We all cheer when Michelle Obama graces the cover of Vogue and Chrissy Teigen releases an *amazing* cookbook, but our favorite girlboss just might be the fantastic Mindy Kaling. While we’re sad that season five of The Mindy Project has come to a close, we can still continue the good #girlboss juju by taking a lesson from the relatable way Mindy balances her relationships with her career — while making a great case for single bossladies on TV. Scroll on for five ways Mindy showed us who’s boss.
1. She still puts her career first. Many women have a choice to make about how much energy they devote to their relationships versus their career. While each situation and woman is unique, Mindy is clear about what she wants and doesn’t let Danny (or any of her boyfriends, for that matter) stop her from pursuing her dreams of owning her own fertility clinic.
2. She balances career and family. Mindy clearly cares about her job and aspirations, but she also makes time for her son, Leo. Some of the best scenes in The Mindy Project are when Mindy returns to Leo after a long day of work — exhausted but excited to see her son.
3. She’s selective about her compromises. Danny and Mindy come from very different backgrounds: While she’s a Boston girl from an immigrant family, he’s a born-and-bred Italian from Staten Island. As their relationship progresses, Mindy compromises on involving Danny’s overbearing family into their relationship, but she draws a firm line when he asks her to quit her job to stay at home with their son.
4. She’s assertive about her needs. Mindy’s quirks translate to all of her relationships. While she’s not afraid of compromise, she likes things done a certain way. And just as she asserted her desire to work instead of stay at home, she also asserts her need for romance when Dr. Kimball-Kinney makes advances on her.
5. Despite her intelligence, she still leads with her heart. As a Princeton grad, doctor and partner of her own fertility clinic, Mindy Lahiri has no shortage of brainpower. However, when it comes to relationships, she still manages to make decisions with her heart. From choosing to forgo a relationship with Dr. Kimball-Kinney to following her heart to her career, Mindy shows us that only we know what’s best for ourselves.
(Photo via FOX by Getty)