I had to learn tactics to cope with uncertainty, instead of being constantly triggered into “fight or flight” mode — Growing up, I was probably the “most confident person” in my cohort. I aced everything, won awards, got articles published… I thought there was nothing I couldn’t achieve. Then, in the last year of college, I started to have massive anxiety attacks. I lost a bunch of hair, couldn’t have…

It’s very easy to react to chaos with negativity—but you can choose to instead see it as part of leading a lively, exciting life — I had a “slightly turbulent” week. I booked an NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) workshop this weekend, along with an Airbnb for three nights. Then I got an audition from my agent and had to confirm I was available. After my confirmation, my thoughts started churning:

Why I Gave Up 34k Followers on Tik Tok China — Last August I signed with an MCN (multi-channel network) in Beijing and became a Tik Tok (known as Douyin in China) influencer — teaching English to the Chinese audience. I invested in a vlog camera and studio lights and was posting 3–4 times a week. Within two months I hit…

One thing you have that you’re not aware of — I had a long, hectic day before I realized I hadn’t learned the lines for a 3-hour acting class in the evening. I almost decided to skip it as I didn’t want to look bad. I persuaded myself: “Just let it go and see what happens.” My jaw fell to…

Don’t forget you are your best valuable asset — I was a gifted child. I made my first paycheck from writing when I was 7 years old, and kept making money from my published stories throughout elementary school. Then I stopped writing for almost 15 years and picked it back up in 2015. I’m not exaggerating — those 15…

I lost 4 people in the last 2 weeks — two friends, one acquaintance, and then Halyna Hutchins, who was the best friend of a friend of mine. I had to take long weekends and work shorter hours because of the grief I was experiencing. And I stayed away from…

I was doing yoga when Lucy missed her pee pad again, dipped her paws in her pee, then ran towards me. “Mom, you promised to play with me after yoga!” “Lucy, I still have one more minute of savasana! And I have to clean your pee!” She kept nibbling me…

Fear and excitement are twins. — My partner was walking my foster dog one night and ran into a huge spider. I joined him moments later. “I almost had a heart attack.” He showed it to me. “This is SO COOL!” I said, turning on the flashlight. “ That’s easy for you to say. If it…

I became a foster dog mom earlier this year, and have saved 3 adult dogs. When it came to puppies, I was hesitant — because of the work, the hours, and the attachment. This time I said yes, and within a week Lucy changed my life. I used up a…