Gemma Hartley

At Santa Rosa Christian School, dancing was a gateway drug. The gyrating, the slow romantic swaying...

To be honest, I consider myself pretty damn good at adulting. I’m a great cook, as long as I have a recipe. I’m a self-taught professional baker.

“Feminism” wasn’t a word I heard much growing up. When I did hear it, I equated it with a historical event, not a work in progress. I thought first-wave feminism was a one-and-done deal, and that all the work necessary for women’s equality had already been accomplished.

My resolutions regularly remind me that I don’t think I am enough, just as I am. So this year, instead of focusing on habit changes, I'm more concerned with changing my perspective.

As a freelancer who works from home, I get the best of both worlds as a parent.

Sometimes, I think back to all the ridiculous things I did for boys when I was younger and cringe.

Making friends as a grown woman is hard. I figured out a few tips on how to set up successful one-on-one friend dates, as well as how to handle the territory of a budding platonic relationship with another woman.

I was lucky enough to avoid a great deal of body negativity growing up.

My husband and I have been together for 12 years, eight of them married, four of them teenaged.

A breakup, Mom, a cheerleading competition, and Valentine's Day...