Goldie Hawn: “I Had to See a Psychologist” Her 8-Year Journey in Combating Anxiety & Panic Attacks

29:28It's the greatest. It's the greatest thing in the world. Wow. Yeah. I'm not a parent yet, but I have been called more and more lately to want to be a parent. And I'm just curious, what lessons would you have for someone who isn't a parent yet? Don't overthink it. Do not overthink it. It's very natural. You have to ask yourself, what are your qualities? Do you listen? Are you a good listener? Clearly you are, because I'm rambling on right now. And your anxiety around it. Is it going to take too much time? you know there's all kinds of things that interrupt your life there's no doubt about it children interrupt your life and but you were still you're still able to have a great career and active oh yeah create oh yeah but it's especially for your first one well my third one and then you know for that that was like oh give me five more you know but your first one and your second one's a little easier.

30:36Third one is, you know, boom. I was never anxious. I wanted children so bad. So I never read a book on parenting. I never read a book because you have to be truly with your ability to manage your emotions and stress and be aware and stuff like that. It's like the natural. It was natural for me. You know, I wasn't precious on it. And, you know, I just, it was just natural. And then what you realize is, is that after you go through the pregnancy, which is always beautiful for the most part, very romantic and, you know, all that, then the baby, you know, comes out very exciting. We're all going to say, and the same thing that happened with, you know, with the first brother, let's say, and it comes along to a second child.

31:26They are all excited about the baby until it gets here. because all your attention is on the new baby oh yeah oh my god i mean the big acting out and what they do and so forth you know and you realize well you got to pay attention to them and let them hold the baby and those things right but having this what's it like you can't describe you you can't i couldn't describe it for you again it's very subjective uh what it feels like to see your baby come out that is it's just a miracle. And when you see that, and it looks a little like you and a little like this, and oh my God, I mean, I don't, it's just such a miracle that I don't even, I mean, like, I remember I walked around pregnant all these times.

32:16And every time I got pregnant, it was a blessing. And I thought, oh my God, I am the vessel carrying this human being. I'm so lucky. I get to be the harbor of the growth of a human being. And I was beyond honored to be a female. And then I had an emergency C-section, so I did all C-sections, so I didn't have the birth and all that. But I did birth these children. And when I saw them, it's just crazy. It really is. And then you think well what am I going to do here is there chaos in the beginning yeah baby's crying she's on the thing goes on the breast that's the nursing and all that stuff and then daddy sometimes feels a little helpless it's like what do I do whatever but then you're building friendships for the rest of your life wow how did you learn to trust in love again after you know a couple of marriages not working out now you have kids how do you trust to love again How do you trust someone to co-parent with you, someone new in your life?

33:28Like, how do you, with these precious kids that you have, how did you do that? It was hard, but not for long. You know, I know I needed a man to help me, you know, raise the children in an even way. I have a male influencer. Love that love them. but I never doubted. I can't explain it. I didn't live in anxiety that way. The only thing that I did write in my diary was, I wonder if I'll ever find a man that will love my children the way I do. And I was weepy that evening. I don't know if I was on my second glass of wine yet or not. I was like, I wondered, you know, I wonder if it was possible. And it was.

34:21Clearly possible. Right. 41 years later. It's incredible. I can say it's pretty great. Wow. How did you know that? I mean, I know you wrote it down. I wonder if it's possible. How long did it take for you to create that possibility for that moment of writing that down? Two or three years. Yeah. Because some women or men will go years just dating people where they're like, this isn't the one. And they think it's never going to happen for them. So how did you keep the faith and the trust that you would attract the right person? I was very busy working. I had my focus on the kids and I had focus on my family.

