I used to live in a house that had a view of the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory. I’d heard of Griffith Park, but I’d never known where it was or what it was. I didn’t realize how important it would become to me.

Fortunately, I had someone to show me the way. Once I discovered it and we explored it together that first time, I was hooked!

That hike became my safe haven. A year and a half before I left BCBG I would go for long hikes on my weekends off (when that happened!) and let myself get lost, explore and find my way. I’d also ponder what I wanted to do with my life. I felt like there was more to this existence than just working my butt off and trying to squeeze in time for myself and to spend with friends and family when I had the energy.

I knew there was more. It was just a matter of figuring out my WHY.

I had already recognized my skill for styling and shopping for others and this had been something I’d considered for a while. I kept coming back to that idea, but I felt like I needed more.

I needed to be more than just a stylist.

There is so much more to me than just enjoying clothes. I love the way they make you feel. How they make you stand up a bit straighter when you love what you’re wearing. How they can speak for you before you say anything yourself. I love to experiment and play with new combinations with what you already have. Seemingly creating something from nothing.

But I didn’t see all that then, so I kept brushing the thought away and not acting on it. Though, it continued to resurface against my will.

In the meantime, I was looking to move companies but not seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. What I did see was my boss rushing home at 6 (if she was lucky) to spend just an hour with her little daughter. And when she did, she’d often get slack for it.

I couldn’t see myself looking forward to that as I continued to move up the ladder. In fact, I wouldn’t. I really appreciate the fact that my mom was home for me as I was growing up and I know that has played a huge part in shaping who I am today.

How can we find balance in our busy lives?

The answer to this question is why I am here writing for you today. It’s all about balance and offering busy women a bit of reprieve from their responsibility of ‘doing it all.’ If I can take just one thing off your plate and make your life a bit easier with just a few tweaks, then I’ve served my purpose.

Though, again, I didn’t see this. I needed someone to show me. Give me a bit of inspiration for a way that I could take a bold leap and quit my job to serve this purpose. This friend happened to be the same person who showed me to Griffith.

Her inspiration and permission gave me the courage to take a big leap. It was perfect timing. I was ready to make a drastic change and she showed me the way I could do it.

Sometimes we simply need someone to show us the way. So simple!

Griffith has continued to serve as a great source of inspiration for me. I’ve since moved from that house, but wherever I go in LA I seem to find a new place to hike. And even though I enjoy those new hikes, like a great love affair, I always go back to Griffith.

Griffith literally changed my perspective about LA. For a long time I felt a little out of place. A little too nice and trusting for my own good sometimes, it’s easy to fall prey to the excitement of the city. Griffith was my coming home.

Seriously. I was ready to leave LA. I was so over it. And since discovering Griffith, I’ve been so much happier here and it really did make LA feel like home. Perhaps, a part of it has to do with the fact that my grandpa was raised just down the street (literally) on Vermont. It’s in my blood.

What I also realized through my hikes, whether at Griffith or elsewhere, is that my best ideas simply just come to me when I’m just enjoying nature in this way.

So far, I have them to thank for U*styled, many newsletter articles, defining my desires for a great relationship, 21 Days of Style and so much more!

It’s no wonder that top designers look to nature, cities, cultures, etc. for inspiration. Fashion isn’t about clothes, it’s about everything in our life … all the beauty around us.

For me, it turns out, my greatest inspiration comes from perspective and the juxtaposition of nature against urban.

I wonder, where does your greatest inspiration come from?