He was the former star of an uber-popular reality dating show. I was a feminist lesbian 19-year-old — a.k.a. the least likely person on Earth to become his coach in life and love.

My thankless, bizarre job made me feel like I’d be more valued if I just died at my desk and gifted them my corpse.

How staying perfectly still for tips — despite tourists’ bewildering lack of boundaries — taught me to stand my ground in life.

Entertaining kids with inflated animals is tough—and when you’re a math-team nerd competing for gigs against your charismatic crush, it can blow up your entire life.

As my hands addressed their aches and pains, my clients shared their fantasies and fears with 15-year-old-me. Little did they know, I was dealing with family drama of my own.

When desperate storeowners want to convince passersby to stop in, they hire fun, happy people to pose as shoppers. They’re actually out-of-work actors, retirees, and me.

I always dreamed of helping people, but I put it all on hold to raise my kids. Now that I've found my calling, I'm facing upheaval at home.

My brute strength and wrestling skills made me a natural fit to maintain order. But what I really wanted to do was help people.