35:01Daddy was still alive and my mother and all that. And, you know, I didn't fret. You know, I just didn't. in fact I really enjoyed having just another female in the house taking care of the kids and there wasn't a man in the house you know at least one that wasn't nuts a crazy man living no not really I mean but but the truth is is that I I didn't have any anxiety about that so you weren't anxious to be in the right relationship or to find someone no I mean I felt I had the wherewithal to take care of the children with help and with my mom and dad and, you know, everybody. And so I didn't. But I do remember a friend of mine who is well known, but I won't mention his name.

35:56But I remember he came home because he's a really good friend of mine. And he came home and I was we'd just gone out to an event together. And he dropped me. He didn't drop me off. He came in to see if I was okay and saw Oliver sleeping, and he was in front of the TV, and he picked him up and he took him upstairs. And then he came down and said, you know, go on up there. And then when I came down, he said, I can't believe you're doing this alone. Wow. And that meant a lot because I was, but there was no heroism in that. There was just fun. you know i mean worrying is the worst thing you can do live your life enjoy the things that you enjoy and then don't wait too long because oftentimes what happens is you get very addicted to your own way of living you know yeah i mean i leave the light on when i do this i do the thing in the bathroom light i always flush the toilet three times i'm making this up but so when you live with somebody it's like you think somebody's going to take all that stuff away you're gonna have to deal with it it's not untrue I mean I said I don't think I said for 40 years every night Kurt said I said how did you turn the light out and he said oh I just thought you wanted nightlight I said no I like to sleep in the dark 40 years I mean oh my god it was so funny.

37:25He wants a nightlight. But I mean, it's sort of like that. But it's just, you'll know. You'll meet someone and you'll know. And if you squeeze the sand too much, it'll fall right out of your hand. So hold it nice and easy. I mean, the thing that I'm inspired by you is you have this sense of, you know, this meditation you've learned, strategies, neuroscience you're a fan of your researcher of the mind, but a lot of people know you as just this successful actress, right? What made you really fascinated about understanding about the mind, neuroscience, meditation? I had a very serious anxiety problem, and it was a panic attacks.

38:10And I got that when I was dancing, and I was happy. I was a dancer. That's what I did. And I loved it. And I was in LA. I was so excited. And I just come back from dancing in Vegas. And I went to an audition and that audition actually, I got the job. I was like, oh my God, I was so excited. And my mom, I called my mom and dad. I said, oh my God, I'm going to be on a tennis year and a four show. And the choreographer was like so excited. He said, I'm always going to use you. And I was so happy. There was an agent that came up and he invited, he said to me, do you, I'm just basically covering the show at William Morris.

38:48He said, but do you have an agent? And I said, no, I don't. And he said, well, here, come and see me Wednesday after the show is over because it was going to be filmed. We were rehearsing. I didn't pay any mind to it because I just come from New York. Believe me, I got as much Me Too issues as anybody could imagine. And I thought, no, no, no, no, you're not going to, I get it. So they call me at my apartment in Hollywood and said, Miss Holland, blah, blah, blah. Yes. Oh, we're waiting for you. And I said, oh my God, you mean, is this is real? Yeah. So I got in my car, I drove to William Morris and I sat there while they talked about me and around me.

39:28And I'm watching back in voice like, oh, oh, oh. And they said, well, if you want to, if you want to sign her, you can. And this was a young agent. It was a junior agent. And And they signed me. And about a week later, I went up for this job, Desilu Studios back in the day. And I got this job. And I went, well, wait a minute. I said to this agent, my new agent, I couldn't have gotten the job. They said that I was too young for that part. He said, no, no, they wrote in a part for you. Wow. A different part. A different part. And so that's what happened. and what happened was is I then became anxious around it because I thought, first of all, I was going to eventually go home and open a dancing school and get married and be happy.

40:20And these were things I saw my life doing. Well, you can't always plan your life. In fact, you never can, as long as you stay open for the possibilities. So my point is, is that I then became anxious and then I started having panic attacks. I did not feel comfortable. I didn't want to go to Hollywood. I didn't want to be that person. I didn't want to be a star, certainly. And when I was 11 years old, people said to me if I wanted to be a dancer, a star, doing Broadway. And I said, no, I just want to be happy. And I was 11. And I remember this and I thought, oh, they look surprised. Interesting.

