Latest / Mommywood / Hot Girl, Girl Mom: Broadway, Botox & the Mental Load with Katie Webber

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Hot Girl, Girl Mom: Broadway, Botox & the Mental Load with Katie Webber · Mommywood

0:02
Welcome to Mommy Wood, the podcast where motherhood meets
0:06
Hollywood. Real moms, real talk, no
0:09
scripts. I'm your host Emily Bolt, and we
0:12
are talking about the messy, funny and unfiltered side of
0:16
being a mom in the entertainment industry.
0:19
Welcome back to another episode of Mommy Wood.
0:21
I am your host Emily Bolt, and I'm so excited about today's
0:25
episode. Today's guest is Katie Webber.
0:28
She is a working Broadway performer, a best selling
0:31
cookbook author, a certified holistic nutritionist, and also
0:36
a mom which honestly might be the most demanding role of all
0:39
of those. Katie is living a version of
0:42
life I think a lot of us secretly wonder about.
0:45
What does it actually look like to keep performing at a high
0:50
level physically and emotionally while raising a child?
0:55
Not the curated Instagram version, but the real one.
0:59
We talk about 8 shows a week, body expectations after
1:03
pregnancy, feeding your family without losing your mind.
1:07
We talk about ambition, guilt, identity, and how motherhood
1:11
doesn't necessarily have to replace who you were, it just
1:15
makes you renegotiate with her constantly.
1:20
I especially love this conversation with Katie because
1:24
she lives in both worlds, the discipline and structure of
1:29
performance, but also the chaos and unpredictability of
1:34
parenting. She has such a grounded,
1:38
realistic approach to Wellness that doesn't feel like another
1:44
standard moms are supposed to meet.
1:47
I have the links to Katie and her work and her cookbook in the
1:51
show notes if you want to check that out after the episode.
1:55
OK, All right, let's get into it.
1:57
Here is my conversation with the amazing Katie Weber.
2:02
Yay, Katie. Thanks for being a part of Mommy
2:06
Wood. I'm so excited I'm to finally
2:09
sit down and chat with you. I feel like we've been trying to
2:11
get this happening for a long time.
2:13
I know. Well, that's the whole, you
2:15
know, that's the whole mommy would thing where like
2:20
scheduling as performers, as parents, as all of the millions
2:26
of things that we are. Yeah, it's it's hard.
2:31
So your daughter Ollie is how old?
2:35
She's 9. She turned 9 a few months ago.
2:38
Yeah, 4th grade, which is like, I'm really enjoying this age.
2:45
I, I feel like, I, I feel like I really struggled like having a
2:49
baby and especially a toddler. I was like, whoa, this is not
2:54
for me. Like I just wasn't.
2:56
I struggled to thrive and like find my happiness and my joy
3:03
with having a, a toddler who, you know, I'm very lucky.
3:08
Like, she's healthy and everything, but she's a super
3:10
willful, spirited child. And you know, I just was like, I
3:16
don't know that I'm equipped for this.
3:19
Yeah, it's a lot. I mean, it's funny because you
3:22
can be like, you can look back retrospectively at like baby
3:27
babies and you're like, Oh well, they'll just, you can take them
3:31
anywhere. Like they're easily.
3:33
They're more mobile in that sense, obviously, like sleeping
3:38
and eating and all of those things are harder.
3:40
But then once they're a toddler where they're like figuring out
3:44
how to walk and like getting into everything and you're just
3:47
on like lifeguard duty. But once they can like play by
3:54
themselves, which I'm so curious because I just have the one
3:58
daughter too. She's only 3 1/2, but how is
4:03
that? Is she like is she good at
4:06
playing by yourself? Because I think we're one and
4:08
done and but you know, there's pros and cons to siblings and no
4:14
siblings. How do you how do you find
4:18
having the one? How?
4:19
What are your feelings on? Yeah, well for us, so I'm we're
4:24
also a blended Co parenting family.
4:27
So when my daughter was two, I separated from her dad and then
4:34
I got remarried when she was four, I think.
4:40
And so that's also like, you know, her dad and I had the one.
4:45
And then with my now husband, we were kind of like, do we want to
4:50
have, you know, sometimes it felt like, do we want to have
4:54
one so that we also have one that's, you know, made from the
4:57
two of us? But he was like, no, like she's
5:01
she is ours, you know, and like, luckily we were all like a very
5:06
happy Co parenting family. We all work together.
5:09
But yeah, I don't know the I, I would say that for the most
5:15
part, I was very strongly like I'm good with one.
5:17
Like I can't. I don't know how people have
5:20
more than one. Either it seems.
5:24
Wild. I'm like, you must have space
5:29
and money and family nearby because yeah, that that's the
5:33
other thing is like, you know, we live in New York City.
5:35
My husband's family and my ex husband's family both, they all
5:39
live in Europe because my husband's French and my
5:43
ex-husband is Danish. And then my family lives in
5:46
California. So it's like we don't have that
5:48
built in. Like, hey mom, could you could
5:50
you do pick up today or like, you know, that kind of built in
5:54
support system and then, you know, we're in show business.
5:58
So it's like we work crazy hours.
6:02
You know, I don't even walk in the door after my show at night
6:05
until like 11 at the earliest usually.
6:08
And then, you know, waking up at 6:00 AM or whatever.
6:11
And so, you know, and space is so limited and rent is so
6:15
expensive. And I'm kind of like, I just, I
6:19
don't know, you know, people make it work.
6:21
And I'm sure we could if, if we wanted to or if we were faced
6:25
with that situation. But I think we're just enjoying
6:29
like the I don't even want to say the ease because having one
6:33
child is not easy at all. But, you know, just like the
6:36
flow of where we are with our with our one girl.
6:40
And and she's funny too. She's like, I don't want a
6:44
brother or a sister. Thank God.
6:46
Yeah, I know, I know, I know. That's what I'm worried about.
6:49
I'm worried that May will be like she's our she's kind of
6:54
does that wishes just like from like shows that she watches
6:58
where she like I wish I had I want a little brother or and I'm
7:01
like no. I know I got no girl.
7:05
I was like, if anything, I was like, well, that's also my thing
7:09
where I'm like, it would have to be another girl, even if.
7:12
Right. I know, I know.
7:14
But yeah, the like you said, it's definitely not easy having
7:18
one, but the idea of just like splitting your brain to like,
7:24
you know, you have to have your own life and your own stuff and
7:28
then yeah, everything. And then like knowing a whole
7:31
other humans everything and then doing another humans everything.
7:37
Like, yeah. And like, and just, and going
7:41
through it again, you know, like the idea of I think maybe if you
7:45
have one and the first one you have is somewhat, you know, more
7:50
by the book and a little easier, then you're like, oh, let's
7:53
let's give it another go. But like our like my daughter
7:55
never slept. Like she didn't sleep through
7:57
the night until she was past five years old, like literally
8:03
not once. And so like she wouldn't sleep,
8:06
she wouldn't nap. She was just wild.
8:09
And and so I think the idea of like doing that again and and
8:14
also, I don't know, I'm just like, what if we do it again?
8:18
And what if, you know, I don't know, I'm a catastrophizer.
8:21
I'm like, what if something goes wrong or like, you know, I just
8:24
want to be like grateful for what I have and hold it tight.
8:28
And, you know, sure. I I do see people though, with
8:31
their like, bigger families. And I think that is must be so
8:35
wonderful to have like a clan like that, you know, like a
8:39
little, a little gang. Yeah.
