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Jen A. Miller Consulting

Category: Inspiration

  • What They Want For Christmas

    Colleen Viana shares three superbly single Characters that deserve holiday presents
    PHOTO: Foo&Faff, HIMYMFans, Screened.
    PHOTO: Foo&Faff, HIMYMFans, Screened.

    TV is a big part of my life and always has been. Now this isn’t something one should ever really admit to—you know, being “lowbrow” and all—but growing up an only child, my weeknights would normally consist of me in front of the set watching anything and everything. I loved being able to grow up with certain characters and pretend like they were my friends in real life (I’m still mad at Kelly for what she did to Brenda). But really, I’d get so invested in their fictional lives. And I still do. Lots of life lessons I’ve learned vicariously through watching a ridiculous amount of television; in honor of that, I had to make this list of Christmas gifts each of my favorite, inspirational single girl characters deserve.

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  • The 52-Week Challenge: One Reader’s Quest to be Superbly Single

    The 52-Week Challenge: One Reader’s Quest to be Superbly Single

    Serial monogamist Kristelle Siarza makes a promise to herself to stay single for one year.

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    Years ago when I heard Fergie’s “Clumsy,” part of the song caught my attention and made me immediately think of myself:

    You know this ain’t the first time this has happened to me
    This love sick thing.
    I like serious relationships, and uh
    A girl like me don’t stay single for long.
    ‘Cause every time a boyfriend and I break up
    My world is crushed and I’m all alone…
    The love bug crawls right back up and bites me, and I’m back.

    It has been ten years since I was last single: I was a 16-year-old at La Cueva High School, lonely after my move from the Bay Area to New Mexico. After that failed “high school sweetheart” relationship, the others fell in line one after the other with titles out of Carrie Bradshaw’s black book: “baby daddy,” “the Guatemalan,” and most recently, the “40-year-old.” All great relationships, all ending in heartbreak and tears.

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  • Single Girl Reads: Lean In

    Catherine and Jacqueline discuss Sheryl Sandberg’s bestseller as it relates to generation Y, feminism, career decisions, and definitions of success

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    Catherine’s review: Well-written and well-researched. You may think that you get the gist from her TEDTalk, but there is so much more to Sandberg’s words. Thought-provoking and discussion inducing… A must-read for women as well as for men. I can’t wait to discuss with others who’ve read.

    Jacqueline’s review: Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In is kind of like a pep talk for women. She argues to believe in yourself, “lean in,” and trust you can have it all. I love how she asks, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” But sometimes it’s not that easy. However, we all could use a personal cheerleader every now and then. So that’s how I see the book, as a pick-me-up when you need a little push.

    Jacqueline and I got together over Google Hangout for a two-person book club discussion about Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead. Despite the limited scope of opinions, Sandberg’s content prompted some disagreement and controversy.

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  • Thank You For Reading!

    Thank You For Reading!

    The Single Diaries celebrates three months with a little help from our friends
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    PHOTO: Tara Freese.

     

    Happy Thanksgiving! When we set out on this journey, we were focused on finding a creative outlet for ourselves. We knew we had a great idea to share our experiences as twenty-somethings with others and to call on our girlfriends to share their life lessons with us. The Single Diaries hit its three-month mark last Sunday, and we are overwhelmed with the response we’ve received from our extended circles in this short amount of time. When you’re focused on writing and getting posts up on time, it’s easy to block your view of where the website stands in the public sphere. Because of this, your words of encouragement, support and affirmation mean the world to us. We are grateful that you are reading. We are grateful that you find value in our words. We are grateful that you want to share in our vision. We are grateful to have you wonderful people as friends.

    We wanted to celebrate our work, your work, and our friends, so we hosted our first Single Diaries Friendsgiving at Jen’s new place.

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  • 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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