41:01But happiness is something I've always kept primo in my mind, premier happiness, that any unhappiness that I was experiencing, I'd either learn for it or walk away from it. And so that's what happened. I wasn't going to be dancing anymore. I wasn't going to be a dancer anymore. My life had changed, is what happened. And so I went to a doctor, an answer to your question, long-winded answer. And I went to a psychologist and I worked with him for eight years. Wow, really? How old were you when you started? 21. Okay. And I went to him. It took me a year to work through. But it was the most fascinating experience.

41:49Because once again, if you're watching yourself try to get better, smarter, healthier, however, then your mind can become just a treasure trove of possibilities. It's incredible. So oddly enough, I did the Freudian way back then, and that had some brilliance to it because he created something when you said free associate. You'd have to lie down on the bed, on the, you know, the, what they have, you know, the small sort of reclining chair, whatever. And you had to think of, you know, whatever comes to your mind, whatever. no matter what could be chewing gum could be you know one time I was one time I had an old Corvette and it was given to me for a parade or something and it really looked like a penis I mean it was this long with the thing or whatever and I I drove it around and one of my things I remember saying when I laid down and pre-associated is I said I feel like I'm my car I feel like I'm driving a penis.

42:53So that was the first thing that came to my head, right? But you have to be honest and say what's coming into your head, right? You've got to be clear. It could be some terrible stuff. That wasn't so terrible, but it was the idea that I had, which I thought was kind of odd. So, you know, when you go through the examination of your own mind freely, without censoring, This is really important to be able to grow from these various things. What happens is that you think you're feeling fine. You go in there and you start either free associating or talking. And the next thing you know is you're either crying because something happened.

43:33There's all kinds of veils that get lifted from your eyes and from your vision. And that's what's so beautiful. And then it's like a window gets opened in your brain, and suddenly that fear of whatever isn't there anymore. So that was my interest, and I continued that, right? So I was just learning and learning and learning at that point. I call it the University of Me. For eight years, right? Yeah, yeah. And then inside of that 1972, I started meditating. Really? Wow. Before it was big. Well, it was the Beatles then. It was like Maharishi Mashioga. And he was the guy that did TM, Transcendental Meditation.

44:18Yep, yep. And I was initiated to that. Very simple. You get a mantra and so forth. And I will tell you. You can't share your mantra, right? No, you're not supposed to share your mantra. But I cannot even explain it because it was so visceral. But it was the first time I sat down and I really focused on the quiet, the breath, the smell, the scent of the incense, the wind from the window that was moving the curtains. And I sat there and it was the most extraordinary experience for me to get out of my head and into my heart. Wow. And I just could feel my heart beating. I was so happy. I kind of met myself again because I am a happy person by nature.

45:13And all of the struggles and all those things, it just unlocked my true joy. And even today, all dying when I meditate, my heart gets so full that I actually have a tear or two that comes down because it's just such a beautiful feeling. You know, the feeling of nothing, feeling of nothingness. And yet you're in the middle of nothingness. And yet that's when you're flourishing. I can't explain it, but it was beautiful. So that's when I started meditating. And then I started learning about the brain. Wow. So you've been meditating for 50 years. Now, did you start, when did you, I mean, we've got the, I guess the Oscars are coming up here soon after this interview.

46:00When did you win your Oscar? Were you meditating by then? That was 1971. So it was like right around that time, right before, right around that time. Yeah, it was Peter Sellers' movie and I was doing that in London. And I'd been nominated for an Academy Award for my first movie, which I thought was completely crazy. And then I went to work and I was making, There's a girl in my soup in London with Peter. And I just forgot that they were on television that night. So I got a call saying, Goldie, way to go. You got it. And I said, I got what? He said, you got the Academy Award. You won. You won Best Supporting Actress.