8:42
But but for that reason, we got a dog instead.
8:45
Yeah, there you go. And do you have siblings?
8:48
I do. I have an older sister, but
8:50
we're six years apart. And so I never had like, like,
8:56
I'm so grateful for her now, but like, we just didn't have as
8:59
kids that like, we didn't play. We didn't.
9:02
Yeah, you know. She was in.
9:04
Junior high when I was in like 4th grade or in first grade, you
9:08
know, so. Yeah, Sarah is 6 years older
9:10
than me. We have another sister who's two
9:13
years older than me. But me and Sarah, yeah, I'm
9:15
like, we didn't play together when I was over 2.
9:18
Now it's great. We're best friends.
9:20
But like, you know. Yeah, yeah, that's interesting.
9:24
And like you said about the whole, there's so many what ifs
9:28
and like the the whole like, well, you'll figure it.
9:34
You would figure it out. And I was like, I don't really
9:37
want to. Yeah, like.
9:39
Figure it out too. Yeah, yeah.
9:41
And I think. It, it also like points to that
9:44
thing where it's like, you feel like, oh, well, maybe society
9:50
says that I'm not complete until I have like the two kids and
9:54
the, the, you know what I mean? And, and I think a lot of people
9:57
have this notion that they like feel bad for an only child or
10:01
something. And I just think, you know, the
10:05
circumstances, whatever you make it to be.
10:07
So I think, you know, our, our kid is like very loved and very
10:12
independent and she loves being with her family.
10:17
And so we're just, you know, holding tight to to what we have
10:22
and, and going on that road. Yeah, yeah, I think my phone
10:27
must like obviously listen to me because yeah, I keep getting
10:31
like the, the, like only the, the one kid parent people.
10:37
And they're like sharing the statistics and things about
10:41
like, like only children are happier.
10:43
And like, I think that I'm like sure, sure, whatever kids are
10:47
happy, like in all sorts of situations.
10:50
But I'm like, great, I'll we're good with that.
10:54
What So you were saying earlier about like you get home like 11
10:59
at night and then Oh my God. And thank God Alex's older now
11:04
and sleeping hopefully. But how?
11:09
Well, let's start like with I guess now and then like how, how
11:15
is it now? Like what is your normal like
11:18
performance day look like? And then and then Oh my God,
11:23
unless you've blocked it out, which I'm sure I would have like
11:27
how is that for like 5 years of Oh my God, I can't.
11:33
But what is that normal? Like performance day look?
11:36
Like well so we do. We do 8 shows a week.
11:40
We have one day off a week so we're only off on Mondays,
11:45
Wednesdays and Saturdays. We do 2 shows so like Wednesdays
11:48
and Saturdays I leave the house at.
11:50
Wednesdays too? Is that a new thing or is that
11:54
just your show or? No, it's very, that's like a
11:57
very typical Broadway schedule. Oh my God, I don't feel like I
12:02
remember about a Wednesday. Wow.
12:04
Oh my God, that's exhausting. Yeah, yeah.
12:07
Most all, all shows will do two days a week of two show days,
12:13
and most of them are Wednesdays and Saturdays.
12:16
Yeah. And then Sundays we have a
12:17
matinee. And my husband also, he's a
12:20
musician and he also works a Broadway schedule.
12:23
Right now he's not on one particular show.
12:27
He just fills in here and there. So that's like super helpful
12:31
because when I'm, if he's not playing a show at the same time
12:35
as me, then he's home, you know, with Ollie.
12:40
And then also it's kind of like the blessing of being a Co
12:43
parenting is that she spends half the time with her dad.
12:46
And like we're so lucky that, you know, we're all very
12:49
committed to like living close and we get along great.
12:54
I mean, he and I are like best friends really.
12:57
And the communication is wonderful and anything comes up
13:00
where we need to change the schedule, you know, one or the
13:03
other will step in and it's all great.
13:06
But yeah, I mean, I wake up, say, like on a Tuesday, I wake
13:11
up at six, AMI get, you know, lunch ready, all of that.
13:14
We're in New York City, so we take the subway to school.
13:18
We leave the house at like 7:30 and I take her to school.
13:22
And then I have kind of, you know, that's my day to, you
13:28
know, do stuff around the house, do run my errands, do what I got
13:31
to do here. And then and then at like 2:00,
13:34
I leave and I go pick her up and then we come home and we do
13:36
homework and all of that. And then I leave the house at
13:40
5:30 to go into my show, my 7:00 show.
13:47
And then, you know, do sing and dance and then come home, try to
13:54
be asleep by midnight and then wake up at 6:00 the next day to
13:58
do it again. You know, just just do a little
14:01
thing called, you know, be on a Broadway show.
14:03
Yeah, it's, you know, it's wild. But yeah, like, and back in the
14:08
day, I, I feel like I have, I was in such survival mode when
14:14
she was young because I went back to work when she was three
14:18
months old. And I was, I, I breastfed for
14:22
two years because mostly because it was the only way to get her
14:27
to like, sit down and shit it, you know what I mean?
14:32
Like it was like the only way to just get her to be like in one
14:37
place without screaming or, or that was the only way she would
14:42
fall asleep was just on me. And so I was like, fine.
14:46
It was very much like, do what you got to do, girl.
14:50
So that was crazy. Like being on the Broadway
14:52
schedule while nursing and like she also just wouldn't even
14:56
dream of taking a bottle. So it was like.
15:00
Really gave you a run for your money.
15:02
Yeah, yeah, she would not dream of taking a bottle.
15:05
So it that was definitely kind of survival mode and and then
15:11
also like, you know, two years in getting divorced and all of
15:15
that. And that was like a just a lot
15:17
of everyday, like 1 foot in front of the other, you know,
15:23
the bar goes way down. It's like literally just get
15:28
through this moment, get through this day, you know, like without
15:33
crying, all of us, you know what I mean?
15:37
Yeah, but but yeah, I don't know.
15:40
Somehow that's the thing with us moms.
15:43
It's like some somehow you just, you just make it happen and you
15:46
look back and you're like, I don't know how I did that, but I
15:50
did. Yeah, wow.
15:52
Yeah, that's that's wild. What do you think is harder?
15:57
I mean I can I can guess your answer for this one, but doing 8
16:03
shows a week or the mental load of motherhood?
16:05
Motherhood 1000%. The job is the break.
16:09
I mean, like the job is hard. It is especially like my job is,
16:13
it's a physical. I'm an athlete, you know, it's
16:15
like I'm, I'm a dancer. I I, there's so much, yeah, like
16:20
so much physical energy that goes into it.
16:22
And, and, and honestly, like that that starts from the moment
16:27
I wake up in the morning is like every choice I make is for the
16:31
well-being of my mind and my body.
16:34
And so that I can do the show in a way that I need to and want to
16:39
and, you know, so that I can wear my costumes and all this
16:41
stuff. So that's like, definitely a
16:44
load. But like, you know, leaving your
16:47
house for me, it's like leaving my house to go to work is like
16:51
when I'm like, you know, that's, that's when the exhale happens.
16:57
I feel like, you know, being a, a stay at home mom is the
17:01
hardest job in the world. Hardest.
17:05
I just so, so, so hard because you just never, you know, you
17:11
never like step out of that. You know that zone?
17:16
Yeah, you're like, OK, I can sing and dance for a couple
17:20
hours. Which?
