0:00

If you're trying to kickstart a weight

0:02

loss journey or just find more balance

0:04

in your nutrition, it's so important to

0:06

find a program that truly fits your

0:09

lifestyle. A program like Weight Watchers. With

0:11

over 200 zero point foods, achieving balance

0:14

and weight health is easier than ever.

0:17

No measuring, no tracking, just

0:19

enjoying. Plus through the

0:21

new Weight Watchers clinic, if eligible,

0:23

you can now access doctor prescribed

0:25

weight loss medications and get support

0:27

from a dedicated care team, including

0:30

board certified doctors focused on weight

0:32

care, insurance coordination to help minimize

0:34

your cost. One on

0:36

one consultations with a registered dietitian,

0:38

medication management, such as navigating medication

0:41

shortages and more all through the

0:43

Weight Watchers app. Weight Watchers fits

0:45

your needs, whether it's through their

0:47

clinically proven points program or for

0:49

those that medically qualify. Access

0:52

to doctor prescribed weight loss medications and

0:54

registered dietitians in Weight Watchers clinic. See

0:57

how Weight Watchers fits you at Weight Watchers

0:59

dot com. This

1:02

message is brought to you by the Cologuard test. Cologuard

1:04

is a one of a kind way to feel more

1:07

in control of your colon cancer screening through a use

1:09

at home test with none of the prep that's required

1:11

of a colonoscopy. So if you're

1:13

45 or older and at average risk,

1:16

ask your healthcare provider about screening for

1:18

colon cancer with the Cologuard test. You

1:20

can also request a Cologuard prescription today

1:23

at cologuard.com/podcast. Do not use Cologuard if

1:25

you have had adenomas, have inflammatory bowel

1:27

disease and certain hereditary syndromes or a

1:30

personal or family history of colorectal cancer.

1:32

False positive and negative results may occur. Any

1:35

positive result should be followed by a colonoscopy,

1:37

not a replacement for colonoscopy in high risk

1:39

patients. The Cologuard test is available by prescription

1:41

only. Lemonade.

1:51

This is the High Life with me, Ricky

1:53

Lake, where we get to find out how

1:55

my guests crack the code to living a

1:57

full and vibrant life so you can too.

2:00

I am so excited to welcome to the show

2:03

beloved actress Jenny Garth. Now I remember watching her

2:05

in the iconic role of Kelly Taylor on Beverly

2:07

Hills 90210 during its 10 year run in the

2:09

90s. Well,

2:13

Kelly was such a likable and relatable

2:15

character on the show and part of

2:17

what sealed the deal for me was

2:19

on season five when Kelly had to

2:21

choose between Brandon and Dylan. I've

2:24

made my choice and I choose me. I

2:28

hope you understand. I

2:30

love you both till the day I die. She

2:34

says instead I choose me. Well,

2:37

I choose me is now Jenny's personal

2:39

anthem. Since 90210, Jenny has

2:41

created a clothing line called Me and a

2:43

podcast she hosts called I Choose Me. But

2:46

that's not all. Jenny also starred opposite Amanda

2:48

Bynes on the popular sitcom What I Like

2:50

About You and she also had her own

2:52

reality show. Wow, Jenny Garth, A Little Bit

2:54

of Country on CMT. We

2:57

have so much in common and I can't

2:59

wait to talk to her about her commitment

3:01

to her own self love. I think it's

3:03

awesome. Hi, Jenny. Hello,

3:05

Ricky. Such a pleasure.

3:08

We start my podcast with the same question for all of

3:10

our guests. Where are you getting

3:13

your highs right now? What's bringing you joy,

3:15

big or small? I've

3:20

been working really hard lately

3:22

traveling so much, more

3:24

so than any time in my career, if you

3:26

can imagine. Wow. And it's

3:28

been amazing. But when I come

3:30

home, all I wanna do is

3:32

water my plants. Like all

3:35

I wanna do is go outside in

3:37

the quiet nature and hold a hose. How

3:40

are they doing in this heat? We just had

3:43

this massive heat wave. Did everything survive? Yeah, things

3:45

are shriveled. Because I also have quite

3:47

the garden here. You have amazing gardens.

3:50

It's heaven. I give the

3:53

credit where credit is due. My friend John Bonny

3:55

did everything. Like I tell everybody that anybody comes

3:57

and says it looks great, it's because of him.

3:59

It's really not. because of me, I let

4:01

him have free reign. And I also grow

4:03

cannabis, I grow vegetables, and even someday, let

4:05

me be presumptuous, come over and see our

4:07

garden. It's really- I would love to. I've

4:10

seen them on social media, but it looks

4:12

beautiful. It doesn't do it justice, so someday

4:14

you'll come over. Okay, we gotta go back

4:16

to your origin story. Of course, you were

4:18

so young when you did 90210. How

4:21

old were you and how did that even come about for

4:23

you? Where do you come from? Where

4:25

do I come from? I'm from the Midwest, I'm

4:27

from Illinois. Way out

4:30

in the country, that's

4:32

what we called it. And we lived on

4:34

a farm in the middle of cornfields, and

4:36

I literally played with corn cobs

4:39

and rode my pink dirt bike around

4:41

the cemetery that was on our property.

