The most surprising thing about pregnancy was how connected I felt not only to the older women in my family, but to all the moms in the world.
Your most unusual pregnancy craving was chocolate ice cream. (Not unusual for pregnancy, but unusual for me.)
To get labor started, I took lots of walks/jogs around our Pennsylvania farm.
You chose to give birth outdoors at home because childbirth is about the most natural, and what I believe to be the most powerful and empowering experience (if you allow it to be) known to humankind, and I wanted to deeply experience all the possibilities of it and doing it outside in nature felt good to me.
Your daughters both have the middle name Joon because their dad, Ali, is Persian and “Joon” means “my love” or “sweetheart” in Persian.
The best kid age is two, and eight. But last year it was one and seven, so it might be whatever ages my daughters are.
Your biggest parenting challenge so far has been not having enough time with my kids.
Your trick to balancing motherhood and work is a major work in progress. What I’m finding more and more is that as I become more passionate about my work and my purpose in this life I become a better more passionate mom. So as I give myself fully to whatever I’m doing in my life everything else in my life thrives.
Mealtime in your house is always fun, because Rumi loves to run to her little vegetable garden to pick something for the meal, and Indi sits at the table with a big smile on her face, waiting for Rumi to come back with a strawberry or a grape.
The most surprising thing your girls eat is seaweed snacks from Trader Joe’s. Rumi loves the wasabi flavor.
You were inspired to create your own cosmetics line because I wanted makeup that was good for me, for the baby I was growing inside me, and good for the world, and it didn’t exist—yet.
The one beauty product you can’t live without is my 100% Pure Argan Oil.
Your personal beauty routine depends totally on the day and the occasion. Most days I’m running out the door and all I do is massage some Argan Oil onto my face, and then run the rest through my hair, and onto my cuticles. If I’m doing a photo shoot, of course, we bring in the big guns!
To beat the crazy morning rush, you don’t try to beat it—I join it, by joining my daughters for a 7-minute workout on our living room floor.
When times get stressful, you take 3 deep breaths, and remind myself of my favorite mantra: I am and I can.
To stay in shape (without spending a day at the gym), you chase my daughters around, and chase my schedule around, and eat as healthfully as I can.
Two kids are four times more fun than one.
The best part about being mom to your daughters is everything.
You’ll teach them self-confidence by being self-confident myself by being vulnerable and allowing them to be themselves. And making sure they always know how powerful, smart, beautiful, magical, and strong they are.
The trait you hope your girls inherit from you is love of self, confidence in self, and the willingness to learn and grow.
The one you hope they don’t is being impulsive! I can be just the tiniest bit impulsive.
The best parenting advice you ever got was love your children for who they are, not who you want them to be.
Your daughters love life!
You and your family live a green lifestyle because “if it’s to be it’s up to me/us” and we want this planet to thrive and continue to evolve and support us in the infinite possibilities we believe are possible here on Earth.
You maintain a life outside of LA because I get to sell my cosmetic line often on QVC, and their studios are outside Philadelphia. So instead of flying constantly and using fossil fuel constantly, we rented an old farmhouse about ten minutes from the studio.
You swear by telling the truth. It’s not always the easiest thing to do, but it’s always the best.