17:20
Is. Grueling, but then you can kind
17:23
of like shift your mind into whatever character, at least to
17:28
yeah. And like I'm, I'm in the
17:30
ensemble. So like, I'm in a dressing room
17:32
full of girls and like, it becomes like the hang, you know,
17:37
it's the social time. And it's like girlhood, you
17:40
know, and we're all putting our eyelashes on and, you know, it's
17:44
like it's cute and fun and we laugh and we have a great time.
17:48
And so it's, it's kind of nice, you know, like to just, that's
17:52
my little breath away. Well, now, Speaking of like the
17:58
girls in the dressing room and stuff like that, have you found
18:01
because I know now is like for me for as a mom, and obviously
18:07
this is not the same as being a but like at work, having younger
18:13
people who don't have children, maybe are there Do you ever have
18:18
a hard time being like not being like you have no.
18:23
Idea. Like all the time.
18:26
Or is it just nice to have like it's both?
18:31
I, I do have moments of being like, you know, somebody's like,
18:35
good morning and I'm like, girl, it's not the morning, you know.
18:39
Like. It's 1:00, you know, I know
18:41
you're you just, you know, where people be like, how was your
18:44
morning? You know, I just rolled out of
18:47
bed and I'm like, cool. I've literally been up.
18:50
I've had an entire day, You know, I've lived a whole life.
18:54
Yeah, exactly. I do try.
19:00
I I really do try to like not hold it against anyone.
19:05
That sounds crazy, right? No, I give it, you know, it's,
19:08
it's I, I try to not be like offended by somebody telling me
19:13
that they're tired when I know that they don't have a clue.
19:18
Because like, and like everybody's allowed to be tired
19:21
and everybody is allowed to, you know, everybody's living their
19:24
truth. But I also think sometimes it's
19:30
nice to like, be surrounded by like, fresh younger girls.
19:35
Keeps me, you know, keeps me on my toes.
19:40
But I was talking to my mom about this the other day that
19:43
like, it's not, it's not that I I'm resentful to the people that
19:49
don't know what it's like because I'm the only mother in
19:52
our dressing room. Yeah, there are a couple a lot.
19:56
Of questions too. Oh yeah, they do.
19:59
And they also don't, you know, it's like.
20:03
Because because before you have kids, you just, you just don't
20:07
get it. You know, you just don't.
20:09
You can think you get it. You can see it from afar.
20:12
You can be an auntie or whatever.
20:15
And like you don't get it. And so I was talking to my mom
20:20
and I'm like, you know, it's not that I'm like resentful, but it
20:22
is hard to just find that like relating moment when you kind of
20:29
want to like talk about something you went through or
20:31
like, you know, like right now my kid, she projectile vomited
20:36
on the subway going to school 2 mornings ago all over on a
20:40
crowded subway train, like with the got on people and stuff.
20:44
And I came into work and I'm like, you know, Ollie's sick and
20:48
you know, she threw up on the train and I'm like, oh, sorry,
20:51
you know, and I'm like. And meanwhile, it's like when
20:53
you're at work and your kid is sick and you're, and you don't
20:57
know why or whatever, I don't know.
20:59
And you're, it's just constantly like rolling through your mind
21:03
and, you know, they just don't understand what that kind of
21:07
mental load is like. And so I just sometimes do feel
21:11
like it's hard to fully relate to people and like fully feel
21:15
like you're understood, you know, because even in our
21:18
industry, like the higher ups, like a lot of not the majority
21:23
of people don't have kids in my industry, you know, so and if
21:28
they do, they're like stars and they have a lot of money and a
21:30
lot of help. Right.
21:32
Yeah, for sure. Yeah, that that helps money.
21:36
Yeah, yeah, that part. Yeah, that makes it easier.
21:41
Did becoming a mom change the way you showed up on stage?
21:45
Like, well, I'm sure physically as well, but like emotionally,
21:48
physically, that is hard. It's one thing to be an actor
21:53
and you still have obviously your own thoughts.
21:57
You can't completely put away when you become a character or
22:00
whatever. But like, yeah, how did it
22:03
change how you showed up on stage?
22:07
Well, I was, I gave birth at 35 and I yeah, yeah.
22:14
Well, and The funny thing was when I first found out I was
22:17
pregnant, I was like, Oh my God, I'm too young.
22:19
Like, I felt like, because it was not planned.
22:22
And, and that's a whole other situation.
22:24
But like I, and I think up until then being, you know, 35 in this
22:31
showbiz industry, I was really feeling like, Oh my gosh, I'm
22:34
getting old. I, I'm getting, you know, you
22:37
get an audition and it has a description of what they're
22:41
looking for. And like, everything would be
22:43
like, you know, young fit dancer, 20s to 30s, you know, 20
22:50
to 30. And I'm 35 and I'm like, OK.
22:52
And so I'm like trying to show up into the room, like
22:55
pretending that I'm younger than I am or trying to fit this Like
23:01
I'm, I'm still the hot girl, you know, like let me let me try to
23:06
be that. And I think after, well, thank,
23:09
thank you. But yeah.
23:11
But no, but like, I think I, I think after having a, a baby and
23:19
having a kid, I was like, I'm going to show up just exactly
23:24
who I am and, and exactly my age and exactly the, the body I'm
23:31
in, in the, in the moment, because you know, she fluctuates
23:34
honey, like, but you know what I mean?
23:38
So and, and that I think I was resisting for a long time in my
23:43
industry. And I think as soon as I just
23:46
embraced it, it became like a superpower of like, no, I am a
23:52
grown woman. I am a mother, I am a hot girl.
23:56
I am, you know what I mean? Like I am all these things and,
24:01
and this is, and this is the package that comes in and this
24:03
is who I am. And these are the feet that I'm
24:05
standing on today. And that has just like set me
24:08
free in a lot of ways. And, you know, and like as a
24:12
dancer, there are things I can't do anymore that I used to be
24:16
able to do. And I'm like, no girl, I don't,
24:19
I don't have that leg anymore. Sorry, you know, but but what I
24:22
have is like, you know, a body of work that I'm standing on
24:27
and, and knowledge of nuance and presence.
24:30
And these are the things that I lead with now.
24:33
Yeah. Oh, I love that.
24:35
And that takes time for any, for anyone to like get to that
24:43
place. So like to be there and for like
24:46
people to hear that, like the more you can show up as
24:50
yourself, Yeah, on that day is like more powerful and more
24:58
honestly better for like people watching where.
25:01
You're like, it is. It is.
25:03
It feels. Yeah.
25:03
And it's comfortable, too. I just don't think that would
25:06
have happened if I hadn't had a kid.
25:08
Yeah. You know, they just really kind
25:10
of it's, it's that mirror and you're like, and you can, you
25:14
can push it away or you can look in it and be like, OK girl,
25:17
let's go, you know? You know, we always hear about
25:22
like people completely changing their who they are, like feeling
25:28
like they're a completely different person once they
25:31
become a mom. There's like me before mom and
25:33
me after being a mom. But what do you feel like stayed
25:37
the same for you? Because I feel like we don't get
25:43
to hear that as much. So what do you feel like?
25:48
Stay like that is still you about you even though you're a
25:54
mom? Well I this may be so unpopular.
26:00
I put myself first. Good.
26:03
I always have and I always will. I love.
