Vanessa Simmons explains why starting her wellness platform, U4IA, was an important part of her self-care journey. The actress, mother, and serial entrepreneur share some of her challenges, the steps she has taken to find solutions that worked for her, and her desire to offer options to others. She also shares her thoughts on faith and therapy. We also discuss motherhood, what she wants to model for her daughter, and how she views the women who raised her. Listen to our interview or read the transcript below:
Corynne Corbett (00:13): Hi everybody. Corynne Corbett here, Editorial Director of Black Health Matters, and I have the pleasure today of chatting with Vanessa Simmons, actress mommy. But today, I’m talking to her as the founder of U4IA, a website and platform she founded centered on wellness and self-care. And we’ll hear more about why she founded that, what her focus is, what she hopes to accomplish, and what she’s bringing to women with her mission. So welcome, Vanessa.
Vanessa Simmons (01:04): Thank you for having me. I’m really excited to be here and to talk about all things wellness and mental health. So thank you for having me on.
Corynne Corbett (01:13): It’s really, really important for us to have this conversation today or this month because especially talking about wellness and self-care. So why did you start U4IA?
Vanessa Simmons (01:30): Well, I’ve always really been deeply passionate about being able to impact as many people as possible with my platform. I don’t take it for granted. I understand I’m in a very privileged place to have so many ears and supporters. So it was really important for me to get out a message of healing.
And for myself, I wanted to create a community surrounded around the education and inspiration through the world of wellness. The reason why I’m so deeply passionate about that and mental health and well-being, in general, is that being, in general, is because I myself currently deal with anxiety. I’ve dealt with seasons of depression, and being able to tap into resources and find information to help me cope and overcome have really been game changers in my life.
And I feel like it’s important for me to get that out to the community of people who support me, the ears that I do have, and just make wellness the star, put wellness in the spotlight for people to engage in conversation, find ways that they can thrive, ways that they can overcome, because sometimes people don’t talk about these things.
(02:46): We hold it in, and that’s also a form of wellness, being able to talk about it and to be able to find the resources that we need. So, for me, I wanted to be able to give back to my community and the people who support me in an impactful way. And that is through wellness. People are going through a lot of challenges. There are a lot of things going on in the world that are unprecedented, and I feel like our mental well-being should be at the forefront of all of that. And so that was really my inspiration in starting euphoria, just being able to put out information for us all to thrive and live a better quality of life. Whether it be a reminder for people who already are on that journey or introducing new information, new ideas, new ways of coping and healing. Really, it’s all about spotlighting healing in a positive way.
Corynne Corbett (03:42): So, what kind of information do you share on your platform?
Vanessa Simmons (03:47): Everything from ways to prioritize self-care to ways to cope with anxiety. Like I said, I’ve dealt with anxiety, whether that be breathing exercises or different workouts that we can be doing using different supplements to really enhance our wellbeing. Teas are anything within the world of wellness that can enhance our well-being. I’m finding that I’m also finding different experts that I can bring on board and people that I have been interviewing that I have to get some of these interviews up. But things that have fact-based results, science-based results, and things that people can really tangibly tangible apply to their life. So there really is no limit as long as it’s going to be in the realm of healing. I want to share it. I want to get it out there to the people, like I said, that support me and follow me.
Corynne Corbett (04:42): So, let’s talk about anxiety for a minute. How did you know that you had anxiety? Because people don’t know. People can’t put words to feelings sometimes. So, how were you able to recognize the signs?
Vanessa Simmons (04:57): A general feeling of just being overwhelmed from a really young age. I was out there in entertainment doing various different lines of work, whether it be acting or hosting, and I had to come in contact with a lot of people. And the more I would do it, the more I would feel this just general feeling of being overwhelmed. And I just feel like that’s not normal. If I’m doing something that I love, I should be completely enthralled in it and excited. And I am, I love being creative, but I was feeling a general feeling of just being overwhelmed, and it made me tap in and be like, okay, maybe there’s someone I should be talking to. Therapy. It started with therapy, and it evolved from there. So it is definitely about being self-aware and being aware that you need to tap in and realign in some way to bring yourself back, mind, body, and soul.
(05:55): So you can go out and you feel good about yourself and you feel confident when you walk in a room. My confidence was being tested, just feeling generally overwhelmed. And so I was like, you know what? Something has to be done. And then especially when you bring a child into the mix, you don’t want that bleeding over into them. So after becoming a mother, I realize, okay, I can’t go on living like that. That’s not really living life, that’s just merely getting by. And so I had to put some things back in order and it was reaching out, finding resources and tangible things that I can add to my everyday life to enhance my life experience.
Corynne Corbett (06:34): So that’s really interesting. And I think that in our community, sometimes we’re hesitant to look at the resources because we are afraid that let’s say that’s not Christian or that’s not a whatever faith community that we’re in, and that’s not necessarily true. So it is important that we understand that getting help does not necessarily negate faith, for example.
Vanessa Simmons (07:15): Absolutely. I get that all the time when I tell people that I’m diving into wellness, they’re like, well, as a woman of faith, how does that work? And I’m like, okay, well, number one, prayer. My prayer life is first and foremost, but then also being able to look at myself and find the resources necessary to heal. That’s faith in action. And that’s what when you’re praying to God to give you like, oh my God, help me find peace, help me heal. Yes, he will give it to you, but you also have to do the work. You have to do the work, and that’s what that is. Going to therapy, talking to someone so that you can cope while you’re here, but it doesn’t negate God. It doesn’t negate Christ in my life. It’s just showing my faith in action, showing God, I’m serious about what I’m praying for, and you’re showing me the way you got to follow the path. So that’s what I say to that. I have gotten that before. Oh, well, breathing exercise. I’m like, God, put breath in our lungs. So we got to make sure to regulate and take care of our nervous system, and that’s really what the breathing and the meditation and speaking nicely to yourself is all about. God wants that for us.
