""When I was 20 years old I joined a pen pal club - actual pen and ink letters. The first letter I received was from my now husband. He's from England and we wrote back and forth to one another every day for 14 months. Then we met in person and we were married two months later and we have been married for 26.5 years. We would never have spoken to one another because he is very introverted. I believe God brought us together. My husband is a very stable person and that allows for me to be myself and launch off of him because I know if I get too crazy he can pull me back down from my ankles." Bridgette Beal lives in Laguna Beach, CA.
Kalin Angelica Flores
"Being a woman allowed me to learn to love myself and others the way I do. I feel like I got a lot of resistance from other people about how I should love myself and love other people, but I was right all along." Kalin Angelica Flores lives in Los Angeles.
Meredith Waga Perez
Meredith Waga Perez is the owner of Belle Fleur Flower and Fragrance.
"Imagine all day you are answering the phone and talking to people who share really intimate snippets about their life - like maybe they just fell in love with another student in their Graduate School class, or their sister just got diagnosed with cancer or their neighbor's dog just died. I always want to know what the story is so I can use my artistry with flowers to capture the emotion they want to share. This job really brings out my feminine side and allows me to tap into high levels of empathy, I am like the liaison of sentiment and emotions. Here in my studio there are little love notes being passed through me everyday, some are filled with the angst of love, some are a riot and have me laughing out loud others are so sweet they leave me crying in my office."
Andi Schreiber
"I spoke with my sons this morning. They are sad about the outcome of the election and they also always pick up what we are feeling. I really believe that change starts close to home. Now is the time for acts of kindness and introspection and finding ways to lift ourselves and everyone else up. We need to open our hearts more, even if we really don't feel like doing it today, we need to." - Andi Schreiber