Happy Ending of my Dark Night of the Soul

The fall of 1990 plunged me into the worst year of my life. I had built a successful PR firm in Beverly Hills, representing top hotels, art galleries, and real estate firms. I was earning heaps of money, managing a staff of eight, and operating out of 2,000 square feet of prime Wilshire Blvd office space. My life was a dream: a hot sports car, a luxury high-rise condo, and a calendar filled with galas, screenings, and Hollywood parties.

Then, within six weeks, my world crumbled. I lost 90% of my clients to a “recession.” Calls poured in with the same disheartening message: “We love you, you’re the best at what you do, but we can’t afford you right now. We’ll be back when the economy recovers.” I had no idea what a recession was, but I quickly learned I couldn’t fix it. I was forced to lay off all my staff except for one part-time assistant. To make matters worse, I was diagnosed with Epstein Barr, and my relationship ended in a messy breakup.

Traumatized on every level, I feared bankruptcy. Suddenly, with all this free time, I began to reflect on my future. I realized I didn’t like most of my clients and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I sought answers from astrologers, psychics, and even paid a “life coach” $500 for a single, useless hour (that’s $1200 in today’s money!). But none of them could help me, and I sank deeper into depression and exhaustion.

Nine months into this misery, a magazine cover featuring a photo of Earth from the moon sparked something inside me. In that moment, I decided that if I stayed in PR, I would only represent people, places, and products that uplifted the planet. The next day, I had lunch with a friend who asked, “If you could represent anyone on the planet, who would it be?” Without hesitation, I replied, “There’s a man you probably haven’t heard of named Deepak Chopra. I think he’s the best-kept secret in America.” My friend surprised me by saying, “I know who he is, and my friend Penny works for him.”

Penny called me that same day and told me Dr. Chopra was looking for a publicist. A week later, he became my client for the next 12 years. This serendipitous turn of events revealed my new career direction, leading me to work with all of my favorite mind/body/soul authors.

Ultimately, the worst year of my life became the best career pivot I ever made. Despite the pain, it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.

Wishing you love, hope, and resilience,

Arielle

P.S. See my new article on Wabi Sabi Aging in the Pro-Age Woman online magazine.