Chani Nicholas ( ; born 1975) is a Canadian

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...

and activist.

Early life and education

Nicholas was born and raised in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada. She became interested in

astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...

when she was 12 after her first astrology reading. At age 20, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. After deciding to leave the industry, she enrolled at the California Institute of Integral Studies where she completed her bachelor's degree. During this time, she began to study feminists such as

bell hooks Gloria Jean Watkins (September 25, 1952December 15, 2021), better known by her pen name bell hooks, was an American author and social activist who was Distinguished Professor in Residence at Berea College. She is best known for her writings on ...

and grew her interest in social justice.

Career

Nicholas began her career by writing a weekly astrology newsletter to friends and family in 2011. Her work focuses on progressive values and marginalized communities, such as

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...

and

trans Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of". Used alone, trans may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Trans (festival), a former festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom * ''Trans'' (film ...

people. Nicholas appeared on the fourteenth episode of the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series '' Explained'', "Astrology" in 2018, and she was the "resident astrologer" on ''Oprah Magazine'''s website. Her first book, ''You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Acceptance'' was released by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...

on January 7, 2020. In an interview with

KCRW KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...

, Nicholas stated that she hoped to "write a book that would help people access the wisdom of their chart so that they could more quickly align with living out their purpose. And so that we could all be, again, more quickly of service to the world." The book debuted at #8 on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list. In December 2020, Nicholas launched an

app App, Apps or APP may refer to: Computing * Application software * Mobile app, software designed to run on smartphones and other mobile devices * Web application or web app, software designed to run inside a web browser * Adjusted Peak Performan ...

called CHANI where users can receive astrology information.

Personal life

Nicholas is married to Sonya Passi, the founder of Freefrom, a national organization working to financially empower survivors of domestic violence. They reside in Los Angeles.

Works

* ''You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Acceptance'' (2020), HarperCollins;

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas, Chani 1975 births Living people 21st-century astrologers 21st-century Canadian women writers Canadian astrologers Canadian LGBT writers Writers from British Columbia 21st-century Canadian LGBT people