4:44

It wasn't our cemetery, it was the

4:46

town's cemetery. And I talked

4:48

to dead people for fun. Wow,

4:51

I mean, I lived next to a cemetery as

4:53

well, and I stayed as far away from that

4:55

place as possible. I

4:58

found comfort in it, I don't know. Wow. I would

5:00

ride my bike in there and open up the little

5:02

chain link fence and just go

5:04

in and talk to

5:06

the people, read the things, put

5:09

flowers around, pick dandelions. Did

5:11

you wanna be an actress? I

5:14

didn't have any idea of what

5:16

I wanted to be or any concept or

5:18

no desires. I was just so happy in

5:21

this world that my dad built the house

5:24

that we lived on. It was 25 acres,

5:26

we had horses, I had

5:29

big sisters. I was just so

5:31

content, my whole childhood. And

5:33

then my dad got sick,

5:35

he had a heart attack. At

5:38

what age? I was 12, he was 37. Wow.

5:43

And that pretty much changed the trajectory

5:45

of my life right there. I

5:47

don't think if it had been for that, I'd probably still

5:49

live in Illinois, like my sister or two of my sisters.

5:53

But we moved to Arizona from Illinois

5:55

for my dad's health, for the climate

5:57

would be. So he survived, he survived.

5:59

the heart of the center. He survived,

6:02

yes. But he was not the same

6:04

man that he was before

6:06

it happened. And so life

6:09

really did change on so many levels. And

6:13

we moved to Arizona where I went to high

6:15

school for a few years. And

6:17

then I got the opportunity to come out to LA.

6:20

So how old were you when you arrived

6:22

in Los Angeles? I was 16, 17. Okay.

6:27

Were you a working actress when you moved

6:29

to LA? Well,

6:31

here's the thing. I had been in a

6:33

pageant. I wanted to be a dancer. I

6:35

wasn't very good, but I wanted to be

6:38

a dancer. And so they had somehow my

6:40

mom and the dance instructor that owned the

6:43

place, the lady, they got me into this

6:45

pageant. It was called a Cinderella

6:47

pageant or something where it was showcased your dancing. And

6:49

then maybe if you won, you could get a scholarship,

6:51

you know, that kind of thing. So

6:53

I was like, okay, I did it. I didn't win.

6:55

But while I was there, the guy, one of the

6:57

judges, he was a casting

7:00

agent for ABC television. And he

7:02

said, if you ever want to

7:04

give acting a try, you have a really interesting look. If

7:06

you want to ever give acting a try, here's my card.

7:09

Cut to my mom and I basically saying,

7:11

what the heck? And my mom and

7:13

dad were kind of separated at that time. And

7:15

she was feeling adventurous. So we came out to

7:17

LA, knocked on Randy

7:19

James's door and said, hi,

7:21

remember me? So Randy

7:24

is the one who just plucked you

7:26

from obscurity. And what

7:28

was the process of getting the part of

7:30

Kelly in 90210? Was it

7:32

like a bunch of callbacks? Well, I went

7:34

to acting, you know, when I came here

7:36

and he landed on him that I

7:39

had moved to Los Angeles and now he was responsible

7:41

for me in a certain way because I was young

7:43

and wide eyed. And so

7:45

he felt a lot of responsibility for me. And

7:49

so I just started acting school at night

7:51

and I tried to finish high school like

7:53

traditionally. It didn't work out for me and

7:55

I ended up getting my GED right

7:58

away. wasn't an issue,

8:00

so I was able to audition during the day. And

8:04

my mom would take me all over, and

8:06

we'd use our little Thomas Guide. And I

8:10

learned the city back and forth. You know?

8:12

What part of town were you living in

8:14

when you moved here? The Valley. Hello. Of

8:16

course. And I

8:18

got a job right away, I believe, playing

8:21

Barbara Eaton's daughter on a short

8:23

run of an NBC show, which

8:26

was enormous. That was the biggest thing for

8:28

me because I idolized

8:30

Barbara Eaton. Like, I dream

8:32

of Jeannie, like my childhood. Of course. And

8:35

did she live up to the expectation?

8:37

Did you enjoy her? Oh, yes. Yes.

8:39

I watched her like a weirdo from

8:41

every angle at all times, just learning

8:43

and soaking up everything I could from

8:46

her because she was so loved

8:48

by every member on the crew. And she was a

8:51

professional, and she was pleasant, and there

8:53

was no drama. I learned

8:55

everything that was important and

8:58

still is important to me in a

9:00

job sense and on the job from

9:03

her. What did you learn from her? What would

9:05

you say the big takeaway? Because

9:07

you're starting your career, just like I shared

9:09

with you on your podcast about John Waters

9:11

and him mentoring me. Was it similar

9:13

for you? Do you feel like she took you under her

9:15

wing? I don't know that she

9:17

knew I was under her wing, but I was definitely,

9:20

I knew I was under

9:22

her wing. And like I

9:24

said, I just soaked up every move she

9:26

made. And I guess it stuck with me

9:28

and her sense of professionalism, never late, no

9:31

drama. She was just there, and

9:33

she was a part of the team. And

9:36

that's how I learned the

9:39

way I work is the same way.

