We recently heard from Emma, the combat veteran hog-riding mechanic — and proud of it! Some men are intimidated by her, but not her boyfriend.

"I'm not trying to emasculate anyone," says Emma. "And I'm not trying to act like a man. I'm still a woman. I'm just a woman with a toolbox."

Today we hear from Jordan and Meg.

JORDAN: In 1991, I was working for a petroleum company as a secretary in an engineering department. My boss and all the engineers were men.

One of the engineers said, "This isn't all you do, right?" I asked what he meant. He responded, "You're in college or you have your own business or something, don't you? You're not just a secretary."

For the first time, I had a negative feeling about my job. I also understood why my boss told his daughter not to associate with me, meaning he didn't want her to become romantically involved with me.

Two years later, I was promoted to an analyst position in a different department. I'm quite certain my promotion was due in part to the discomfort caused by having a man working as a secretary. Callers expected to be greeted by a woman. When I answered the phone, they assumed I was one of the engineers.

GAYLE: I've run an auto parts store for over 40 years, many years being in association with my husband's auto repair shop. Since his death five years ago, I've continued to run the shop. I have a reputation for knowing my stuff and getting referrals from other shops, not only in my area but around the country.

My crew is all female. Some years ago, I had a man quit because he said he couldn't take working for a woman who knew more than he did.

I was very fortunate to meet my husband, who never had a problem with my intelligence, education and expertise. I could tell when I heard him talk about his mother and sisters shortly after I met him that he admired capable women.

The man that I'm currently seeing appreciates how much I know about his car and that I love driving it. In fact, I rarely run into a man who doesn't respect my knowledge of cars and enjoy talking cars with me.

I did have problems with male egos in high school and college. I took math and science classes and found that some guys were better at dealing with me than others. In one college math class I was one of only three girls; some of the guys tried to sabotage my grade by not sharing some materials the professor expected us to complete together. The main conspirator was my chem lab partner and former boyfriend.

YALE: My wife happens to fit many of the female stereotypes. She's petite and has a soft job. But what attracted me to her was her strength and her ability to take a hit (never from me!), whether physical or emotional, laugh it off and go on living. If she had more of Emma's qualities, I wouldn't love her less and might very well find her even more attractive.

Are you living a nontraditional life? How's that working for you? Send your tale, along with your questions and rants to cheryllavinrapp@gmail.com. And check out my e-books, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front" and "I'll Call You. Not."