wants to get to know the real me.”
The next morning, I woke up, reached for my phone, and nearly dropped it. My profile was almost exploding. Likes everywhere. Hundreds of them. For a split second, I felt that tiny, sweet ego boost. “Hey, I’ve still got it! People like me!”
But that feeling lasted about three minutes.
As I started looking through the profiles and opening the messages, the frustration set in. It was a mess. A total "vibe" mismatch. I was swiping through a chaotic jungle of mixed signals.
The conversations? Pure exhaustion.
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
“How are you?”
It felt like I was pulling teeth just to get a sentence out of anyone. I was doing all the heavy lifting, trying to find a spark in a pile of wet wood. I went on four dates. Four. And each one was more draining than the last. Nice guys? Maybe. But we were living in two different worlds. There was no connection. No shared energy.
After the fourth date at August 2025, I sat in my car and I was done. This was my "second job," and I wanted to quit.
"It's impossible that everything has changed so much there. There has to be a way to find one guy we can get along with."
The "Aha!" Moment
So I decided to take a step back. I looked at my own profile through the eyes of the men I actually wanted to meet.
And then it hit me.
My profile was boring, grey. For him it was completely empty. It was exactly like the 50 other profiles I’d just scrolled past. "I want a normal guy" is the most invisible sentence in the world. It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't give a "catch" for someone to hold onto.
I realized that the algorithms weren't failing me I was failing the algorithms. I wasn't being specific enough about who I was, so the app was just throwing me into the huge "everyone" pile and disaster happen.
I didn't need to impress a thousand of men. I didn't want a thousand likes. I just needed one right person.
So i decide to change my profile and show who I am.
I decided to treat my profile like a person. Not a fake, polished person with filters on the photos, but a real one, the real me.
I remebmer It was beginning of school year 2025. My daugher just start studying in new city and she really enjoyed her new life. Now it was time to stat enjoying my life too by inviting someone new into my heart. So i went back on badoo and start from the cratch. I changed everything.
The Photos: I stopped using the "too generic" photos and started using ones that showed my real personality the way I actually look when I’m laughing or doing something I love.
The Bio: I deleted the clichés. No more "I want a normal guy" or "I like traveling and sports." Everyone likes traveling and sports and sure everyone wants to meet someone "normal". Instead, I wrote something specific and direct.
I became unapologetically honest about what I wanted. There was nothing to loose, and i knew i had to change myself.
The next day, everything changed.
The smaller "pile" of profiles the app showed me was different. They were higher quality. They were totaly... my vibe. Hoooray! I started communicating with a clear goal: move from the app to a real-life meeting with the right guy. I didn't want a pen pal, I wanted a partner.
I was little bit ruthless and strict. If someone wasn't being truthful or was just looking to kill time on a Tuesday night, I ended the connection immediately. No hard feelings, just protecting my energy and time.
Then, after about three weeks of this new "intentional" dating, I got a like..... Woooow suddenly a strapping man was looking at me with a calm smile and warm eyes. standing beside another man in Bali with a thumbs up gesture.
“Wow, he’s handsome,” I thought. I liked him. So i send him "like" bak instantly.
He didn't send a "Hi." He sent a real message that opened up a real conversation. Within an hour, we were on the phone. Soon after, we had our first date.
For the first time in a long time, I wasn't looking at a screen. I was looking into his eyes.
We’ve been together ever since.
Why HeyLuv Exists And Why It’s For You
That journey taught me something important.
When I was looking for help during my "dating dark ages," I couldn't find anything that felt human. I found "pick-up artist" tactics for men and "how to play hard to get" games for women. It all felt so manipulative.
I wanted a place that said: “Hey, it’s okay to be vulnerable. It’s okay to be picky. And here is how you actually navigate the tech without losing your soul.”
So, I built HeyLuv.
This isn't a place for "perfect" advice. It’s a place for real stories. I’m going to share what worked for me and perhaps more importantly what failed miserably. I’m going to tell you about the mistakes I made so you don't have to make them.
I want to help you build your own "lovebrand." I want to help you find that one person who makes the morning coffee taste better. Because these mornings are realy amazing.
A Note on Honesty About My English
I have to be real with you English isn't my first language. You might already relaise. 😅
Because I want to make sure my advice is clear and that I don't accidentally tell you to "marry a goat" when I meant "marry a guy," I use proofreading tools to check my grammar. I want the site to look professional for you.
But the heart? The ideas? The "cheeky" comments and the hard truths? That’s all me. If you find a weird sentence or a grammatical "oopsie," I hope you’ll forgive me. It just means there’s a real human behind the keyboard.
The Golden Rule of Dating
If I could leave you with one thought today, it’s this:
“What you shout into the forest is what echoes back.”
In the dating world, this is 100% true. If you put out a "boring, safe, generic" version of yourself, you’re going to get boring, safe, generic matches. If you put out "uncertainty," you’ll get "ghosted."
But if you put out reality? If you are honest, specific, and a little bit brave? You’ll start attracting the people who are looking for exactly who you are.
Let’s make dating a little less "wild jungle" and a lot more "real connection."
Join the Community to stay updated
HeyLuv is for everyone who is tired of the fake stuff. If you have a topic you want me to cover, or a crazy dating story you need to vent about, share it with me. Chances are, someone else is going through the exact same thing right now.
We’re in this together.
I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s find you someone worth the swipe.
With love (and a little bit of cheekiness),
Dana
Author HeyLuv
P.S. Are you ready to stop "working" at dating and start actually meeting people?
I’ll see you in the next post! 😜