Montana Doran & Single Besties shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Montana & Single, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Ooof! Coming in hot, yeah? All three matter to me — intelligence, energy, and integrity — but if I had to choose one, it’s integrity. Integrity is who you are when no one’s watching. It’s how you move, how you treat people, and whether you show up as the same version of yourself in every room. When you lead with integrity, the right energy follows, and intelligence naturally shows through. To me, integrity is the foundation of everything.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Montana Doran — creator, storyteller, and the voice behind Single Besties, a lifestyle and community brand for single women who are building lives that feel full on their own.
My work lives at the intersection of confidence, comedy, and self-discovery. I’ve spent the past few years growing my business, producing content for brands, and helping women feel seen through honest storytelling.
Right now, I’m creating a confidence course built around the lessons I’ve learned along the way — the ones that come from real heartbreaks, hard resets, and rebuilding your sense of self from the inside out.
I’m also soon launching a poetry book inspired by the men, moments, and heartbreaks that shaped me into the woman, and the brand, I am today.
And somewhere in between all that, my next big creative project is a novel — a romantic, slightly embellished version of my solo travel journey that captures what it really feels like to fall in love with life again.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
In college, I had to take a public speaking class, and honestly, I didn’t take it seriously at first. I would just show up, barely prepare, and somehow still end up getting A’s while everyone else was nervous.
My professor pulled me aside one day and said, ‘You have a natural gift.. if you actually tried, you could go really far with this.’
I remember being so annoyed, like, who is this old debate guy telling me about myself?
But he was right. That year I ended up competing in the state public speaking and debate tournament, and even a random judge told me the same thing.
At the time, I didn’t see it.. I was running from my gifts. But looking back now, as someone who gets on stages, hosts events, and helps women through my words, I think about that professor a lot.
He saw something in me before I was ready to see it in myself. It’s wild how people can recognize your light before you even realize you’re glowing.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
After my abusive relationship ended, I hit one of the darkest places I’ve ever been in. I was heartbroken, angry, and honestly just trying to remember who I was before everything. But four months later, I hosted my first live women’s event in L.A. — it sold out with over 50 women. The energy in that room was electric. It was healing, powerful, and proof that my pain wasn’t wasted.
That moment shifted everything for me. I realized that if I hadn’t gone through that darkness, I never would’ve tapped into this new level of purpose and power. The same pain that almost broke me ended up becoming the reason I started helping other women remember their own strength.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
My mom, without a doubt. We took care of my Sittu (grandma) together during her final months and were with her when she took her last breath.
I was only there for two months, but my mom had been caring for her selflessly for five years. Day in and day out. Watching her give so much of herself with so much grace taught me what real character looks like.
The two of them, my mom and my Sittu, are the reason I do what I do. Three generations of women, all so different yet deeply connected.
My Sittu’s generation was about survival. My mom’s was about sacrifice. Mine is about freedom and creating a life they never got to live. Everything I create, from my content to my events to my storytelling, is for them. It is my way of honoring where I come from while breaking the cycles they could not.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I think some people (mostly random men online) misunderstand my message. I get a lot of hate because my content focuses on empowering women, and people sometimes twist that into thinking I’m anti-men. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
I love men. I have amazing guy friends, brothers, and father figures in my life.
My work isn’t about tearing anyone down. It’s about helping women build themselves up. I want women to feel powerful and independent, not in opposition to men, but in alignment with their own worth.
Empowering women doesn’t mean disempowering anyone else. I think over time, people will see that my message has always come from love, not division.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://stan.store/singlebesties_
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/singlebesties_/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@singlebestiespodcast
- Other: https://singlebesties.com
Image Credits
Sarah Norton
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