Ask 3 is a section that gathers three authentic, mindful, gutsy yet different people and asks them the same question. This month, we reached out to four-time Grammy Award nominee Jewel, vegan handbag designer Heather Belle and Red25Events founder Heidi Mayne and asked “What’s Your Most Peaceful Place?” We hope you’ll be uplifted by their answers and inspired to visit your own peaceful place this weekend.
Singer-songwriter Jewel: I grew up very poor. I moved away from home when I was 15, hitchhiked to Mexico when I was 16 and was homeless at 18. I didn’t go to college. I didn’t have any real prospects. I feel like I overcame so many odds in my life and everything turned out better than it should have. I found success, I found a great love [in husband Ty Murray] and I became a mom [to son Kase, 2 1/2]. And I live in the most beautiful place in the middle of nowhere in Texas. We have a 2,200-acre working ranch and it’s definitely my most peaceful place. We have horses, barns, tractors and the wide open spaces. At night you can see every star in the sky. When I go to Los Angeles or New York for work, I love the energy and the easy access to everything. But when I come back to our ranch, it’s as if all the pieces fall back into place. Of course I miss Whole Foods and a great yoga studio! But I belong here on our ranch. I don’t feel I have to go and chase anything. I spend time with my husband and our son. We do our chores, we feed the cows and we’re outdoors a lot. I feel blessed here. I love the world I live in. This is where I feel the happiest.
Jewel lives with her husband, nine-time World Champion rodeo cowboy Ty Murray, and their son Kase in Stephenville, Texas. She is currently working on a new album and will guest star on Nickelodeon’s hour-long primetime special Dora In Wonderland on Monday, March 10 at 7 pm.
Designer Heather Belle: My fiancé introduced me to Rincon Beach in Santa Barbara and it’s my new passion. Being there together, silently co-existing, is heaven. It’s a magical beach with lots of wild life and dolphins surfing in the waves. My fiance is teaching me how to paddle board and the ocean is so meditative. I love it for my mind, body and soul. You find inspiration everywhere you look. When I’m there, I unplug from the Internet, disconnect my phone and allow myself to take in the beauty surrounding me. I start to find patterns, stunning colors and textures. Suddenly I see things that inspire me. Time disappears. I’m completely absorbed in the moment. My mind wanders without being interrupted. Hours can go by while I draw, paint, take photographs or sketch little things on napkins. Everything falls away and the sound of the waves become rhythmic, connecting me to the flow of life. That’s when I feel the most peaceful. Those are the moments that inspire me to create and make me feel the world is a beautiful place.
Heather Belle is a Los Angeles-based designer and the mother of four children. Her luxe vegan handbags and fashion jewelry collections have been featured in InStyle magazine, Oprah magazine and Redbook among others. Heather’s designs are meant to inspire people to make a meaningful contribution to the world, to empower them to reach beyond the obvious, and to help them take a leap of faith and find their purpose.
Event Producer Heidi Mayne: What’s my most peaceful place? Hands down the ocean. Walking on the beach as a kid, I used to say we were walking on the black line, as if you’re looking at a map. It’s a thrill to be at the edge of something that has been around since the beginning of time, but at the same time is always changing. When I’m walking at the edge of the ocean, I feel immensely lucky. I feel lucky to have been born and raised in California, lucky to be free, lucky to just…breathe. What I love most about the ocean is not only that it’s calming, but that it doesn’t require anything from me. Being married, raising a daughter and running a business, my day-to-day life consists of taking care of others’ needs. Sure, I thrive on those demands. I love my family and I love my career. But if I get the chance to dip my toes in the ocean — even if it’s freezing or cloudy outside — I jump at the opportunity. In the early days of my business when I lived in Manhattan Beach, I would come home and take a short swim in the ocean. The only thing that was required of me was that I didn’t drown! My daughter often asks me to take her to El Matador beach in Malibu. She probably just likes to pack a picnic, play Frisbee, chase the waves and make up pirate adventures. But I like to imagine that she, like her mom, feels free.
Heidi Mayne is the founder of Red25Events, one of the premiere event companies in the U.S. Her clients include Coca Cola, Hugo Boss and David Yurman. She’s also planned the celebrity weddings of Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell, LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian, Tiffani Thiessen and Brady Smith, and Chad Lowe and Kim Painter.
• Ulrica Wihlborg
Photograph of Heidi Mayne by Laura Kleinhenz of Docuvitae.
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