9:41

And I do credit that to

9:43

her. And I also learned

9:46

from her, I remember seeing her one day in

9:48

the makeup trailer getting makeup on

9:51

the backs of her hands. And I

9:53

thought, why is she getting makeup on her hands?

9:55

That's so weird. I don't know why do

9:57

people wear makeup on their hands around here? And

10:00

now, I know. I

10:02

don't know. Wait, why do people put makeup

10:04

on their hands? Because they're aging? Because they're

10:06

aging? Yes, you get old, and then your

10:08

hands look white or freckly or whatever it

10:11

is. I didn't know that. Yeah.

10:13

So she was the one that taught me to put makeup on my

10:15

hands when I need to. Do

10:18

you need makeup on your, I can't imagine you

10:20

need makeup on your hands. I mean, sometimes I

10:22

work on QVC a lot and it's all about

10:24

the hands. So I do try to take care

10:26

of my hands a lot more than I ever

10:28

did before. Oh,

10:30

they're pretty. It's a French manicure you

10:32

have. But we gotta go back to 90210. I

10:35

wanna hear it also. So how'd you, no, no,

10:37

I brought us off topic. Forgive me, I'm like

10:39

the bad talk show host. So

10:42

you get that call for that show. It

10:45

was just a pilot at that point, right?

10:47

And this was Darren Starr, right? This was

10:49

Darren Starr. He had done something with Aaron

10:51

Spelling. Quickly for our listeners that don't know

10:54

Darren Starr. He is a writer and a

10:56

producer. He also made Sex in the City

10:58

and Melrose Place, and also Emily in Paris.

11:01

And I was auditioning and I had

11:04

another audition for another show that was

11:06

being directed by Kenny Ortega. And

11:08

it was gonna be a big musical show, Whole

11:11

Street High. No way. I think that was the original

11:13

name of it. Okay, my head's gonna explode. My, when

11:15

I moved to LA at 19 in 1989, my

11:19

first job was doing the Oscars that

11:21

Kenny Ortega was directing. I was his

11:23

date for the Oscars that year. And

11:25

so he's a good friend of mine

11:27

and he did Dirty Dancing. And I

11:29

went and saw him on the set.

11:31

Anyway, that's crazy. So okay, so you

11:33

had two jobs in the running. Well,

11:35

yeah, I had two kind of things

11:37

that I was up for and I

11:39

opted to focus on Beverly

11:41

Hills, 90210 because I was

11:44

a fan of Aaron Spelling's earlier work. I

11:47

knew he was such a

11:49

prolific producer. I felt like

11:52

it was a risk at that time because it

11:54

was being done for Fox, which was a network

11:56

that had The Simpsons on it. And it was

11:59

a network that was not. available in everybody's

12:01

house across the country. Nobody

12:04

even knew what Fox was at that time. Was

12:06

Married with Children on at that time? I don't

12:08

know the year that they might've started the year

12:10

before us or the year after us, I can't

12:12

remember, but it was just those three shows at

12:14

that time, our show, The Simpsons, and then Married

12:16

with Children. And so I

12:18

knew I was taking a risk, but I

12:20

thought I've gotta try to get this show,

12:22

this Aaron Spelling Show. And were you always

12:24

auditioning for Kelly? Yes. That was

12:26

always your role? And did it feel

12:29

natural for you? Like doing the sides and reading

12:31

the lines, did it feel like, oh, I've got

12:33

this in the bag? No, no,

12:35

I had no idea what I was doing. I was

12:37

so green. I

12:41

am just a Midwestern girl. I

12:44

am not from Beverly Hills. I didn't

12:47

know people from Beverly Hills. I

12:50

had no idea what I was doing.

12:52

I was literally just reading the lines the

12:56

way I thought I was supposed to

12:58

read them. And with my own person

13:00

behind them. So she was

13:02

the bitch from Beverly Hills with the

13:04

nose job and the convertible and the

13:06

hot guy friends and everything, but

13:10

she was also very vulnerable. And

13:12

real, there was something real about

13:14

her. And I think that that

13:16

character and me sort of collided.

13:19

And that's how Kelly Taylor became

13:21

the Kelly Taylor that lasted

13:23

for 10 years. We'll

13:28

be right back with Jenny Garth. All

13:35

right, listeners, let's talk weight loss. You

13:37

know, I am not an expert yet

13:39

I have dealt with it my entire

13:41

adult life. And there's so

13:43

much stigma and weight loss is very much

13:45

a mystery to so, so many people. That

13:48

is why I'm really glad there's programs like

13:50

Weight Watchers out there designed to help you

13:52

find the right solution. Weight Watchers

13:54

understands that weight loss isn't one

13:56

size fits all. That's why

13:59

they introduced Weight Watchers. clinic. If

14:01

you qualify, you can access doctor

14:03

prescribed weight loss medications and receive

14:05

support from a dedicated care team.

