Latest news with #Unapologetically
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Katherine LaNasa was always cast in 'sexual' roles. She's happy to ditch makeup on 'The Pitt.'
As a teen ballet dancer turned actress with a list of credits (including Two and a Half Men and Big Love) as long as her arm, Katherine LaNasa has spent most of her life in the spotlight. But starring as emergency-room nurse Dana on the hit HBO Max medical drama The Pitt has launched the 58-year-old into a new level of fame. It's coming just at the right time, she says. 'I saw an [article] yesterday on GQ about these men that are finding success in their 50s — like Pedro Pascal, Colman Domingo and Walt Goggins — and how they already have a well-established self-identity,' LaNasa tells me during our conversation for Yahoo Life's Unapologetically series. 'It's really nice to feel really settled in myself and to have done what I do with very relatively little praise. So getting praise now, it's a nice ride. You see kids get that, and they start thinking they need to adopt some other jaded or cool persona. I already am my grown-up cool/uncool self. This is just career stability and nicer accommodations and clothing.' LaNasa has a lot of self-acceptance when it comes to the subject of aging, and her confidence is infectious. 'I was walking on the street in Atlanta, and [this guy said], 'Your dog almost walked into my dog,'' she recalls. 'I was like, 'Were you inconvenienced?' And he goes, 'You look old.' I said, 'I am old!' [But] I feel like I'm in really good shape; I feel really strong.' Having an 11-year-old daughter, with her husband, '90s heartthrob Grant Show of Melrose Place fame, also keeps her young. But motherhood is hardly a new experience; LaNasa was in her early 20s when she and then-husband Dennis Hopper (30 years her senior) welcomed their son Henry, who is now in his 30s. What has LaNasa learned from her relationships, and why is she happy to let go of playing sexual characters? Here's what she told me during our candid conversation on aging, catcalling and not wearing makeup on TV. I'd always wanted to work for [The Pitt executive producer] John Wells, and I thought, If I could get in front of [casting], if they ever see my tape, I have a feeling I know what they want. And it just worked out. [As for] the success — it's kind of like if you loved making coffee, and you made coffee for someone every day, and you put a beautiful heart on it or different designs every day, and you did that for 30 years or so, and that was your job, and you got paid well, and you liked [it], and then, one day someone looked at you and said, "This is such great coffee. I really love your coffee." That's kind of what it feels like. Getting approval and praise I didn't think was ever coming my way — that I wasn't looking for and I didn't really need — is all just a bonus, and it feels like a nice warm bath. It's very enjoyable. I always played such sexual characters, and I think I always identified myself so much with my sexuality. I thought that if I became less sexually desirable as I got older or if I felt less interested in sex, I would lose a big part of my identity, and it would be terrible. And I find that I just really don't care. You know, this thing about older women being invisible? I'll take a step back. I used to get catcalled all the time, and it's a relief, and it's nice [to not have to deal with that anymore]. I also think [now is] a time in life — if you can let go of this feminine ideal of our physical beauty — it's really a time in life for deeper things, to think about the meaning of your life, to think about your own mortality, to think about what kind of legacy you want to leave and who you are. I really appreciate this season of life. I also appreciate feeling really seasoned in my craft. So often that's the thing I like the most about a day. It's like, 'I really knew how to make that scene work. I knew how to get the guest star to speed up with me. And then I stopped for the camera just so, and I can handle a lot of camera moves, choreography, notes at once, and it feels really easy.' There's a lot of technical aspects about acting that people don't think about, and it's nice to feel at a certain point that you have some mastery over them. I think we are flipping the script on that. I have to say, I think there've been some really incredible, brave women out there that have always portrayed real women — you know, the Allison Janneys and the Patricia Arquettes. And then you get these sex symbols like Pamela Anderson going [on the red carpet] with like almost no makeup. John Wells is a maverick at putting real, complex, imperfect-looking women on television and celebrating them, way before it was cool. So to work for him, it just really feels like I'm getting to step into that. I have to tell you: To play a part like Dana and to wear no makeup, it was really very freeing. It's also really freeing working for a mostly female writing crew. Feeling like I don't have to live up