Explore pop-culture, current events, hot-button topics and all things relationship-related with Pittsburgh native, editor and co-founder of twodaymag, Natalie Bencivenga.
Tracey Steinberg, Dateologist and host of New York City's only interactive live dating advice show, Dating Help 911!, was kind enough to have me as a guest for the third time. We had a fantastic conversation on How to Ensure a Second Date. It was a lot of fun and I hope the advice and tips are helpful! Enjoy!
For the last six years I have spoken publicly about the times I had been sexually abused. Appearing on national forums, speaking at high schools, and writing columns about my experiences I have left everything out in the open. I thought by sharing myself and being a vocal advocate for those sexually abused it would help me with my own recovery process. I also felt by sharing my story I would help those as well who lived with the shame and guilt of sexual abuse.
I was right on both accounts: Some people told me I inspired them to receive help and I got the release I needed through sharing my story. However, after appearing on a reality television series that really played up my past history with sexual abuse, I have gotten to the point where I feel overexposed. It seems as though everyone knows my story. If you took the time to Google me, link after link would direct you to my past. I have, in a sense, lost myself through my openness.
The other day I thought I was going to go insane. I looked at my calendar and almost had a mini-panic attack. How the heck would I accomplish all these tasks in a short period of time? I have the tendency to overbook my days, and then wonder why I am so stressed out. There is a part of me that likes being busy. If I have free time on my hands, something feels out of sorts. I twiddle my thumbs and look around for something to do. I don’t know how it feels to sit down for ten minutes and be okay with doing nothing.
Who wants to be bogged down, anyway, when the weather is this gorgeous?
Many people say that the season for lovers is spring. Flowers are blooming, grass turns green and the birds are singing. Everyone walks with a little more “spring” in their step (no pun intended!) and the winter clothes can finally come off. But what about the hot, sticky days of summer?
“Does what I do define who I am?” I asked myself this after finishing terribly at a golf tournament, completely blowing my chances to win.
I looked around me at girls who have been playing on my tour for years, trying to make it on the big time tour. I wondered if them never giving up on golf said something positively about them.
This is my first year playing full time professionally and after my fifth tournament of the season, I can already feel the wear and tear of my golf career getting to me. Three out of the five events I’ve played I have put myself in contention to either win, or put myself in position to finish well.
Each of those opportunities I have blown royally.
No one wants to picture his or her parents being intimate. So, many people – mistakenly, as it turns out – assume that most seniors are no longer sexually active. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
As some of you may know, I play golf professionally. Often times, it’s a grind out there. Every shot literally counts for something. It could mean making a paycheck for the week, or nothing at all. To say that it can be stressful is an understatement.
I used to play golf with fear. I played competitively like this for awhile, and every time I stepped over the ball, my hands would shake. It’s a wonder that I even hit the ball, sometimes.
I do not remember when this fear of not hitting a good shot came into play. I started noticing a different pressure on the course. It wasn’t fun for me because fear would crop up in the back of mind that if I didn’t hit the shot the way I intended, then it was all a waste. I was afraid of missing a cut, afraid of hooking it, afraid of slicing it, afraid of not being good enough. And that’s what it was: Being good enough meant hitting every shot perfectly.
The sun is out and you are ready to find that summer love. But where, oh where, may they be? Hunting for an eligible mate can be daunting, but don’t worry. Here are our 5 top spots to find a summer fling. (And who knows, maybe a summer love?)