14:07

You'll have access to virtual one-on-ones

14:10

with board certified doctors focused on

14:12

weight care, insurance coordination that

14:14

help maximize your coverage. One-to-one consultations

14:17

with a registered dietitian and medication

14:19

management such as support navigating medication

14:21

shortages all through the Weight Watchers

14:24

app. Weight Watchers fits

14:26

your needs whether it's through their

14:28

clinically proven points program or for

14:30

those that medically qualify access to

14:32

doctor prescribed weight loss medications and

14:34

registered dietitians in the Weight Watchers

14:36

clinic. See how Weight Watchers

14:38

fits you at weightwatchers.com. That's

14:41

weightwatchers.com. Hey

14:43

listeners, if you're like me you probably

14:45

have some fond memories of going on

14:48

vacation as a kid. Maybe it was

14:50

a simple camping trip but those moments

14:52

were magical. For me my favorite outdoor

14:54

memory was always going up to my

14:56

grandma Sylvia's house in the country and

14:58

going down to the lake and swimming

15:00

in Lake Oskowana in upstate New York.

15:03

As a mom I want to share

15:05

with my kids everything I loved about

15:07

nature growing up. The parks, beaches and

15:10

camping trips but now with all these

15:12

heat waves, wildfires and storms those cherished

15:14

places are being threatened by unnatural disasters,

15:16

extreme weather caused by fossil fuel pollution.

15:18

This summer alone the earth saw the

15:20

four hottest days in recorded history. The

15:23

time to act is now. By

15:25

changing how we talk about these events,

15:27

calling them unnatural disasters we can spark

15:29

the critical conversations needed to drive change.

15:32

That's why I'm joining the millions who

15:34

are taking a stand to protect everything

15:36

we love. Whether it's signing the petition

15:38

at activeman.com or spreading the word on

15:40

social media we can all play a

15:43

part. Human-made problems require

15:45

human-made solutions and together we

15:47

can make a difference. Join

15:49

us at activeman.com. The

15:55

show left

16:00

such a huge cultural impact. I mean,

16:02

it tackled tons of issues like addiction,

16:05

sexuality, family issues, so much

16:07

hard stuff. Did you

16:09

relate to what your character was going through?

16:11

No, never. No. The only

16:13

trauma that I had had in my life at that point

16:15

was my dad's health. And that

16:18

I think when my dad did have his first

16:20

heart attack, that was my first experience with any

16:22

kind of loss or grief. Even though he lived

16:24

through it, I lost my father that

16:27

I had known my whole life, like

16:29

my big, strong, manly

16:31

father. He became very weak and sick,

16:33

and he was scared,

16:35

which was just, it was

16:37

a completely different person. That's destabilizing, I think,

16:39

for a kid. Very, yeah. And I think

16:41

at that point was like that abandonment stuff

16:44

started to come up for me and sort

16:46

of be a through line for a lot

16:48

of phases of my life. But

16:51

I had never had a ton

16:53

of hardship other than that. And leaving my

16:55

sister, Cammie, who was basically kind of like

16:57

my mom, she

17:00

raised me, I slept with her until I was 12 years

17:02

old. I was very close with her and

17:04

I had to leave her in Illinois when we moved

17:06

to Arizona. So I think I

17:08

was a blue person from the get go.

17:11

I was always, like I said, I would

17:13

ride my bike in the cemetery. I spent

17:15

a lot of time alone. I was very

17:17

happy and I love my life, but there

17:19

was that undercurrent of blue. Like, huh?

17:23

Yeah, and just like an old soul or

17:25

like- Like a heaviness. I don't know what

17:27

it was, but I just was quiet. My

17:29

dad was quiet. He was a quiet man.

17:32

I'm a pretty quiet person. And

17:35

I guess I just drew upon

17:37

things. I don't know where they

17:39

came from, but in order to play

17:41

all the traumatic, dramatic

17:44

things that Kelly Taylor went through in those 10 years, they

17:47

came to me naturally. Like putting

17:49

myself in that character's shoes

17:52

and feeling those feelings just came really, really

17:54

naturally to me. And it felt easy for

17:56

me. And you had to deal

17:58

with like Kelly what went to- rehab, she had

18:01

addiction issues, right? She got shot,

18:04

right? Yeah, yeah. The list goes

18:06

on. The cult. There's so

18:08

many. Yeah, but I mean, but

18:10

in real life, you became very famous. Like, I

18:12

mean, all of you guys just were like plucked

18:14

from obscurity. And what was

18:16

that like for you? Just suddenly being known,

18:18

you know, and in everybody's living rooms. I

18:21

mean, it was like the, like water cooler

18:23

moment was talking about what happened on 90210

18:25

last night. I

18:27

know, and it was crazy. I mean, some of the

18:29

other actors on the show, mainly

18:31

Jason and Shannon and Ian

18:34

and Gabriel had

18:36

had experience, you know, in the industry and

18:38

they'd acted before and they had done other

18:40

things. I had only had that one, maybe

18:42

two things under my belt. And I was

18:44

just, I felt like a fish out of

18:46

water. I felt like so

18:49

much self-doubt, like what am I doing here? And

18:52

can I do this? And ultimately just

18:54

having to disregard those thoughts in my

18:57

head and just jump into

18:59

the deep end, like no decision,

19:01

just impulse, like go. Did it get

19:03

comfortable for you? Yeah, it

19:06

got comfortable. The work, you know, had such

19:08

a great routine to it. There was such,

19:11

there were so many boundaries to that world that we

19:13

lived in. Be here at a certain time, you eat

19:15

at a certain time, you do this, this, and this,

19:17

and then you have a bathroom break. Like everything was

19:19

laid out for you all day, every day. And I

19:21

love that kind of structure. And

19:24

then I would go home and I'd kind of be like, well,

19:28

what do I do now? Like, you know, I didn't

19:30

know how to be on my own as

19:34

much as I knew how to be a worker,

19:36

a person that like a trooper, you

19:39

know? Interesting. And wait, did you all

19:41

get along? Like behind the scenes, were

19:43

you all friends? Yeah. Or was there?