Corynne Corbett (08:25): Exactly. Exactly. So, what advice do you have for mothers who are giving their all to everyone else and forgetting about themselves?
Vanessa Simmons (08:37): Don’t do that because you cannot feed your family from a cup that’s not full. You need to fill your cup up first. It’s like when you’re on the airplane and they say, before you assist anyone else, you got to put the oxygen mask on yourself. That’s what that is. You have to, and no matter what it looks like, take some time for yourself to realign, whether that be through self-care. For me, it’s as simple as doing my skincare routine and taking a little extra time on myself to make myself feel better. Or if you do have the resources going out for taking yourself on a date, spa date, anything nice, manicure, pedicure, anything to just really soothe your mind, taking five minutes to do a deep breathing exercise and meditation, it all matters. So I would say as a mom, it’s more important that you take those moments because your kids feed off of all the energy we have in our house. So it’s important that your energy is calm and your energy is patient, which they teach us to be, and you can’t be if you’re not taking care of yourself. So it’s really important that you prioritize yourself. It’s not selfish. Self-care is not selfish. It’s actually very necessary to make sure that you’re heading in the right way or healing if you need to.
Corynne Corbett (10:01): So what do you do to fuel yourself?
Vanessa Simmons (10:05): It’s all about balance for me. Like I said, it’s waking up a little bit earlier in my house to take time, to plan out my day, get a little exercise in. Exercise is so important. It doesn’t have to be this big drawn out thing. It can be 10 minutes jumping jacks or on a bike or treadmill, or just simply taking a walk and taking in sunshine. Sun is extremely healing and making sure that I’m okay. So waking up, meditating, even for me work, I love being creative. I’m an actress. I’m very blessed to do what I do. So sometimes getting out and accomplishing goals that I have for myself outside of the family is important too for myself.
Corynne Corbett (10:54): Yes,
Vanessa Simmons (10:55): Yes. About balance.
Corynne Corbett (10:57): So what do you want people to get from U4IA?
Vanessa Simmons (11:04): I just want it to be a source of inspiration and education for people to be reminded of ways that they can prioritize taking care of themselves to have the resources that they need to really thrive. So even if it’s just something that sparks an idea or makes someone go, you know what? Let me go look into taking therapy or just prioritizing themself in some way. So I really just want it to be a source of inspiration, to take a beat. We live in a time where there’s so much hustle culture, and that’s cool and all, but sometimes we need to take a moment, take a beat to realign mind, body, and soul so that we can get back to work in a very healthy way, a more euphoric way. And that’s where the inspiration for the name came from. We thrive, and we want to be living in the most euphoric way possible.
(11:56): Life is a gift and an absolute blessing, and so we need to prioritize our health so that we can experience it and enjoy it and not be weighed down by different challenges that come up, which they will. It’s inevitable. I had to go back into the research I’m doing and writing. Recently I was going through some life challenges and I wasn’t leaning into what I was preaching, and so I had to take a beat, realign and actually take my own advice, started doing my breathing exercises, and almost immediately you do one deep breath exercise almost immediately. You could feel a difference in your mental clarity or taking a magnesium supplement. All of these things are very helpful. Drinking tea, taking time to stop and smell the roses essentially.
Corynne Corbett (12:49): So who inspires you today?
Vanessa Simmons (12:53): Who inspires me? Well, a big piece of my inspiration definitely comes from being a mom. I’m in a chapter where motherhood is very prevalent in my life. My daughter’s 10, so it’s all hands on deck right now. She’s in that preteen phase, so she’s a huge inspiration for me. I just want to be a good example to her and make sure that I’m leading her in the right way. I’m helping to raise a little mini-human, and I want to set her up in life in the right way. So she’s a huge inspiration. And honestly, my moms, I have two moms, my mom, my biological mom, and then I was blessed with a bonus mom, my stepmom. and just as an adult now, and being a mom myself, looking back at the way they handled themselves and the example they gave us, I’m like, wow, that was true inspiration and empowerment. I didn’t realize it at the time because they were just being mom. But as I’m older now, I realize the sacrifices they made and their huge inspiration to who I am and who I’m even evolving to become as a woman.
Corynne Corbett (14:06): That’s great. That’s great. So what advice would you give to someone listening here to find inspiration in their own lives.
Vanessa Simmons (14:25): To dig deep. Health is truly the best form of wealth. I can definitely say that. So prioritize you, and don’t be afraid and don’t feel like it’s selfish, especially if you’re a mom. I know a lot of moms have to deal with mom guilt and struggle with taking time for themselves. So I would say make sure that you carve out some time for yourself during the week and take care of yourself. So yeah, that is my advice and my wish for people to truly thrive in life and live the best possible version of themselves.
Corynne Corbett (15:07): Thank you, Vanessa. I think that’s beautiful and that’s real. I think that what I love about it is people, even though they’re going to see this, let’s say on social media, this is an stuff. Click, click, click, click, click. This is life.
Vanessa Simmons (15:25): Yeah, because we’re clicking, we’re scrolling. We see so many things a day. So my hope is that I can just positively impact just even one person, two people, as many people as I can to just prioritize themselves and see the impact you can have on your life by just taking a few minutes a day to be more mindful of yourself. Yeah.
Corynne Corbett (15:51): Thank you so much.
Vanessa Simmons (15:53): No, thank you.
