Blog / Life

Fran Hauser

This is the first time I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing a dear friend. Being a new experience, I took a decidedly different approach. I typically curate my questions around a specific theme, but instead I crafted a list of questions for my friend, Fran Hauser, based on the qualities I love most about her—her faith in the process, her devotion to family and ritual, her emotional intelligence, her decisiveness, and her generosity. Our conversation revealed not only a deeper understanding of my friend, but also of the core principles she has nurtured on her path to success.

Feel It All

I was pregnant when this photo was taken two years ago. It was my third pregnancy. I remember feeling alive and hopeful. I remember thinking, “This is it. This is when my story will change—when I can finally move past this pain and exhale. At last, my life can begin.”

Palm Springs

Billy and I escaped the cold and jetted to California for a little baby moon. I’ve always wanted to go on a baby moon, only because the only thing I’ve ever wanted was a baby. This trip was an opportunity to relax, yes, but more importantly it gave me a chance to celebrate and enjoy my pregnancy. The first trimester was a practice in faith—getting through all the testing, facing my very real fear of losing yet another baby, and trying not to wait for the other shoe to drop. I don’t think I fully accepted this miracle until I could feel her moving inside of me. Each kick was a reminder—she’s real.

Be Here, Now

Life is impermanent. This truth has been both a source of pain and a source of hope for me over the past five years as I struggled through a heartbreaking journey to become a mother. Living with the darkness of grief and summoning the courage to cultivate hope became my main practice. It broke me over and over again, and in doing so, it also broke my heart wide open. The depth it excavated within me now holds the love for the very thing I’ve always wanted. It is with so much joy that I share the news that my beloved and I are expecting a baby in June! 

Top Chef Teachings

It’s no secret that I love to cook, so it might come as a surprise to know that, until recently, I’d never watched the show Top Chef. Honestly, I’m a little surprised myself. Despite the buzz surrounding the show and how much I love a good competition (hello, I used to work on Wall Street), I had never tuned in.

Kathryn Budig

When I reached out to Kathryn for this interview, we had never met. Whatever I thought I knew about her was pieced together from mutual friends and—what else—social media. From the outside, she seemed to have it all: a happy marriage, a hugely successful career, and a multidimensional platform that included books, DVDs, and endorsements. Then, in what felt like a surprising shift, those tiny squares on Instagram began to tell a different story. While I had always admired her success, I became more interested in the fact that she appeared to be walking away from it all. Here’s someone who, at the top of her game, decided that the success for which she had worked so hard no longer made her happy. What I was surprised to learn over the course our conversation was that, at the height of her career in the yoga industry, Kathryn was miserable.

Tips for Managing Holiday Stress

The holidays can be a magical time of year. They can also be challenging and stressful. You may not be able to change the factors that contribute to your stress, but you can practice shifting your focus in a way that elevates your spirit. 

Let Life Live Through You

Hokusai Says, A Poem by Roger Keyes

Summer Space

Ah, summer—I’m not ready to see you go. As we quickly approach what feels like the seasonal finish line, I’m in no rush to be busy. Nope, I’ll just stay right here and soak up the last of these slow, spacious days.

This summer, for me, has been all about space. Billy and I traveled to California (space away from New York) and spent time with friends (space to relax and have fun); we spent a week in Vermont with my whole family (space for my heart); I taught my annual retreat at Heathen Hill (space for practice and fresh air); and I pulled back on work (space away from what I do, which gave me some space to connect with who I am).