19:46

There was, there were, we were all friends

19:48

instantly. We were thrust together. There was no

19:50

option for us to not be friends. And

19:54

we all wanted to be friends. Like we

19:56

wanted to support each other and

19:59

it felt natural to just. be friends with everybody.

20:01

And then as the years went by

20:03

or as time went by, even in

20:05

the first and second season, elements

20:07

came into our

20:09

little bubble that probably

20:12

were more divisive,

20:15

manipulative, and it led us, I

20:17

think, in certain directions, and

20:19

just our own individual growth

20:22

and journeys. Can I ask, give

20:25

an example of what would get in the way of

20:27

the flow? Well,

20:29

I mean, specifically, there was Tori, Shannon,

20:32

and me, and Gab. And the three girls,

20:34

Gab was kind of, you know, she was older

20:36

than the rest of the cast. So

20:39

the three young girls spent a lot of time together, Kelly,

20:41

Donna, and Brenda. And three is a

20:43

rough number for young girls. You

20:45

know, somebody always feels left out, somebody,

20:48

you know, it's a tricky thing. And that

20:50

happened, you know, that there were there were

20:52

times where it would be difficult to be

20:54

part of a three, and people

20:56

would feel left out or, you

20:58

know, insecure, you know, all those

21:01

natural teenage feelings played

21:03

out in real time on the show,

21:05

as you know, how

21:07

we were growing as young people, right?

21:10

And just learning to handle just that

21:12

alone was a lot, but also to

21:14

handle that instant fame, all

21:17

that came with it. And you also had

21:19

your kids super, super young, your first kid

21:21

you had when you were 21, right? Yeah,

21:23

I had I was so, so young. And

21:25

I just remember that being a huge difference

21:28

in me and the rest of my playmates at

21:30

work, you know, like I had a I had

21:33

a stop every two hours to go pump or

21:35

nurse the baby. And they were

21:37

smoking cigarettes in the back. Yeah, wait, okay, go

21:39

back. So were you pregnant on the show? Were

21:41

they hiding your pregnancy during the show? That was

21:43

I think in like season eight or nine. We

21:47

hit it completely. And I

21:49

was afraid when I when I got

21:51

pregnant, which was very unexpected, I had met

21:53

my my no,

21:56

he wasn't my husband for four years, I met Peter.

21:58

And I'll just say that. on a

22:00

movie and we fell in love and we

22:02

got pregnant right away. And that was like, you

22:05

know, record scratch. Big

22:08

moment of, oh, what

22:10

do we do now? What do I do now? What do I want? How

22:12

do I- How do you tell

22:14

the show, right? Yeah. And

22:16

then someone had just been in a

22:19

lawsuit with Erin Spelling. Right before that,

22:22

she was pregnant and she got fired. Oh.

22:25

Wow. So you were terrified. You

22:27

were terrified of losing your job. Yeah. I'm

22:29

gonna probably be fired. But

22:32

because she went to court

22:34

and she won, I

22:36

was like, oh, I'm golden. Yeah. Good for her.

22:38

Good for you. And I knew I wasn't gonna

22:40

get fired at that point. So they

22:43

were so gracious as they, you know, had

22:45

to be at that point. Did Erin congratulate

22:47

you? Oh yeah. Oh yeah. And

22:49

I could feel like, you know, it wasn't

22:52

wholehearted, but it was the right thing to

22:54

do. And so they supported it and we

22:56

hit it. And I had a baby on,

22:58

I had a baby went

23:00

away for a month, came back to

23:02

work with an infant attached to me. And

23:04

I, you know, made a little dressing room

23:06

for her, a little trailer where it was

23:09

the baby trailer. And I would go there

23:11

every time there was five minutes, they would

23:13

know that I had snuck off

23:15

to be with the baby because I just, I

23:17

wanted to be with her and nobody else at that

23:19

point. Yeah. I mean, that's

23:21

kind of ideal. If you're gonna be 21 and having a

23:23

kid, unexpectedly to have that kind of

23:25

job. I also, you know, did my show and I

23:27

was, I can't remember what season, but when I had

23:30

Milo, I mean, I had a whole nursery, I had

23:32

the best set up. It was ideal.

23:34

Yeah. I mean, that's, you had

23:36

a lot of built-in support, which was nice. Yes. But

23:39

at the same time, it was

23:41

incredibly alienating because I

23:44

wasn't one of the carefree young

23:46

kids anymore. You know, I had this

23:49

next level of responsibility that nobody had

23:51

any idea about. Wow. And

23:53

so the show ran for 10 full seasons, right?

