My mother died of ovarian cancer; I support organizations that raise awareness of this silent killer. Women's shelters - Jenesse Center in L.A. and the Primo Center in Chicago. Kovler Diabetes Center in Chicago.

Exercising can exorcise emotional pain.

I am very practical, but at the same time, I am a dreamer and romantic.

Hard rain falls in every season. Sometimes it can beat you down; you have to try to learn how to take sustenance from it to grow.

We are all connected.

I learn something all the time - rearranging what I thought I knew before.

I love that I live a creative life. It is in the work that I do - acting, writing, and directing. It's also in the mindfulness of every part of my life, from a meal that I prepare for family and friends to putting my imagination to work in a garden.