26:07
It. But like I and and I don't maybe
26:11
maybe it's not I put myself first, but I prioritize things
26:15
that make me happy. I know when I need a break, I
26:22
will. And I luckily have, you know,
26:24
between my husband and my ex-husband have like a great
26:28
support system there. And so for instance, a few weeks
26:32
ago I was like, y'all, I'm, I'm going to Miami.
26:35
I'm taking a day off of work and I'm going and I'm going by
26:38
myself. So y'all, can I trust you can
26:42
handle it? I'm gone for two days.
26:45
And you know, those things of like, because that was my,
26:50
before I had kids, that was my happy place going to Miami,
26:53
being by the pool. I I'm a sun worshipper
26:57
unapologetically, you know, I'm a California girl like and I so
27:03
things like that where I'm like, no, I need to go.
27:06
I need to go check in with me, my happy place, go to Miami.
27:10
You know well know that. Prioritize my time like that.
27:15
Yeah, well, it's the whole like put on your mask first, right?
27:19
Yes, yes. And it's also nice to show your
27:24
daughter too, especially having a daughter that like putting
27:29
yourself 1st or prioritizing your well-being and your
27:34
happiness as well. But then also like being able.
27:37
And I know women have such a hard time with this.
27:40
And I feel like we also put it on ourselves.
27:43
Like we make it into being but like not putting ourselves
27:48
first. But then also like with the dads
27:51
or with the Co parents and everything where it's like, OK,
27:55
well I'll organize it and I'll do everything where it's like
27:58
you are a capable adult parent as well.
28:03
You can handle. It.
28:04
So for her to see that too well and also.
28:09
I think there's this notion that like prioritizing your happiness
28:12
or putting yourself first, like that doesn't mean that I'm not
28:16
that I'm passing on energy that she needs from me.
28:20
You know what I mean? But it just, it means I'm not
28:23
forgetting my needs and forgetting myself and filling my
28:27
cup and, like tending to my mojo, you know, because that
28:34
she, she loves it when I'm on fire and when I'm happy and when
28:40
I'm, you know, looking good and feeling good and putting on an
28:43
outfit or whatever. She's like, oh, Mama, you know,
28:46
like that. I can see that that speaks to
28:49
her in a positive way. Yeah.
28:53
And you know, and it doesn't. And not in a way that I'm like,
28:58
oh, she's fine without me. But, you know, also, I think
29:01
it's important to model that for her.
29:04
And I think that she, you know, as she grows up and becomes a
29:08
woman, will hopefully take that on with her.
29:11
Because that's the goal, right? You want to see your kid thrive
29:15
into adulthood. Yeah, yeah, for sure.
29:19
Well, and then also as daughters and like having daughters and
29:25
like the whole, like you said, you're obviously your well-being
29:32
and everything, but then like and just coming from the inside
29:36
out where you obviously, oh, I should have brought out your
29:40
cookbook. I got the hard copy.
29:44
So, but like, when did that, that whole, when did your
29:52
nutrition and holistic approach to fueling your body start?
29:58
And like how, how is it having your daughter?
30:03
Cuz like, I wonder how that is too with a, with like a kid, a
30:08
kid in general being like, I want, you know, chicken Nuggets
30:11
or fries or whatever. How that was like 5 questions in
30:15
one? No, OK, well, no.
30:17
But I, I love it. The So basically I was pregnant.
30:20
I was living in a tiny apartment in Manhattan, a one bedroom, you
30:26
know, with the thin walls. And I was, I was worried that I
30:30
was going to upset everybody around me by bringing a baby
30:33
into the building essentially because this was like a building
30:36
full of like young single, you know, artists basically.
30:43
And I was like, my baby's going to be crying.
30:45
Like, what if she's colicky? What if she's this?
30:47
And so I was like, I knew I was going to hopefully be nursing.
30:51
And so I thought, let me try to like clean up my gut and my diet
30:59
for the better of like the milk quality that I'm going to be
31:03
giving her because hopefully that'll make a happier baby,
31:06
which I guess was it didn't. But but, and I had like also, it
31:14
just came from just a life of food obsession, body image
31:21
obsession, especially as a dancer, you know, in the mirror
31:25
every day and just picking myself apart.
31:27
And, you know, these are also things that like my mom, these
31:33
were things that were put on my mom that my mom doing her
31:36
absolute best put on me. And, you know, so it was just a
31:42
lot of like, you know, disordered eating patterns, I
31:47
would say. So a lot of binge eating and
31:49
then being like, oh, I feel shitty.
31:51
Let me, or I feel crappy. Let me, let me, you know, let me
31:58
just not eat for a couple days or something just, you know,
32:01
unhealthy. And I was like, that's really
32:02
not sustainable. The more and more I was like
32:05
growing this child. So I, it just was like I made a
32:10
commitment to being a vegan for a year and it, and that was like
32:15
right about when I had her, I was like made that switch and I
32:20
had this newborn and I had so much energy and my skin cleared
32:26
up. I had had acne since I, you
32:28
know, from 11 years old to 35, like really bad.
32:33
And my skin cleared up and I, you know, I was like, I felt
32:38
like I was bouncing off the walls and feeling so much better
32:43
in my body. And I was eating like, no, poor.
32:46
I was like eating, eating, eating.
32:47
And I was like, oh, this is great.
32:50
And I feel like that really healed my gut.
32:52
But then after like a year, I was like, what if I want a
32:55
burger? I can't tell anybody cuz I'm cuz
32:57
I've announced that I'm vegan, you know?
33:00
Yeah. And then that started to, like,
33:03
mess with my mind. And then I was like, no, Katie,
33:05
like stick to your principles. Like you've made this road map,
33:09
you know, go with that. And then if you want to have a
33:11
burger, you have a burger. Like live your life, it's fine.
33:14
And then I decided to get certified nutrition because I
33:17
was speaking about it so much, like on Instagram, I was like, I
33:20
need some sort of credibility. And then of course, the pandemic
33:24
happened and I wrote cookbooks. And anyway, that's how that all.
33:28
Happened. I was going to ask when did
33:29
that? Oh, so that was like, oh gosh, I
33:33
guess it's not the time from like the pandemic.
33:37
Can you believe 20/20 was 6 years ago?
33:39
That's. Yeah, no, I was just thinking
33:41
about. That I was like, oh, so just, it
33:43
was pretty recent. Yeah, I know, I know.
33:46
Unbelievable. But so that's when you wrote it.
33:52
Yeah. So that's.
33:52
When I started like dabbling in that.
33:56
OK. But you know, I think for the
33:58
most part, having a daughter and trying to model healthy habits
34:07
with food and body image while also not labeling anything as
34:12
like bad is so tricky. It's a journey that I take every
34:18
single day, I feel. I think the number one thing is
34:23
modeling what I consider to be healthy habits, which to me that
34:30
means I, I eat when I'm hungry and I, you know, the food that
34:38
we have in this house is organic and lots of fruits and
34:44
vegetables. But of course, like I have
34:47
organic chicken Nuggets in the freezer and you know, I make, I
34:53
put those in her lunch probably once a week.
34:55
We make, you know, quesadillas for lunch and with raw grass fed
35:00
cheddar. So to me, I like to speak to her
35:05
more about like where the food is coming from and that quality
35:10
matters and what to look for when you're at the grocery store
35:16
and how to read a label and you know, what's in it.
35:18
What are the ingredients? And so I kind of try to go from
35:23
that standpoint and and I say things, you know, say, say it's
35:29
there's a giant plate of cookies.
