When I was a little girl, I used to sit cross-legged in my grandmother’s walk-in closet, close my eyes and chant “OM” to myself over and over. I didn’t really understand what I was doing, but I knew that meditation offered a more peaceful life, and at the age of
Throughout her life, Leila Parnian has worn many different hats. For starters, she’s a cross-fitter, a multi-instrumentalist and a three-time all-American racquetball player. Until about six months ago, she was also the general manager at Parnian Furniture in Scottsdale, Arizona—a family business specializing in bespoke luxury accent pieces. But she
“It’s hairy down here.” That was my boyfriend’s four-year-old son alerting us to the amount of hair that was on the carpet where he was sitting. I had developed a habit of running my fingers through the back of my hair while watching TV and depositing the strands onto the
Over the past couple years, I’ve come to see my life as an ongoing project. I have established a fitness routine, embarked on a major career change and crossed items off my bucket list, not to mention quit drinking. I could choose to take a breather and rest on my laurels for a bit, but
I can’t believe this is happening but it is. Yep, it’s true. I’m growing older. Look, I get it—most of us are appalled by aging. But I feel like it’s different for me. Every day that it happens, which is to say every day, I feel more and more like
Christmas shopping followed by drinking alone. Hanging out in a dive bar where the cocktail waitresses had Santa hats on. Making jokes about having a “White Christmas” while snorting cocaine in the bathroom of a dingy Hollywood gay bar. While I’m not exactly Julie Andrews and these are not exactly
When I was a few years sober, I ended up choreographing The Wiz for a free rehab that housed recently incarcerated men in downtown LA. How a Marin County girl ended up trekking to the hood twice a week to teach a group of ex-cons how to do a munchkin
Welp friends, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. OR it can be the most hurried, stress-filled and expectation-riddled season of all. I find that it really all depends on my perspective. My sanity and joy during the holiday season hinge on my dedication to self-care. Just so we’re
I wish I had known about cold showers sooner. My teenage years were plagued by fear, negative self-talk, self-doubt, addiction and extreme social anxiety. I had a story I would constantly tell myself that people didn’t like me, that they laughed behind my back and didn’t respect me. I had