46:48And I went, oh, my God. I didn't know they were on television last night. And it was like one of those stories. It's just like, oh, my God, I can't believe it. Then I called my mom and dad, and it was just so great. But I wasn't thinking about them. I wasn't looking at that. And by the way, those days, you know, they didn't stop the music for the Academy Awards. It wasn't the biggest thing. No, it was big. But it was very, very local. In other words, yes, it was on television in the UK. It wasn't a global thing. It wasn't a global thing. They weren't selling diamonds and people coming in there and going, come to our room.

47:28I'll give you a diamond. It was quite different. But Fred Astaire was the one who announced my name, and that was my idol, my true idol. Wow. And I didn't get to see it. Oh, man. Yeah, except Jimmy Kimmel, and I were on a plane, and he said, did you ever see that clip? And I said, no. He said, I'm going to send it to you. and he sent me just I don't know a year ago maybe less he sent it to me and it was him saying my name and the winner is and I heard him say my name it was like music and I cried so at least I was able even all this time later to be able to have an emotional connection. Wow what was that I mean so you weren't able to accept the award on stage this was what 50 years ago but a year ago you got to watch the actual clip of being awarded.

48:23And so what is that like? I mean, that's like going back in time. Did you kind of relive that if you were accepting it on stage? No, not at all. I mean, I don't go back in time. You know, I know that there are things that remind you of what was. Uh-huh. But, and yes, you can go down memory lane and do all that. And I think what I don't do is walk backwards. So it's, you know, it's always, you know, what's ahead. No, that experience of watching it was emotional because I was looking at Fred Astaire. Say my name. Pretty cool. And that was important to me. So what is life like after winning an Academy Award?

49:07Did you have more anxiety because there was more pressure? Did you feel more joy? What was that like? No, I didn't feel any of that. I made a deal when I did Cactus Flower. and there were three other movies I had to do and they were all set. They were already agreed upon. I was a new fresh face, right? So really nothing happened. Really? I just worked on things like, you know, I think there's, let's see which one. There's a girl in my soup was one of them with Peter Sellers, I think. So I was paid a certain incremental amount for each movie. It wasn't anything to knock your socks off. And I just worked.

49:44And I think ultimately when you start, you know, look at your life and everything, because I was a ballet dancer from three and worked that way all the way. I'm a worker bee. I mean, I just work. I either make movies. I decided to produce, you know, and I made these decisions for very practical reasons. Nothing to make my career better, but only to make my ability to control what I did because I felt that I wasn't going to be the Meryl Streep of the world. I was going to be a special kind of strange entity. Yes, funny. Yes, this and the other. So I felt producing was probably smart because then I could pick and choose, you know, what I wanted to throw light on in society or, you know, either for women or for people that we wanted to produce movies for.

50:35So I was kind of a business person, to tell you the truth, of looking at that and looking at what we can make funny that's actually quite serious. Well, I mean, you mentioned how you were in ballet. You wanted to be a dancer. You wanted to open a dancing school. But then life shifted for you and you had more opportunities, right? You had opportunities to act and do other things. how did you let go of this dream you had your entire life of being a dancer and opening a dance in school how did you let go of it and mourn it even though you had other success and opportunities coming your way well i don't know that i i mourned it after i've been doing so much work on myself you know yeah i didn't mourn it it was just a reality and by the way it was pretty great.

51:24I was doing a lot of movies. I was doing stuff. I was fascinated by what I was doing. I loved it. And also, just to let you know, I had done some acting. So it wasn't just a dancer. I mean, I did Romeo and Juliet in Lake Matoka Amphitheater, which was about 3 ,000 people in an open amphitheater. And it started to rain. And I think it's probably one of the greatest things that's ever, you know, other than my children and the Academy Award or Golden Globes or whatever, was my father. I was dancing there, but I wanted to play Juliet, and I got the part. And these are all like high-level actors from Catholic University and all this stuff.

