“Hair doesn't make the woman, but good hair definitely helps her conquer the world.” - Unknown

Hair, Home & Heart

Rediscovering Myself, One Hair Color at a Time.

I cautiously entered the Instagram scene a few years ago. From healing my curls to showcasing silver strands, I was searching, exploring and lacked clarity about the next chapter of my life.

Instagram was a strange paradox—I wanted to hide and be seen at the same time. My inner critic surfaced a lot: How many selfies could one possibly take? Was this all just a vanity project? How could I reconcile my desire for self-expression with my introverted tendencies?

Life felt so uncertain during this time. My husband and I were running a business out of our unique "cabin in the woods." The property was magical and rustic and even though we were smack dab in the middle of Los Angeles, when you set foot into the property, it was like your own private park. Productions could get a Joshua Tree or New Orleans vibe without the added expense of leaving the city. This made it a coveted location for photo shoots, music videos, films and events.

Sounds glamorous, but "the invasions" as we called them were no joke. Gear, craft services and crew everywhere. We loved the excitement of being around creative people who were lit up by their passion projects, but after a number of years, it was losing its charm. During the last two years, we hired great people to manage the business while we took a couple of long trips driving around the country. First, hanging with my mom in my home town Boise, Idaho - and later driving all the way to upstate New York.

During our adventures (that's us on Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls), I wanted to delve further into one of my passions: health! I've been adamant about pursuing health and well-being, even when I was told it wasn't possible. As a teen, my dermatologist told me my diet couldn't improve my acne. How nuts is that?! In my 20s, I turned to acupuncture and Chinese medicine to cure my endometriosis, despite being told I should have surgery. When I married my husband, a huge unity point for us was the pursuit of healthy lifestyle practices. We valued personal development, meditation and buying local and organic when possible. So it felt like a natural progression for me to get certified as a holistic health coach, specializing in the gut. The results from the gut protocol were amazing—for both myself and my clients. One client told me her anxiety melted away, she felt like a different person, empowered, confident and strong. Another client lost 20 pounds easily and effortlessly. For me, my energy sky-rocketed and I started sleeping through the night. This was a big deal because, ya know, menopause. I found myself on the Boise Greenbelt sprinting without joint pain. I experienced first-hand the power of eliminating inflammatory foods (gluten, sugar and dairy) while adding in supplements to support the gut. It was awesome. As I my programs came to an end, I knew a different chapter was about to begin.

We found our way back to Los Angeles and had deliberated long enough! The timing felt right and we put our property on the market. Luckily, our sale couldn't have gone better. Now what? Well, we were pretty smitten with the clean air, rolling hills and waterfalls the Finger Lakes region of New York had to offer. Plus, we had close friends that we knew from our years in LA who had moved there, and that was fun. So we packed up our car, put most all of our stuff in storage and drove east. We didn't really have a concrete plan on where we'd live, though we were interested in real estate investing.

In July 2022, we lucked out and scored a "Simple Simon" duplex. We jokingly call it that because it has zero architectural charm. Zero! In LA, I had staged countless houses and flipped a bunch with my husband. Now, it was time to put my design skills to use. (Here's a little before/after of our current kitchen project.)

So, here I sit, in my underwhelming and still-in-progress office. Most of the hardest renovations are complete. Some day I'll tell you about my husband remodeling the bathroom. 🤣 I never hear my husband talk to himself so much. And swear. Lots of swearing. I have secret video I shot without him knowing. I showed it to my friend and she about peed her pants.

There's still work to be done. More before and after pics to come soon. One of my core values is to have a home that feels good and inspiring. Our home has a deep role in healing and our ability to reset. I think that's why the business at the cabin wasn't an ideal fit for us. I also value smaller homes. I tend to go against the grain of consumption and buying a bunch of crap to fill a big house ends up being a huge energy leak because there is more stuff to manage and more things to make decisions about. I saw this first hand working with clients when I was staging. I'd rather invest in experiences (singing lessons), my health and adventures. Speaking of...

Cancoon awaits! Next week we depart and then we'll be circling back through Los Angeles where we reunite with some of our closest friends. I'm so very excited. The last time many of them saw me, I had cut off all my hair off and it was silver! It's possible I look like I'm going through a mid-life crisis. It's possible...😫😉

My hair discoveries began with healing my curls and transitioned into letting my silvers shine and climaxed with a big chop. (see left) now I've come full circle and I'm back to dying my hair. Say wha...? The hard truth: I realized I wasn't ready to give up my curly hair and when my silver hair grew in, it came in straight. No curly coils. Disappointing. Weirdly, after trial and error, my hunch is the dye makes my curls curlier. But some hair stylists will tell you I'm out of my mind and dye only makes hair straighter. Menopause complicates all things, even hair. So that could be happening.

Eventually, I'll probably change things up again and go silver. But society has a ways to go when it comes to embracing gray hair. I had friends and family tell me it made me look old and that it was going to be limiting. Interestingly, my younger millennial friends loved my silver hair and were the most supportive.

This last year has been full of change. From hair to home to hormones. But my desire to share my journey with you remains constant. I'm excited to delve into the realms of health, personal growth and all things that contribute to a radiant and fulfilling life.

If you're as enamored with before-&-after pictures as I am, stick around because we've got plenty to talk about!