Palisadian Dr. Laura Gabayan Researched What it Means to be Wise for Her Book “Common Wisdom”

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

When Palisadian Dr. Laura Gabayan had to reevaluate her career, she took her research skills across North America on a quest to define what it means to be wise.

Now, Gabayan is celebrating the publishing of her book, “Common Wisdom: 8 Scientific Elements of a Meaningful Life,” which details “essential life skills that are not taught in school.”

Born in the Middle East, Gabayan came to the United States when she was 6 years old. She went to undergrad, attended medical school and completed her residency in emergency medicine all at University of California, Los Angeles.

Gabayan has lived in Pacific Palisades for about 18 years, first in Marquez Knolls and now Via Bluffs. Her four children—Jacob, Gabrielle, Michael and Sarah—have gone to Palisades Charter Elementary and Palisades Charter High schools.

She said that she chose emergency medicine for two reasons: “Control has been really important to me, and I wanted to control or know what happens to people in emergencies,” and because she liked “how fast paced it was.”

Gabayan then did an additional three years of research training, which is when she got her master’s. It was after that when she started publishing “a lot in academia,” including different journals.

Then, in 2013, Gabayan said she started to “develop a lot of random symptoms.”

“Ultimately, my body fell apart to a point that it still is,” Gabayan described, adding that her speech is muffled and that she cannot walk.

“I could no longer be an ER doctor or go to a medical office,” she said. “It made it hard to walk and talk, and I had to rethink everything that I thought was ‘normal’ and ‘important.’”

She said the physicians she encountered were quick to label her, saying they “just wanted to put [her] in a cookie-cutter … condition.”

“No one really thought outside the box,” Gabayan said. “The only people who did were the wise, so then I looked into wisdom and I was shocked.”

Gabayan has since “completely shifted gears” from being an emergency room doctor to focusing on a “new scientific study and new book” with a goal of helping “others find more inner peace, joy and success.”

She said she wanted to better understand “wise” people who “looked at conditions and life with a wider lens.”

Gabayan then launched The Wisdom Research Project, which included interviewing 60 people aged 50 to 79 years old across North America who were nominated as “wise.” What she found through her research is the basis of her book.

“Based on interviewing these ‘wise’ individuals, I was able to scientifically define wisdom as eight life skills that together instill wisdom—and are not taught at school,” Gabayan said. “I now believe that ‘things happen for you, not to you,’ and encourage people to look for the bigger meaning of things that happen to them. I also believe that wisdom is not related to accomplishments or wealth, but is a passion and love of life that results in meaning and depth.”

Gabayan discovered through her research that wisdom includes eight intertwined traits: resilience, kindness, positivity, spirituality, humility, tolerance, creativity and curiosity, in that order. The most common trait Gabayan said she encountered was resilience, which is why it is listed first.

“Each interviewee had at least two elements, most had five and only one person out of the 60 exhibited all eight qualities,” Gabayan explained. “It takes time to build these life skills.”

Among those interviewed were a widower of two husbands, a concentration camp survivor, a CEO of five companies, nonprofit leaders, marketing professionals and more.

“What’s surprised me the most is the amount of difficulty and trauma people have gone through, and yet they were not bitter, they were not angry and they were just more at peace,” Gabayan said.

The second surprise, Gabayan said, was how prevalent the element of kindness was among those who are considered wise.

“I came from the Middle East—kindness was not viewed with respect there,” she described. “It was viewed as weakness, but yet these people viewed kindness—and not only in a way of who they surround themselves with, but the way they treated themselves and the way they treated humanity with—kindess was very important to them.”

Through researching and writing the book, Gabayan said, she realized it was her husband’s kindness that she was originally drawn to, describing him as “very kind.” She said she now pays more attention to kindness in people.

Also in the book are journaling exercises at the end of each chapter to help guide readers to enhance these “core life skills, increase their wisdom, be more successful and be happier.” Gabayan also has peppered in “practical tips”—for example, in the “Positivity” chapter, she recommended that people surround themselves with “pleasant pictures and enjoyable music,” as well as “meditate and envision overcoming the challenge.”

Gabayan described “Common Wisdom” as more than a self-help book—it is a “practical guide to viewing life differently.” She shared that she hopes people go through life as “a warrior and not a victim,” that they realize “things are happening for you and not to you,” noting it’s important to “live in faith and not fear.”

She also said she does not believe in wasting people’s time—so the book is “very to the point.”

