Girl Gets Date: Meet Real Career Girl Camille Virginia
If ever there was a woman making her dreams come true, it’s Camille Virginia.
Now, I have to start by letting you know how Camille and I first met. We were at a sorority brunch in Chicago. Camille, new to the area, and I, a lifelong resident, were seated next to each other. We began with basic small talk, which quickly turned into a game of twenty questions as I pried her for information about which small town outside Portland, Oregon she was from. Turns out, not only is she from the town where my aunt and uncle lived for many years, Camille went to high school with my cousin and remembered what kind of car her drove (a blue Volvo station wagon that he STILL drives and boasts over 350,000 miles!). Needless to say, that moment was the start of a wonderful friendship.
And I am taking this moment to share my wonderful, exciting, and talented friend with all of you.
AMT: How do you see your workshop growing from here?
CV: I actually just published two new classes. The first is on flirting: Master Your Own Flirting Style. We’re going to do role playing and talk about different flirting profiles so women can find what feels authentic to them.
The second, well, there’s an episode of Sex and the City where Carrie is giving a talk and isn’t being really articulate about how she meets these men. So, [I’m taking the workshop out of classroom and] that’s what I’m doing, but with street festivals. I’m taking these women out in the field to meet men at street festivals.
AMT: What advice would you give to women interested in starting a side hustle?
CV: You have to be passionate about it because it’s a lot of work. When you get home from your day job, you have all these other things to do for your side hustle. You have to be willing to work nights and weekends on it. If you’re not passionate about it, you’re going to quit. But, if you love it, like I do, you’ll pour months and months of hard work into it without hesitation.
Make it not about yourself, too. There can be hard times and frustrating times. I’ve had a few people who are like, “That’s just a dumb idea” or “That’s stupid.” If you’re not confident about [your idea] you’ll let that get to you. There are always going to be people who are threatened by other people’s success. Looking past that will help you keep going.
AMT: I can’t end this conversation without asking for your best piece of dating advice!
CV: Turn off work mode and just be kind. When people get nervous they can be mean because they get vulnerable. That is the biggest turn off to any human being, not just men. Lead with a soft, feminine energy, and be kind to your date.
