Exodus

I had opened my heart and mind in a quest to truly know my spiritual self. I began feeling more connected to my soul.

And then, one day, at Pastor Judah’s Bible study in Beverly Hills, I learned that “gossip”—a job requirement as an E! News reporter and analyst—can be an act that takes one further from God. As my pastor noted is proclaimed in Ephesians 29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

This insight sparked a crisis of conscience, and I wondered, What if my spiritual journey leads me to conclude I can no longer gossip about public people’s private lives? How then will I provide for my family? What gifts could I share with the world that would bring love and kindness…and money?

While I longed for spiritual freedom, I feared my life’s work was now amounting to a slavery of my soul, from which I might have to perform an exodus from Hollywood, unless I could reconcile my inner conflict.

Indeed, despite making progress, I still had many questions. And sensing the answers would be found by probing deeper on the inside, I remained committed to turning my gaze within—praying, seeking, asking, listening, and meditating until I found answers to the soul-seeking questions that might part the turbulent seas separating me from a more promised land.