23:55

My show ran for 11 and we kind of

23:57

overlapped. What was it like when it ended? happy

23:59

that it ended? Did you want to move on

24:02

to other things or were you devastated

24:04

that this was coming to an end? No,

24:07

I knew it was coming. I knew, I felt like

24:09

10 was a really good number. Everybody

24:11

was like stoked that it had gone

24:13

10 years and we

24:16

all knew it was the end. And

24:19

it felt okay. It didn't feel

24:21

great. It felt real scary once

24:23

I drove off that lot for the last time.

24:25

And I spent a lot

24:27

of time just kind of just dove

24:30

into being a mom. Like that was my

24:33

new job full-time every day, all day. I

24:35

didn't want to have a nanny. I just

24:37

wanted to be a full-time mommy and a

24:40

homemaker. And that's what I felt

24:42

like because being an actress, there's

24:44

so much rejection. There's so much

24:47

competition. You know, it's everywhere you

24:49

look and it starts to seep into

24:52

you and like who you are. And

24:56

even though it feels

24:58

very unnatural, it's a part

25:00

of it. And so when I was able

25:02

to get away from that environment

25:04

and go be a mom full-time, I was

25:08

so happy. And I just, I

25:10

loved being a mom. And to this

25:12

day, it's the one thing that I

25:15

feel accomplished at. It's

25:17

the one thing that I know I'm really

25:19

good at. And I love doing it

25:21

with all my heart. Like I'm again,

25:23

just that's my childhood

25:25

is being, you know, a homemaker.

25:28

But you know, I love that. Yeah.

25:33

Let's take a quick break and then we'll be right back

25:35

with Jenny. Aging

25:40

is a natural process, one that I

25:42

embrace, of course. But one part of

25:44

aging that oftentimes does not get talked

25:46

about are the symptoms related to changing

25:49

hormones, especially as you get closer to

25:51

perimenopause and menopause. And that is

25:53

why I want to tell you that Happy

25:55

Mammoth, a supplement company designed just for women.

25:57

Their hero product is called Hormone Harmony. a

26:00

supplement that contains adaptogens and herbal

26:02

ingredients. It's designed specifically for women

26:05

to help navigate symptoms like poor

26:07

sleep, hot flashes, and much more.

26:09

Happy Mammoth is dedicated to using

26:11

only science-backed ingredients that truly work.

26:14

Women can't stop talking about it. There's a

26:16

bottle sold every 24 seconds, and

26:19

the biggest benefit they hear from their customers.

26:21

Feeling like myself again. That's what

26:23

women mention over and over in their reviews, and

26:25

there are over 17,000 views

26:27

for hormone harmony. I personally love it.

26:30

Cannot get enough of hormone harmony, and I recommend it

26:32

to all of my friends. For a limited time, you

26:34

can get 15% off your

26:36

entire first order at happymammoth.com.

26:39

Just use the code highlife at checkout.

26:42

You know I love the cooler months, because

26:45

I feel like it offers me so much

26:47

more flexibility with my fashion and layering. And

26:49

let me tell you, Quince has

26:51

been a total game changer for my wardrobe. I've

26:54

been living in their cashmere sweaters. Yes, cashmere

26:56

sweaters starting at $50, and

26:58

they're so soft and cozy. Plus, I've got a

27:00

few of their washable silk tops, which are perfect

27:03

for those days when you just want to feel

27:05

a little more polished without a lot of fuss.

27:07

And the best part, Quince offers these beautiful

27:09

high-quality pieces at prices that are 50 to

27:12

80% less than similar

27:14

brands. They partner directly with

27:16

top factories, so there's no middleman,

27:18

which means more savings for us.

27:20

And I love that they're committed

27:22

to ethical manufacturing practices too. I

27:24

am so looking forward to receiving

27:26

my new Quince sweater. It's a

27:28

zip-up hoodie that's gray and cashmere

27:31

and so, so soft. Get

27:33

cozy in Quince's high-quality wardrobe essentials.

27:35

Go to quince.com/highlife for free shipping

27:38

on your order and 365-day returns.

27:42

That's Q-U-I-N-C-E

27:44

dot com slash highlife. Get free shipping

27:46

and 365-day returns. quince.com/highlife.

27:54

You're about to... to

28:00

be an empty nester. Your youngest is 18. And

28:02

I have a few years on you with that, but

28:04

how's that feeling for you, especially when you just said

28:07

your greatest accomplishment is being a mom. Oh

28:09

my gosh, it's gonna be huge. I mean,

28:12

our first daughter left and moved to New

28:14

York for school. And it

28:16

was okay, cause I had the other two and they were

28:18

still little and they still needed me all the time. And

28:21

then the second one left. And at

28:23

that point I felt like pretty,

28:26

pretty devastated. I really started to

28:28

feel it then. But I

28:30

had some comfort cause she was moving in with

28:32

my older daughter and they were

28:34

together. So there was that element of like, okay, at

28:36

least they have each other. And

28:39

then I have had my Fiona who's

28:41

almost 18 now at home. And

28:44

we were just talking last night, we

28:46

love to snuggle in bed. She's 18 years old.

