Author: Colleen Newvine Tebeau


What makes a marriage meaningful?

What makes a marriage meaningful?

The New York Times recently ran an interesting article headlined The Happy Marriage Is the ‘Me’ Marriage. Tara Parker-Pope wrote about not what makes a marriage last but what makes it meaningful, including the ways your partner makes your life better: Dr. Aron and Gary W. Lewandowski Jr., a professor at Monmouth University in New Jersey, have studied how individuals…

Blogversation 2012: How do you get ideas for blog posts?

Blogversation 2012: How do you get ideas for blog posts?

Throughout this year, several bloggers will engage in a conversation here and on their blogs — asking questions of each other and responding. Others are absolutely welcome to join the conversation, as well. Learn more about the ladies of Blogversation 2012. I’m a journalist by training so I feel like I’m always gathering stories ideas, whether I want to or…

Should you really do what you love?

Should you really do what you love?

I like contrarian advice — not that I always agree with the devil’s advocate view, but I think it’s useful to challenge conventional wisdom and reconsider whether you still believe it’s true. For example: Do you really need to drink eight glasses of water a day? Is eight hours of sleep best for you? Should all couples be monogamous? Are…

Blogversation 2012: Do you make New Year's resolutions?

Blogversation 2012: Do you make New Year's resolutions?

Throughout this year, several bloggers will engage in a conversation here and on their blogs — asking questions of each other and responding. Others are absolutely welcome to join the conversation, as well. Learn more about the ladies of Blogversation 2012. I like using the calendar as a prompt in my life. I’m a big fan of birthdays, and I…

Blogversation 2012: How and why did you become a blogger?

Blogversation 2012: How and why did you become a blogger?

Throughout this year, several bloggers will engage in a conversation here and on their blogs — asking questions of each other and responding. Learn more about the ladies of Blogversation 2012. I first started blogging in 2006 with a limited goal: We were going to spend a month subletting a New York City apartment, giving us a chance to test…

Kicking off Blogversation 2012 — join the conversation

Kicking off Blogversation 2012 — join the conversation

In the three years I’ve been blogging here, I’ve been grateful for the opportunity to write regularly and to get to know topics and people that inspire me. Even more so, I’ve loved the chance to engage in conversations about those topics and people. Ages ago, when I was a young newspaper reporter, writing was mostly a one-way process. Occasionally…

Child sexual abuse is a secret not worth keeping

Child sexual abuse is a secret not worth keeping

Editor’s note: this post contains graphic sexual content and may be offensive to some readers. In fact, it should be offensive to all readers. When I saw students taking to the streets to protest the firing of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, I felt a wave of outrage. Actually, just rage. How could those football fans conjure that much…

Is the sagging economy leading people to entrepreneurship?

Is the sagging economy leading people to entrepreneurship?

I recall hearing a story years ago that one of the drivers of the technology revolution and dot-com boom was the hard economy of the 1980s — facing shaky job prospects, the best and brightest were more inclined to strike out on their own and innovate instead of serving corporate bosses. I haven’t seen data proving the recession forced people…

Take time today to give thanks — it's good for you

Take time today to give thanks — it's good for you

So many people are stressed out today about so many things: why is my brother always late? will these lumps come out of the gravy? can you even believe how long that security line was at the airport? In a country of people who don’t really cook, we maintain this annual tradition of huge dinner parties, making foods many of…

New Orleanians work to restore and reinvent their city after Katrina

New Orleanians work to restore and reinvent their city after Katrina

This spring I wrote a freelance story for LSA Magazine at University of Michigan, profiling several Michigan grads working to reinvent New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005, followed by the catastrophic failure of the city’s levees, flooding much of the city and turning Katrina into the costliest natural disaster in American history. Elsewhere, time is measured…

George Clooney on self confidence and being willing to fail

George Clooney on self confidence and being willing to fail

In spite of my unabashed adoration of George Clooney, this is not just a thinly veiled excuse to get his handsome face on my blog. Parade magazine recently featured Clooney on its cover, then ran a related Q&A on its website. The article, headlined What Drives George Clooney, included this snippet that’s a perfect fit for Newvine Growing: You’ve talked…

Study shows link between happiness and longevity

Study shows link between happiness and longevity

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences points to a connection between happiness and longevity. A study by University College in London of about 3,500 people found those who reported feeling happiest had a 35 percent lower risk of dying compared with those who reported feeling least happy. A USA Today story on the…