charlene amoia interview by maranda pleasant
MARANDA PLEASANT: What makes you come alive? Charlene Amoia: Whenever I see good being done in the world. There’s no better feeling than doing something to help someone in need. It’s like seeing the beautiful human spirit in full flight.
MP: What makes you feel vulnerable?
CA: Publicity. Ha Ha. It’s something anyone in the spotlight needs to get comfortable with - having all eyes on you and anyone and everyone ready to judge you, but does one ever truly get one-hundred percent comfortable with marketing themselves? I don’t know. That’s something I struggle with at times. A testament to my modesty and down-to-earth nature too; I definitely haven’t got tickets on myself.
MP: If you could say something to everyone on the planet, what would it be?
CA: Be who you are. Don’t try to change for anyone. What makes us special is that we’re all different, so maintain and honor that difference. There is no need to conform, change, or try and be someone or something other than what you are.
MP: How do you handle emotional pain?
CA: I swear by meditation and yoga - it clears the mind, puts the soul at ease, and makes charleneamoia.net
22
M A N T R A M A G . C OM
CA: everything else dissolve into the background... at least for a little while. Meditation is terrific- a friend was telling me that his six- year-old daughter does it at school in the mornings - it’s part of the curriculum. Before school begins each morning, the class of six and seven year-olds (!) does fifteen minutes of meditation. I think that’s wonderful! All schools should do it.. all workplaces should do it! The world would be a much sweeter place!
MP: How has Yoga influenced your life?
CA: It has made me very aware of my breath and the quiet sensations in the body. It’s allowed me to come from a place of observation instead of reaction. With a steady practice of yoga and meditation, I have found myself handling life’s vicissitudes with equanimity and using the flexibility I now have with my body also with my mind.
MP: How do you keep your center in the middle of chaos? Do you have a daily routine?
CA: I do vipassana meditation every day. I actually just got back from my second 10 day silent meditation retreat with them. This has made such a huge difference when confronting life’s unexpected turns.
MP: What’s been one of youR biggest lessons so far in your life? CA: Not to expect everything to happen right away; some things take time, patience, and
a lot of work. Good things happen when you least expect it.
MP: What truth do you know for sure? CA: That good things do happen to good people.
Buffalo born-and-bred, Charlene Amoia made the transition into acting after spending some time modelling. Though best known for her role as ‘Wendy’ on the series How I Met Your Mother, she’s also appeared in such films as American Reunion, Seven Pounds and Fat. In 2014, you can see her in Vitals.
PHOTOS: Charlene Amoia