My conversation with Christiana Maxion is a deep dive into the heart of love and connection. Affectionately known as the Dubai Matchmaker, our connection is a blend of personal anecdotes, philosophical musings, and visionary insights into the essence of human connection and the future of love.
Her story begins by meandering through the realms of her personal history, professional challenges, and the philosophical underpinnings of human relationships. Christiana’s reflections on her journey, from a balanced childhood in New York marked by academic excellence and a rebellious streak to her evolution into a pioneering matchmaker in Dubai, are not just narratives. They are lessons in resilience, adaptability, and the relentless pursuit of happiness.
Voices of the Future aims to demystify failure, a lesson my upbringing, filled with love and protection, missed teaching me. I view failure as a crucial learning opportunity essential for growth. “I always say they’re lessons learned,” Christiana says. “When you flip that perspective, you can use those learnings to pivot into creating something different. Those are needed to get you onto the right path.
In the world of love, there are inevitably heartbreaks and failed relationships. Christiana’s skills as a matchmaker extraordinaire are incredible: a 96% success rate, resulting in hundreds of happy and healthy marriages. Her matchmaking journey started from her life experiences, inheriting the knack for connection from her sociable grandfather and father. In New York, she developed a keen ability to read people and predict potential connections intuitively. “I have been a connector my entire life,” she reflects. She started her matchmaking career with a question: what would she seek in a matchmaker?
Her leap into the love industry was met with overwhelming demand, signaling a deep societal yearning for meaningful connections beyond the superficial swipes of dating apps. Her agency, Christiana Maxion Solutions, rapidly expanded on a global scale, evolving from the moniker ‘the Dubai Matchmaker’ to ‘the Billionaire Matchmaker,’ indicative of her clientele’s stature and her agency’s exclusive, high-touch approach.
Christiana expanded her matchmaking expertise from a niche, personalized agency to the global stage with the MAXION app. Designed for ambitious professionals worldwide, the app integrates her tailored approach into a digital format, maintaining exclusivity through a detailed vetting process that includes professional achievements and, in the UAE, passport verification. The app offers high-quality matches and real-world events, emphasizing human connection despite digital progress. Christiana sees this fusion of technology and personal touch as the future of matchmaking, aligning with her vision of enhancing human connections through digital tools.
What do women want? “I often emphasize that women fall in love through an emotional, intellectual connection; they need to hear it. Men can indeed laugh women into bed, highlighting that for many women, attraction transcends looks. Unlike men, who are visual, women value the traditional masculine role of protection and provision, encompassing financial, emotional, and more.”
She shares more insights into the dating world regarding love languages and compatibility: “You don’t need to be a carbon copy of one another; instead, it’s crucial to understand how you express love and how you prefer to receive it. The key lies in recognizing and appreciating how your partner shows love and prefers to be loved, and then adapting to those needs, thereby valuing their unique way of expressing affection.”
I wonder what societal pressures add to the mix. In today’s digital landscape, the pursuit of perceived perfection is relentless, amplified by the pervasive influence of social media. Christiana insightfully critiques this phenomenon: “We live in a society now where we see quote- nquote perfectionism everywhere. It’s all social media. It’s shoved down our throats that if your boyfriend doesn’t buy you a hundred roses, he doesn’t love you.”
She further challenges the authenticity of these social media narratives, emphasizing the curated nature behind seemingly perfect moments. Through her critique, Christiana underscores the importance of recognizing the inherent imperfection in people and relationships, urging a shift from the pursuit of an unattainable ideal to embracing the genuine connections that thrive on authenticity and acceptance. This strikes a chord with me, cementing the deep connection we’re cultivating throughout our dialogue.
Christiana’s clients seek more than a lavish lifestyle; they desire meaningful partnerships for building an empire, family, and legacy. She emphasizes, “They’re looking for depth to build an empire with a family, legacy, and generations.” Her matchmaking transcends superficial connections, focusing on genuine intentions, distinguishing between those “seeking to live a lifestyle and who’s seeking to build a life with somebody.” Personal meetings are pivotal in her method, enabling a deeper assessment of compatibility beyond digital interactions. She underlines the importance of shared experiences, both highs and lows, in evaluating a partner’s suitability for a lasting relationship.
What does the future of love look like? What’s the future of your business look like? “While everything is becoming digitized, we must remember that in this world of AI and technology, humans need humans,” she asserts. “There’ll never be a recession on love because we need human connections.
Partnership is necessary to live a long, healthy, and happy life.”
As life expectancy increases, with projections suggesting lifespans reaching up to 125 years due to advancements in technology, healthcare, and genetics, we’re prompted to reconsider traditional milestones, including marriage. This shift challenges our views on lifelong commitments, be it a career or marriage, in a world where a century-long union may become the norm. The evolving dynamics of relationships and our concepts of love and connection must adapt to accommodate lifespans far exceeding what was once considered a full life.
Christiana’s response is illuminating: “In today’s era of social media’s perceived perfectionism, I believe true connection and building a life with a partner lacks resilience and grit. The misleading belief in an endless pool of compatible matches overlooks the reality that these are merely flat profiles, not the true individuals behind them.”
Should we have only one love or one marriage in a world where we can change careers five or more times and reinvent ourselves? Christiana notes: “I suggest couples create a relationship contract that details their goals, strengths, and areas needing work, emphasizing ongoing growth and periodic reassessment, similar to renewing a lease. They periodically review this contract to evaluate their relationship and decide whether to renew their commitment or separate.”
The conversation leads to the impact of authenticity. We need to bring authenticity into our relationships. Christiana affirms: “Be authentically you because the right partner that you’re going to be compatible with, you will attract when you are genuinely yourself.”
What is her message in a bottle for the next generation? “Be nice enough. As women, we’re often expected to be overly sweet, but it’s essential to set limits. Don’t overextend yourself; let others earn your extra effort.
As our conversation draws to a close, I’m filled with optimism. Christiana’s vision of a world united by love, enhanced by technology, and grounded in authentic human connections inspires a hopeful outlook for what’s possible. Our conversation transcends an interview, serving as a call to action to harness love and connection’s transformative power in a changing world.
“We live in a society now where we see quote-unquote perfectionism everywhere.”
