Headspace Q&A: Tami & Chase Spenst

You woke up this morning and the first thing you thought was…

Tami Spenst (TS): Coffee! Always coffee. Chase Spenst (CS): Cash flow.

What is your typical morning ritual?

TS: Snooze (about five times), do a little yoga (usually sharing my mat with our dog, Buckwheat, who also likes to do downward dog in the morning), sit down with coffee and meditate, journal and walk Buckwheat.

What keeps you up at night?

TS: All of the things that didn't get done that day. Not having enough time.

What advice would you give someone sitting down to meditate for the first time?

CS: Just be open to it and set aside preconceived ideas and expectations, both positive and negative. TS: Be patient with yourself and be open to the process. Every day is different, even when you've been doing it awhile.

When and where do you like to meditate?

TS: In the morning, before the day starts, curled up in a chair.

How does your mind feel before you meditate?

CS: Usually, I meditate when things feel like they are coming at me from too many sides, like I just got ambushed in an alley by a bunch of ninjas.

How does it feel after?

CS: The ninjas are still there, but they have conveniently gotten in line for me to beat up one by one.

What’s your favorite Headspace pack?

TS: I think Acceptance has been my favorite so far. I find that I often resist against what is because, for whatever reason, it’s not how I think it should be. Maybe it’s part of being a perfectionist? A year and a half ago, my husband and I opened our bike and coffee shop, The Wheelhouse, and I had just started Pluck, my design firm, all while still acting. Doing all of those things is a lot and it really forced me to make a conscious decision: I could keep doing all the things I loved to the best of my ability and let that be good enough or I could give something up and, let’s be honest, still not be perfect at what was left. What I loved about Acceptance was it helped me check in with myself in a really gentle way and create space for the ‘shoulds’ I was fighting and to give myself grace instead.

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What has meditation helped you with the most?

CS: I think it's helped me focus my energy, creativity, ideas, etc., into productive problem solving and give it order instead of dealing with things in a stream of consciousness way. Ideas came from wherever and shot off into tangents which made it hard for me to listen to people and get things done. Now I can slow things down and take in more without reacting but then formulate reactions in my time.

What’s the last thing that made you laugh out loud?

TS: My husband, Chase, and Buckwheat—it’s like living with real live Muppets. They’re both so happy and animated and have so much personality, they can be doing the most normal, boring thing and I think it’s hilarious.

What’s the kindest thing someone did for you this week?

TS: A friend took hours out of her Sunday afternoon to sit down and teach me how to use my camera.

Who or what is the current love of your life?

TS: My husband. We actually met on Match.com right before all the dating apps came about and it became super normal. I went on as a joke to myself—I had a free trial so I was going to stay on for a month, have a whole bunch of bad dates, get some good stories and remind myself why I liked being single. Three days in, Chase sent me a message and totally caught me by surprise. We got married two years ago and I definitely got some great stories, but I guess the joke was on me. CS: The love of my life is my wife, the obsession of my life is my business.

Have you ever experienced a life changing moment?

TS: Oh, my—yes! So many. The one that stands out the most right now is starting The Wheelhouse. Both Chase and I struggled to find our place here in LA, somewhere we felt like we belonged. We started the shop because it was the place in the world we were looking for. It’s been extraordinarily hard and also extraordinarily amazing. It’s taught us a lot about ourselves that I don’t think we would have known otherwise. There have been so many times and places where we could have stopped or said no or played it safe, but we’ve continued to say yes and leap with faith and as a result, the shop and our lives have grown into something much bigger and cooler than we ever would have imagined. The other day, we were driving to work and we passed three people on bicycles we had put them on. You can get so lost in the hardness and the details and the day-to-day of what a business requires, but to see three people navigating the world differently because of something we built ... it was incredible.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

CS: I am in control of everything I need to be in control of.

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