Wellbeing

Interview: Kristen Bell on healthy happy marriage

Actor and mum-of-two Kristen Bell tells us about her and her husband Dax Shepard’s healthy approach to parenting and why they launched baby care brand Hello Bello together

Parenting can be all consuming so having a teammate who notices when you might need sleep or some time out of the house has been helpful. We check in with each other often. We prioritise our needs as a couple as a very close second to the kids’ needs. If we aren’t healthy in our marriage, we won’t be healthy in our parenting.

Motherhood has taught me that we are all just vulnerable creatures who crave love and acceptance, and have to fight against defence mechanisms, like anger and judgement. Taking the time to witness the emotions someone is going through rather than try to change them has always yielded better results for me. This goes for my kids as well as myself.

I try to do a few things each week that make me feel relaxed or creative. These could be things like a bath, colouring or reading a great book. I put these things in my calendar, so my schedule can never get too busy without an activity that soothes me.

I am definitely not a morning person. I can’t form a grammatically correct sentence until I’ve been awake for at least 30 minutes! This has been a real struggle when [my] kids ask so many questions in the mornings, but I’ve explained to them that my brain is slower to wake up and sometimes they go easy on me!

My routine revolves around the needs of my family in the morning. First: caffeine. Letting the dogs out. Feeding everyone. Getting the kids to school. After that’s all done, I feel a lot of self-esteem at each morning’s accomplishments. Then I slow down for 30 minutes and sip my matcha while I start my own day.

I’m lucky to live in California where the produce is fresh and plentiful. I’ll go to the farmer’s market once a week and buy what’s in season, whether I like it or not.

I challenge myself to find a recipe that will get me to enjoy the foods of the season.

I love skincare products. There are so many great ones out there, but some of my favourites are: Instytutum Transforming Melting Cleanser, plus the Happy Dance CBD Head-to-Toe Coconut Melt and Look Alive CBD Face Moisturiser (from Kristen’s CBD skincare line doahappydance.com).

Every step I take throughout the day is focused on my mental health. So, if I know I’m going to get stressed out by a certain event/person/time of day, I give myself permission to have that time to stress and then make sure I’m conscious of settling down afterwards. For me it’s all about mindfulness and self-compassion. The right framework even during a stressful day can make my whole day feel manageable.

We wanted to create a company that doesn’t make someone choose between their baby and their budget. Offering premium products with accessibility and affordability has driven us to create everything within Hello Bello.