52:08I was about 17, maybe, 17, and I got the part, and I learned all of it in about two weeks, It just shows you a young brain. And then I did it, and then it was like the sky opened up. It was raining, and it was an amphitheater. And I was doing the speech, you know, what do you call it, the potion speech, and no one left the theater. It was unbelievable, and I didn't know whether to stop or go on. Just pouring down on you in the middle of the scene. Yeah, I mean, it wasn't pouring, but it was definitely, it was raining. So anyway then, but my dad came back and my father was the greatest. He was a musician.

52:52He had the mind of a musician. He was incredible. But anyway, he wasn't always the one that would throw his arms and, you know, I love you, honey. He was very pristine and elegant. And he came back and I was standing there backstage and he said, go. Where did you learn to do that? And he just lost it. Wow. And for me, that was the greatest moment for me. Wow. As an actress. I mean, truly, truly, truly. My father was so taken aback, so proud of me. And that mattered so much to me. So that was one thing. So in all do whatever I had acted before. Sure, sure. Wow. What was the greatest lesson that your parents each taught you?

53:47Be real. Be real. Look at reality. Reality is basically what you're going to live with and any expectation isn't. My father was a great philosopher. And my mother told me, let me tell you something. There's many people on the casting couch. But you, when you're up for a job, you better be ready. You better be ready and you better be appropriately, well, basic, not appropriately. You better be aware that what you need to do. Oh, I know what she said. Because it's not the producers that are going to make you a star or make you get the job. It's the people that will love you. The people that will be able to want you back again for whatever reason.

54:37It was very kind of prophetic because I never. The audiences? people would. She said it's the audience that you have to win. Not the producers or casting directors. No. No. You prove that you know what you're doing. You've worked on your craft. You be ready when the time comes. How do you win over an audience if the producer or casting director doesn't give you the opportunity or the roles? Well, that's if they do. When they do, make sure you win over the audience. Yes. I mean, that's obviously when they don't, you know, they're those guys. Right, right, right. Those guys, especially if you don't put out.

55:11How do you master your craft to win over an audience, whether it be music, art, dance, film? You can't answer that question. You don't master your art in order to do anything. You master your art to be able to create something that starts in your heart. It's art is, you know, there are many forms of art, painting as well. But this feeling of it's like people used to say to me because my father is a musician, do you play an instrument? I said, yes, I play myself. I play my body. I play myself because I'm also an instrument. So in a way, you can't describe what that feels like when you're in the flow.

55:58and and I think the only outcome is that you you know you know it's like you know people that actually you know it's all the all the sports or all the you know you know um aerobics or all the acrobatics or you know the gymnasts or whatever they know they did they landed properly you know they know their their balance is perfect you just kind of know and so that's the difference between thinking too much. You're asking a lot of questions about what do you think when this happens? What do you think with that? And how do you prove if you're whatever? And I love it. I love the questions. But some of them there are not always the right on answers because art and creating art is so deep.

56:50And how we get these ideas on writing or how, like I got my idea on what I'm doing with children. That stuff comes to you in the strangest ways. So that's the part of feeling free to improvise with your mind, you know. That's powerful. What was the art that you created that you were most proud of? Maybe it was a big hit. Maybe no one liked it at all, but you were most proud of on how it made you feel and how you showed up for the... Well, there's a few. So, you know, it's not just one. I mean, because everything has its own personality. I think Steven Spielberg and I did a movie together, his first movie, and probably that would be one of the ones I felt just completely aligned and the best with.

57:41Really? Yeah, Sugar Land Express. He was young, I was young, similar age, maybe a year or so apart. We had the best time. Wow. And it was a really wonderful movie about a young girl who really had a baby. And she was in a low security prison. It's a true story. And then she breaks her husband out of another security because they're just kind of stupid people. I mean, not everybody's going to say all this stupid. But it's kind of like she was just hell bent on getting her baby back. because the people there that have them was the social services and they had the baby. Right. It's a fantastic movie.

