Gwen Moss: About Me

My name is Leslie. You can read why I chose my blog name HERE. But for now I’ll just say that I love romantic comedies with quirky, neurotic heroines.

Like this character.

If you liked Diane in this movie, we could be serious friends. We might end up being best friends if you also love the character of Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation (that IS me) and Keira Knightley’s portrayal of Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, especially the scene in the rain.

Right now I’m writing my first ever About Me page because every big (i.e. successful) blogger says I should have one so you’ll know what to expect from this blog. Only up-to-now I’ve ignored this advice because the truth is, I never knew what to say about myself. Serious, I rather give a big, glowing introduction of you, instead of me any day.

But I’m ready for a blog makeover, and that includes this page

and a few random facts about myself. So here it goes:

I got into the therapy field at age 25 and didn’t completely leave until I was in my forties. I begin with this fact because this was my life’s work, and you could say it changed my entire DNA.

My experience as a psychotherapist is the lens from which I see the world. It taught me that we’re all mostly the same from the inside. And that everyone’s doing the best they can with the skills they got in their families.

My career began when I moved to Los Angeles as a twenty-five year old graduate student and landed my dream job at bustling Eating Disorder Treatment Program.This was the late eighties when insurance companies were still paying for 4-6 week treatment programs inside hospitals, which meant one thing: people were coming from all walks of life to ask for help.

And they were meeting with me because I was the intake coordinator and it was my job to listen and assess them.

one of my favorite Anais Nin quotes.

I once estimated that in my seven years on the hospital unit I met face to face with over a thousand women. And that’s not counting all the phone calls that came through on our (800) line. When you consider that I averaged an hour with each woman, you can begin to imagine the stories that filled my life. Gritty, aching, painful stories. And once I started working in the session room there were even more. To say that this launched my career is an understatement.

I mention this because if you ever want to know what real courage looks like, spend time with people who are struggling to heal their emotional pain; women who are trying---often for the first time--- to speak openly and truthfully about how they feel—the good and bad.

I tell you, it will bring you to your knees.

But here’s the irony.

Like a lot of newbie therapists, I’d entered the field with the beaming hope of helping others without a clue that I was in need of healing myself.

My immersion in this eating disorder world, my training alongside an amazing clinical team, and my own therapy during this period left me reeling. It forced me to look deeply into myself. To face my own feelings of chronic guilt. The feeling of not being good enough, despite all my achievements. And to understand the shame, which had been my shadowy friend for as long as I could remember.

During these years, I felt like I was standing on the tip of a cliff with the winds hurling 100 miles an hour at my back. Most of the time is was downright terrifying, but man, everyone should feel so alive.

It’s amazing how the universe plops us into the exact place we need to be… so we can work through our struggles.

Perfectionism, not feeling good enough, body image, dieting, beauty, boundaries, secrets, feelings, empowerment, women, authenticity.

This was once my world and sometimes so I write about these things here (starting the Memoir project) because I believe in sharing our stories. Looking beneath the surface for answers.

And I believe in women lifting other women.

These days…

I’m a Stylist at heart…

tablescapes, vignettes, props, parties and flowers

I write about these things too.

Rustic, cottage, vintage, classic, French, Scandinavian, eclectic, country, farmhouse and a touch of bohemian. These are my decorating words, the ones that make my heart flutter.

And this is my philosophy for creating my home.

Because I’m always working on something.

I live in Sacramento, California with Mr. Moss.

I have two boys 18 and 20, and I’m soon to be an empty nester. So sometimes I write about mothering and letting go . Because I consider it the most important thing I’ve ever done in my life.

I have a German Shepherd named Stella who is my baby.

My latest job: floral designer for a wedding