35:31
We're somewhere and there's a giant plate of cookies.
35:32
And she'll go, well, Mama, can I have one?
35:34
And, and I'll go, yeah, you know, have one.
35:36
And she goes, well, how many can I have?
35:38
And I'll say, why don't you listen to your body?
35:41
And your body will tell you how many you should have.
35:45
And so that means that sometimes she'll absolutely go to town and
35:51
sometimes she'll have one and be like, I'm good.
35:54
So I try to teach the importance of listening to her body and
35:59
understanding like what what overeating feels like, you know,
36:04
and, and it's like there's no guilt or shame attached to that,
36:08
but just recognizing like what, you know, OK, now I know how
36:11
that made me feel. And maybe I'll try to, you know,
36:14
do things differently next time or something.
36:16
So, you know, it's tricky, yeah. Yeah, no, I, I, I feel that and
36:23
I understand because, you know, there's so many.
36:32
I feel like there's it's kind of an all, a lot of people are all
36:35
or nothing where it's like I'm not going to give my kid, let my
36:39
kid have any sugar or any XYZ whatever.
36:44
Where I'm like I feel like how you said where it's like kind
36:49
of, I mean, obviously within recent, it's like listen to your
36:53
body and like you can make the choices for yourself too.
37:00
And for me, I feel like that's made again, made only 3 1/2 but
37:08
but like that she's eating, she'll kind of eat everything.
37:13
I mean, I'm also lucky. I feel like that's also just her
37:18
where I don't know, people with like the picky eaters that will
37:21
only eat Mac and cheese. I'm like you.
37:26
I don't know. But like, I feel like giving
37:29
them that choice and especially like as they get older, the
37:33
whole like, yeah, listen to your body.
37:35
And because as women where we're told like, yeah, don't eat the
37:41
cookie or don't, yeah, do a million things, yeah.
37:45
No, it's like, I really. And.
37:47
And that's, yeah, that's the thing for me too.
37:49
It's like, instead of being like, oh, there's a cookie
37:52
there. I really want it.
37:52
No, no, no, no, no. And then you end up having, you
37:56
know, 14 bags of chips and, you know, a big bag of granola, and
38:01
then you end up eating the cookie anyway, you know what I
38:04
mean? So it's like just this.
38:05
Why don't you just like, listen to your body, enjoy and, you
38:10
know, and don't, don't do anything that's going to make
38:13
you feel not good. Yeah.
38:16
But so like, yeah, that's the thing in my house, pretty much
38:20
nothing is off limits because everything, I'm OK, you know,
38:23
everything is has ingredients that I'm OK with her eating.
38:26
But like, we have a cabinet full of cookies, chips, candies.
38:31
But you know, in my house, I have the dye freak candy and I
38:34
have, you know, organic cookies or whatever.
38:38
And that's how I'm comfortable. And I also think with picky
38:42
eaters, especially when they're young, like getting them
38:44
involved at the grocery store, even like, why don't you pick
38:48
out a pick out something new you want to try to, you know, and
38:52
then giving them, you know, little kid knives to, you know,
38:56
experiment with and, and helping prep and help give them the salt
39:00
and they can, you know, put the salt on.
39:02
And, you know, that also gives them some ownership because with
39:06
kids all about control, you know, so like getting parent.
39:12
Too Because yeah, well, I want the control.
39:15
Oh, wait. I know, I know, but like letting
39:19
them get their hands dirty and like be a part of the making of
39:22
something in the kitchen will. It is a big kind of tool to use
39:27
to get kids to try new things too.
39:31
Do you think that does Ollie? Is Ollie short for Olivia?
39:36
Olivia. Yeah.
39:38
Do you think like I'm just nicknamed?
39:41
Yeah. Like we're we're old friends.
39:45
It feels like it. Yeah.
39:46
Do you do you think is she? Well, I think she's in.
39:51
She like does dance too but does is she into performing as well
39:57
or is she like that's mom's thing?
39:59
Well, yeah, not she kind of. She's had her feet in and her
40:05
feet out. So she actually this year she
40:08
decided she didn't want to dance anymore.
40:11
So we took this year off of dance, which is fine.
40:15
She is learning guitar and she's she's definitely a creative.
40:19
She's really into sewing. And she likes to sing, but she's
40:24
a little like nervous about getting into lessons cuz that
40:28
means just to sing in front of somebody else.
40:32
Yeah. But she, she actually was in a
40:35
Broadway show when she was 5 for a couple months and she loved
40:41
it. She had a great time.
40:42
But I also think now she like barely remembers it.
40:45
But yeah, I was like, she was in waitress when she was five years
40:51
old, yes. Oh my God, the.
40:55
I can't. The little kid.
40:57
Yeah, yeah. I that show.
41:02
That show, if you're a mom, it's, it's like required
41:07
watching. It's so it's my dog's barking
41:14
that you wanna take him. No, that show, especially with
41:24
my kid in it, but I mean, she was only in the, the, the little
41:27
girl's only in the last like 5 minutes of the show.
41:29
But I just remember, I don't know, it speaks to motherhood as
41:35
like, especially when it's the first time and it's like this
41:37
baby growing and you're like, I don't know if I feel connected
41:41
to this thing inside my body, you know, I don't know what to
41:44
think about this. I don't know if I'm terrified.
41:46
I don't know if I'm excited, you know, it's just like that range
41:51
of emotions And I, I don't think I've cried like that in a show.
41:56
I was like, I was like heave sobbing watching that show.
42:00
So good. Yeah, I watched it as an
42:05
audience member, watched it well before having a daughter and was
42:09
like, I was like, I need. I cannot leave the theater yet.
42:14
I'm gonna need. Yeah, I.
42:16
Know and it. Was like, Oh my God, like what
42:19
that like it got me for, Yeah. Yeah, well, it just like
42:25
represent it. Like it speaks out so many
42:28
things as women that we feel that we that we feel like we're
42:33
the only one that feels it maybe.
42:36
And, and it just highlights, you know, all these kind of hidden
42:41
feelings that we have that we don't speak about and that, you
42:45
know, maybe we feel embarrassed or, and it's like it, it just
42:48
gives a voice to women in that way.
42:51
That's like, really nice. Yeah.
42:56
Oh my gosh. What was that like having her in
43:00
the show? That that's so wild cuz then
43:04
she's like it's if she's 5 there, she's still she's in
43:08
school. How did that?
43:10
She was in kindergarten, yeah. What did that look like?
43:13
Well. Luckily they they double cast
43:16
the role because the kids are so young.
43:17
So she only did 4 shows a week, but like there were days that
43:22
there were a couple times that where she had to do a 2 show day
43:27
and you know, and all. And my husband and I were both
43:30
in a Broadway show at the same time.
43:32
So the whole house is on Broadway.
43:33
Oh my God. Yeah.
43:36
But so that, but that also meant that her dad had to be with her
43:39
a lot of times backstage because I'd be at my show and they're in
43:44
the last five minutes of the show.
43:45
So it's like they're going on, you know, for if it's an 8:00
43:49
show, like she's going on stage at 10:30, which was tough
43:57
because you're like trying to keep them awake and trying to
43:59
keep them happy and not crying and you know, whatever.
44:05
But they, because the kids grow so quickly at that age, like
44:09
they only have them on like 2 month contract.
44:10
So it was like a brief stint. It was a really kind of
44:14
exciting, cool experience and opportunity for her.
