Last night, I had a pity party for myself. I finally let it sink in that there is a good chance that I am not going to raise all of the money for Biological Clock on Kickstarter within 5 days. I’m such a dreamer that I often have tunnel vision and forget to look at the big picture. Well, last night, after I let the tears flow, I realized that it’s ok if this first try at Kickstarter doesn’t work out.

Just as I launched my kickstarter, a war broke out in Israel. Since the tone on social media has been pretty political over the past few weeks, I felt a little uncomfortable constantly posting about my web series. Beyond that, this war gave me a lot of perspective. I have friends that are constantly running into bomb shelters and former students that are putting their lives on the line in the army. There have been innocent people killed on both sides of the war. So, in the grand scheme of things, is not raising money on kickstarter the end of the world? NO.

I think it’s important to fail sometimes. I don’t know why I’ve spent the past month being so afraid of it! People have to fail lots of times before getting what they want. Hmmm… sounds like dating! Can I get an Amen? Sorry-sometimes I forget I’m not a preacher…

Anyway, I have learned more over these past few weeks from my failures than I have ever learned. SO many people have backed me very generously on Kickstarter. Strangers, friends, and family, have given me more than I could have ever imagined. Whether it was financial support, moral support, or basically stalking people to donate, I really appreciate it.

During my pity party, my friend Alan said, “ You have guts that other people don’t. You can’t teach guts. You either have it or you dont.” Shortly after that, I heard Aaliyah whispering “If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again.” I’m sorry if you don’t get the reference, but please brush up on your hip hop!

The point is that I am going to make sure to bring Biological Clock to Life. If I wake up on Tuesday morning, and I haven’t finished the fundraising, it’s OK. I’m going to be at my old camp for a week, so I’ll wake up to hundreds of cute little kids smiling and dancing. Could be worse, right? I’ll probably just launch a new kickstarter campaign a few days later!

In the meantime, I’m starting the official Biological Clock Email list. This way, I can keep you posted about next steps and will be able to send you behind the scenes sneak-peeks from the set. Don’t worry-I won’t fill your inbox.

Please click here to subscribe so that YOU can be a part of the Biological Empire.

Thanks and have Funky Friday!

 Photo Credit: Eitan Gamlieli

As of tomorrow, we are about to approach my birthday month. No, I’m not one of those people that thinks I get a whole month to celebrate my birthday. I’m the opposite. I have serious BIRTHDAY ANXIETY. I’m not going to pretend to be a person that doesn’t like attention because that would be a huge lie. However, I get freaked out by birthday attention. There is this pressure that people have to celebrate me just for being born!

Well, this year is an especially big birthday. I’m not going to write the number because I still look and feel pretty freakin young. One day, I hope to be that sixty year old trying to bust moves on the dance floor… Despite all of my birthday anxiety, however, I have to say that I’m really at a great place in my life to bring on this birthday. In honor of my birthday, I wanted to share three of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far.

1) Be open-minded. When I think of this lesson, I always think of the time I spent casting high-school shows. It was very often the shy kids that no one believed in that would get up on stage and make audiences cry. Allow people and opportunities to surprise you.

2) Love unconditionally. I’m obviously pretty preachy about self-love. So, do that first and REALLY believe in yourself. We’re all human so it’s not always easy, but we can’t expect others to believe in us when we don’t believe in ourselves. I think that love is the most important thing in the world, so after that, love the people in your life. Sometimes love means being really honest about something that is bothering you. Sometimes it’s about fully listening when people talk to you. Sometimes, we all lose our way, so don’t forget to love people when they forget how to love themselves.

3) Follow your heart. I have learned that everyone has ideas and that people love to give advice (kind of like what I’m doing right now). However, I’ve also learned that some advice will be super-helpful and some just won’t be right for you. It’s like food shopping…you can’t just buy every single food in the grocery store! I have spent the past year and a half FINALLY following my own heart. Even though it’s been terrifying, I’m so excited that I finally got the courage to make something that lights me up.

Speaking of following your heart, I have some not-so funky news. I will not be posting any Funky Friday blogs or episodes in March. I’m about to take some huge leaps with my project and I don’t want to burn the candle at both ends. Also, I want to admit when something isn’t working. I want to make a lot of changes in my blog and youtube channel, so when I return in April, it will be much funkier!! I can’t wait to share all of these updates with you. As always, thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful March.

Have a Funky Friday!!!

It was just a year and half ago that my whole crazy project began…I kept on hearing lots of great  love and dating stories, so I decided I wanted to make them into a web series. I set out to interview 100 New Yorkers about their stories, scripted my first three episodes, and then, Monday happened….

A group of very creative and awesome people came to my apartment and we did a reading of the script. There was some singing, eating, and of course, lots of laughter. They brought the characters to life, and helped me uncover the heart of the show.

We now have a pretty large cast, a crew, and a spectacular music staff. The next phase of the project will be fundraising, but we’ll figure it out…We’ve come this far, right??

Thank you so much to the creative team for doing the first reading. We’re hoping to shoot the series this summer, so I’ll keep you updated.

Have a Funky Friday!