“I also had my share of writing very boring manuscripts,” Gabayan said, “and so I specifically made this one very easy to read, very simple but powerful. I feel like you can make your point and you don’t have to use jargon to do it.”

She suggested anyone “seeking more meaning and fulfillment in their lives” or “interested in enhancing and mastering life” pick up the book, as well as those “wanting to learn life skills not taught in schools.”

“My new mission is to help people find more joy, peace, happiness and success through these insights and new life skills,” Gabayan said. “The Wisdom Research Project interviewees gave me hope and new perspectives … when things look like they’re not in your benefit, just have faith. Don’t live in fear. Live in faith that things will turn around and work out.”

For more information, including a link to purchase the book, visit lauragabayan.com.

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

St. Matthew’s Music Guild will host its annual Holiday Concert on the evening of Friday, December 6, with a program that features the music of Henry Purcell, Arcangelo Corelli and more.

The 40th anniversary season will continue with a “lively program of music for the holidays.”

“The concert—featuring The Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s and Choir of St. Matthew’s Parish, conducted by Dwayne S. Milburn—kicks off with Baroque masterpieces by Henry Purcell and Arcangelo Corelli,” read a statement. “The Chamber Orchestra will be joined by choir and soloists in [Antonio] Vivaldi’s effervescent ‘Gloria’ in D major. A traditional sing-along of [George Frideric] Handel’s ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ will round out the program.”

Vivaldi composed the majority of his major works, including “Gloria,” while working as master of violin at the Ospedale della Pietà, which was an orphanage for girls in Venice, according to Music Guild.

“The ‘Gloria,’ in the festive key of D major, is beloved for its charming melodies and driving rhythms, and features operatic arias and duets for soprano and alto—solos that would have originally been sung by the girls in Vivaldi’s charge,” the statement continued.

Together with Vivaldi, Corelli is credited with establishing the “language of Baroque instrumental music in Italy.” Corelli wrote “Concerto Grosso Op. 6, no. 8,” which is known as the “Christmas Concerto” for his hometown, Rome. It is written to evoke “the sense of calm and quiet on Christmas night,” with “a pastorale in a lilting ‘Sicilian’ rhythm.”

Purcell composed “The Gordian Knot Untied”—“incidental music for a theatrical production of the same name.” Though “little is known about the play,” it is “presumed to have been based on the legend of the Gordian knot.” The legend states that whoever untied the “complex knot tied to an oxcart” would become the ruler of all of Asia.

“No holiday concert is complete without a rousing rendition of Handel’s ‘Hallelujah Chorus,’” the statement read. “The choir and orchestra will lead the audience in a sing-along of the holiday favorite.”

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Parish, located at 1031 Bienveneda Avenue. Tickets are available for $45 or as part of a season pack.

A free, pre-concert conversation will be offered by Milburn starting at 7:10 p.m. in the church.

For more information, including a link to purchase tickets, visit musicguildonline.org.

Gianna Caruso—founder and CEO of GIGI C and nonprofit Hear With You—partnered with Cult Gaia Founder and Designer Jasmin Hekmat to host a shopping event in celebration of Cult Gaia’s holiday collection at its Palisades Village store. A portion of the proceeds from the event support Caruso’s foundation.

“Gianna’s foundation is dedicated to making a wide range of resources, community events, education and treatment opportunities more accessible to individuals and families affected by hearing loss,” according to a statement. “Hear With You also aims to raise awareness of hearing health among the general population.”

Level UP Los Angeles recently partnered with BOCA for their fourth annual fundraising shopping event at the Monument Street store. An event organizer described it as “the most successful fundraiser to date for the Pacific-Palisades nonprofit, which supports under-resourced community schools.”

“We are so grateful to BOCA for partnering with us on this incredible event to support our organization,” the statement continued.

Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club hosted a Holiday Gift Bazaar on Saturday, November 9, inviting the community to shop for the holidays while raising funds for its 2025 Grant Program. In addition to a bake sale, the event featured housewares, jewelry, mixed-media art, apparel, handbags, linens, baskets, candles and more.

“We are thrilled to share how truly remarkable our Holiday Bazaar was last Saturday,” the PPWC board wrote. “Together, we achieved our fundraising goals and created a memorable day for the community.”

Girl Scout Troop 70455 teamed up with Palisades-Malibu YMCA to open a Free Little Library and earn their Bronze Award. The grand opening event featured a book drive, with items collected going to Marquez Charter Elementary School. The troop includes students in sixth grade at Calvary, Corpus Christi, Paul Revere Charter Middle, Seven Arrows and Village schools.

