Meagan Good On How Turning 40 Inspired Her To Be More 'Intentional' In Her Life
Birthdays sometimes are used as a pivotal moment in a person’s life to make a change especially if it’s a milestone birthday. Whether you’re turning 30 and ready to start that business or you’re 50 and finally ready to check off the items on your bucket list, birthdays are a good time to reflect and conquer the next phase in your life.
For Meagan Good, turning 40 was a moment for her to make the necessary changes she needed in her life in order to be more “intentional.” The veteran actress turned 40 in August and she shared with Yahoo! Life: The Unwind about the steps she took to protect her mental health while entering a new chapter in her life.
She revealed that getting older made her realize that it was time to “look under the hood” and start focusing on her well-being.
“This year I took a moment — [turning] 40 was about to happen. Around April, I stopped drinking and really leaned into therapy. I got very intentional about [wellness] because I wanted to go into 40 with peace of mind, with unexplainable joy, with more sense of self and a wholeness,” she said.
“I have a tendency to jump over things or go around them, instead of walking through them, and this year it was about walking through things and having those days when you’re grieving something from 15 or 20 years ago. Really walking through it.”
Another thing that she has focused on is developing a self-care ritual, which helps her prepare for the day.
Working in Hollywood can be stressful for the Harlem star due to having a lot on her plate. Currently, Meagan has been on a press tour for her new series Harlem on Amazon Prime Video and so it’s important for the actress to start her day off right.
“I try to hit the reset button every morning internationally: I breathe, I pray. I make it a point not to touch my phone. I’ll put on gospel or uplifting music, something to give me strength,” she said.
“As the day goes on and if I’m in a moment where I’m stressed out, I’ll take a beat and steal away somewhere. I’ll go into myself and just breathe and pray; I’ll find that peace and reset my brain. Everything else can wait for five minutes.”
Meagan is an example of how getting older changes you and makes you grow into being more comfortable with yourself. While speaking to The Insider, the Waist Deep actress also credited her Harlem co-star Whoopi Goldberg as an inspiration to stop being a people-pleaser.
"I aspire to stop apologizing so much and know that just who I am in my heart is enough and be reminded that some people are going to get it and some people aren't and that's OK," she said. "Not everybody's your people, that's all right, you know?"
Featured image by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Amazon Studios
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Tyler James Williams Explains Why His And Quinta Brunson 'Abbott Elementary' Characters Should Remain Friends
While Abbott Elementary fans are hoping that Janine and Gregory end up together, the show’s star has another take. Tyler James Williams plays Gregory on the Emmy award-winning sitcom, and he recently stopped by The Jennifer Hudson Show to share his point of view on his storyline with Janine, which Quinta Brunson plays.
“I hate to say it. I know that everybody’s always mad at me for this. I don’t necessarily want to see them together,” he revealed. “It’s partially an actor’s choice, but also somebody who, like, I read a lot of scripts all the time. I watch a lot of TV, a lot of film. I don’t think that we see displays of platonic love between two people often. I think it’s really easy to go right to they have feelings for each other, therefore they should be together. I like this dynamic of exploring withholding that and just actively loving each other where they are. That I like to see more.”
If you recall, they were co-workers who became friends but were secretly crushing on each other. They’ve had many awkward run-ins during and after school, like the unforgettable club scene where they were dancing nervously with each other in season one, and in season two, they finally kiss. However, it only made things even more awkward, and they decided to just be friends. Tyler further explained why he thinks it’s important to showcase that type of relationship on screen.
“I think it’s time for that. I think TV allows people to see things that could be their lives for the first time, and I think seeing a healthy friendship that is deeply caring about one another in a work atmosphere needs to be shown more than the relationship,” he concluded.
Abbott Elementary comes on every Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.
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Feature image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images