Tell me a little about yourself: I’m a Los Angeles native. I direct, I sing, I have a lot of side gigs and things that I do. I love connecting with people and I always strive to be as authentic and real as I can with my art.

Philosophy of life that you live by: That time is the most valuable thing we have with each other because we can never get it back. I never want to forgo an opportunity to let someone I love know how much I love and appreciate them. 

Something you wish you could tell your younger self: To trust my intuition more, to stop speaking so negatively to myself, and that I’m so much stronger than I think.

 

Something you are passionate about: Mental health and healing. Within my own family history, and I know this is true for many people, we’ve normalized abuse and it’s become embedded into our lives and our stories. Bringing mental health resources and dialogue to our communities is really difficult work but changing the culture around healing has to start somewhere and the reward is everything. 

Best way to get yourself out of a funk: If I’m in a funk, the first thing I need to do is acknowledge it. We all have the tendency to want to skip this step but actually sitting with negative emotions, as uncomfortable as it may be, is genuinely the only way to move through them. Once I’ve given myself space to feel without judgement, I might journal, exercise, dance, cry, call a friend -do anything that helps me work out what ever stagnant, icky feelings I’m holding onto.

What Jade and Juniper candle do you have and how do you incorporate it into your self care ritual: I own three and I use them all in different ways. Darjeeling is a very warm scent that I like to light when I’m winding down for bed. Baja smells very floral and fresh to me so I’ll usually have that one on in the bathroom when I’m in the bathtub or washing my face. I also love to light Marin in the morning because it smells very minty and fresh.

How do you wind down: I light a few candles in my bathroom, turn off all the lights, fill my bathtub with really hot water and just decompress. Sometimes I’ll bring a hot bottle of sake in with me or I’ll add different oils and herbs into the bath water. I work multiple jobs where I’m constantly engaging with people so I think designating time like this to be completely alone to think, or cry, or do absolutely nothing is really essential. 

 

"Healing is a really painful process but it’s taught me empathy and made me a better person in every single way."

How do you know when you are living in alignment: Life is full of so many challenges and constantly moving parts that I think the most we can do is try our best. Life is always going to present us with obstacles and to me, living in alignment means that I can show up my best self in those situations; that my actions align with my values. I wouldn’t say that I’m exactly where I want to be in life just yet, but I feel aligned with my journey and the way I show up for myself and others. 

What is your favorite smell/scent and the memory attached to it: At Catholic school we used to get these rosaries doused in rose and jasmine oil and I always loved the smell. It was this powdery, floral scent that I’m sure a lot of people wouldn’t care for but scents like that always remind me of walking to church for mass on a hot afternoon. 

What is a “bad” experience you’ve had that turned out to be a blessing in disguise: My upbringing was really hectic. While I’ve experienced things that I wish I could erase from memory, it ultimately is what forced me into therapy and forced me on my healing journey. Healing is a really painful process but it’s taught me empathy and made me a better person in every single way.