The Gathering

Palisadian Nora Plesent Created a Space to Foster “Unusual Connections”

Tucked away in the Bluffs is a place where women come together for connection reflection and inspiration thanks to Nora Plesent, who wanted to turn her residence into a place where women could come together for connection, reflection and inspiration.

“Really just to provide kind of a safe, fun environment that allows for unusual connection,” Plesent explained to the Palisadian-Post. “Historically, there was a fire in the center of the communal settings where women gathered to cook, eat, care for their children, tell stories, worship and pass down the traditions and wisdom that sustained them.

“It was the sense of being together in a group that gave women a feeling of mastery and strength.”

Why, Plesent wondered, don’t we have more of that in our lives?

Plesent has dedicated her career to helping women, first as a child abuse and sex crimes prosecutor with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office and then as the creator of The New Girls Network, whose mission is to advance women in their professional lives by building a network to support each other’s businesses.

Plesent also is a founder of Lexolution, a contract legal staffing company that was designed to “create opportunities for flexible work arrangements for lawyers.”

“That came out of my desire to help women,” Plesent explained. After having a son, Plesent worked to find ways to continue practicing law in a “less punishing” way.

“I try to always hold that mantra for women, that they can create what they want in their lives.”

A self-described frenetic, single mother of four, Plesent was busy trying to navigate life as well as run a business. She also moved across the country from New York to Pacific Palisades. She found that throughout these busy times, meditation was the thing that brought her the most calm.

“I finally found something that allowed me to get inside in a way to feel all the good,” she shared. “We’re not even focused on what we’ve already achieved and what’s already wonderful—we’re always so worried about getting to the next thing … meditation shifted everything for me.”

The Gathering allows her to share the gift of meditation through a monthly Day of Calm, attended by a small group of people. Plesent said that something magical happens for those who attend a Day of Calm—“true camaraderie is felt, laughter shared, stories revealed and friendships made.”

The experience is designed to create an environment where people are able to connect and feel cared for.

“These are people who gather who are not necessarily best friends or business partners, but know each other, perhaps a friend of a friend,” Plesent explained of the usual eight to 12 participants who meet in the space.

The day includes breakfast, getting to know one another, meditation class, tai chi, qi gong and a homemade, sit-down lunch.

“That’s a big part of it,” Plesent explained, adding that many of the women who attend the Day of Calm are used to taking care of the people in their lives—it is often rare for them to be served a lunch that someone else made.

Other aspects of the day are writing exercises, sound baths, and ending with a glass of champagne and putting feet into the hot tub.

“It’s really a lovely day,” Plesent shared. “Women don’t give themselves things like that. They might go and get their hair done or a massage.”

Plesent added that her participants rarely set aside a significant chunk of time to self-care and even more rare for this time to take place with a group of people instead of being isolated.

“The Day of Calm was much more than that,” one attendee shared. “It could easily be called Day of Joy or Rejuvenation, Day of Aspiration or Inspiration; Connection or Transformation. Or Day of Love. It was all of these.”

“If there’s another place like this in LA to ‘gather’ I sure don’t know about it,” another attendee added. “You’ve found a way to fill a gap for women who are looking for community, meditation, relaxation, thoughtful conversation and more … all that in your warm, cozy, comfy home. It’s so personal. It’s perfect.”

Plesent was inspired to open her home for The Gathering not only because the space is beautiful and her backyard serene, but because she believes that women in the Palisades are open and interested in connecting and being a part of a community.

“I moved here for work,” she explained. “It’s been a great place to raise my kids on my own.”

She shared that, in the nine years that she has lived in the Palisades, she has been able to meet many people in their second or third stage of life—after the baby and kids, when women are questioning what is next.

“The Gathering may not just be what the women in the Palisades need,” Plesent said. “It may be what the world needs.”

For more information, visit thegathering-la.com.