Meet Olympia LePoint, with family from the U.K. and France, who moved to LA over 20 years ago to pursue a career in Science and Science Entertainment.
Was there a particular reason you chose LA?
My mother chose Los Angeles when I was a young person. My mother is French, and my father has British and American heritage. And I spoke English with a mixed accent. Needless to say, very few Americans could understand me, so I mastered a clear way to communicate with everyone using my voice. And when I was older, I contemplated living elsewhere. But Los Angeles continued to call me. I was hired to work as a mathematician and rocket scientist launching rockets for NASA, directly after my university graduation. When the Space Shuttle program ended, Los Angeles remained my home, because I found creative ways to use my voice. This Hollywood capital has allowed me to host my Radio show Answers Unleashed, become a TED speaker, write for The Huffington Post and be seen on NBC, CBS, Dr. Drew and PBS as a science expert. All these opportunities happened in Los Angeles. And I am grateful that I stayed.
What do you miss most from home?
I enjoy my close friendships with friends in London. And my aunts, uncles and cousins now live in New Zealand. I am a person who values relationships. So I am happy there is Skype. Plus I enjoy meeting new people.
What was your first impression of LA and has it changed since? If so, why?
My first impression of Los Angeles was that there was a huge financial disparity between American groups of people despite it being in “The Land of The Free”. In one area, groups of people were living in poverty. And merely 16 kilometers away, people were also living in extravagant Beverly Hills homes. This shocked me. Through personal experience, I discovered this disparity was due to the lack of educational access. As a result, I am passionate about educating people though my career.
What do you find the biggest difference is living here versus London and Paris?
Three things are different in here: the entertainment opportunities, the educational cost and dating as a single woman. There are more TV and film opportunities here. There are more independent producers and writers allowing entertainers to become their own international brands. As I teach as a mathematics professor, I find the university education to be great. However, there is a high price tag associated with it. Lastly, dating in the U.S. is much different than in Europe. I typically find myself in joy with gentlemen and European men like my late grandfather, whom I loved deeply.
Do you have a hidden gem in LA that you want to share with us?
Yes. In Los Angeles, I LOVE watching polo games. I truly enjoy visiting Will Rogers State Park on the weekend and the California Polo Club on Thursday nights to watch excellent polo matches with some of my dearest friends. I also play polo myself.
What would you suggest to others who are thinking about making the move here?
The experience alone is worth it. Word of caution: it is different than being in the U.K. Driving laws and insurances are different. And it takes strength to adjust. However, it you don’t like it, you can always move back.
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?
When you overcome fear, your “break-through’ happens. Great things happen when you decided to not let fear stop you. Connect with Brits in LA Facebook members as much as possible! There are Americans on the site as well. Meet new people. I am American, so I am in both worlds.
Lastly, how can we find out more about you? Are you working on anything at the moment?
I am hosting my NEW talk show Answers Unleashed, a show that helps people reshape their brains with science and faith to find the ANSWERS in front of them. The show is geared to help audiences find solutions to gain success. And we interview amazing guests weekly who are innovating great things in business, entertainment, science and technology. We are always looking for quality stories and triumphant people. And past shows can be seen under the podcast section of AnswersUnleashed.com.
The show’s foundation is based on my TEDx talk “Reprogramming your Brain to Overcome Fear” as well as the my new neuroscience application “The Triabrain Theory of Relativity” which was recently published on the Huffington Post.
Find me and let’s connect!
Facebook: facebook.com/OlympiaLePoint
Twitter: Twitter.com/OlympiaLePoint
Huffington Post: HuffingtonPost.com/olympia-lepoint