28:49

And I still sneak into her room and

28:51

snuggle and she lays on me like a

28:53

baby. Like we are very attached. Like all

28:55

of my girls and I are weirdly

28:59

attached. Like probably codependent, but we're all okay

29:01

with it. Sounds really nice. Like I just,

29:03

I love that to hear how close you

29:05

are with them. And the oldest is 20.

29:07

So there's a big age difference, right? 27

29:10

and your youngest is 18. So those, there's a nine year spread with

29:12

them. And they're close with each other.

29:15

Yes, my oldest two are

29:18

very close with one another because they're

29:20

closer in age. And then my youngest

29:22

one does at times feel like she's

29:24

the odd man out. But the other,

29:26

the older two girls are such big older

29:28

sisters that I'm always reminding

29:30

them like you guys have each other or

29:33

else like you will stay together. You will

29:35

be there for each other. You are sisters.

29:37

When I'm gone, I need to know that

29:39

you have each other's backs. So. Oh,

29:42

it sounds like they do. My sons

29:44

live together. They live in Queens and

29:46

they run a restaurant together. I mean,

29:48

they're both, one's in graduate school. The

29:50

other one's in art school finishing and

29:52

they work at this Vietnamese restaurant. My

29:54

younger son is like, do you watch the bear? He's

29:56

like the guy in the bear. He's the sous chef

29:58

and my son. My Other Son

30:00

manages the restaurant and it's like, they

30:03

have this hub and they play basketball together. I

30:05

mean, it's really like, I'm

30:08

so glad. One thing I did right is like,

30:10

they have each other and they're super, super tight

30:12

and they're four years apart and it's like a

30:14

beautiful thing. Yeah, do you guys watch a

30:16

lot of TV, you and your girls? What do you watch that's

30:18

equivalent to 90210 these days? Is

30:21

there anything? No, but there's nothing equivalent to

30:23

that. I mean, I do the podcast, the

30:25

90210 OMG and I watch the

30:27

show back every week, I'm in one episode

30:29

a week and I'm in the middle, smack in the

30:31

middle right now and it's amazing

30:34

because I get

30:36

to appreciate the show in a way

30:38

that I never did before because I never watched it. I

30:40

never knew even what was going on with the other characters.

30:42

I didn't read that part. No, you were just reading your

30:44

book. Yeah, I get it, I get it. Yeah,

30:47

I had no idea and now watching it from

30:49

beginning to end each episode, I'm like, oh my

30:51

God, I'm a super fan. I love this show,

30:53

I cannot wait till next week. You are, so

30:55

you don't cringe? No, I don't

30:57

cringe. I love it. I cringe when I

30:59

see myself. I don't like to watch myself

31:01

back. Even like hairspray? Yes,

31:04

hairspray, totally. Hairspray, yeah, that's like

31:07

a different thing but I think of like, watch, we

31:09

did my last season of my podcast was focused on

31:11

my talk show. So it was like this retro throwback

31:13

and we'd look at episodes and we'd break them down

31:15

and we'd bring back old people from it and it's

31:18

both, it's like a little cringy and a

31:21

little bit like, oh my God, I did

31:23

that. Yeah, right? Yeah, no, I have like,

31:25

it's been so cathartic and also like, I

31:27

appreciate that young girl so much more than

31:30

I ever did then. And

31:32

I just feel so, I feel for her

31:34

on so many levels that

31:37

I never really stopped to think about myself in

31:39

that way. What would you tell

31:41

your younger self? Like where you are now at 52

31:43

and you've got just so

31:47

much great stuff happening and you've just had

31:49

this incredible life. What would you say looking back

31:51

at that younger self of yours back then?

31:54

I mean, we'd have definitely to do with

31:57

be confident in who you are

32:00

know that who you are in

32:02

your core is enough because

32:06

I think I fell prey to just

32:09

a myriad of insecurities growing up

32:11

in this industry. And

32:16

those were very damaging feelings, you know,

32:18

they really get into your psyche, they

32:20

affect the way you hear

32:22

things, they affect the way you see things,

32:25

they affect your relationships with other people, and

32:28

I wish for her that she

32:32

knew who she was and knew that she was

32:34

enough. Hmm. Yeah,

32:37

you think like you were like the

32:39

consummate, like ingenue, like you were the

32:41

in the dictionary you look up like

32:43

the ingenue that was you and yet

32:45

you've still felt insecure and didn't totally

32:48

love who you were at that time.

32:50

It's crazy and I love now

32:52

that I'm older and I can see it from

32:54

a different perspective. On my

32:57

podcast, I love talking about things

32:59

like that with people because

33:01

we are all like that. Like

33:04

we have all grown so much and learned

33:06

so much about ourselves, especially after 50

33:09

you have such a different perspective on

33:12

where you were and what you've learned

33:14

and how far you've come and all

33:16

your accomplishments. You have this major sense

33:18

of pride in just surviving it.