58:31And very much of its time. Wow. What's it called? Sugar Land Express. Steven Spielberg's first film. And I was honored to be in it. And he said to me, Goldie, you know, you approved me for that movie. And I said, what? He said, yeah, if you hadn't approved me, I wouldn't have done it. And I went, oh, my God. I mean, that's too much to put on my shoulders. Wow. Glad I did. His first movie. Yeah, because I was already laughing. I had a basic deal at Universal as producer. Wow. I started young, man. That's amazing. I know. So inspiring. But I had a dancing school at 16 and 17. I was already in Maryland, which is where I'm from.

59:15I created a dancing school. I advertised in my mother's store, the window. I mean, so sometimes it's just in you. You had that hustle, that mindset, yeah. Exactly. I don't know how and where, but how that all happened. I'm curious about why you decided to create your foundation, MindUp Foundation for kids, which is really about giving them tools and resources to be more mindful. Yes, to actually have more agency over their emotions, which is what we're dealing with today. We don't ask our children, in other words, we ask them, sorry, to learn. We don't give them any pathway to understanding their brain.

1:00:06And that's exactly what we do. But what happened when I, the reason I got that is because I was doing a documentary in search of joy because I believe that we as humans are not experiencing, especially in the developed world, enough happiness. Why do you think that is? There's a lot of things that could be, you know, I mean, very industrialized places. London was very low on the happiness scale. The UK, we had what country was on the high level of happiness. Because the more you get into the third world, the more you find out people that are actually happier. Isn't that interesting? Yeah. It's very interesting.

1:00:46Why do you think certain cities, not all cities, but certain cities with more wealth and more opportunities have less happiness than other places in the world with potentially less opportunities and wealth have greater happiness? Well, first of all, Denmark was one of the centers for the happiest people in the world. But there's also a financial sort of socialism. The one thing that was discovered about happiness is if people had just enough money to get by, doctors taken care of, schools paid for, that basically the system took care of them in a way where they didn't have the anxiety around all of those things, that that particular aspect of that, which I thought was pretty amazing, because, you know, you don't pay much to go to the hospital, you don't pay.

1:01:40And all of it says, well, socialized medicine is not great. But I can tell you one thing, if you're happier, you'll be healthier. So this was one of them. And, okay, so I want to do this documentary in search of joy around the world, which I started. We were talking to HBO and it was very interesting because everybody's like, that's interesting. Now, what is it? What is it? It's searching for more happiness. It's understanding that this is a mosaic of what's going on in the world, which was interesting because it became a cottage industry, happiness because this was 23 years ago. Wow. So now 9-11 happens and I'm involved with the brain, involved with happiness, understanding where it sits, you know, where does happiness exist?

1:02:35How does it affect the brain? And I then decided that these children are going to be traumatized from this 9-11 and that I want to be able to create something that can put in their classroom where they can create more optimism, more happiness. And so I took what I was doing and created Mind Up. And I wanted to give that to them, but I wanted to give it to them because just changing a few things and making the classroom an optimistic classroom, making it a place to have an ethos, which is happiness and positivity, that would help the children feel happier and better. because I could see that they were really not.

1:03:20They were showing signs. And when I found out that 10-year-old children were committing suicide back then, I lost it because I can't even talk about that. Children who are so young are taking their lives. It's sort of who's doing what wrong, you know? And so now I made that just, it just was part of my life. and what I did was is I had to measure the program because it teaches how the brain basically the emotional brain works, not the whole brain, but they learn about that. And they learn about the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, which is the thinking brain, the amygdala, which is the reactive brain, and the part of the brain and the hippocampus, which is where we remember.

