Andrea Ellen Javor
My name is Andrea Javor, and I'm a writer navigating the emotional and the strategic, using personal experience to tell stories that resonate beyond my own life. Through both personal narrative and deeply researched topics, I look for patterns in human experiences like love, poker, chronic illness, dating, identity, and family. I use the game of poker as both a metaphor and map to reveal the ways we bluff, fold, and go all in. My work is grounded in observation and driven by a desire to connect, to reveal, and to make meaning out of the gorgeous contradictions of being human.
I'm working on my memoir that uses the language of poker to explore love and the high-stakes hands life dealt me. I’m agented by Curtis Brown for my memoir-in-progress: Ace of Hearts: What Poker Taught Me About Love.
My Work
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A Letter to the Troops from a Friendly Chicagoan
McSweeney’s
October 16, 2025Your odds of success for this mission will be as easy to decipher as the standard Midwestern “yeah, no” or “no, yeah,”
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Ozempic didn’t work for me. I was furious – and ashamed
The Guardian
August 14, 2025
Everyone taking the ‘skinny shot’ was losing weight, but my scales didn’t change. My inner dialogue became toxic -
I’ve moved 28 times in my lifetime. This is the story of a new America
The Guardian
August 2, 2025
It’s not that the dream of the stable home disappeared – it just started charging an untenable monthly rent. -
I Was 'Diabetes Barbie' Long Before Mattel Made Her
HuffPost Voices
July 30, 2025
A new Barbie with an insulin pump and CGM isn’t just a toy — she’s a symbol of visibility and a reminder to meet others with empathy, not judgment. -
Have you noticed smoking is making a comeback? I hate that. I love that. | Opinion
USA Today
July 24, 2025
I know smoking is bad for my health. We all know that. So why is it making a comeback? -
7 Ways to Rebuild Your Life and Move On Post-Breakup, According to a Divorce Coach
Women’s Health
July 16, 2025
Even the most calm among us can temporarily unravel in the throes of a divorce. As a certified divorce coach, I’ve seen it all -
How to cope when you’re sharing a home with your soon-to-be ex-spouse
The Washington Post
June 21, 2025
I tidied my desk in the corner of the main bedroom, stacking colorful pads of Post-it notes and -
I Found Power, Confidence And Calm At A Poker Table Full Of Men
HuffPost Voices
June 12, 2025
Anxiety is an asset that lingers in my personal branding kit. As a 45-year-old twice-divorced -
What Getting Divorced in My 20s Taught Me About Love
Vogue
May 29, 2025
When I was growing up in the 1990s, getting married wasn’t an “if” in the Midwest, but a “when” -
I clock up to 20,000 steps a night: My life with restless legs syndrome
The Guardian
Jan 21, 2025
I’d always known something was wrong with my legs. When I was a teenager, my best -
I Thought My Husband’s Ex Hated Me. Then She Called And Asked A Question I Never Saw Coming.
HuffPost
May 10, 2025
At the advice of a child psychologist, my -
What is Mother’s Day to a former stepmom?
The Washington Post
May 10, 2024
When someone asks me if I have kids, I struggle to answer. The technical truth is no, but that doesn’t -
I Learned Poker and Applied It to Dating—I Found Love
Newsweek
Apr 22, 2024
I spent over two decades learning hard lessons about love. Even after spending countless hours on -
A Foolproof Way to Respond to Awkward Personal Questions
Slate
Oct 20, 2024
I was enjoying myself at a business dinner when a colleague leaned in and caught me off guard. -
How to cope with restless legs while traveling
The Washington Post
April 11, 2024
Through the windows of an express train from Kyoto, Japan, to a whisky distillery on Mount -
My on-again, off-again relationship with Mother’s Day
Today
May 10, 2024
I inhaled before the tears welled. I wanted to tell him I was always sure I’d be a mom, but at -
I sold my Chicago condo after losing my job to save money, and I regret it. It's now valued at $193,000 more than I paid.
Business Insider
July 2, 2025
After seven months on the market, my once-perfect suburban home had a new family. -
I Paid Someone $15,000 To Help Me Find The Right Man.
HuffPost
Mar 22, 2024
Does anyone really know how to successfully date? How do we know if the valuable, vulnerable time -
We call ourselves 20-40-60. How an intergenerational friend group changed my life
Today
Nov. 21, 2024
My nerves buzzed as I waited for my 23-year-old friend I’d never met in person to join me for dinner. -
I changed my name for both of my failed marriages. I'm never doing it again.
Business Insider
May 31, 2024
When I faced the inevitability of divorce for a second time, I was forced to deconstruct the life I built -
I learned from my mistakes. To be a good stepmother, you must first love the kids' mom.
Business Insider
Oct 21, 2023
Though I've been divorced for more than five years, I still consider my former role as as stepmom to be -
Hear Me Out! The Second Gentleman Is A First-Class Hottie
Betches
Aug 28, 2024
You may know Doug Emhoff as a nerdy lawyer – and that’s fair. According to a now-deleted biography -
How to Remain Present at Work While Processing a Divorce
Success
April 21, 2025
The average American divorce can take anywhere from a few months to a year, according to -
I've been divorced twice, and now I'm finally in a healthy relationship at 44. Here's how I shifted my view on dating.
Business Insider
May 5, 2024
By the time I turned 40, I always -
How I’ve Coped With a Common Sleep Condition Many Doctors Don’t Take Seriously: Restless Legs Syndrome
Well + Good
Oct 16, 2024
For two decades I’ve engaged in truly odd behavior to quell a mysterious -
After 2 divorces before 40, I learned a powerful lesson about attracting love
Today
Jan. 3, 2025
It sounded like a scam. I was on the cusp of shelling out a large sum of money for someone who wasn’t -
Smoked brisket taco at Antique Taco in Bridgeport
Chicago Reader
Sep 25, 2024
I’ve lived in Chicago for almost 25 years, and while it’s difficult to find a taco I’d flatly call bad, the bar is -
I felt isolated in shame after learning I had diabetes. Doing my insulin shots in public helped me accept it.
Business Insider
Jul 12, 2024
Last week, I was in a chic restaurant with colleagues blustering through -
The Troubling News With Restless Legs Syndrome
Next Avenue
Sep 19, 2024
I've had a problem with my legs that's difficult to describe. Even though my -
A Deeper Look at Professional Women in the Cannabis Industry
Coveteur
Mar 23, 2021
Empathy and a participatory approach are setting women up for success as