Hi friends. Meet @erinfalconer. She is a mother, Author and all around lovely lady who doesn't shy away from a good joke.
If you had one memory you could carry with you for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The day I found out I was pregnant. I have never been that happy before. Also, sometimes being allowed to stay up late watching Johnny Carson with my dad - I feel like these were the first moments where I really tapped into the possibilities of creativity and the power of laughter.
What is your form of meditation?
I do TM every morning for 20 minutes - and it’s literally changed my life.
Tell me about writing your first book?
So difficult! Up until then, I had only worked on scripts and short scripts, and the process was just so different. I am really about flow and rhythm in my work, so normally, I would start each writing day reading everything I had written so far, and then start from there, but with a book - it’s just so much denser - a more compartmentalized experience - that it took me a while to find my process. After all was said and done, however, I was so glad for the experience and really challenged what was possible for me, creatively.
When did something start out badly for you but in the end, it was great?
Honestly, almost everything that has gone wrong has turned out right in the end. I’m grateful for my failures because they’ve all been teachable moments. If you have the right perspective on failure or things not working out, the learnings from these moments can really propel you forward.
How do you judge a person?
On their integrity and courage. I really appreciate people that are willing to take risks and understand the value of saying what you mean and really standing for something. I'm also big, big, BIG on loyalty.
What goal do you think humanity is not focused enough on achieving?
The value of true connection with others. That’s how empathy is born and we need a shit ton more of it. Also, the practice of being totally honest with ourselves - we’re becoming more and more separated from ourselves and who we really are - it’s hard to care for yourself (or others) when you don’t really know yourself.
Tell me one Erin fun fact...
I used to be a stand-up comedienne from 16-20.
What tips or tricks have you picked up from your job/jobs?
Nobody is going to do the work for you. The quicker you learn that, the quicker you can start moving towards where you want to go. But before that, you have to really understand where you want to go. This involves a critical analysis of self: who am I? where am I? how did I get here? where do I want to go? It’s only until you really understand these things that you can start making major traction in your career.
Which of your vices or bad habits would be the hardest to give up?
It’s hard to give up any vice without really exploring and getting behind the ‘why’ you’re giving it up - it’s only when you find a why that really compels you that you can start moving in the right direction. But for me, I would say maybe to stop trying to always know the outcome of everything and just let things ride.
What’s something that everyone, absolutely everyone, in the entire world can agree on?
That’s a tough one - you would think it’s ‘Trump’s an asshole’ - but sadly it’s not. Hmmm. I want to say something that’s positive - it should be something about love, the power of or hope in children, but I can still think of many pockets of the world, where these things don’t seem true. Unfortunately, I think the one thing that absolutely everyone would agree on is that the world can be a pretty scary place right now. Doesn’t mean there isn’t a tremendous amount to be hopeful for, or encouraged by, but there is also a lot of uncertainty.
What’s some insider knowledge that only people in your line of work have?
With content - consistency is king. It’s not about how much, necessarily, but creating reliability so people know when and what to expect from what you offer. And don’t even try to do something online if it’s not original and distinctly in your voice - there’s just too much noise to get heard, otherwise.
What is paradise?
Snuggling in bed watching Peppa Pig with my 2-year-old son, George. Or when somebody reaches out to me telling me my book really made a difference in their life!
What was the biggest realization you had about yourself?
That anxiety is part of my creative process, not an impediment to it.
What’s your secret talent?
It’s not a secret. I’m very funny. But besides that - I’m a connector - I have a real knack of knowing who needs to meet who, and as a result, quite a few magical connections have happened.
What habit do you have now that you wish you started much earlier?
Definitely meditation (I’ve been doing it for about 9 years) - and added to that, having really intentional mornings.
What about the opposite sex confuses you the most?
Their ability to not get stressed at literally 95% of what would stress me out.
What are your thoughts on the ocean?
Obsessed. It’s one of the big reasons I moved to LA - and have lived by the beach (in Venice) for the past 15 years. I find its energy totally gripping - empowering, cathartic, and calming. Plus she’s so damn beautiful.
What would you say has been your best investment?
Myself.
Tell me about Pick The Brain?
PTB is a self-improvement blog that’s been around since 2008 - it’s my passion project. I’ve grown it from a tiny, unknown site to one of the most recognized institutions in the space (in 2013, Forbes named PTB ‘One of the 100 most influential sites for women’). Today I’ve got over 400 writers contributing content regularly. In 2018, I launched the Pick The Brain podcast with my co-host, Jeremy Fischer - and I’ve had a blast using this new medium to reach a whole new audience.