Fans of Ashley Tisdale know that her work in High School Musical is just the tip of the iceberg. Beyond her acting credits, she's also a wife, mother of two, wellness expert, entrepreneur and dog mom.
Fortunately, Tisdale was able to take time out from her busy and "chaotic" schedule (more on that in a minute) to chat with me exclusively about everything from meditation and motherhood to her new partnership with Nylabone.
As Tisdale has two dogs, Ziggy and Sushi, collaborating with the iconic dog toy, chew and treat company felt like a natural fit. "I'm excited to celebrate their chew toys with the real meats. Obviously, I'm very into my blog, which is very wellness-lifestyle-focused. I'm always looking into ingredients for my children, so of course I'm going to look into it for my dogs."
The actress went on to dish about how animals have always played an important role in her life. "I've always been an animal lover. I've had dogs for so long, and before I was a mom of two kids, I was very much a dog mom."
"My dog that has passed, she was like my soulmate. I feel like she taught us how to be parents, to be honest. She really did teach us all the things before we had kids. And so then we got two dogs, hoping that it would fulfill the loss of Maui. And obviously they're not Maui, but they are the best dogs."
Tisdale confessed that Ziggy does get anxiety, but thankfully had a few tips. "It is about the distraction. I have anxiety and have dealt with that in the past. So when you're distracting yourself from the thought, that's what helps calm you down. Make sure they have something to chew on, make sure they have a little treat mat, and it really helps their mind focus more on that, versus focus on whatever she's anxious about."
In addition to speaking about her own anxiety and her dog's anxiety, the wellness guru also discussed how she approaches difficult issues with her children, ages two and five. "Anxiety obviously starts at a younger age than when it starts to really show up, and so it's about communication. We have really great books that we read—one of them is The Monster Parade that we love. It walks you through all the different emotions that you have, and each one is a monster, like the anger monster. And it teaches your child that those feelings come and go, and you can let them go. You don't have to sit in it."
In a chaotic household (her words, not mine), Tisdale tries to find the moments for mental wellness. "I don't know how you can have a very calm life with two children. It's a little chaotic. It's crazy. I do a 10-minute Insight Timer meditation. It's good to start with one, and it's good to end the day with one."
"What I was going through years ago with anxiety and depression, it inspired me to work on myself and set myself up in a better way, which I'm so glad I did before having kids."
"We're not perfect in any way, but we are into mindfulness. You have to be healthy to take care of your kids, you know?"