Ever since I was a teenager, I was fascinated by the concept of self-love. I  I don’t think I understood it, and I definitely didn’t apply it, but I loved watching makeover shows and chick-flicks. I was a total sucker for that moment in Hairspray when Tracy Turnblatt realized that she was beautiful, and as a result, Zac Efron fell madly in love with her.  While my love for Zac Efron has actually grown exponentially instead of decreasing,  my exploration of love outside of the movies has grown as well.

 For those of you that don’t know, I have spent the past year interviewing 100 New Yorkers about their love lives and creating a web series based on the stories and people I meet. It’s amazing how much I have learned about love from everyone so far, but there has been one thing that always stands out to me. A lot of people don’t love and value themselves enough! I have heard so many people utter the line, “ We broke up because he/she was too good for me.”  Since I am trying to learn from all of my interviews, I have spent this year focusing on self-love.

 One of the biggest lessons I have learned about self-love is knowing that I’m on this earth to share the experience with other people.  As I was writing  this, I immediately flashed back to an experience I had a few years ago. I was at the Hippocrates Health Institute after having some chronic health issues. As you can imagine, when people have chronic health issues, it can get emotionally exhausting. Everyone I met had been back and forth between doctors, surgeries, etc, so there were days when everyone just needed to vent and cry. One day, I was with a group of people and I started crying. Now, if you know me, you know that crying is not a big deal and certainly not an infrequent experience. I’m just a cryer.  However, after I started crying, there was a woman next to me that just started hugging me. Now, I’m not talking about a little pat. Here is a woman whose deathly ill husband was sitting next to her and she was giving me a full body squeeze. After the embrace, she said to me, “Honey, sometimes we all just need a good hug.”  I will never forget that moment.  It taught me that a huge part of self-love is letting people into your lives instead of trying to do everything by yourself.  Just look at Sir Richard Branson! He always explains that he is both successful and happy because he surrounds himself with people that inspire him and share their brilliance with him.

Oh, and one more note. Thank you to Alexis Sirkin for the beautiful picture and thank  you so much to my former students for being the blog models this week. It really was after working with these kids that I experienced what it means to be surrounded by an abundance of love.  Seriously, they can’t keep their hands off of each other.  Love you guys!

 Wishing you all a good weekend, lots of self love, and allowing people into your lives to love you.

 Have a Funky Friday!

Just kidding…Rest assured-I’m not becoming a doctor and I have the science grades to prove it. However, I have been sick for the past couple of weeks and I am ready to be done! You know when you have those moments when you stub your toe on the bed and you want to scream at the bed for getting in the way? Well, I’ve had too many of those altercations during the past couple of weeks. I think that I need to read the signs and chill out!

So, unfortunately, I won’t be spending today at Coffee Bean blogging. I will miss that stuffy basement and blasting music. Don’t worry Coffee Bean-this is not a break-up. It’s just a break…Anyway, since my medical degree is clearly non-existent, here’s what I am prescribing for myself.

Jamie Mittleman MUST:

1. Spend lots of time on the couch.
2. Journal
3. Watch something emotional on Netflix
4. Spending time connecting with the people that I care about

I think that it’s really important to take the lead when it comes to our health and happiness.   What do you need to prescribe for yourself today?  If you need any help, don’t worry. I’m Jewish. That means I know tons of cute Jewish doctors for ya…

Thank you guys for reading my blog! Please make sure to check out Funky Friday TV next week to see an awesome and inspirational musician.

Also, a number of people have asked how the script is coming along for my web series. Well, the truth is that it’s a terrifying process, but the creative team is doing the first reading on February 17^th. Ahhhh!  Even though I’m terrified and I’ll be hearing lots of brutally honest feedback,  I’m super excited. More updates to come…

Until then, have a Funky Friday!

If Baby Ellie is telling us to have a Happy New Year, we’d better listen. You just don’t mess with that level of cuteness…

 Well, 2013, it’s been real, but it’s almost time for us to part ways. Before we part, however, I would like to tell you what I learned during our time together. The greatest lesson I learned in 2013 was that once I started fully listening instead of always closing myself off to the world, lots of opportunities came into my life.

 It’s even more perfect that one of the last days of the year is my friend Dori’s birthday. Although Dori and I have been friends for quite some time now, I feel like this is the perfect time to tell the famous “Arch-Nemesis Story.” When Dori and I went to college together, we both auditioned for the same a capella group… Stop laughing…Pitch Perfect made a cappella cool… Anyway, outside of the audition room, some might say that I was mean to Dori because I really wanted her spot in the group. I even went and told my friend Lewis about “Dori-the arch-nemesis.” Of course, there must have been some kind of universal smackdown happening because I later found out that Dori was his G-d sister!

 As luck would have it, Dori and I both ended up getting into the group, and I’m  so lucky that we ended up becoming good friends. I’m not telling this story so that I sound like a character in Mean Girls, but because I want to emphasize what we miss out on when we spend our lives being closed off to people and possibilities. Sorry Dorz!! Happy Birthday and I’m so happy to be celebrating with you years later!

 So, 2013, I guess it is time we say goodbye. Thank you for giving Baby Ellie to Kira and Andrew. She’s pretty delicious. Thanks for letting me celebrate Dori’s birthday with her, and  thanks for teaching me to listen. Wishing everyone a happy new year full of openness to new possibilities!