to that ridiculous, feminine, sexual ideal has freed up my acting. And I think it's why the acting's good on the show. Women can feel like they can just relax into being themselves. Yeah, I love clothes and style in general. I used to have an interior design business, and I'm sort of an amateur interior designer now. I'm very visual. I also love ceramics. I feel like I'm in really good shape. Like, I feel really strong. I do yoga every day. I like mixing the hot yoga with the regular yoga. I play a little tiny bit of pickleball. I hike. I really appreciate that my body is still really strong — [something] you take for granted when you're young. I'm glad I can still do all this. The one thing that was really hard was [the doctors] wanting to give me a C-section right away. They wanted to plan a C-section. Because of my age, they were worried. I grew up in a family of doctors, so I'm used to just listening to the doctor. But I wanted to push back a lot. I didn't want to incise my body if I didn't have to. If I had needed one, I definitely would have, but I didn't want to plan for it months early just because I was 47. I had some kind of pre-preeclampsia signs. I went in for some testing, and they kept me in the hospital, and they induced labor with Pitocin. But then I didn't want to have an epidural, because I didn't want to slow [labor] down. I was worried about too many drugs. So I had a natural childbirth on Pitocin, and I don't recommend it. It was super hard. I feel really powerful because I got through that, but it was really, really intense. [And] I fortunately got a doctor who helped me advocate for what I wanted. Don't get married at 22! I think if you marry someone that is so far apart in age, at least for me, there wasn't a lot of intimacy in that. It's nice to have someone that you can grow with — more of a friend as opposed to them being the successful teacher one, and you being the student, less successful, more dependent one. I would opt now for a relationship with more equality. The thing we have between us really is our craft. He wants to audition for a musical, so I'm gonna help him with the choreography. I've helped him with the choreography before when he had to dance on Dynasty. He helps me with all my self-tapes. We have a very artistic home. We're always singing, or he plays the piano, and it's a very creative space. That's the thing I like most. We have the same aesthetic; we like the same things. We move a lot, and he really trusts how I'm going to put together a home. [Despite] my longevity in the business and what I've done and the people that I've worked with already, like Billy Bob Thornton and Will Ferrell and Jay Roach, I never really got that kind of name recognition. I'm hoping that The Pitt will sort of catapult me into getting to work with some more artists that I really want to work with. Slow down, trust your instincts, and say what you mean — [but] don't say it mean. I [also] wish I appreciated that my skin wasn't wrinkly. To all the 30-year-olds out there, wear all the crop tops, wear all the short shorts. Love yourself. Love your body. Enjoy your body. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
We asked 7 celebrities what being Canadian means to them — here's what they said
Oh, Canada! Between keeping our elbows up, trying to make ends meet during a trade war and navigating a federal election, it's been a difficult year for many — and we're only halfway through 2025. But amidst the growing political tensions and the talk of annexation, there's been an undeniable resurgence of Canadian pride; the collective love for our country and our autonomy has bridged the gap between political parties. Although there's no denying that Canada still has its issues, the country also deserves celebrating. As part of our My Canada series, we spoke to Canadian celebrities, public figures, athletes and more about what it means to be Canadian for a special edition of Unapologetically. Scroll down to see what celebrities, athletes and changemakers say being Canadian means to them. Hometown: Toronto, Ont. Best known for: Host of Breakfast Television "Canada is my birthplace. It's my family, my friends, my career. It's my heart," the daytime television host told Yahoo Canada. "It's a whole bunch of people coming together in this beautiful cultural mosaic, learning together, growing together." Pugliese is quick to note that "there's been hurt" and "pain" for many Canadians. "But there's also healing," she said. "And there's beauty!" Pugliese is a first-generation Canadian who was raised to be proud of her Italian heritage. "To be Canadian is really about my roots. It's the family tree, it's, it's our roots," she said. "And then all of these beautiful trees come together in this beautiful Canadian forest, and here we are, hopefully flourishing together." Hometown: Regina, Sask. Best known for: Professional snowboarder, three-time Olympic medalist and 24-time Winter X Game medalist "I love being able to travel around the world and say I'm