44:18
And she, you know, when we asked her if she wanted to audition,
44:21
she was like, yes, so okay. That's like a proud mom moment
44:27
too. That's so wild.
44:29
That also must be of interesting feeling for you too with the
44:36
pride. But then you're also like damn I
44:38
worked. Not that she didn't.
44:42
It worked hard to get her role, but you're like, you're 5 and
44:44
you're already on Broadway. Yeah, I know, I know.
44:47
Well, and I was like, what is? Well, and actually she turned 5,
44:51
so she made her first show was like a like a week before her
44:54
5th birthday. So she I was like, the fact that
44:57
my daughter made her Broadway debut at four years old was
45:00
like, wild to me. So were you, were you in
45:07
waitress while she was in it, or were you in a different show?
45:10
I was in a different show. I was in the Tina Turner
45:12
musical. Oh, so then, yeah.
45:14
Yeah. Well, interesting.
45:16
Do you think they would have her in it if you were in it?
45:20
How does that work? Like I'm not allowed to teach my
45:22
daughter her right little show class, but how does that work?
45:26
Yeah, they they would have, I'm sure.
45:28
It's basically like my agent called me and was like, they're
45:32
looking, would your daughter want to audition because they're
45:34
looking for a replacement for this role.
45:36
And so then I asked her and, you know, but yeah, I think, I think
45:41
like anything, it's just, you know, yeah.
45:45
Oh man, so when you so logistically now, since if like
45:53
if both parents or if both you and your husband are on are in a
45:59
show, do you have like babies like evening babysitters a lot?
46:05
Yeah, yeah, we do the way because we so with my with my
46:09
ex-husband, we split the week. So like she's at my house half
46:13
the week. And so we've tried to work it
46:17
out. So it's like, because we only
46:19
have one, we have a matinee on Sundays.
46:22
And so yeah, so then we have evenings off.
46:27
So she, she's at our house Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
46:30
Wednesday. And so like Tuesday nights and
46:36
Sunday matinees we have, if we're both in a show, we'll have
46:39
childcare or sometimes, you know, it's if Thomas, her dad
46:45
can be with her, then he'll, you know, just take her or she'll
46:48
sleep at his house on Tuesday night or something.
46:50
And sometimes, you know, sometimes it's not a perfectly
46:52
even split because sometimes that's what's best for her, you
46:57
know, and that's the thing. It's like, especially with Co
46:59
parenting, you want to feel like, well, 50% of the time is
47:03
mine and 50% of the time is yours.
47:05
And it's like, well, sometimes, like she doesn't feel any less
47:10
loved by me or, you know, anything like that.
47:13
If she spent five nights with him and two nights with me this
47:18
week, like she were tight, you know, I'm her favorite person on
47:23
the planet, you know? But, you know, it's like, I
47:29
think it's just operating in this way of like whatever is
47:33
best for her and going to make her the most comfortable and the
47:38
least amount of, you know, people coming in and out and
47:41
having to, you know, jump back and forth.
47:43
So. But yeah, if we're when we're
47:45
both working, there's we have a babysitter that we've has been
47:48
with us for a long time. Yeah.
47:50
Well, that's nice that you have like somebody and you have like
47:54
a bit of a system with like the flexibility and things that's
47:58
obviously key with. Yeah, doing.
48:02
I know child care is so tricky. Like it's tricky man.
48:08
Well, and especially for most people with like a nine to five,
48:14
you're like, Oh, well, actually 9 to 5 seems weird too because
48:18
if kids are getting out at 2:30 or three, it's like, how does
48:20
that work either? Yeah.
48:21
But when you have like the consistency, like, yeah, if you
48:25
can have like somebody that you're like actually giving like
48:27
a lot of hours to and it's consistent.
48:29
But like when it's kind of a one off here and there, it's, it
48:33
becomes tricky, you know? Yeah, for sure.
48:36
What do you think that they're like that people have or
48:41
something that people miss, misunderstand or have like
48:46
preconceived notions of like, like you being on a, a Broadway
48:52
show? Cuz I know that like, as, as
48:56
someone who has not been on Broadway and it's like this huge
49:00
thing and you've done it. And like, it seems like, oh,
49:06
she's on a Broadway show for an outsider.
49:08
I'm like, I'll, I'll answer my own question.
49:10
Or it's like, it seems like you have it all together.
49:15
Like you're on a Broadway show. Oh my God, that's.
49:18
And while it is incredible, I also know that the paycheck is
49:22
not what it should be for a lot of people.
49:27
So how does it for you? Like, how does the I feel like
49:35
most Broadway people also need another source of like income or
49:41
like other things going. How does that, I mean, you have
49:46
your cookbook and and stuff like that, but how did that begin?
49:51
Did that start with like oh. Yeah, no, I mean, The thing is,
49:59
is that when you're when you're in a show, you make enough to
50:04
live basically. And, and, and when I say live, I
50:10
mean live like modestly. Like we're not, we're not living
50:15
in some like fancy whatever. Like we, you know, to get a
50:17
little more space, we moved deep into Queens.
50:20
Like, I don't know if you can hear the subway behind me, but
50:24
like, you know, we're in Queens to have a little more space and,
50:29
and, and while I'm on Broadway, it's like, OK, I have the money
50:34
to pay rent and to buy groceries and, you know, to occasionally,
50:39
you know, pop down to Miami real quick if I have enough points,
50:43
you know, and things like that. But I was actually talking to my
50:47
husband this morning. I'm like what I, I'm constantly,
50:52
I'm worried about what I'm going to do next.
50:55
And you know, that's the thing. It's like, especially as an
51:00
ensemble member, you make minimum, which is, you know, our
51:03
union requires that we get paid a certain salary, but you don't
51:07
get paid more than that. And I've, and I've so in my 20
51:12
years of being in the ensemble, aside from like union raises,
51:15
like I don't, I don't make more because I have a lot of
51:19
experience. I make the same as the as the 22
51:22
year old girl who's this is her first show.
51:24
You know that's. Interesting too, yeah?
51:28
So like while I'm on Broadway, I don't need another job.
51:31
Like this is enough to live on and but but as soon as the show
51:36
closes, which you never know, like the show that I was in
51:40
before closed after two months. Like luckily the show that I'm
51:46
doing now is doing well and it looks like we'll probably be
51:48
open for, you know, maybe another year.
51:52
But still, it's like it's one year.
51:54
And and yeah, so as soon as the show closes, you have to start
51:59
wrapping your head around like, OK, am I?
52:02
You put your efforts into like getting another show, but you
52:05
also have to start opening your mind to like a survival job or
52:08
how to bring money in other ways.
52:11
And that's definitely like the my cookbook never really came
52:16
from a, a place of like, oh, this is going to make me money.
52:21
But it was more of like a creative outlet at the time.
52:24
And then I realized, OK, this is I guess this is also a side
52:27
hustle for me. And like, having it is nice to
52:31
have things as side hustles because I mean, let's face it,
52:35
where I'm just out here trying to, you know, collect the coins,
52:38
you know, harvesting the coins everywhere I go so that, you
52:45
know, when eventually the show does close, it's not like
52:49
complete panic mode. But that's the tricky thing
52:53
about this industry. It's like the show closes and it
52:56
is like square 1. Yeah, yeah.
