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ex·pert [n., ek-spurt]   Noun: “A person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.” I consider myself an expert in many fields. ;-)

Julia Allison is a journalist, entrepreneur, public speaker, relationship expert, columnist for ELLE.com, star of BRAVO's "Miss Advised," Georgetown graduate & former WIRED cover girl. She's made hundreds of appearances on NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, CNN, MSNBC, VH1 & MTV, written for Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, New York magazine, Time Out New York and The New York Post & spoken at MIT, Wharton, Harvard on new media, personal branding, marketing & entrepreneurship.
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GUINEA PIG OF LOVE: THE WITCHES

GUINEA PIG OF LOVE EXPERIMENT #3: THE WITCHES
ELLE
JULY 11, 2012
BY JULIA ALLISON

As it turns out, I’m the kind of girl who believes in witches.

When I first started this series, in a last-ditch attempt to reverse 15 years of Titanic-like relationship patterns, I promised myself I would avoid the advice-givers I had hoovered into my brain for years (No more “He’s Just Not That Into You” or “The Rules”), as clearly – that s–t hasn’t worked – and instead consult with unorthodox experts. In fact, the more eccentric, the better!

I [read more...]

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GUINEA PIG OF LOVE: THE LOVE COACH

GUINEA PIG OF LOVE EXPERIMENT #2: THE LOVE COACH
ELLE
JULY 3, 2012
BY JULIA ALLISON

I’m on a first date with a fellow named William, and I don’t feel like myself.  I’m not laughing, I’m not leaning forward eagerly, I’m not lobbing question after question at him like an overzealous headhunter.

My love coach, Annie Lalla, has told me to stop with all that already, and along with it, get rid of the deference, the modesty (both real and false), the praise, and the stock conversation topics.  Awesome. Pretty much everything I do – [read more...]

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GUINEA PIG OF LOVE: THE TAROT CARD READER

GUINEA PIG OF LOVE EXPERIMENT #1: THE TAROT CARD READER
ELLE
JUNE 25, 2012
BY JULIA ALLISON 

“Clairvoyant … intuitive … accurate” reads the ellipsis laden epithet on tarot card reader Jackie Turner’s no-frills website.

I’ve come here to meet her at the LA bakery in which she works (more on that later) on a mild November day at the behest of my editor, Keith. “It’ll be good for you …” he trails off, glancing down, but I know what he means: “You need serious help, lady.”

And I do. The hamster wheel [read more...]