Meet Leandra Terrazzano | Writer, Actor and Mother

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leandra Terrazzano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leandra, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I think balance is what you make of it. I used to get caught up in the expected perfection of it all (hello, Virgo here) but ironically the “balance” came when I started to find peace in the imbalance. Doing the best I can with whatever hat I’m wearing at the moment, e.g. writer, mother, actor, friend, wife, etc. Balance is finding presence in what I’m focused on in the moment and being content with that and knowing it’s enough. Does that make sense? Honestly, forget balance. I’m entering a phase in my life where a little chaos and a lot of going with the flow is proving to be more fruitful, not to mention more fun too.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a writer and an actor, the latter of which I’ve been doing for a long time and the former of which I’m newer to. Writing is keeping me busy these days and I think what has helped set me apart in a field where I feel like a newcomer is that nothing I write is all that precious. I’m diving in headfirst, ready and willing to make mistakes and learn, focusing on writing what excites me rather than what I think will sell. And after being pregnant, I’m very excited for acting to keep me busy again too. Something tells me I’ll have to revisit and take to heart my own thoughts on work-life balance sometime in the near future.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh my gosh this is the best and worst question. Everything I do is motivated by my next meal but the neighborhoods in LA are so diverse and unique that there are lots of factors to consider!

To keep from spiraling into a black hole of possibilities, I won’t think on this for too long and instead spitball what I think would be one good but very full day off the top of my head. This stresses me out but here we go. The day would start at a 10 Speed Coffee or Verve, followed by breakfast at Republique, lunch at Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market & Patio Cafe, then Tacos El Tijuanense for an afternoon snack, followed by an Evan Funke place for dinner, and finally ending with late night drinks at my house because we make the best negronis in town and I’d feel up for a game night. This itinerary hits a bunch of cool neighborhoods in just one day but fair warning, everyone might be in a terrible mood because of all the driving and traffic. Whatever! Final answer, end of story.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout list is long these days but with a newborn in the house it would be remiss of me not to first and foremost shoutout my husband. The duties of parenting can still be heavily placed on the shoulders of the mother and my partner is doing all that he can to not make that the case. He’s also the first person I go to with my ideas and he entertains even the wildest of them (Scott Mescudi playing a therapist who has to treat a patient that can bring folklore characters to life, anyone?).

Creatively, shoutout to Christy Faison who is a badass coach, mentor, and friend, not to mention master negotiator and amazing cook. Shoutout to my team, my co-writers and my community of friends and family that I reach out to on a weekly basis with ideas, questions, delights and laments. It takes a damn village.

Website: www.leandraterrazzano.com

Instagram: @leandraterrazzano

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leandra-terrazzano/

Image Credits
Jeremy David Photography Leigha Smith Photography