What a breath of fresh air to interview actress, author, and poet Lyric Benson (read her book!) on her path from the daughter of Hollywood celebrities, to one of a monk and eventually a mother.  Her book of poems touched me as well as her sweet spirit.

A writer, poet, actor, and singer, Lyric grew up the child of Hollywood success, but found her own unique path to creating and performing.

Lyric’s dad was a film and TV star in the 1970s and 1980s (One on One, Ice Castles, The Chosen) who became a TV director of more than 100 popular sitcoms including dozens of episodes of Friends and Ellen. Her rock singer mom had belted out songs with the likes of Meat Loaf and Blue Oyster Cult, and soloed ahead of Rick Springfield.

Lyric also worked in “the Industry” as a screenwriter at age 18, writing scripts for a Hollywood production company affiliated with Sony Pictures. As an actress, she performed on the TV shows Evening Shade and Modern Love.

Though she was drawn to the bright lights and to the thrill of performing, Lyric had a powerful yearning to experience the deeper dimensions of life. “I always wanted to know, what’s the meaning of all this? What is the point of existence?“ says Lyric.

At 18, she read Autobiography of a Yogi, the story of an Indian guru’s journey to enlightenment. It was a revelation. “That ignited an urgency in me,” she says. “I really felt I understood it. I thought I could function like that.”

A year later, she learned the Transcendental Meditation technique, which gave her a way to deepen her experience of herself and of life.