Gabrielle Union stars on the October issue of Women’s Health magazine. The 47-year-old actress and advocate opens up about how she’s calming her mind and feeding her soul in these unprecedented times.
On holding space for other Black folks in her professional life – which includes an affordable hair-care product line and clothing collection with New York & Co.: “I want to make sure that everything that is working for me is available to as many people as possible. We’re not free until everyone is free.”
On struggling with anxiety and finding her inner-peace: “I was watching this hummingbird and thinking, He’s up there and he’s able to fly, but he just keeps hitting his head against the top of this thing. I felt everything clench. But watching that hummingbird just f*cked me up. I couldn’t start my next meeting until we figured out how to help the little hummingbird, because if I don’t have at least a reasonable amount of peace at any moment, I can’t focus. It affects everything for me.”
On taking notice of the natural wonders around her since moving from L.A. a few months ago – and specifically bees, to which she is allergic: “Normally, I would be like, ‘Bees!’ But I’ve found a weird peace being surrounded by a lot of them. Yet they’re dying. All day long, I find these dead bees. I’m feeling—I won’t say grief-stricken, that might be overselling it—but I’m mourning our little bee brothers and sisters.”
On her new surroundings: “I think I was brought to this home for a reason. Finding that peaceful balance with nature, and understanding that we moved into their space. This is so not my normal language, but I don’t have other words to describe it. Maybe it’s just about looking at a bee or a hummingbird that’s trapped, and thinking, There’s another way, and I’ve got to find it, because my soul won’t rest until I figure it out.”
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