"I Don't Get Jealous" Plus 9 Other Facts You Didn't Know About Penelope Trunk

If you haven't had the chance to be introduced to Penelope Trunk, allow me to be the first to blow your mind. Not only is she one of the top bloggers EVER, holding a firm position among the big boys in the male dominated blogosphere as the number one career blogger, she is also an opinion leader teaching the world what the new voice of Generation 'Z' sounds like and um, it actually sounds a bit gravelly.

I was taken aback by the coarseness of Penelope's voice when I spoke with her during this interview; part Wicked Witch of the West, part Grandma warning you to shut the screen door before flies get in. This completely goes against the chirping birds and lullabies I hear when I see her picture and read her beautifully written stories, but then again, every woman I have met who has ever held the title of CEO has the same 'time is money' tone when offering their insight.

Who is Penelope Trunk? Meet the career blogger who annoyed the hell out of women by writing articles that challenge conventional wisdom like Why Living Up To Your Potential is BS or Doing What You Love Is a Bad Idea and let's just banish her to her lovely farm forever for telling us Don't Report Sexual Harrassment At Work, shall we? I'm kidding. Although Penelope's ideas shake the average thinker from their waking slumber by adding a dose of realism, her writing voice is soft enough to lull a harsh day. Her generous advice about being a brazen careerist in this zoinked out world is delivered with a hearty pat on the rear.

Penelope is a coveted speaker who travels the country offering business leaders and hopeful entrepreneurs insight into how we will shape the future of our workforce. She offers coaching sessions for those who need a helpful push in a new direction. She is also the best selling author of The Brazen Careerist; The New Rules For Success and have I mentioned that she is married to a farmer, a man she met through her blog. ~winning~

I didn't need background info on Penelope because there is already so much out there about the self diagnosed start-up addict, so I did the next best thing. I asked her to share 10 things that no one knows about Penelope Trunk.

This is how the conversation went.

Te-Erika: Hi, this is Te-Erika from MySavvySisters. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview.
Penelope: Yes.

Te-Erika: Um. Well, let's get right to it then. I have enough background info so I thought I'd get 10 facts that no one knows about you.
Penelope: Do I have to come up with them?

Te-Erika: No. I have a list of questions.
Penelope: Oh, Ok. Go ahead.

Te-Erika: Ok, so what's the worst thing about being in love with a farmer?
Penelope: That I have to live so far away from the city.

Te-Erika: What's your favorite style of underwear?
Penelope: Clean.

Te-Erika: When no one's looking, what do you eat?
Penelope: I don't eat in front of people. So, everything.

Te-Erika: Yeah, um. If you could be any celebrity for a day, who would you be?
Penelope: This is about as celebrity as I can handle. Getting recognized once a week is already overwhelming enough.

Te-Erika: Are you going to heaven or hell?
Penelope: No. Jews don't believe in that. Jews think everyone is good.

Te-Erika: Something you're afraid of?
Penelope: Sounding stupid in a phone interview.

Te-Erika: The last excuse you gave?
Penelope: I messed up my schedule.

Te-Erika: Rock, Paper, Scissors?
Penelope: That's such a stupid question. I can't answer. What does that question have to do with who I am?

Te-Erika: How you respond when someone asks you a stupid question says a lot about who you are.
Penelope: Hm. You're right. Go on.

Te-Erika: You get jealous when...?
Penelope: I don't get jealous, I have self hatred. Self hatred is a more honest form of jealousy.

Te-Erika: In your next lifetime, you will probably come back as a...?
Penelope: What?! I'm Jewish. Jews get one chance. That's why Jews make so much money. We only get one chance, we can't do it again in the next life.

To learn more about My Savvy Sister of the Week, Penelope Trunk, please visit her blog at PenelopeTrunk.Com.

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$200 Mother's Day Give-Away

Don't you think you deserve to treat yourself to something nice?

MySavvySisters.Com thinks you do. On May 10th we are giving away a $200 VISA gift card to one lucky MOM who subscribes to MySavvySisters. If you are not subscribed yet, you may do so by sending an email to mysavvysisters@aweber.com or subscribing directly through the blo.

To Enter:

1) 'Like' Us on Facebook.
2) Upload a picture of you and your children and post it to our facebook wall with a message from your family telling us what you would do if you could treat yourself on Mother's Day.
3) Check back on May 11th to see if you have won.
4) If you are the winner, send an email to editorial@mysavvysisters.com with your mailing address and your card will be rushed to you within 5 days.

Instructions for uploading pictures to facebook.

1) Save a photo of you and your children to your computer where you can find it. If you do not know where to save it, save it to your desktop.
2) Log into your facebook account.
3) Visit our fan page at www.facebook.com/mysavvysisters
4) Click on where you would usually update your status. Next to UPDATE, there is a link that says Photo/Video.

