Dinner For One

When you're single it's easy to feel like you're moving through the world alone and unseen. Everyone else seems to have someone who is obligated to check in, show up and be there. And you, well, it's just your sad little lonesome self fighting all the battles, or so it seems.

Recently, after another rejection email that made me want to throw a toddler-like tantrum and then go to bed for the rest of the day, I was reminded that the story many single people tell themselves isn't true. As the sadness and disappointment started to rise throughout my body, my phone rang and it was a very good friend on the other line. She called out of the blue because she just felt like I needed it.

During the course of our conversation I was reminded that sometimes the people who "run toward you" aren't romantic partners, they're your friends who call, listen, offer help and never let you forget that you matter. And most importantly, drill it into your thick skull that you're not alone.

In this episode, I chit chat about what it really means to feel seen when you're single, how friendship anchors us in ways we don't expect and why choosing—and being chosen—by our people is one of the truest forms of love out there, all while making my go-to salmon bowl.

Season 7! I'm back, baby! In my little Paris kitchen, but this season I'm going back to my roots, just you and me. No guests, no filters, just honest conversations about what it really means to live (and be) alone. In this first episode, "Confronting the 'A' Word: Alone," I dig into the myth of being "okay" by yourself, the quiet nights, the loneliness that creeps in, and the beauty in sitting with it instead of scrolling it away, texting it away, or worse…

To the listeners riding with me since 2018, I'm so happy you're here for this 7th season. If you're new here, welcome to the guild.

On this episode, I dined on pasta alla gricia with my guest Robin Davis while we spoke about the tricky balance of being in a relationship while cultivating and celebrating a solo life. Like me, Robin is an American in Paris. She's also a writer, producer, and a soon-to-be-published author!

I really enjoyed this episode because all of the prior guests I've spoken to this season were single and living alone, so it was interesting for me to get the perspective of someone who loves living alone but is in a happy and healthy romantic relationship.

During our conversation, I, surprisingly, found it hard to change my mindset about relationship milestones and expectations. While editing the episode I realized that I asked Robin different versions of the same question because it didn't fit the "proper steps" of a romantic relationship progression.

Robin so graciously reminded me that we write our own rules for our lives and the way we want to live it. As long as we live with integrity, are happy, and stay true to ourselves, we're on the right path regardless of what it looks like.

Two episodes in one week! Look at meeeee! This is my way of apologizing for the long break between episodes. So all is forgiven now, yeah?

In this episode, I talk about how what started as a way to center myself (and, let's be honest, keep me off the streets and out of the wine bars) turned into something way bigger. I didn't realize it at the time, but every solo dinner I made was laying the foundation for the life I have now.

Cooking for myself became more than just something to do to pass the time. It was how I learned to listen to what I truly needed, how I built self-trust, and how I started making decisions that aligned with the life I wanted, even when I didn't fully know what that life looked like yet.

To my surprise, asking "what do I want for dinner?" was really me asking "what do I want for myself? For this life?" And that's when everything started to shift and evolve in ways I still kinda can't believe it has.

In this episode, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Tanisha Townsend, the founder of Girl Meets Glass, a wine lifestyle and education agency, and woman whose honesty, humor, and intelligence I admire deeply. I made fried chicken and mashed potatoes, she brought a beautiful bottle of Blanc de Blancs, and we got to talking!

Tanisha brought her wit and no-nonsense attitude to the conversation in a way that left reflecting for days on some of the gems she dropped like, like: "Are you actually ready for what you really want?" and "If someone watched your habits for a week, would they reflect the life you say you want?"

We also explore how living alone has given Tanisha the space to envision, build, and expand her business. It's not that she couldn't have achieved everything she has otherwise, but having the freedom and space (mentally and emotionally) to pour fully into herself and her vision made all the difference.

I'm always moved and inspired by women who stand tall in their truth, show up fully, own their choices, and walk boldly toward the life they deserve.