

Thanks to social media technology, more and more people are leaving behind the 9-5 life to pursue their own passions. In 2018, we all know someone who owns a business, works from home, or aspires to do so.
As much as working for yourself may seem like a dream come true, it comes with a lot including lack of sleep, a lot of time spent at home, and an emotional roller coaster ride. Show some support for all of their endeavors this holiday season by gifting something that will help progress their boss agenda.
For those in your life who are really living the boss life, beginner or vet, here are 12 gifts that they'll absolutely love and thank you a million times for:
For The Multitasker/Bed Boss:
Lapgear Designer Lap Desk, $34.99
Working from bed just got real – real productive. The entrepreneur who is guilty of lounging while working will appreciate this great addition to their at home work life. (Shop Here.)
Girl Boss Novelty Name Plate Desk Sign, $14.99
This is the perfect gift for the friend that never fails to remind you who the boss really is. Now it's on display for the world to see. (Shop Here.)
For The Forgetful One:
Tile Mate Key Finder. Phone Finder. Anything Finder, $19.99
Being a entrepreneur doesn't mean that you have everything together at all times. This gift will be keep the entrepreneur in your life focusing on business instead of scrambling for misplaced items. (Shop Here.)
For The Friends That Needs A Bit Of Extra Motivation:
Deluxe Law of Attraction Life Planner - 2019 planner, $38.99
This planner is anything but basic. Not only will it help any entreprenuer get super productive. It also includes some great mental health exercises such as gratitude journaling, finding your "why" and other important things to keep every level of boss on the right track. (Shop Here.)
For The Homebody Boss:
Verilux HappyLight Compact Personal, Portable Light Therapy Energy Lamp, $39.95
Need a gift for someone that's always cooped up in the housing working day in and day out? This mood improving therapy light will help to keep them in good spirits. May we add – it's also portable. (Shop Here.)
Gift Tree Custom Engraved Bettoni Pen, $34.95
This is the perfect gesture for the entrepreneur that you don't know on a super personal level, like a boss or colleague. Any entrepreneur would love to write down all of their million-dollar ideas in style. (Shop Here.)
For The Social Savvy One:
Influencer: Building Your Personal Brand in the Age of Social Media by Brittany Hennessy, $13.36
This is the ultimate how-to guide for the social media obsessed entrepreneur that's looking to use social media to boost their personal brand and business. (Shop Here.)
For The Caffeine Aficionado On A Budget:
Espro Travel Stainless Coffee Press, $34.95
A $5 a day coffee habit could be a bit much when you're building a business. Motivate any coffee-loving girl boss (or guy) brew their own fresh coffee on the go using the coffee of their choice. Coffee snob approved. (Shop Here.)
For The “Bag Lady”:
Gonex Women Laptop Tote Bag, $34.95
If always being on the go is starting to cramp her style, this business tote bag is the only gift to give. This stylish tote is compartmentalized to perfectly store all of the important things that any girl boss wouldn't want to be caught without. (Shop Here.)
For The One Who Loves Aesthetics:
TOODOO Desk Accessory Organization Kit 10 Piece Set, $34.99
Much like people, when work spaces look good they feel good. This rose gold desk accessory kit is a great addition to any work space. (Shop Here.)
For The One That Loves Vintage Inspired Things:
Maxtek Black Felt Letter Board, $19.99
You might have seen these plastered all over Instagram and Pinterest. These vintage inspired felt boards are perfect for the entrepreneur who is a sucker for a vintage feel and of course loves to be expressive. (Shop Here.)
For The One That Isn’t A Morning Person:
A Beautiful Morning: How A Morning Ritual Can Feed Your Soul and Transform your Life by Ashley Ellington Brown, $14.99
We all know how you start your day can easily determine the way your whole day goes. Inspire the budding boss in your life with the book that will help guide them with actionable steps to help make every day intentional. (Shop Here.)
'Tis the season! Check out xoNecole's other Christmas gift guides here.
Disclosure: If you purchase something through one of our links, xoNecole may earn a small affiliate commission.
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
Raven-Symoné & Her Wife Miranda Get Real About Intimacy & Why They Sleep In Separate Bedrooms
Raven-Symoné and her wife Miranda Pearman-Maday are proof that doing marriage your way is the only way.
In a recent solo episode of their podcast Tea Time w/ Raven & Miranda, the couple revealed that they've started to share separate bedrooms, and no, it's not because they're having problems. In fact, the decision has actually brought them closer. "Let's normalize it," Miranda said of sleeping in separate bedrooms, calling it a move that improved their relationship and their marriage for the better.
"We really function in better in separate spaces, especially when it comes to sleep," she explained on the podcast. "And I was like, 'We should have separate bedrooms.' And then we can decorate our bedrooms as we want, number one, which is great because you had a different vibe, so we both wanted to have different style of bedrooms. Now we get to have that. And we aren't fucking up each other's sleep schedules. Primarily, you're not fucking mine up, which is getting up at 2 a.m., 4 a.m. Raven, babes, you love to sleep in the reverse orientation."
She wasn't exaggerating either. Raven admitted that she has always had an issue with sleeping in normal orientation, dating back to her childhood. "When I was younger, I've always had a problem with staying in one orientation when I slept. My mom said that she would not like to sleep with me. And I would kick people when I sleep with them. And so I remember when we got engaged. We slept in my old house and you told me that when you woke up, my ass was in your face because I had turned my body around."
"One night, you literally flipped. I thought you were awake because it was so, it was so violent. Like you were sleeping on your side away from me. You flip yourself up and over, you like kinda sit up, and you had no clue where you were because you put your entire ass on my face. Both cheeks were suffocating me. Boom, it was impact," Miranda recalls. "And I was like, this is, this is going to be a challenge."
Suffice it to say, the incident became an issue. One that they needed to find a solution for. "So now," Raven said, "we've decided I'm sleeping in a separate room from you." The compromise? Whenever they need each other, "We text," Miranda added.
Despite where your mind might go when you hear "separate bedrooms" in someone's relationship, the pair assured that the move has helped their intimacy more than it's hindered it. "I will say it has upped my [feels] for you," Raven told Miranda. "There's a little bit of, I believe, in absence makes the heart grow fonder. We work together, we live together, we eat together, we cook together, we drive together. It's like, I'm going to have a little time to myself, and I think that it's actually helping."
Even with the perks of better sleep and better intimacy that have come with their decision to separate their marital bed, Miranda admitted that if someone had suggested to her separate bedrooms a year ago, she would've panicked.
Together since 2015 and married since 2020, Miranda revealed that the would-be solution initially had her questioning, "Does this mean divorce?" But she chalked that up to programming. "I was very much from a space where I was taking my information from heterosexual [relationships], [and feeling like] this is the best way," she said.
Raven also took the conversation deeper, pointing out how many people conflate sex with love, especially when it comes to intimacy. "I also think if you are basing your entire relationship on sex, then you're not really understanding what intimacy is. You're not understanding what deep love is because you can have a deep, loving, intimate relationship with someone and not have sex. Sex is like a cherry on top. You know what I mean? That's like a oooh, it's built up so much I got to release."
She continued, "I don't think sex defines a relationship. I think sex is lustful. And I think that a deep marriage and a deep intimate relationship is where I can literally be just looking at you, and I can be like... And you know what that means."
"And I know what that means," Miranda echoed.
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Featured image by Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock