Tia Mowry may have the kind of money most of us only read about on Forbes lists, thanks to royalties from her iconic show Sister, Sister; income from some 50 acting and producing roles, and kickbacks from the five books she authored and co-authored. But when it comes to wellness, the actor, producer, and mom of two might as well live off a modest income with bi-weekly pay. That’s because Mowry strongly believes the path to health (and a self-care routine) should be approachable, affordable and inclusive.
It’s an ethos that threads every aspect of her wellness practice (something that was kickstarted with an endometriosis diagnosis a few years back). Want proof? Check her recently-launched supplement line, Anser, where she’s cut the multivitamin game from something of a $3 per day expenditure to just 50 cents per day. Then there’s exhibit B: her YouTube series, Tia Mowry’s Quick Fix, that shows more than half a million overscheduled subscribers how to solve life’s little dilemmas and make budget-friendly and healthy meals, fast.
Source: Instagram
But wellness made relatable isn’t just something she’s selling: the Family Reunion actress shows us and 7.3 million other followers how she parents, works and implements self-care in the most relatable way. In short, the girl is brimming with hacks that won’t break the bank or eat up precious hours, which is something we all need (no matter how many commas our savings account boasts). Ahead, Mowry shares how building a wellness community can bring success and strength and why we need to highlight more women of color when it comes to wellbeing.
Find Your Tribe
In the beauty space you see Rihanna with Fenty, Tracee Ellis Ross with Pattern and Lisa Price with Carol’s Daughter. I do see more women of color represented when it comes to beauty. In the wellness space, [off the top of my head] I can think of Oprah as a woman of color who is a wellness and health advocate, but that’s not enough. There are women who are mothers or getting out of college and in the thick of life and [for whom] a relatability factor is important. Where is that when it comes to affordability? That’s why it was important for me to make Anser approachable, affordable and easy to get.
I was at a conference recently where I spoke on equity: Black women don’t get a lot of support when it comes to entrepreneurship and that right there is the problem—that’s what I mean by building a community, lending that hand.
Shutterstock. Design: Cierra Miller/STYLECASTER.
Inclusive Wellness
When you look at wellness as a whole, it looks like it’s only catered to the wealthy and is exclusive when it comes to supplements, beauty, and wellness in general. It was important that my supplement line, Anser, was tangible and reachable. I think everyone deserves to have the opportunity to [thrive] when it comes to wellness.
My whole wellness journey began when I was diagnosed with endometriosis. It’s a condition that affects lots of African-American women and I was shocked I didn’t know anything about it.
I was suffering in silence for years. My point is while being on this journey of taking charge of my health and wellness, there was no representation whatsoever. That’s what encouraged me to write my cookbook, Whole New You ($13.46 at Amazon)— my goal is to communicate, encourage and talk to people who aren’t always included.
We have to start putting values and importance on diversity and women who aren’t given the opportunity to have a spotlight on their culture. Women empowerment in general is something I’m really passionate about—giving every woman a platform to build a community. Life is hard. So it’s important we all encourage each other and uplift each other. There are other people in this world [who are not represented in the wellness community] and who need support, guidance and help.
People forget about their mental health [as part of wellness], but it’s all-encompassing.
The Secret to Deep Sleep
A friend of mine recently had a female-focused wellness event at her house where author and healer Lalah Delia spoke and I was spellbound! She introduced me to bio neural beats and the idea of equanimity, which is basically not letting other people’s energy affect your own.
Bio neural beats is a type of music that hits the delta wave in your brain and can put you in a really nice deep sleep. I look up bio neural beats on YouTube and listen there. Even if it’s just for a 20 minute nap when I’m in my trailer—it feels like I’ve had two hours of sleep. It’s mind- blowing.
J. Strutz.
Two-Second Wellness Hack
My favorite wellness hack for when people don’t have a lot of time is taking your supplements. It makes a huge difference and how I know that is that I live it. When my doctor diagnosed me with endometriosis, I was told I’d have to change my lifestyle. So I changed my diet, I started working out. I started taking supplements and doing meditation. I think anyone can slide supplements into their busy lives. I put all my supplements in a weekly vitamin container with slots for every day of the week then keep it by my bed with a glass of water. It takes two seconds.
Meditation Made Easy
The other thing I do is meditation. People think you have to be by yourself and sit in prayer position for 10-15 minutes. Personally, I don’t have that kind of time to myself. But the cool thing about meditation is [you can do it in other ways].
I can go in my backyard and do grounding. I connect my feet with the earth, hold my daughter’s hand and take my mind away from the hustle and bustle. It’s good for me and it’s good for her. She’s getting a better mother—a mother who is peaceful that’s not frazzled. I believe in energy that is calm and relaxed—that’s going to transfer to her and she’s going to feel that joy. When you take care of you, you can better take care of others.
This can be done in five minutes time. I told my dad to do this the other day [when he was telling me he was stressed]: ‘go outside, barefoot and put your feet on the grass and ground yourself.’ This lets you connect with nature for five minutes or go to that place that makes you feel happy and gives you peace. Finding that peace can be something as simple as drinking a cup of warm tea and breathing. You are the answer: you are the only one who can take care of you.
Source: Instagram
Fitness in a Flash
Getting my heart moving in the morning is my cup of coffee. I have a Peloton and a treadmill at home, so I’ll get on the treadmill or Peloton bike for 20 minutes. When it comes to working out, people think you have to be in the gym for an hour and a half every single time. No. Those 20 minutes add up. It’s about moving your body and giving yourself that love. What is an extra 20 minutes to wake up before everyone else wakes up to get your heart moving? Even if it’s walking up a hill or taking an amazing stretch—those things will go a long way. As we get older, we tend to take care of other people more than ourselves. It’s nice to feel that I did something for myself this morning.
Favorite Food Prep
My favorite recipe to make from my cookbook is fried rice. It’s one of the quickest and most delicious recipes you can do, mainly because a lot of the prep work is already done. You can use leftover rice from takeout you ordered the night before and buy kale and almonds that are already cut up and sliced. I add tamari and sesame oil and the whole thing just takes minutes to make.
Connecting with others…brings a sense of, ‘if she can do it, I know I can do it, too.’
Essential Apps
I’m a big fan of MyFitnessPal. It tracks caloric intake, which helps keep me in check, but I’m not obsessed with that aspect. What I love about it is it has a built-in community and educates you on incorporating food and fitness goals in a way you wouldn’t necessarily think about and shows your progress.
There’s another app called Calm that I also use. It’s amazing. People forget about their mental health [as part of wellness], but it’s all-encompassing. I’ve started to see success by working on my stress levels. What I love about the Calm app is it makes you become aware of where you are mentally. I get alerts on my phone every day that ask me how I’m feeling. You can choose a fitting emoji and write out a diary or notes. I’m very type A and love working hard, but at the same time, I can get depleted. When I’m in go-go-go mode, the app makes me become aware of my emotions and tap into how I’m feeling. The point is to make you understand there are going to be good days and bad days and when there are bad days, not to give up.
Low-Lift Skincare
Practicality is very important to me. For skincare, I love this French wash that comes in a pink and white bottle called Collosol Eau de Lait ($35.01 at Amazon). It’s not a scrub and you don’t have to wash it off, but it takes everything off your face. You put the solution on a cotton pad and it removes dirt and makeup, but you don’t have to rinse if off or pat dry. You just leave it on your skin and go. This stuff is amazing and I’ve seen a huge difference with my skin when I use it.
Source: InstagramReading On-the-Run
I love my iPhone because it’s the hub for my life. It has all the apps I need and it’s how I do my reading with Audible. I really loved Happy Gut ($12.99 at Amazon), which is about gut health and how the gut is a part of the immune system. I just got done reading The Four Agreements ($6.48 at Amazon). I loved it. It was life-changing and really taught me about the power of forgiveness.
The Power of Community
You don’t want to feel alone. When you feel like you’re the only one going through what you’re going through, it brings a cloud of pessimistic attitude. But connecting with others gives you a sense of optimism and hope and brings a sense of, ‘if she can do it, I know I can do it, too.’
Community is instinctual. As humans and as a whole, we thrive and are better off with support. That’s what I love about Peloton—when the instructor goes to high five to that one person and you see all these high fives come through on that leaderboard it’s like OH MY GOD SOMEBODY CARES. On Instagram, it was the same way with breastfeeding when I had my daughter. Everybody has tips you aren’t thinking about, like freezing your breast pump so it feels nicer when you put it on. It’s about lifting each other up. When we come together we’re stronger—I just really think that.
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.