Pronounced the-missing-link, Carissa Link is the founder, author and voice behind theMRSingLink LLC (TML), a relationship and lifestyle blog catered to unfiltered dating, relationship and marriage advice in today’s day in age.

Carissa Link uses her personal experience as an online dating success story as well as a wife to her husband of 10 years, and insight as a certified relationship coach to help those in the online dating world, in relationships and marriage. Her motivation is pretty simple: to use theMRSingLink as a growing resource for women (and men) on improving their relationships and breaking unhealthy habits and patterns in life (and exposing them) through a non-sugar-coated approach.

A little backstory..

Growing up as an only child had its struggles and misfortunes despite how much I’ll say it was the greatest thing ever on the outside. As the more shy, reserved quiet type in public yet rambunctious and self-entertained behind closed doors, I spent aaaaaaaaa lot of my time *observing* the world and those around me, preferably from afar, where no one would notice. I hatedddddd being the center of attention, though there were often times I felt totally invisible – unseen and unheard. Cue feelings of shame, not being confident in who I was and people liking me for me.

I became a chameleon at a young age, with the aim to make others happy. At the same time, I wasn’t surrounded by many healthy familial relationships nor was that something fully modeled to me. That being said, making friends didn’t come easy for me, and I got along infinitely better with boys who were like me personality and interest-wise from a young age.

This only really started coming to light as I went from being homeschooled to entering public school in 6th grade. I still felt like I had to have this tough grip on being this person I wasn’t for everyone else’s sake, and it look natural.

I won’t bore you with the rest, but at 30-something I was hit smack across the face, like I had just woken up from a coma the last 15 or more years, not knowing who I even was. I had been masking, or wearing a mask, all this time when it suddenly fell apart and entirely out of my control.

I felt like a phony, exposed, paralyzed, lost and – deep down – absolutely petrified.

I woke up to the fact I had been coasting through a dead-end job I grew to dislike, didn’t even know what I actually liked nor what I wanted to do with my life, and had zero clue who I was.

It was like my identity – that was rooted in all these other things and according to what I thought others wanted me to be – totally fell apart, went limp, died, vanished. Like I had been operating through life in the dark only to suddenly have the light switch turn on.

After having met my now-husband from online dating, finally finishing college after nine years, getting married, and reaching this point of feeling stuck and completely alien, I was able to focus on something I was actually passionate about while unpacking the many boxes (of pain, thoughts and feelings, memories, realizations, regrets and dreams) I had stowed away all these years.

I really wanted to help people navigate relationships in life, as someone with a fairly unique view and position on Love, commitment and connections.

Since then, my passion has only deepened alongside my journey of self-rediscovery, Faith and growth. I’ve been learning to quiet the constant background noise and chatter of the world, to live slower, break unhealthy patterns and habits in my life, and truly focus on the things that matter. The best part, for me, was being called back to Jesus when I was at my lowest.

So if you follow my blog, you’re on this journey with me in real-time. That being said, if you ever just want to talk, vent or spill your guts – reach out to me – I’m here for you!