Talk of the Town - The ‘Love Doctor’ is in May 13 2004
Auburn Avenue abode reflects decorating expertise, too
I was a little nervous going to the home of Dr. Tiy-E Muhammad, a sex and relationship therapist known as the “Love Doctor.” His advice pops up on Atlanta radio, on network TV and in national magazines, so I was intrigued, if not a little scared, to sneak a peek at his lair. But all my spirits were eased when I entered the tranquility of Muhammad’s sanctuary. From the red interior that Muhammad described as a powerful color to the intricate pieces of wooden art, he also seems to be an expert on decorating.
Creative Loafing: What do you call your home’s atmosphere?
Tiy-E Muhammad: I guess artistic. Spiritual. The people that come into my house they say that it’s very comforting. They say when you walk in, it’s comfortable, soothing. It’s very calming. I compare it to looking at the sea. It’s nothing that’s startling to the eyes.
On your website, it says that you’re the sex and relationship therapist for “The Ricki Lake Show” and a relationship expert for Jet and Ebony magazines. How did that come about?
I went to Chicago to tour my book, Secrets Men Keep, at a black women’s expo and met one of the editors for Jet magazine at a party. We got to talking and she invited me back down the following week to meet the rest of the staff, and we’ve had a lasting relationship ever since. One day I was sitting at my office at Clark Atlanta University, and one of the producers from “The Ricki Lake Show” called me. She said, “Hey, I’ve been following you from Ebony and Jet magazine and you write well and we’d love for you to see how well you do on television.” They invited me to New York and gave me a trial run and it went well.
Do you get any flack from men for revealing their secrets?
Hmm. Every now and then, but it’s not one of those books where it’s revealing secrets as far as game or as far as the things that men do dealing with women. It’s one of those things that reveals the psychological issues that men have when it comes to relationships, like commitment issues, does size matter, money matters, spirituality.
You’re just all over the place! How does the “Love Doctor” make time for romance?
That’s a good question. Really, I don’t. I always tell women that I am associated with that and who comes into my life is that I don’t have a lot of quality time. That’s the reason why I haven’t gotten into another relationship with significant value because a woman deserves to be number one. If you can’t give her that amount of time, it’s going to cause problems in the relationship.
OK, I’m not trying to hate on you, but you’re a relationship therapist and you’re single. Do you have some people who are skeptical of your advice?
Yes, I get it all the time. It’s like they say you’re very young and you’re not married. But I’ve been married. I’m divorced and that’s some of the reasons I am able to give people advice. I have good advice from a spiritual realm, and from a realm I’ve walked myself, based off experience.