5) Click on Photo/Video, you will then see a button that says Select an image or file on your computer.
6) Click Choose File. Browse until you find the photo you saved. Click Open.
7) Just above the photo you have now downloaded (opened) write in a message ex: I would love to visit my Mother in Canada this Mother's Day! Thanks for the love!

That's it!

CONTEST ENDS: May 10th at 7pm Eastern. All entrants must live in the U.S. All ages. All races welcomed.

Winner will be chosen at random and announced on MySavvySisters.Com on May 11th at 12 noon.

Good Luck!

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Shifting Gears From Your First Failure

It's okay.

I know how you're feeling right now. You've invested everything short of risking your life for your dream and it seems that nothing is happening. You're exhausted. You're on the verge of depression. It seems like all of your hard work has been for nothing because no one cares and no one is watching and you haven't made any money at all, at least not enough to make a difference. You feel like you've failed.

What do you do now?

You are allowed to rest. Take a break. Take a week. Replenish yourself during this time and do things you wouldn't allow yourself to do in the pursuit of turning your passion into profit.

Take a week to unwind, watch TV and cry if you want to. Turn your phone off. Let go for a minute. Don't do your hair. Don't brush your teeth. Wear the same t-shirt for 3 days in a row.

Breathe.

After that week is up, get back to your work with even more vigor. Create a new way to do the work you have been doing. Find a new way to market yourself. Create a new way to showcase your skills. Do something different, learn a new skill to add to your business acumen.

Don't let go, even if it hurts to look around you and recognize that you are in the same damn situation you were a year ago and you know you gave it your best shot. You haven't done anything WRONG; you just haven't done it LONG enough. Keep going. It's not over. Any minute now the tide could turn in your favor. Don't give up now. You've invested so much that all will really be lost if you decided to walk away.

PUSH.

PUSH AGAIN.

PUSH SOME MORE.

Some one out there needs you to do what you are doing. Someone out there has been waiting their entire life for you to complete what you have been working on. Someone will walk away from your work, smiling, happy, content- complete.

They're waiting on you.

Don't disappoint them. Don't disappoint yourself.

You can do this.

Keep going. Keep growing. Don't Stop.

Go ahead. Get that first failure out of the way.

Don't Stop.

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Editorial: Angry? Confused? You Still Need To Vote

By Christina Fermin
Politics and Society Columnist

As election season heats up and contenders begin there battle one thing is evidently clear. Politics is not what it used to be. Sure they jab and swing at one another and at times release explosive material or say inappropriate things to one another, but this year the election has become very polarized. Especially among the republican party where ideologies have shifted all the way to the right and they have done everything in their power to make sure our President does not succeed and in doing so, have hurt our chances of recovery every day that they fight the President and democrats against legislation and bills that have traditionally been met in the middle.

In the past we have seen moderate contenders on both sides of the party lines and in the past republican and democrats have always come together and worked together to solve issues and pass legislation. Since the republicans have taken hold of Congress last election and especially won among tea party lines, the tea party republicans are more vicious and less willing to work together. During a time when our politicians need to come together and work through one of the most challenging times in the history of this nation, you have grown adults acting like children. In the last 2 years the republican party has continuously made itself look bad and continues to be the party that refuses rather than the party thats willing to. While the democrats act like they have no back bone, at least they have attempted to try and work with republicans.

Now we can sit here and blast republican leadership as well as democratic leadership in the last few years, but to be honest what do you expect? This is the danger of having a two party system that runs along two ideologies that try to fit in a straight line. We all know and understand at this point nothing is ever black and white and both parties are full of shit. They have both made the same argument for the same issues for the past 40 years and the only thing that has changed is the fact that both parties are going to the extreme end of their spectrums with the republicans a little closer to the right than the democrats are to the left.

Every time you have third contender in the mix, they are constantly overshadowed, put down and made fun of by the mainstream media. Third party candidates, no matter how badly we need them, are shunned from politics. The two party system has eroded away at our civil liberties, the balance of power and made way for corruption in our politics that is quit frankly embarrassing. The money alone in political campaign spending is mind boggling and in the millions and billions. Money that can be used for the economy, closing of loopholes, feeding our 1 in 4 starving children and I can sit here and go on. What’s worse is that instead of shunning away and punishing these politicians, we feed into their lies and we join in on their bantering no matter how shallow or uncivil it may be. While television is the main reason for this, it shows the failure in our education system that many people cannot think critically or analyze a situation to come up with their own conclusions.