Canadian," McMorris said in an interview with Yahoo Canada. "It's the best thing ever. We are such a great nation..." Although he can "vividly remember" having Canadian pride as a kid, "everything really changed" after he won his first Olympic medal in 2024. That's when the athlete could fully appreciate the immense privilege of representing his country. "Those are really special things, and a huge honour," he said. "I'm proud to be a Canadian and proud to be setting an example for younger Canadians. It's a cool role to play." McMorris said his success was partly fuelled by his "determination" to prove to people that the flatlands of Saskatchewan can produce one of the world's most talented snowboarders. "Being from the Prairies has made me who I am and it's made me have a ton of grit... .," he said'. "And that has given me a lot of extra motivation to make it happen. I am super proud of where I come from and the people who hail from Saskatchewan. I feel like most people there, just the way we grow up, makes you humble and I'm thankful to come from a place like that." Hometown: Richmond Hill, Ont. Best known for: Cityline and Breakfast Television "Every time we're in a situation where there's some kind of national threat, we all remember that we're so proud," Moore recently told Yahoo Canada. The former Cityline host said while other countries may have a "base level of humanity," there's something intrinsically special about Canadians "At our core, people actually care about each other here," she said. "I see examples of it every day." Moore said acts of kindness might not always make headlines, but if you really pay attention you'll see that they're everywhere you look. "I see people helping the elderly take their groceries to the car. I see cars stopping to let people go across. I see people asking, 'Are you OK?' on the street to strangers….," she said. "There's a level of politeness there that's an unspoken rule and I respect that about Canadians." Hometown: Caledon, Ont. Best known for:The Social on CTV "Right now — to me — being Canadian means being able to speak your mind," Grelo said, adding that although it sounds "so simple" one only has to look at the political unrest in the United States to see that not everyone is afforded the same freedom of expression. "Not everybody likes what everybody is saying [in Canada], but I can appreciate the fact that we're all allowed to say what we want to say," she continued, while noting that her feelings don't extend to hate speech.""It it feels like something so simple, but you can see how quickly that right can be easily removed…." Grelo said the recent federal election was proof that while we may be a "divided country" there are some principles that Canadians agree on. "I think we still value what people will say Canada was built on: diversity in nationalities and diversity in thought," she said. "We're still allowed to have diversity of thought to a much greater degree... [compared to] the U.S. where there's actual consequences for that.' Hometown: Brantford, Ont. Best known for: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 2025 cover star 'Being Canadian means so much to me. I didn't realize how proud I am to be Canadian until I moved away over a decade ago," said Chan, who now resides in New York City. "I'm very proud that being Canadian has instilled in me the impulse to act in a way that considers others. I've realized living abroad that it's not something that everybody in the world does... I am the way that I am because I'm Canadian. ' Hometown: St. Catharines, Ont. Best known for: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight fighter - ranked 6th in the world Jasudavicius recently told Yahoo Canada that she became more aware of her Canadian pride when she started fighting internationally. "I am very proud to be able to represent Canada on the international stage," she said. Given her strength in the octagon, it's hard to believe that Jasudavicius had never tried her hand at mixed martial arts (MMA) or any kind of training until 2015. In the span of a few short years, she's risen through the ranks to boast an impressive professional record of 14 wins to three loss — all of which were by decision. "I hope to inspire other Canadian females to challenge themselves," Jasudavicius said. "To make a goal that initially seems out of reach, work hard everyday towards that goal, and watch it get accomplished.' Hometown: Toronto, Ont. Best known for: Playing guitar for The Beaches "I think our country really came together this year, and it makes us feel prouder than ever to be Canadian," Earl recently told Yahoo Canada. Earl and her bandmates are no strangers to braving the elements for a show. The Juno award-winning group makes the best of it, even in the country's coldest temperatures. "The first time we ever played Quebec City it was negative 30 outside and we all went for a walk before the set," she said. "We thought it would be fun to get the maple syrup on a stick snack that they make in the snow.'
