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Ep. 53 with Katherine Gyolai | Founder, Find Love Safely

Author
Kelly Kirk
Published
Tue 17 Jun 2025
Episode Link
None

Love Finds a Way (Even When Tinder's Not an Option)

When Katherine's son with Down syndrome asked if he could download Tinder, her immediate "no" sparked a revolutionary idea. As a mother of four children with varying intellectual and developmental disabilities, Katherine recognized a critical void—adults with disabilities deserve safe paths to love and connection too.

Katherine's journey to founding Find Love Safely weaves through profound personal transformation. After years as a stay-at-home mom initially driven by a desire to "fix" her children's disabilities, she gradually discovered the grace of accepting them exactly as they are. Her path led through corporate America, coaching, and what she describes as "the darkest year of my life" in 2024—experiences that uniquely prepared her for her current mission.

Find Love Safely isn't just another dating app. It's old-school matchmaking with modern safeguards. Katherine personally meets every member and their guardian via Zoom before adding them to her database, ensuring authenticity and safety. The service has already created meaningful connections, with her son being the first success story, now happily in a relationship where they "have FaceTime dates every night where they sing worship songs to each other."

Beyond romance, the service creates vital socialization opportunities. "Our children were isolated, on their devices all the time and looking for connection online," one parent told Katherine. Now, members practice conversation skills, learn boundaries, and build confidence in real-world interactions. What began in the Twin Cities has quickly expanded to multiple locations nationwide, with Katherine providing not just matchmaking but also educational resources on dating etiquette, consent, and healthy relationships.

Join us for this powerful conversation about motherhood, resilience through life's valleys, and how one woman's empathetic understanding of a vulnerable population created a business that's changing lives. Follow Find Love Safely on social media or visit findlovesafely.com to learn more about this growing movement to help adults with intellectual disabilities find meaningful connection safely.

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Credits:

  • Editor: Joseph Kirk
  • Music: Kristofer Tanke


Thanks for listening & cheers to Reclaiming Your Hue!

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