Los Angeles-based children’s nature program HAWKs Kids—“dedicated to fostering a love for the outdoors, helping children grow up with reduced anxiety and a deeper connection to the environment”—hosted an event in Temescal Gateway Park.

The event featured a plant dye workshop with Berbo, foraging, apple tasting with Aliza Sokolow and a lunch under the oaks with HAWKs educators and special guests. It was co-hosted by Chudney Ross of Books and Cookies, as well as HAWKs Founder Emma Flanders.

Pali High Grad Releases New Song, Gives Updates About Producing and Making Music

By ALLIE YANG | Intern

For Marquez Knolls musician Chantal Trent, an elementary school poetry class was the catalyst of her career.

“That [class] really got me into writing poetry, which is kind of how I started,” she said to the Palisadian-Post. “I was like, ‘I love poetry so much; I feel like it wouldn’t be that hard to just transition it into songwriting.’ I started taking guitar lessons, and then I went on from there.”

Since her introduction to music and songwriting, Trent has released numerous albums and EPs, with her first, “Lights,” being when she was a student at Paul Revere Charter Middle School, which was featured in the Post in 2019.

Continuing into high school, Trent has utilized the resources and support of Palisades Charter High School, which she graduated from with the Class of 2024, to advance her career and build her style as a musician.

“Going to school in the Palisades was what started my whole music career,” Trent said. “At Pali, there’s been a ton of things that have been really great for me and my music. I made the music video with another Pali student that I met named Jonah Sachs, who’s incredible, and he’s a part of the film department. We met through theater with Ms. [Nancy] Fracchiolla. Everybody that I work with, even my producer, went to Pali when he was a kid. It’s all pretty connected.”

With a decades-long relationship with music, Trent has noticed the gradual shift in her work’s style, from youthful and unfiltered to mainstream and complex. She noted the introduction of modern instruments as an indication that her music has become sonically refined. However, “Stupid Love,” her newest song and release from June 1, has kept to her original taste.

“The style I had in the past was definitely very ‘singer-songwriter,’ almost a little folky,” Trent observed. “It had a lot more percussion, tambourines and shakers. What I kind of transitioned into was a sleeker, more electronic alternative pop hybrid. I’m getting more into the alternative sound in terms of synths that we’re exploring and electronic drums. ‘Stupid Love’ was meant to be an acoustic ballad, so we kind of tried to keep that as it was.”

In addition, the content of her work has matured alongside her. As the backdrop to her music, the production serves as an important way for Trent to control the finer details of her music, which she has grown proficient with over time.

“When I started writing, I was 12, so I think the subject matter developed, and I would say the biggest development for me would be my production skills,” Trent said. “When I first started, I would meet with my producer, I would show him the song that I wrote, and then he would imagine it and produce it how he thought would be best.

“Over time, and [by] listening to music, and starting to write more and getting a bigger catalog, I was able to find a sound I liked and was more authentic to me. I started to take over a bunch of the production. I’m not good with the technical aspects of it, but I’m pretty much planning it all sonically and directing the production of the music that I make.”

Where Trent’s musical agency comes to light is in her original song, “Stupid Love,” which is about feeling disillusioned by one’s experience with love, but wanting to believe in its beauty anyway. Trent’s choices in the music video mirror this central theme of love, with the help of Sachs’ creative decisions.

“‘Stupid Love’ is one of my favorite songs that I’ve ever written because it’s set in three instead of four, so it’s almost like a waltz, which I love,” Trent described. “I don’t think I’ve ever done that before in anything that I’ve released. Sachs was like, ‘What if we do the scenes where you’re so in love and you’re so happy in this film, like it’s a beautiful memory, and then we switch to regular camera for the reality?’ which was the fighting scenes and where things started to fall apart. The juxtaposition between the film camera and the regular camera, I think, is so good and is part of what makes the music video for me.”

“Stupid Love” also includes references to Trent’s own musical inspiration, which her collaborator and fellow Palisadian Sachs, worked to incorporate.

“In the lyrics, I have this line that I really like,” Trent said. “It’s the opening line: ‘Spent all night with Tyler in my ears/My love’s gone/Is it really how it feels?’ That’s a reference to the Tyler the Creator song. I was listening to a ton of Tyler the Creator at the time, so I liked that I incorporated that. My favorite part of that song is definitely the bridge, because it’s super emotional.”