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
We asked 7 celebrities what being Canadian means to them — here's what they said
Yahoo Canada asked our favourite celebrities to help us celebrate Canada Day. (Images via/Canva) Oh, Canada! Between keeping our elbows up, trying to make ends meet during a trade war and navigating a federal election, it's been a difficult year for many — and we're only halfway through 2025. But amidst the growing political tensions and the talk of annexation, there's been an undeniable resurgence of Canadian pride; the collective love for our country and our autonomy has bridged the gap between political parties. Although there's no denying that Canada still has its issues, the country also deserves celebrating. As part of our My Canada series, we spoke to Canadian celebrities, public figures, athletes and more about what it means to be Canadian for a special edition of Unapologetically. Scroll down to see what celebrities, athletes and changemakers say being Canadian means to them. Dina Pugliese is staying true to her roots Image via Yahoo Canada Hometown: Toronto, Ont. Advertisement Best known for: Host of Breakfast Television "Canada is my birthplace. It's my family, my friends, my career. It's my heart," the daytime television host told Yahoo Canada. "It's a whole bunch of people coming together in this beautiful cultural mosaic, learning together, growing together." Pugliese is quick to note that "there's been hurt" and "pain" for many Canadians. "But there's also healing," she said. "And there's beauty!" Pugliese is a first-generation Canadian who was raised to be proud of her Italian heritage. Advertisement "To be Canadian is really about my roots. It's the family tree, it's, it's our roots," she said. "And then all of these beautiful trees come together in this beautiful Canadian forest, and here we are, hopefully flourishing together." Unfiltered conversations with the names you know: Unapologetically is a Yahoo Life series in which people get the chance to share how they live their best life — out loud and in colour. Every week, check back for a new feature. Mark McMorris is proud of his prairie upbringing Image viaHometown: Regina, Sask. Best known for: Professional snowboarder, three-time Olympic medalist and 24-time Winter X Game medalist "I love being able to travel around the world and say I'm Canadian," McMorris said in an interview with Yahoo Canada. "It's the best thing ever. We are such a great nation..." Although he can "vividly remember" having Canadian pride as a kid, "everything really changed" after he won his first Olympic medal in 2024. That's when the athlete could fully appreciate the immense privilege of representing his country. Advertisement "Those are really special things, and a huge honour," he said. "I'm proud to be a Canadian and proud to be setting an example for younger Canadians. It's a cool role to play." McMorris said his success was partly fuelled by his "determination" to prove to people that the flatlands of Saskatchewan can produce one of the world's most talented snowboarders. "Being from the Prairies has made me who I am and it's made me have a ton of grit... .," he said'. "And that has given me a lot of extra motivation to make it happen. I am super proud of where I come from and the people who hail from Saskatchewan. I feel like most people there, just the way we grow up, makes you humble and I'm thankful to come from a place like that." Tracy Moore recognizes the good in Canadians Image viaHometown: Richmond Hill, Ont. Advertisement Best known for: Cityline and Breakfast Television "Every time we're in a situation where there's some kind of national threat, we all remember that we're so proud," Moore recently told Yahoo Canada. The former Cityline host said while other countries may have a "base level of humanity," there's something intrinsically special about Canadians "At our core, people actually care about each other here," she said. "I see examples of it every day." Moore said acts of kindness might not always make headlines, but if you really pay attention you'll see that they're everywhere you look. Advertisement "I see people helping the elderly take their groceries to the car. I see cars stopping to let people go across. I see people asking, 'Are you OK?' on the street to strangers….," she said. "There's a level of politeness there that's an unspoken rule and I respect that about Canadians." Melissa Grelo values her freedom — and yours Image viaHometown: Caledon, Ont. Best known for:The Social on CTV "Right now — to me — being Canadian means being able to speak your mind," Grelo said, adding that although it sounds "so simple" one only has to look at the political unrest in the United States to see that not everyone is afforded the same freedom of expression. Advertisement "Not everybody likes what everybody is saying [in Canada], but I can appreciate the fact that we're all allowed to say what we want to say," she continued, while noting that her feelings don't extend to hate speech.""It it feels like something so simple, but you can see how quickly that right can be easily removed…." Grelo said the recent federal election was proof that while we may be a "divided country" there are some principles that Canadians agree on. "I think we still value what people will say Canada was built on: diversity in nationalities and diversity in thought," she said. "We're still allowed to have diversity of thought to a much greater degree... [compared to] the U.S. where there's actual consequences for that.' Lauren Chan moves through the world differently Image viaHometown: Brantford, Ont. Advertisement Best known for: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 2025 cover star 'Being Canadian means so much to me. I didn't realize how proud I am to be Canadian until I moved away over a decade ago," said Chan, who now resides in New York City. "I'm very proud that being Canadian has instilled in me the impulse to act in a way that considers others. I've realized living abroad that it's not something that everybody in the world does... I am the way that I am because I'm Canadian. ' Jasmine Jasudavicius proudly fights for Canada Image viaHometown: St. Catharines, Ont. Best known for: Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight fighter - ranked 6th in the world Advertisement Jasudavicius recently told Yahoo Canada that she became more aware of her Canadian pride when she started fighting internationally. "I am very proud to be able to represent Canada on the international stage," she said. Given her strength in the octagon, it's hard to believe that Jasudavicius had never tried her hand at mixed martial arts (MMA) or any kind of training until 2015. In the span of a few short years, she's risen through the ranks to boast an impressive professional record of 14 wins to three loss — all of which were by decision. "I hope to inspire other Canadian females to challenge themselves," Jasudavicius said. "To make a goal that initially seems out of reach, work hard everyday towards that goal, and watch it get accomplished.' Leandra Earl feels united with Canadians Image viaHometown: Toronto, Ont. Advertisement Best known for: Playing guitar for The Beaches "I think our country really came together this year, and it makes us feel prouder than ever to be Canadian," Earl recently told Yahoo Canada. Earl and her bandmates are no strangers to braving the elements for a show. The Juno award-winning group makes the best of it, even in the country's coldest temperatures. "The first time we ever played Quebec City it was negative 30 outside and we all went for a walk before the set," she said. "We thought it would be fun to get the maple syrup on a stick snack that they make in the snow.' Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
At 6 feet tall, Kristen Johnston is 'not going to play the leading lady against Tom Cruise.' She's stopped trying to make herself smaller.