While there may be many reasons why not vote this year, there are many reasons on why you should vote this year and why voting now is more important than ever. We the people outnumber the ideological fanatics that vote by a high margin. Let’s take that high margin to the ballot box and show American politics that we the people who are mostly in the middle do care and does vote. This time when you vote, do not rely on your television to choose your vote. Take some time and learn about the issues, learn about the candidates and then pick your choice. Do not allow the television to dictate your vote, we have seen in the past what happens when the television chooses our vote, don't forget about the results of the 2000 and 2004 elections.

Not registered to vote or unsure? Check out these websites to help you register: Rock the Vote or USA.gov.

About the Columnist


With a bachelors degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, Christina Fermin has always cultivated her love for history, politics, sociology, ancient knowledge and teachings, the outdoors, the ocean and the environment. Christina strives to make our world better by helping us all create a new reality and understanding of all taking place here and now. You can reach her at Christina@MySavvySisters.Com

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9 Signs You Might Be A Lesbian

I wasn't always aware of the fact that I liked women in a romantic way. I remember playing 'house' with girls when I was younger and also being fascinated by them physically when I was a teen but I "knew" it was wrong to like girls so I squashed the thought in my mind.

Girls and women would usually approach me for dates and show interest once I went to college but I was adamant that I wasn't "that way". I felt like they were trying to convince me to give it a try and I don't like being coerced into anything. I questioned myself a lot over the years and wondered why so many women felt attracted to me. I knew I wasn't into women because I had never been in love with a woman before, but I had many special friends that I treated like they were my girlfriends, without the sexual part. I called it being a good friend.

It wasn't until I was 30 years old that I bumped into a woman that made my heart melt. I wanted her and didn't know what to do with that feeling. Nothing happened although I tried to get to know her to figure out what it was about her that made me desire her and what exactly was I desiring. It was a confusing time period for me and I faced my fear of being attracted to women by dating them and joining online forums for women who like women. Through that period I learned that there are lots of women who are attracted to women and I also met a girl that I liked who liked me back, over the internet. This was a cute first relationship for me and it really showed me that I could love a woman romantically.

The following list is a personal list of all the clues I believe should have shown me that I do in fact, have an undeniable attraction for SOME women.

You Might Be a Lesbian If...

1) You've dated many men but none of them can keep your attention, with the exception of your celebrity crushes.

2) You have a close friend and you want to be her everything by taking care of her every need and making sure she’s happy and smiling everyday.

3) When you have dated men in the past, they were all very feminine or later confessed to being gay.

4) When you imagine a future in a relationship with a man it makes you feel sad.

5) When you meet certain women, your body tenses up and you feel magnetically drawn to them and want to know them.

6) You’ve had to tell yourself, “Being attracted to women is wrong.”

7) Dry humping your partner fully clothed feels better than penetration.

8) You had a promiscuous sexual history with men because you viewed sex with men as an activity instead of an expression of love.

9) You’ve asked yourself, “Am I gay?” many, many times.

If you recognize yourself in these signs, it’s okay. Whether you are a lesbian, bi sexual or even if you realize that you aren't really attracted to women after all, it’s okay to be who you are and be attracted to who you want to be attracted to. There are no written instructions for love. There is no one judging you but you. You can decide today that you are going to go with your instinct and love who you are naturally drawn to.

Attraction is not a choice. You can’t turn it off. You can ignore it and behave how society tells you to behave but will “society” wait with you at the doctor’s office when you are feeling sick?

Your real love is waiting behind the complete acceptance of yourself and your preferences. It’s okay. You can be you now.

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How To Interpret Your Dreams

Did you wake up from a weird dream confused by the images that you saw? Did you visit various websites to check the symbols and their definitions in order to make sense of what happened during your dream life?

The truth is, no one can interpret your dreams better than you can. Your dream world is highly personal and each scenario that you encounter has a meaning that only you can decipher. If you really want to know what your dream means try answering these questions?

1. What is happening in your waking life that you wish would be different?
Your dreams may be an indication of your secret wishes for yourself.

2. How does the dream make you feel when you wake up?
Sometimes the symbols in your dreams have nothing to do with what the dream is trying to teach you. Often, the emotional state you are in when you awake from a dream is the dominant message you can take away from the dream. If you are confused when you wake up, you may be feeling the same way about an issue in your life and it needs to be confronted.

3. What are your best wishes for your life?
Since you are the author of your life, which means you have the power to give definitions to the situations and people you encounter, you can decide for yourself what your dreams mean. If you see a beautiful shoe in your dream, you can decide for yourself what that symbol means. You can say, "I saw a shoe in my dream and that means that it is time for me to move on in life" or "I saw a shoe in my dream so that means that I have a beautiful surprise coming my way." Even a horrible dream can be interpreted to mean that you have faced your worst nightmare in your dreams and you won't have to experience it in your waking life.


You have the ultimate power over the meaning of your dreams. Choose good definitions. Your dreams only have the definitions that you give them.

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