1:04:10So once they learn about all these parts and what they do, which is very simple, is that they know our brain break that we do three times a day in the classroom allows them to have a correlation and a cognition to what's going on in their brain and how they can regulate their emotions and open up the prefrontal cortex to think, analyze, figure out, experience happiness, have the questions, and memory better. I cannot tell you that we, I didn't do this. This was University of British Columbia. They researched it. And the research was so extraordinary with these children, even to a point where they said they could make themselves happier, 83%, which is that I just lost it when I saw that.

1:04:57Because we need to make ourselves happier. We need to find the way to do that. And the children, basically, that was part of the research. They said now they could make themselves happier. It was so great that we had to do another research because we can't believe this, what these children are experiencing and what's the educators. So now we do another research in another town in Vancouver. Same thing. Wow. Okay. And that's when I said, all right, I know I'm Goldie Hawn. I know people think I'm funny. I know I'm not a scientist, but I had a dream for children and it worked. Wow. And so that's when I said, now I can own it because the research speaks for itself.

1:05:50So this is what I've been doing for 21 years. That's amazing. We have 150, I mean, millions of children have gone through this program because it was published by Scholastic and it went all over the world. So we have kids in China, We've got kids in Shanghai, Hong Kong. I mean, they're all over. Just Portugal, Spain, Italy. Basically, the UK was a big one. Well over 150 ,000 children are doing this. And these schools are following these programs, then? Yes. And right in New York City, we have 150 schools so far. And so they take these little brain breaks throughout the day? Is that what these schools do?

1:06:29Yes. So the brain break, which basically takes three minutes, we ring a chime. And the reason we ring the chime, this is not spiritual stuff. We're doing it so the brain attaches to that sound. And it immediately will be like Pavlov's dog. It relax. They relax. Their brain starts to calm down. All the things with the amygdala is like a barking dog. So when it gets excited, when it's got uncertainty and fear and anger and, you know, all this stuff, that's the area where we have to calm that down. Once they know, they breathe and they hear the chime and they sit for, you know, it all takes three minutes.

1:07:07They know now their amygdala is not barking anymore and they actually feel better. They're calmer. They know how to manage their emotions. That's how they do it. It's fascinating because I had the brain surgeon on the show a couple of times. Yeah. Who's also a PhD in neuroscience. who's done over a thousand brain surgeries, but also studied the mind with neuroscience. I love that guy. And I asked him, his name's Rahul, Dr. Rahul Jandial. And I asked him, what's the number one skill you wish all human beings could learn to master? And he said, emotional regulation. This is a brain surgeon, neuroscientist, talking about this.

1:07:45Can we realize that if we had that, where we'd be today? We'd be a lot happier. We would be, and we'd not be in strife the way we are in America right now. we'd have to be able to look really critically at where this is getting us. Yes. You know, and that's a big, big part of regulating your temper. Same thing with relationships. Come on, guys. I mean, we've got to know how to self-regulate this because why say things that are terrible, that nobody forgets? Words are like daggers. So it really gives you the opportunity to stop, hold on, and then decide to say, maybe in a more skillful way. But man, you know, so that reactivity is dangerous.

1:08:29And we've seen a lot of people have that and mentioning no names. So that's very damaging. Wow. So he was right. And we agreed. Yay. And I'm not a neuroscientist. How can we support this? It's mind up dot org, but what can people do to be of support to this mission you're on? Well, thank you, sweetie. It's money, really. I mean, anytime you've got a foundation, I mean, no money, no mission. And we've been doing this for a long time. And I don't like to ask for money. It's not my thing to do. But you realize that when you see these children, of course, I mean, it's just I have to tell you one story, though.

1:09:11I love these kids so much. So this little boy was basically nonverbal autistic. and he came into the school in New York City when he was kindergarten. So now he's in fourth grade and he's doing much better. And I heard about him before I met him because I went to the school just recently, about three weeks ago. He is more verbal. He's sweetest thing on God's earth. And so the principal asked him if he would like to come into her office over the PA system and rang the chime. And he said yes. So he went upstairs. He went to the office. He rang the chime, and then he shared and guided the entire brain break.

