Darcie Czajkowski

In a recent TED talk, Regina Hartley, a human resources manager for UPS, advocated hiring the scrapper over the silver spoon when both are qualified for a job. While she made a point of noting that people who have graduated from Ivy Leagues and have…

Is there even one person out there who has not, at some point in his or her dating history, been asked the question, "Why are you single?" At first blush, this question rings of a compliment. "You’re so great! How could you possibly be single? Why…

Health professionals tout the benefits of stuffed animals in a child's development. For infants, stuffed animals are considered safe toys, due to their soft texture, large size and throw-it-across-the-room-and-it-won't-break durability. For…

A secret is personal information you keep to yourself. Your secret could be a time you messed up, a situation in which you wronged someone or an argument in which you said something you regret. It was a time in your life when you weren’t being the…

I stand on the edge of a rocky cliff, on an island off the east coast of Bali, wearing nothing but a bikini. The intense rays of the sun push warmth onto my face, the azure waves crash in and around the jagged coves below, and I close my eyes to the…

Do you hate your job? Did you choose a major in college that seemed prudent in theory, but is now dreadful in practice? Do you hate the work itself, or have you just already maxed out your job’s potential? Is your boss pompous and controlling and…

The hot wind whipped across the desert like the sirocco. The heat was overwhelming. With every step the camel took forward, I tried to imprint the moment in my mind and feel gratitude. But I only felt hot and thirsty. Halfway through the journey,…

Recently, I spent three months on my own in Bali. During that time, I ate many meals alone, which is something I had never done before in the US. Sure, I went to Starbucks to read or write, but I never went to a restaurant. However, when you travel…

As women, we know this for a fact: Men are children. When we commit to a man, we go in with the understanding there will be a certain amount of hand-holding, ego-stroking and general life-bolstering involved in the relationship. In fact, it’s such…

Even when siblings aren’t directly pitted against one another, sibling rivalry is a permanent fixture. It can be a double-edged sword. It pushes us to be the best we can be, but it can also adds pressure to live up to expectations. My older sister…