Meet Marisa Peer from London who moved to LA 1 1⁄2 years ago to build her business in LA.
Was there a particular reason you chose LA?
Yes, I love the weather. For me if I was going to move to NY, I should just stay in London. It’s the outdoor lifestyle that I absolutely love.
What do you miss most from home?
I actually miss television. I miss leaving the BBC on all day and hearing news and such and let it run in the background. I also miss Sunday lunch in the Pub.
What was your first impression of LA and has it changed since?
I have always loved LA. If anything, it has gotten better because I love the people, the restaurants and food. I love so much about LA.
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus London?
In London I can always pop into a little shop to buy apples and small last minute items and here, it takes so much longer. I certainly miss the corner shops and pulling up to pop in. You really can’t do that here. I also miss the English shopkeepers who are very chatty and friendly.
Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?
I live in Venice, which is already very over-shared. I love Venice, I love going to the beach. I find myself immensely fortunate to be on the Canals so that I can paddleboard every day.
As for a hidden gem – I love great restaurants and coffee shops and I like Third Street and Abbot Kinney because it’s rather like the UK, rather quirky. I like quirkiness. Venice reminds me of Notting Hill, it’s quirky and has a diverse mix of incomes and backgrounds and races.
What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here?
I would definitely say do it, but move to somewhere that has a community. I found moving to Venice seamless because I have a great neighborhood. So I suggest the move, but make sure you have a nice neighborhood that you can be involved in.
Lots of our members join our group Brits in LA seeking out words of wisdom – what is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Successful people make decisions quickly and change them very slowly. Unsuccessful people make decisions very slowly, and change them often and quickly.
I don’t ever regret things I have done. I regret things I haven’t done. I’d rather say yes and you can always change that and go back and say No. So, always say Yes because it’s much harder to come back to yes after you say No.
Lastly, how can we find out more about you ? Are you working on anything at the moment? Yes, I have my own brand of therapy called RTT (Rapid Transformational Therapy). I teach it both live and online and am constantly making it better and better. I am also working on a program that boosts children’s immunity, which is particularly important during this time.