1:10:01Wow. Sit quietly, put your hands there. He remembered all of it. Wow. She called our office in New York and said, I have to tell you this, because this is an autistic child. He couldn't speak when he came in. The fact that he understood the brain break. So that's what I'm saying. You know, he's learning how to self-regulate himself. Wow. And, you know, when you feel like that, you've done something. That's you that did it. Yeah. And so, I love it so much. How about I'm still passionate after 21 years? That's amazing. It's like making a movie for 21 years. One movie. It's like producing one movie.

1:10:45It's like, I don't know. I just got tenacity and love in my heart. I can only say that. That's beautiful. So money is really about, you know, it doesn't matter how much, but if you could give a bit to, you know, mindup.org. It has to donate now. But it would be awesome. That's beautiful. Well, I'm going to go to mindup.org and make a donation today for you. So I appreciate the mission you're on, the cause you're on to help kids. Thank you, sweetheart. This has been beautiful, Goldie. I appreciate you. I want to ask you a couple final questions if that's okay. Yeah, it's fine. But I want people to go to mindup.org.

1:11:17Check it out. Even if you don't donate, just go check it out and see how you can be a part of it in some way. But if you can give some money, give some money as well. Of course. Mindup.org. You're on social media, Goldie Hawn as well everywhere. But mindup.org is the main place for people to go. A couple of final questions for you, Goldie. Before I ask them, I just wanted to acknowledge you for the realness that you have. Your parents said, be real. Yeah, right. It's a great lesson. And this is since the moment you walked in to this moment, you've been real this whole time. And I appreciate that East Coast vibe that you bring, that East Coast energy, you know.

1:11:55So I want to acknowledge you for one, living a life authentic and true to you and pursuing your dreams, but also being a great mother, being a great partner in a relationship. and also using your talent, your time, and your money to invest in a cause that you care about with this foundation with kids. So I really acknowledge you for just an incredible journey that you've been building and creating for yourself. And also, like I said before, that your adult children want to spend a lot of time with you. For me, that's a big measure of success in my mind when adult kids want to hang out with their parents still.

1:12:34yeah so you've been doing something right so i acknowledge you for for all these things yeah anchor yes exactly uh but i acknowledge you for all of that and um and i can't wait to see what else you continue to create on this beautiful journey thank you um this question i ask everyone towards the end of my interview okay is called the three truths so it's a hypothetical scenario imagine uh you get to live as long as you want but it's the last day you get to continue to create everything your mission continues to build in bigger ways you do more movies or whatever you want to do you continue to do it but for whatever reason on the last day you have to take all of your art and work and content with you to another place so no one has access to your movies this conversation is gone your two books that you've written you know all these things for some reason it's all gone hypothetical scenario and on the last day you get to leave behind only three things three lessons you would share with the world.

1:13:36I call it the three truths. So we wouldn't have access to any other content of yours except for these three things. What would those three lessons or three truths be for you? Well, obviously the first truth would be happiness is one of the more important emotions to nurture throughout your lifetime. Don't believe everything you read.

1:14:04don't concretize your thoughts and your opinions allow them to change if they will so there I love it, I love it that's a great question yeah, I appreciate it those are good answers final question, Goldie what is your personal definition of greatness? Well, my father said, don't ever stop appreciating a good glass of water. And that's pretty great.

1:14:59Apple Podcast. If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend over on social media or text a friend. Leave us a review over on Apple Podcast and let me know what you learned over on our social media channels at Lewis Howes. I really love hearing the feedback from you and it helps us continue to make the show better. And if you want more inspiration from our world-class guests and content to learn how to improve the quality of your life, then make sure to sign up for the Greatness newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox over at greatness.com slash newsletter. And if no one has told you today, I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter.

1:15:35And now, it's time to go out there and do something great.