I handle my emotional pain by changing my mind-set. Exercising can exorcise emotional pain. Prayer and meditation. Visualization. Being able to talk about it by opening yourself to loved ones or a professional.

Exercising can exorcise emotional pain.

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.

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.

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.

The beginning of a project or anything is what makes me feel vulnerable. How to take that first step. And the ending of anything. How to release what you know and leap into the unknown.

Speak what I have to be grateful for when I get up and when I lie down to sleep. Meditation and prayer. I pray that I can move through all with grace. I believe I can move through all and not only survive but thrive.