53:00
And it's, it's weird, like you said, that it's not like a
53:03
linear upward system. You're not like working your way
53:07
up the ladder necessarily. It was so like especially like
53:14
once you become a parent where you're like, oh, I can very
53:17
clearly see time passing and like, like, oh, and then high
53:23
school and then this and then you're growing and now she's 9
53:27
and probably like asking for thing.
53:30
Yeah, she has she's a person. So it's like, wow, yeah, that's
53:36
so hard to. And I feel like that's that's a
53:42
hard thing for people who aren't in the industry to understand.
53:47
But when we're in it, it's like the it's what we do.
53:53
Yeah, Yeah, it is. And it's like super, you know,
53:55
it's, it's our normal. But I also, you know, I'm 44 and
54:00
it's like I sit here being like, man, when I'm, you know, 54 is
54:06
still not that old and but that's 10 years away and like, I
54:12
don't know if I'm going to be sustaining this for another 10
54:16
years. So like, you know, what's the
54:18
plan? I feel like everyday I'm just
54:20
like universe, show me the way, you know?
54:25
Me too, I feel you. It's hard to play because there
54:30
is like, you don't know what things are going to look like
54:35
and then the industry always changing and things like that.
54:39
I am curious. Obviously your whole life and
54:44
your daughter's life and your partner's and everything's in
54:48
New York, but you are a California person.
54:50
Does do you ever think about coming back out out here?
54:55
Yeah. Yeah, I think about it all the
54:57
time, especially now in January when it's there's piles of snow
55:01
outside and it's literally 2° outside right now.
55:07
Well, which is crazy. Yeah.
55:09
I mean, I, yeah, every time I go like this summer, I actually, it
55:14
was perfect because my show closed and then I booked the
55:16
show that I'm in now. And so I knew that I would have
55:19
like a couple months off, but I knew I was having work to go
55:22
back to that's. Like best case scenario.
55:24
Best case. So I took Ollie and we went to
55:27
my parents house and spent the summer there and it was just,
55:31
you know, we're in the garden and we're hiking and we're at
55:33
the beach and it's like you can see the stars and yeah, just
55:39
being your family and everything.
55:40
Like I, yeah, I love it. I I could also see us moving to
55:44
Europe, you know, living in France, something like that.
55:48
But it's just, I don't know, it's so tricky.
55:53
We're so tied to New York right now.
55:56
So I feel like, I feel like I do dream about that, though.
55:59
Like once she's out of the House of like, OK, where are we going?
56:05
Yeah. It's.
56:06
Where are we going? It's hard.
56:09
Well, OK, so obviously with your your cookbook and everything and
56:15
then your skin clear. OK, so I have to ask like tell
56:19
us, I know that you, you share and I love that you share all of
56:23
your like your, your beauty secrets and things about like
56:29
also that you're so honest about like Botox and like things that
56:36
you do as well. Thank you so much 'cause like
56:41
there's so many people that you see and you're like, what are
56:44
they doing? And they're only showing like
56:47
the serum and you're like, OK, that serum is not not doing
56:53
that. But what is kind of your, your
56:58
go to? Obviously the, the clean eating
57:01
and I'll share your, the link to your cookbooks and all of those.
57:06
And then, but what is your like go to for your skin care?
57:12
Well, it's funny, you know, I am that girl.
57:14
That's like, I don't eat berries if they're not organic.
57:18
I everything's organic. And then, you know, three months
57:21
on the dot, I March my ass to the Med spa and get shot full of
57:25
Botox. You know, moderation.
57:28
That is my truth. You know that's that's where I'm
57:31
at. I love Botox God, I mean I
57:36
really do stand by a good skin care routine.
57:39
You know, my, my tried and true. I use St.
57:43
Jane products. They're my absolute favorite.
57:45
Cannot live without them. They have absolutely changed my
57:49
skin. Plus, like people that people
57:55
that are getting Botox that say they're not that, that they
57:58
don't do anything that's so harmful.
58:02
And it's so it's just, you know, creates this unreasonable
58:06
expectation of like, no, I'm just naturally, you know,
58:10
wrinkle free in my mid 40s. And it's like, no, no way.
58:14
And, and like being, having wrinkles is also beautiful.
58:18
And like people don't need to get Botox to feel good about
58:20
themselves. But like, for me, this is what
58:23
I'm doing. And you know, a little, a little
58:26
lip filler. Love it.
58:30
You know, I, I don't know. I'm so I'm truthful to a fault.
58:37
Like I'm an over sharer. I'm always, you know, it just
58:41
doesn't even cross my mind to to pretend like I'm not doing
58:46
something that I'm doing. So, yeah, I'm all about like the
58:50
last couple years I started getting lasers on my skin, which
58:53
is like unbelievable and wonderful to like get that outer
58:58
like dinosaur layer off. I've also started doing micro
59:03
needling, which is like it like it's the only thing that will
59:08
actually shrink your pores and like help any kind of textural
59:13
anything like, and that's like half the price of a laser.
59:16
So we love the micro needling. And then, yeah, do Botox and a
59:22
little lip filler and, and, and, you know, and whatever comes
59:26
next, I'll, I'll share it and say what I'm doing because I
59:29
just think it's important to like, you know, be open and
59:34
honest about these things. Like if I'm going to be talking
59:36
about skin care, I need to be honest about it.
59:40
Yeah, well, I appreciate it. How do you, since you, I know
59:49
how I feel about it and it seems like it's probably similar, like
59:54
you said that you're like, do it if it makes you happy and like
59:59
the prioritizing yourself. But how do you deal with like
1:00:05
your daughter in that situation? Cuz I'm curious.
1:00:08
Obviously my daddy's not wondering about my face and he's
1:00:13
like, yeah, but I'm like, oh, how do I cross that bridge?
1:00:17
Even just like the oh I wear makeup but daddy doesn't where
1:00:22
it's like oh I'm just doing it cuz I it's fun and I like it.
1:00:26
Not to like make me prettier, like, how do you deal with that?
1:00:31
Yeah, it's, it's interesting. She's she's like kind of
1:00:36
interested. Like she, I think the kids these
1:00:39
days, they wanted to do like a face mask or something.
1:00:41
And so like sometimes she wants to do that.
1:00:45
But even when she was dancing, like for the recital, she's
1:00:48
like, I don't want to wear makeup.
1:00:50
And I'm like, OK, I'm like, well, you got to wear, you got
1:00:52
to wear lipstick, you know, you got to put the red lipstick on.
1:00:55
And otherwise the teacher will be mad.
1:00:59
But she'll, you know, she's, she kind of is like not that into
1:01:04
it. On occasion, she'll like want to
1:01:07
kind of, you know, put eyeshadow on or something.
1:01:10
And it's like, yeah, go for it, girl.
1:01:11
I don't care. But in terms of like the stuff
1:01:16
I'm doing, it's, it's tricky. She doesn't really ask about it
1:01:21
that much. I, I try to be super honest with
1:01:28
like within what's appropriate for her at this age.
1:01:32
Like I'm not being like, so listen, mommy's going to get,
1:01:35
you know what I mean? Like, right, yeah, I'm
1:01:36
definitely not doing that. And I think she, honestly, she's
1:01:41
also at this age where she thinks everything I'm doing is
1:01:43
like weird and annoying, you know what I mean?
1:01:46
She's like, OK, so she's not really, you know, asking too
1:01:54
much about those things. But I also think like, I just
1:01:57
try to always be like, you know, well, first of all, she I think
1:02:02
she's the most beautiful thing on earth.