Humor has been a through line — and, at times, a lifeline — for Kristen Johnston. The 57-year-old comedic actress has been making audiences laugh for decades, most memorably in TV's 3rd Rock From the Sun and Mom, and she's doing it again this summer in Netflix's new comedy series Leanne, in which she plays the title character's sister. But she's also relied on humor during life's difficult moments. "Humor is the single reason I'm still alive," Johnston tells Yahoo Life for our Unapologetically series. "Well, that and my dogs. But humor gets you through everything. It got me through being bullied in grade school. It got me through a lot of heartbreak and horror in my 20s and 30s, and it definitely continues to save my ass." Humor helped Johnston get sober 18 years ago and, more recently, confront a lupus diagnosis along with the rapid weight gain she experienced as a result of her treatment. These days, it gives the 6-foot star perspective as she (gasp!) ages in Hollywood. During our chat, she even makes me laugh over and over, especially when I confess how fixated I get on my neck every time I start a video call. "It's always a shock," she says, nodding knowingly. "Like, 'What the hell happened?'" Our whole conversation is like this — equal parts humor and candor as we talk about facelifts, weight gain, addiction and how women "cannot win" when it comes to aging. Well, I know for a fact ... I'd be dead if I [continued], first of all, for sure. But sobriety got me a job on Mom, the Chuck Lorre show I did, which is a lot about recovery, and it really changed my life. It wasn't a huge [role], but it really reignited my love of doing sitcoms. I just love being [part of] an ensemble, and I loved those actresses. ... Then [it] led to this job. Chuck called me about doing this show with Leanne [Morgan]. So honestly, if I didn't have recovery, and I was somehow still alive, I definitely wouldn't still be acting, that's for sure. It was an intense process just to get a diagnosis [including 17 doctor visits and weeks at the Mayo Clinic]. It was really almost impossible. [Then, the] meds, chemo and IVIG [intravenous immunoglobulin] caused a huge weight gain in like, five or six months. It was a really difficult time healthwise. When I went into remission, I got Mom. So, it was interesting to present myself on TV with this massive weight gain. [But] it was a great experience for me because ... it really helped me get over myself physically and just appreciate the job. [I thought,] I'm so lucky I'm still alive. I'm so lucky I get to do what I love. It doesn't matter what I look like. It's been in remission for about five years. I'm very grateful. It's a very difficult thing to go through. In a weird way, it's helped because the parts I want are not the ingenue parts. I'm not going to play the leading lady against Tom Cruise, even when I was 26. I'm a giant. So I think it's narrowed the roles I would want anyway. I love playing the character roles, so it's probably kept people from trying to cast me in parts I wouldn't have wanted anyway. I used to kind of do that. I used to try to be a little smaller, mostly for men, not necessarily for Hollywood, but I haven't done that in a long time. I used to try to be a little more feminine or a little more delicate, but it just always fit like a bad shoe. Here's the thing: Women are allowed to be 25 and gorgeous — and then basically [they] cannot win. If you get surgery, you lose. If you don't get surgery, you lose. If you gain weight, you lose. If you lose weight, you lose. There's no winning. Just embrace the fact that you've lost and just roll on with your life. You can't win, so screw it. Whatever makes you feel good about yourself, that's what you do — as long as it's legal. Yes. They're embracing women of a certain age in a lot of different ways — in comedic stuff, in drama. I think it's fabulous. I realized this doing Mom and then doing Leanne. There is a huge, rabid industry of women of a certain age who want to see entertainment, and they're fervent. When Mom was canceled, women were so mad. ... I think Hollywood has underestimated the buying power and the devotion of women over 40, and I think they're starting to clue into it. I hope, anyway. For a long time, I worked on my brain and my emotional well-being, and then about eight years ago, I was like, It might be time to try to take care of yourself physically. So I do my little things, physical stuff, to help keep my brain sane. I love my Peloton, not gonna lie. I got into that during COVID, so I kept that up. Oh, it's everything. Dogs to me are everything. I don't have kids, so I have my nieces and I have my dogs and I just love them. Man, they are the funniest, sweetest creatures on earth. If I had my way, I would do a couple of years on this show, and then I would open an animal rescue ranch on the East Coast somewhere. I feel the exact same as I did in my 40s. I just feel like age is really a number. In my head, I feel very young and I think if you do what you love and you surround yourself with people who are not toxic, that's kind of as good as you can do in life. I