What It's REALLY Like Being A Lady In The Locker Room

You will usually be the only woman in the majority of your work photos! 

As graduation approaches, I am doing my tour of college and high school campuses speaking to sports broadcasting, sports management or sports marketing classes about careers in the sports industry. I love visiting with young professionals and hearing their questions.

RELATED: 5 Things You Need To Get Out Of Your Sports Media Internship

Inevitably, I am always asked about being a "woman" working in sports media. The questions are generally these two:

• How do you handle the feeling of having to prove yourself working in a male-dominated business? 
• How you handle being a woman in a guy's locker room? It's not just students who ask. I get this question. All. The. Time. 

I was asked one of these questions today.

Let's pull back the curtain and discuss what too many professors, teachers, mentors and hiring managers won't:

What It's REALLY Like Being A Lady In The Locker Room.

The Best Diet Advice You Will Ever Read

I found a breath of fresh diet-advice air recently. It happened in the form of a New York Times article written by Aaron Carroll, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana State University School of Medicine titled "Simple Rules for Healthy Eating".

Carroll advocates the smart, simple approach to eating that helped me lose 50 pounds and keep it off for more than a decade. Here's the condensed version:

The Story Behind Where Is Pidge?

Click here to learn more about Where Is Pidge? 

Any parent understands the turn of events that happened right before I snapped this grainy photo. My three year-old was in toddler purgatory: tired and cranky yet too tired to settle down and go to bed. Jordan had one of those days in which she had been blowing and going since 8am: school, an after-school visit to the grandparents house (which is usually filled with too many sweets) and a late dinner.

I told her we were going to relax and read a book. She stopped her fussy/cranky/tired crying and picked up Where Is Pidge?, the story of middle child Pidge Hoobler who feels lonely, somewhat overlooked and decides to run away but gets stuck in her family's laundry chute.

As soon as Jordan opened the book, she settled. She studied the first few pages and simply said, "Mommy, read this book."

Done. It was the calm after the storm.

Since then it has become a book we revisit three to four times a week. Out of the blue, Jordan will ask "Where is Pidge?", "Why was Pidge crying?" or even better "Pidge is happy?".

Ultimately Pidge realizes she's not forgotten, instead she is loved and appreciated by her family. A message that resonates not only with my daughter but with just about anyone.

How To Set Goals For Your Internship

I have worked with too many interns who came into the experience without direction, objectives or focus. They didn't know what they wanted to get out of their internship. That, my friends, is a mistake.

Internships are about more than just getting college credit. They help you establish habits, learn tangible career skills in a contextual setting and create a network that can be a springboard for a successful career.

Negative Calorie Foods: Fact or Fiction?

Are there really miracle foods that are negative in calories? In theory, yes. In reality, it's a bit more complicated.

How To Become A Sportscaster: Work In Sports Interview

Image via WorkInSports.com

I am often asked about becoming a sportscaster. From breaking into the industry to creating a demo tape, I receive hundreds of email a month from young professionals looking to enter the business as well as mid-career professionals wanting to purse their dream careers.

This interview I did with WorkInSports.com's Brian Clapp let's you inside the virtual locker room to share what a sportscaster's career narrative is really like. In short it's fun, exhilarating, exhausting, frustrating, rewarding and challenging. It's a lot of things, rolled into one. It's also a career that requires multiple talents and an open mind.

Read the entire piece. It answers a lot of questions you may have. Also read these stories:

• "14 Things You Need To Know If You Want To Work In Sports Media"
• "What It's Really Like Being A Lady In The Locker Room"

You can also watch my Google Hangout in the box below.

YouTube.com/GinaLMiller

Want More? 

I believe in the value of internships. Unfortunately, too many young professionals don't take advantage of that experience. I am putting the finishing touches on a guide that offers advice to help you (or your kid) do just that: maximize the internship experience. It features advice like this: "10 Mistakes To Avoid Making During Your Internship".

Want to be the first to know about the book launch AND cool internships, like these? Sign up for my internship newsletter. I'll send you career advice, amazing internships opportunities and details on my upcoming internship book.

Have a question about anything mentioned in this story? Leave a note in the comments section. Know someone who could use this? Please pass it along.

Send me awesome internships.

10 Healthy Foods That Can Cause Us To Gain Weight

While certain foods are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and healthy fats they also contain carbs and calories. No matter how healthy, if you eat too much that can lead to weight gain.