Trent said she believes her collaboration with Sachs has been critical for the direction and artistic choices displayed within her music video, as he offers a nuanced perspective on her ideas and how to bring them to life.

“He’s a genius,” Trent said. “He brought [‘Stupid Love’] to life, and gave it a real storyline and plot. His direction is just so incredible … He was able to bring everything to life and portray in the music video what happened in real life that inspired that song. He got the message across so beautifully with how he edited it and put all the pieces together. It just flows so well.”

As for the future after “Stupid Love,” Trent said she wants to continue her career as a songwriter while utilizing her catalog ideas.

“I’m working on a lot of new music,” she revealed. “I’m writing a lot, which I kind of took a break from, because I had a catalog of 100 to 150 songs. I wasn’t really running out, but I took a pause to focus on the production side, and I started writing more … I’m spending a ton of time on music this year, because I’m going to [Santa Monica College], but taking minimal classes. My goals are to play a lot more shows [and] release a lot more music. I’d love to do another EP or album in the future, and explore alternative production style as well.”

Corpus Christi School Principal Paola Sessarego—who took over the position on Monday, July 1, from Suzanne Stewart Duffy as she retired—answered questions about her history teaching, her goals while in the role and more.

How long have you been teaching? How long have you been at Corpus Christi School?

I’ve been teaching for almost 35 years—all of which have been in Catholic schools. I spent 25 years at Saint Monica Prep in Santa Monica and joined the faculty at Corpus Christi School nine years ago as a fourth-grade teacher. I went on to become the eighth-grade teacher and vice principal.

What is your background?

I was born in Brazil, but my parents are originally from Genova, Italy. We briefly moved back to Italy for three years, but returned to San Paulo, Brazil, for the remainder of my childhood. My brother and I spoke Italian at home, Portuguese when out in Brazil and English at the American School we attended in Brazil.

I played tennis for Brazil’s national team and was offered a scholarship to play tennis at USC. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I graduated with a B.A. in teacher education from USC and received my M.A. in education from USC as well.

What are your goals as the new principal of Corpus Christi School?

My top priority as principal is to make sure that we have a strong curriculum and that our students are well prepared for high school. I also want to ensure we care for our students’ social and emotional needs.

Most importantly, we must continue to partner with our parents to instill good values in our students. We want Corpus graduates to go out into the world and be kind, caring individuals with a strong sense of community.

How is the Pacific Palisades community integral to your mission at Corpus Christi School?

Everyone knows everyone in the Palisades. Our mission is to have a tight-knit community that is there for each other. A community where when someone is in need, we are all there to support one another. We are purposeful in instilling solid values and helping students create a strong community.

The Palisades is unique because most of the students who come to our school live here. Many of them even walk to school. There is an existing sense of community already, but we want to help teach our students how to make a difference and help others.

Why do you think parents in the community should consider Corpus Christi School for their children?

I think Corpus Christi School is a little jewel in the Palisades. We provide a vital education and strong sense of community. This is what we strive for.

People are coming together to help each other and graduating students who truly will make a difference in the world. I want all of our students to work to make their community a better place.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Being from Brazil, I love watching soccer, especially the World Cup. I love playing pickleball. We also have season USC football tickets. I’m a die-hard fan. Fight on!

Corpus Christi School, located at 890 Toyopa Drive, is a kindergarten through eighth-grade co-ed Catholic school. The school’s academic approach “develops engaged minds, cultivates work ethic and fosters a lifelong love of learning,” according to its website.

“We encourage curiosity, critical thinking and rigorous analysis,” the website continued. “Not only do our students master subject matter, but they graduate possessing the skills to succeed in high school and beyond.”

For more information, visit corpuschristi-school.com.

The following piece was penned by Ginny Winn—a Palisadian for more than 30 years. If you have a poem you’d like to submit for consideration in a future edition of the paper, send it to mypost@palipost.com.

No expiration date
I’m traveling on to celebrate
Hear ye hear ye
Another Thanksgiving year
And as each passes
more becomes clear.
Gratitude peaks my attitude:
I’m still here !
Time, precious time
This is yours, this is mine
Time to give huge
gratitudinous thanks.
I wish that our bounteous table
of people who love
of people who thrive
who are consciously alive
Know it, show it and glow it!!
Breathe in ~ Delish !
Breath out ~ your wish !
And what is the name
of your favorite dish ?
Give thanks and pray
that the whole wide world
All together Now ~
Could take a gratitude bow
Turn to each other
Smile and say
Happy Thanks~giving Day !