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Jen A. Miller Consulting

Category: Career

  • Right From the Start

    Right From the Start

    The Single Diaries brunches with yoga teacher Megan D’Amico.

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    Megan D’Amico graduated magna cum laude from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Communication Studies. We met by chance when she was assigned to be the fourth roommate in our dorm suite, proof that everything happens for a reason. She later became my big sis in our sorority, influenced my decision to stay in L.A. after college, and continues to inspire me in so many ways. This past summer, I had the privilege of witnessing the start of a new chapter in her life: Megan’s graduation day to become a certified Kundalini yoga instructor—an unexpectedly emotional day for me.

    In an experience as spiritual as yoga, your teacher’s energy guides the class more than anything else. Her classes are always a perfect start to the week: stimulating, motivating, and thoughtful. Megan shares her journey, her philosophy, and the lessons she learned to get to where she is.

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  • The Single Diaries Brunches With PR Diva Jamie Madrid

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    Jamie Madrid-Mehta moved to L.A. after college (a Journalism and Marketing Communications major) and dove head first into Public Relations. Years later, she took the plunge and started her eponymous firm Jamie Madrid Consulting. Representing the fashion, beauty, accessory, restaurant and lifestyle industries through her array of clients, Jamie has been called a “PR Diva with impeccable taste and truly great connections.” This mid-twenties Midwesterner is the antithesis of generation Y: a self-made go-getter who isn’t afraid of risk or commitment. With the brains to back it up, she’s a recipe for success.

    I met Jamie a few years ago through a friend; we had a breakthrough conversation at that friend’s tea during which Jamie first told me about her plans to launch her company, and we have stayed in touch since. One Sunday we met at Sunny Spot, my favorite neighborhood haunt for bottomless brunch libations. In between rounds of mimosas, Jamie reflected on her experience thus far.
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  • Staying Connected to Your Alma Mater

    Staying Connected to Your Alma Mater

    How your university can help you make new friends, save money, get a job and other amazing tips

    Friday kicks off my alma mater the University of Cincinnati’s annual Homecoming Weekend. While not deemed an official holiday, it ranks pretty high on my list of favorite reasons to celebrate. The weekend centers around a football game hosted Saturday afternoon but doesn’t stop there. A full calendar of events is planned to liven up the festivities. Cocktail receptions, brunches, and tailgates are all part of the weekend’s agenda, planned in hopes of drawing alumni back to show their support.

    Homecoming is a special event for me because it gives me reason to head back home each fall to catch up with college friends, sorority sisters, and past professors and advisors. It’s a special way to pay tribute to the people and places that made college the amazing time that it was. For me this annual showdown of school spirit is just one of the many reasons to stay connected to my university.

    Recent and seasoned grads can reap many benefits from keeping ties with their home schools. Read on for more reasons to consider staying close to your alma mater.

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  • Single Girl Reads | Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In

    Join The Single Diaries’ first book discussion on November 29th.
    PHOTO: http://www.zenparenting.us/
    PHOTO: http://www.zenparenting.us/

     

    It was 1992. I was five years old, and we were camping with my dad’s side of the family. All the cousins my age were boys, and I remember overhearing the parents saying “Look at her, she’s the leader” as I marched the five of us in a line through the campsite. At school, I was no different; I took charge of the games for my friends at recess. It wasn’t until fourth grade that I realized “bossy” was not a compliment from my peers. From that moment on, I made a concerted effort to change my ways… to be nicer to everyone and to take a backseat socially. (For the record, that didn’t stop me from aiming high academically nor in student council, but I knew that I would never be the most popular kid.)

    “When a girl tries to lead, she is often labeled bossy. Boys are seldom called bossy because a boy taking the role of a boss does not surprise or offend.”

    In Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, Sheryl Sandberg dives into issues women face in the workplace as well as issues that younger generations encounter due to long-standing gender roles. Join The Single Diaries‘ first book conversation as I discuss Lean In with my good friend, Huffington Post editor Jacqueline Howard. Pick up a copy and read by November 15th to send in questions: in the comments section of this post, via Twitter tagging @SingleDiariesXO and #SingleGirlLeansIn, or via email leadingladies@toastmeetsjam.com. Sandberg writes “I am also writing this for any man who wants to understand what a woman—a colleague, wife, mother, or daughter—is up against so that he can do his part to build an equal world.” We invite our guy friends to read and join the conversation.

    We will post our discussion on November 29th, so don’t forget to come back to continue the conversation. We can’t wait to hear what you think!

     

    xo Catherine

  • Spotlight on Jessica Sabogal’s “Women Are Perfect”

    Spotlight on Jessica Sabogal’s “Women Are Perfect”

    In August, Jessica Sabogal journeyed to Bogotá, Colombia with her best friend to carry out a larger-than-life mission: to paint a mural honoring the struggle of women in her parents’ native country. In her own words, she shares her experience with The Single Diaries, then Catherine gets the exclusive on her process, her inspiration and what’s next for this artist.

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    “Women Are Perfect” begins in Bogotá, Colombia

    I am in Bogotá, Colombia, my father’s birthplace, with the intention of doing something I’ve never done before: creating a 50’ x 9′ mural honoring the group most affected by Colombia’s 49-year long civil war, las mujeres.

    When I learned that 18% of Colombian women—or 489,687 mujeres—were victims of sexual violence between 2001 and 2009, I immediately thought, “That’s half the population of San Francisco.” It was then that I envisioned a piece that would reflect my reality: a world in which women embrace their perfection, a world in which these crimes against humanity cannot exist.

    Over the course of ten days, I teamed up with local artists, figuring out how to collect the supplies I need to transform this vision into something real and somehow explain to my abuela why I’m spray-painting on the streets of this 613 x 613 mile city.
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