What’s the most profound piece of advice you’ve been given? Did you take it?

It’s a Norwegian expression for the difficult times will pass. I think it’s very current with what’s happening globally & locally.

If we let it, artificial intelligence will make us stupid & incapable of independent thought. It needs to be a fad that passes & NOT something we become dependent on. I feel that it’s already up in our emails & apps.

I think we need to be present more & understand that being on your smart device is rude. We have no TV in the bedroom policy & that goes for our phones too. When we have our coffee in the morning our devices are there but we try not to look at them. Definitely not at a meal or with friends.

I think the Norwegian expression is apropo considering the state of the world. What do you think has gotten you through hard times?

What’s a word or phrase that annoys you?

When I was at uni I dated a sweet guy whose mom really liked me. She told me that I was too smart to use the word like.

So I stopped using it & found real vocabulary words. To this day if you use like I assume your either trying to be stupid or you are stupid.

When I hear it from tourists I assume they’re either from the Valley or live close to it. Why would you want to sound stupid? Don’t use like. Like really don’t.

What’s a moment that made you realize you were stronger than you thought?

In the Summer of 2007 I was renting from a sexist slumlord. He entered my apartment without my consent & then tried to evict me because by law he had to replace my door lock. Something he refused to do.

Not 2 weeks later I was at a homeless shelter for women. Where I spent the majority of that Summer. In August a family member came out to visit. She treated my situation as if it was normal. She also refused to help me get out of the street shelter I was  in. After she left, I became suicidal & hit the lowest part of my life. If it wasn’t for my husband & my friends in the city I was in I would not be here today. I’m so grateful for the friendships I had that Summer as I never used drugs or turned tricks to stay off the street. They fed me & made me coffee I’ll never forget. Remember if you hit rock bottom the only way is up.