1:02:04
And I tell her all day long, you know, I'm like, you're just, you
1:02:08
know, you're so beautiful girly. But I also just think it's like
1:02:14
with the food too, it's like, what do you need to make you
1:02:18
feel your best? And of course, when she's like a
1:02:20
teenager, if she's, if she's like, I want to get, you know,
1:02:24
Botox or lip fiddler or something, I'm going to be like,
1:02:27
no, sorry, sorry, no. But and I guess that's a bridge
1:02:34
we'll cross when she's a bit older.
1:02:35
But for now, you know, I just try to, it's just kind of that
1:02:38
thing of like, do what makes you feel good.
1:02:41
Yeah, yeah, no, I love that. But I feel, I, I feel like
1:02:45
that's probably like when you share, do you ever get like
1:02:52
those comments? I probably shouldn't even bring
1:02:55
up the fact that maybe, maybe. You do.
1:02:57
I don't even bring up the. Existence.
1:02:59
I get crazy comments all the time about literally everything
1:03:04
and. We won't even talk about them
1:03:07
well. You know, I think you know my
1:03:09
view. No, no, no, no.
1:03:12
My new favorite response is, you know, I funny enough, you're the
1:03:20
only person that has messaged me.
1:03:23
You know, Hey, hey, stop. I'm sure you like have to cycle
1:03:30
through a new like, well, I mean, obviously you don't have
1:03:33
to respond at all, but being like, Oh my gosh, I never
1:03:35
thought of that. Thank you.
1:03:37
Yeah, I know well, or, or my responses, you know, you're out
1:03:42
here sending me a negative comment and I'm out here doing
1:03:45
my best. You know, this is I'm doing my
1:03:48
best girl. And, you know, in terms of, I
1:03:54
don't know, it's, it's not, this is 2026.
1:03:57
And like women everywhere are, are, I mean, let's face it, like
1:04:03
plastic surgery is visible on people's faces.
1:04:08
And we are becoming more and more, you know, I think our kids
1:04:11
more and more think that's a normal face.
1:04:15
And so, you know, I think my thoughts around it and my, you
1:04:19
know, what I'm doing is like, not I, I'm really not worried
1:04:26
that I'm like harming her with this, you know, like, I think
1:04:30
this is like it's new forms of skin care and it's, you know,
1:04:36
beauty and it's fun. And it's working 'cause you look
1:04:42
amazing. OK, well, what would you would
1:04:46
do you have any words of advice if like say one of your dressing
1:04:52
room people or like, oh, I'm thinking of having a baby or
1:04:56
something. What would your advice be to
1:04:59
somebody who's in the industry and thinking of?
1:05:05
Becoming a parent. Yeah, I think there are some
1:05:08
some of the girls talk to me about this.
1:05:12
My advice is to is that it doesn't have to overhaul your
1:05:18
life in a, you don't have to, you know, when you give birth,
1:05:22
like, yes, sure, you're, you're in a lot of ways giving birth to
1:05:26
a new version of yourself, but it's not this like, OK, now
1:05:32
we've turned everything upside down.
1:05:34
I'm a new person. I don't know who I am.
1:05:37
It's like, you can still just be you and, and you are still you
1:05:42
And, and yeah, there's a transition of like getting to
1:05:45
know, you know, the newness of it all.
1:05:49
But I think like, you really can't like, bring a baby or a
1:05:54
kid into your life and, and create your life however you
1:05:59
want it to look. It doesn't have to be like, OK,
1:06:02
well now I'm, you know, now everything changes and now my
1:06:06
life is over and now my career is over.
1:06:08
Like, it's, it's not. It doesn't have to be.
1:06:10
And yeah. And you know, and somehow you
1:06:15
won't look pregnant forever. And you know, like, I think
1:06:19
that's, that's the other thing I've realized a lot of people
1:06:22
are afraid of like especially I guess in my industry with like
1:06:25
dancers and stuff, but a lot of people are afraid of what
1:06:27
pregnancy will do to their bodies.
1:06:29
And a lot of people are afraid of Labor and you know, the
1:06:34
actual like giving birth part and you know, the pain of it all
1:06:38
and everything. And I don't know, I feel like
1:06:42
just trust your body. Know that it it knows what to
1:06:46
do. Well, especially for dancers.
1:06:49
You guys know pain, so yeah. Yeah.
1:06:51
Exactly. Exactly.
1:06:52
And they got medicine for that. Just stick a big needle in your
1:06:57
bag. You'll be.
1:06:57
Yeah, exactly, exactly. But yeah, I think just that like
1:07:01
you can, you can, you know, add the kid into your life as it is,
1:07:07
you don't have to just completely accommodate like, you
1:07:10
know, baby everything and, and let go of yourself and your
1:07:15
career and all of that. Yeah, well, you're showing us
1:07:19
that like that motherhood also doesn't take away your sexiness.
1:07:24
No, girl, I. Appreciate that so much because
1:07:27
that's hard. That was hard for me where it's
1:07:30
like, oh, I'm a mom and now I'm a mom and my body is a mom and
1:07:36
it's like, oh wait, especially I will.
1:07:39
Say that I do, I do get like messages and DMS or like I put,
1:07:44
you know, part of my costume in the show is a bra and panties
1:07:48
and that's the costume. It's like, I didn't know I
1:07:50
didn't go out and shop for that. But even if I did, who cares?
1:07:54
But I do like, I'll post, you know, pictures of that.
1:07:58
And I get unfollows and or, you know, even even if I'm on the
1:08:01
beach in a bikini, it's like people get uncomfortable and
1:08:04
that's, you know, whatever. People are allowed to unfollow
1:08:07
whatever. Or I get messages like, why do
1:08:09
you have to show that? And it's like, I am, this is a
1:08:15
body. I'm a human lady.
1:08:18
This is my body. We all have it.
1:08:21
It's OK. And, you know, I and I work hard
1:08:26
and I'm devoted to being fit and healthy and, you know, showing
1:08:32
up. This is what my job requires,
1:08:35
you know? And so and yeah, like I think
1:08:40
sexy can happen at any age. It's not, you know, it's having
1:08:46
a kid is not a death sentence with that.
1:08:48
And you know, or, or getting older or being in your 40s or
1:08:52
your 50s or whatever. It's like it's it can happen at
1:08:55
any age and it's just completely mindset.
1:09:00
Yeah, well, you're working hard. What what you got what you're
1:09:04
working for, Go for it. I love it.
1:09:08
But and also like we have to remember that like that's how we
1:09:13
became mothers in the. First, Yeah, exactly, exactly.
1:09:17
I know, I know. Sometimes I walk around and I
1:09:19
just look at all the people everywhere and I'm like, wow, a
1:09:21
lot of people had sex, right? A lot of people having sex.
1:09:24
Yeah, I love. It we will end on the sexy note.
1:09:31
Yeah, we'll have a sexy show tonight.
1:09:35
Yeah. Thank you.
1:09:36
I will. I.
1:09:37
Will, thank you so much for listening to this episode of
1:09:41
Mommy Wood. Now before you go, if Mommy Wood
1:09:44
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1:10:15
The link to the Patreon is in the show notes.
1:10:18
I want to give a huge thank you to my producer and good friend
1:10:21
Cecilia for making Mommy Wood what it is and to Edith Mudge
1:10:26
for the Mommy Wood theme music. As always, thank you for being a
1:10:30
part of Mommy Wood. Please come be a part of the
1:10:33
village as well. I hope to see you there.