HONOR THE SPECIAL WOMEN IN YOUR LIFE

In honor of International Women’s Day, I want to talk about a woman  I find incredibly inspiring in my life.

Over a decade ago, I received a call from a woman named “Vanna White” who wanted a reading. Was this the Vanna White, the famous hostess from Wheel of Fortune? It was! And after reflecting for a moment, I connected the dots-- she must have found me through her boss, Harry Friedman, who was one of my dad’s closest friends from high school and has long been a family friend. I figured that Vanna got my name from Harry, and so we set up our first phone reading. I liked her from the moment I heard her voice. Vanna was kind, humble, and very open to the work I do- my favorite type of client!  

Fast forward a few months and she set up another reading, and later on that year, another. On our third call together, I made casual mention of our shared contact, Harry Friedman. She was completely caught off guard that I knew him.

“How do you know Harry?” she asked.  

“I assumed Harry gave you my name?”I said.

“No, my manicurist in Los Angeles referred you to me,” explained Vanna. “She’d had a reading and couldn’t stop talking about it.”

Ha!  What a small world connection! I drew a line between she and Harry and me, and the dots didn’t stop there! It turned out that my uncle had worked with her former manager, a man named Ray who was my mom’s high school sweetheart! We were both completely in awe by the synchronicity and agreed that our paths were destined to cross.  

Over the years of knowing each other, Vanna has thanked me for the Other Side insights I’ve given her, but I really feel like it’s me who hit the winning jackpot meeting her. She’s always been a supporter of my work, generously making professional connections for me, inviting me into her home and attending many of my events with friends and family by her side. Beyond acting as one of my strongest advocates and most trusted sounding boards, Vanna inspires me to both keep it real and show up and shine.

Here’s a woman who has enjoyed fame and fortune, and who often shows up at public events wearing little to no makeup with blue jeans and sneakers. There’s nothing high maintenance about her and yet she sparkles from the inside out. How does she do it? Rather than fall into the Hollywood trap of being self-focused, Vanna is consistently kind, loving and quietly does good in the world.  OR ALT: and extends her loving kindness outward to everyone she meets.

I once meditated on the meaning behind our unlikely friendship, and my dad (in spirit) came through with a smile on his face. Wait a minute. Was he behind this? Dad shared that he periodically sends me “Earth angels” to help me walk my path and Vanna is a glowing example of what it looks like to be in the public eye, while remaining humble, grounded and graceful. At the end of the day, there are no red carpets in heaven. Our true stardom shines from within, and Vanna emanates this truth.  Thank you, Vanna, for being my guiding light.

Who inspires you? Whose light guides you along your path? Share your story in the comments below.