feel very centered and happy with myself after a lot of years of not feeling that way. I think that a lot of women — I can only speak for my girlfriends — they all feel that way. Their kids are leaving home or a job is done, and there's this whole other rediscovery of self in their 50s, and it's a great time. It really is you finally living for yourself, not just for everyone else. The great Emma Thompson said on a talk show ... and I'm gonna misquote her: "I don't wanna die having spent my entire life worried about something as stupid and silly and ridiculous as what I look like and the package I come in." That really resonated with me. I think about that once a day when I start [thinking], Oh, I should look this [way] or I should get my face lifted or whatever. And then I just go, You know what? This is so stupid. Just focus on everything around you and get out of your own head. That works for me. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mel Robbins's ‘let them' theory is changing lives. These 6 magic words changed hers.
'Let them' is the two-word phrase that Mel Robbins made famous when she wrote a book encouraging people to take control of their own lives by relinquishing judgment of (and from) others. Your friends didn't invite you to dinner? Let them. The car driver in front of you is going too slow? Let them. Your coworker is stepping on your toes at work? Let them — and spend your time doing something productive rather than worrying about it. It's a mantra that's struck a chord with millions around the world, propelling Robbins to household name status in the process. But there's a different phrase Robbins herself uses in her own day-to-day life: What if it all works out? Those are 'six magic words that change everything,' the 56-year-old author and podcast host tells me during a conversation for Yahoo Life's Unapologetically series, where we're set to discuss aging and reinvention. Robbins appears to have a positive outlook on both those things, but it wasn't always this way, and it didn't come overnight. 'Nothing that I teach or that I share online or in the podcast or in books or anywhere came from positive motivation. … I don't know what it is, but I am negatively motivated,' she admits. 'I literally had to learn everything the hard way. I had to just about lose everything that mattered to me. I had to get so sick of my own shit that I was like, There's got to be an easier way.' If you're unfamiliar with Robbins's lore — as I was before accidentally attending the New York stop of her 'Let Them: The Tour' — it's important to know the former lawyer's work in self-help began when she needed it most. At 41 years old, she found herself in massive debt, unhappy in her marriage and abusing alcohol, all while raising three young kids. She struggled with negative thinking until she decided to flip the script. 'If you're going to torture yourself by constantly considering the negative, you owe it to yourself to force yourself to consider the positive,' says Robbins of the six-word question. 'It is magical for anxiety. It's magical for procrastination. It's magical for perfectionism. It's magical for overthinking. It stops you from stopping yourself … and it has absolutely changed my life.' So does she believe in being older and wiser? Not really. But establishing honesty with herself and with others has helped. Here's what she has to say about it. When you recognize that almost everything that you believe was planted in your brain by parents or society or friends or the media, you also have this other epiphany: If my brain was taught to believe this, maybe I should get serious about teaching my brain to believe things that make me feel good instead of making me believe things that don't. That to me is kind of the biggest insight, that you don't have a choice over what's happened in the past and what brought you to where you are right now in this moment. … But you always have a choice from this moment on [in terms of] what you do next and what you say to yourself about the things that have happened. And that is a life-changing realization. That's not just positive thinking bulls***, because I don't think you just say positive things and the world's problems go away. What I'm talking about is intentionally encoding in your mind patterns of thinking that lift you up and make you more optimistic and resilient, which better equips you to deal with the very real issues, problems, challenges and opportunities that you're facing. They don't make things disappear. Your mindset has the power to armor you up in a way so that you're stronger and better equipped at facing what life throws your way. Reinvention in my life has been constant. And reinvention happens in different ways. You can be forced to reinvent yourself because you get fired or you can't pay your bills or you let yourself go and you can't climb a flight of stairs without hyperventilating or you realize you have been in a string of relationships with people that treat you like garbage. … So there are the moments where life forces your hand. For me, it was more an accumulation of things that were not working in my life, an accumulation of a way of going through life that didn't feel good and it finally just boiled over, and I'm like, I have to change, I'm not happy. … When you realize that, like, Wow, I've been depressed for 40 years. I'm kind of tired of feeling that way, that's the only realization that you need to go, There must be a better way. Of the 8 billion people on this planet, someone must have figured out how to go from where I am and what I feel to feeling a little better. And if someone else has done it, then maybe I can take those steps too. I think about life as if we are all on one big, long walk together. You start at mile marker zero, and you end wherever it ends. On the road of life, there are always going to be people that are slightly in front of you and people that are behind you, and not because of age. I think your mile markers mark the time here, but where people are on the road of life in relation to you has to do with whether or not they've gone through something. If you have the kind of mindset where you could learn anything from anyone, there are things that you've gone through that I haven't gone through yet, you're a couple steps ahead of me. And if I have an open mind and open energy, and I'm willing to lean into life and be interested in other people, there are things that you would teach me because you've gone through them and I haven't. The same is true with me. Just because I'm older doesn't mean I necessarily know more. I've certainly made more mistakes, but I look at everybody as somebody that you can learn from, and I personally feel like you are best equipped to help the person you used to be. Oh my god, no. I was a liar, I was a cheater, I was a people pleaser. I would do anything to make you like me. I would pretend I liked the same music you liked. What's interesting is I don't think it naturally comes with age either. I think a lot of people that say they know who they are in their 50s are lying. I think you can figure out who you are at any age if you actually start saying what you really feel and telling the truth and saying, 'I don't know but I can find out' or 'I've never experienced that' or 'I disagree with you.' … I think you can have that realization at 30, you can have it at 25 — but there's so much social pressure. Well, I always find it very jarring that when I was in my 30s, Betty White was on The Golden Girls. She was my age [now]. … I thought 50 would be time to get retired, time to start looking old, time to be irrelevant to society because, you know, it's about the 20-year-old celebrities and we're like the old mayors getting thrown out into the corral. No. It's actually the opposite. I feel like the longer you live, the more you know who you are and who you're not. And that's a very freeing thing. There is this massive kind of leveling up or self-awareness that we all have about the benefits and the importance of taking care of ourselves and understanding that just because you get older doesn't mean you're getting frail or ugly or unwanted or undeserving. … What's exciting about being 50 is that, given the world that we live in, there is so much amazing information about how to make the most of your life, whatever that means for you, no matter what age you are. I think one of the reasons why people are so inspired by what I'm doing is it happened late in life. It's not like I was a public figure in my 20s and then did multiple reinventions and now I'm hosting a podcast — and there's nothing wrong with that. But literally, I'm a woman who has been married 30 years, I've raised three children, I have experienced bankruptcy, depression, anxiety, postpartum depression, the ups and downs. And I have never thought about whether or not I need to be good-looking or better-looking. In fact, our content does better the worse I look because I look like myself I don't give a s*** what I look like. I really don't. … The obsession with beauty is both something that has been shoved at women and something we've allowed ourselves to be consumed by. And it is very liberating to understand that there is power in allowing yourself to be seen first by yourself and then by the world around you. And that doesn't mean you shouldn't look nice at work or dress up for an interview or dress the part. It doesn't mean you shouldn't pull yourself together because it makes you feel more confident. You should absolutely do those things. But it is liberating. Oh, 25 maybe. Although I was really f***ed up when I was 25, so maybe I don't want to go back to that age. I mean, that was pre-therapy, pre-getting the anxiety and childhood trauma under control, pre-diagnosis of ADHD. It's such a cliché, but I think age is more about energy and attitude. There have been periods of my life when I was a lot younger — I was in my mid-30s, for example — and I felt old and life felt heavy and I felt trapped or stuck or just did not know who I was, you know what I mean? So I do think it's really about the energy that you bring to life and the attitude that you have about life. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