33:20

Like I'm like, damn girl, good

33:23

job, you know, and I love

33:25

sharing that it wasn't easy and

33:27

I had so many challenges just like

33:30

everybody else out there, no matter what

33:32

I looked like on TV or how

33:34

I appeared in magazines, it didn't, none

33:37

of that was what was really going on inside

33:39

of me. Hmm. Yeah,

33:41

your podcast is called I Choose Me, which is such

33:44

a powerful phrase and it actually is from the show

33:46

90210. Can you

33:48

share what the meaning is? Well,

33:52

it all came to me after 50 is the crazy

33:54

thing and I just started to really think because I

33:56

was stuck in this place of like, what am I

33:59

going to do now? I'm

34:01

not getting any jobs. I'm auditioning for things

34:03

and I'm not getting callbacks. I don't understand.

34:06

I know that I'm an actress. I know

34:08

that I can deliver. And

34:11

I wasn't getting hired and I was just

34:13

really at a low point and for a

34:15

while, years of

34:17

just feeling just stuck

34:19

and unsure and scared. And

34:22

knowing that I had to do something to provide

34:24

for my family. I had to pay my bills.

34:26

I had to continue the life that I had

34:28

started with, giving them the things that I needed

34:30

to give them. And so I was

34:32

really scared for a while. And then like a

34:34

switch, it came to me.

34:38

I think it was probably through interacting

34:40

with my fans, to be honest.

34:43

I had started going to conventions,

34:46

to sign autographs for money,

34:49

basically. And I

34:51

enjoyed the interactions with the

34:53

fans so much and

34:55

just that authentic, real

34:57

reciprocation of they

34:59

adored me and I was so

35:01

appreciative of them. There was

35:03

something magical that happened and I would hear over and over

35:06

from these women. When I was

35:08

a young girl, I watched Kelly Taylor say she chose

35:10

herself in that moment and that changed everything for me.

35:12

Wait, go back and say, so when, describe

35:14

what was happening in that episode. You had

35:16

to choose between the two guys, Dylan and

35:19

right? Yes, well, there was like

35:21

a love triangle, of course, because that's what works.

35:23

And it was Brandon and Dylan and they were

35:25

fighting for Kelly and Kelly was asked to be,

35:27

to choose. And that was the

35:30

first time that I was in a relationship with Kelly Taylor.

35:32

And I was like, okay, I'm gonna choose between the two

35:35

of them and that is a no win situation because

35:39

if she choose whoever she chose would end her friendship with

35:41

the other one and it would end

35:43

their friendship with one another. So in that moment,

35:45

I didn't know at the time, the

35:48

meaning of the significance of that line, but

35:52

my writer, Jessica Klein wrote, I

35:54

choose me and I said it. And

35:56

I was like, oh, that's weird. I'm in the nineties.

35:58

We need to hear it every day. all day from

36:00

now until the end of time. It's

36:02

profound and it's important. And it's like such

36:05

a, something that we all

36:07

need to be reminded of that

36:10

in any given moment, we have a choice.

36:12

We have a choice to choose ourselves no

36:14

matter what we're faced with. And every

36:17

time that's gonna be the right choice. So

36:20

in having that one-on-one interaction with your fans

36:22

and remembering that line, it came to you

36:24

that needs to be the concept of this

36:26

podcast. It came to me that that needs

36:28

to be the focal point of my

36:31

journey moving forward. I have

36:33

always felt in

36:36

this industry, like a

36:38

pawn, like a piece

36:40

on the chess board game,

36:42

I've always felt not invited

36:45

to the table. I

36:48

didn't see myself as having, you know, the

36:51

show was overlooked. I

36:54

mean, for the importance of that show in that

36:56

decade, the show never really got

36:58

any kind of a claim, like

37:00

critically or never really got a

37:03

lot of appreciation in

37:05

the industry. You mean like awards, like

37:07

Emmy award acknowledgments? Yeah, it never really

37:09

got acknowledged for the incredible

37:12

work that it did for teenagers at that

37:14

time. And there were a

37:16

couple like, you know, people's choice award, whatever,

37:18

things like that. But it wasn't about any

37:20

of us individually, it was just about the

37:22

show. So I

37:24

went through the rest of my career

37:26

just not really feeling attached or supported

37:29

by the industry or my peers. And

37:32

I didn't like

37:34

it. I didn't like that feeling. It

37:36

felt like just more rejection. And

37:39

I just came to the place where I don't

37:41

need that in my life, that is destructive. And

37:43

I don't wanna have that defining me

37:45

anymore. So I thought, screw

37:47

it, if I don't ever work as

37:49

an actress again, I'm fine. But I'm

37:51

passionate about helping other people. My parents

37:53

were both educators. And I

37:55

love teaching people. I love opening

37:58

people's eyes to a possibility. that

38:00

they never saw coming. And

38:02

for me, this is like the platform that

38:04

I can do so many things. I can

38:06

help so many people. I can do a

38:08

podcast where we talk about real issues and

38:10

things that I've been through and lessons that

38:13

I've learned and the guests that I have

38:15

on and share those insights with people. I

38:18

saw it as a platform, like sort of an

38:20

umbrella to do a lot of different things. I'm

38:24

in process of starting a book, I

38:27

Choose Me, I wanna do a children's book to

38:30

spread the message to young people. I've been

38:32

able to reach women with

38:34

a fashion line that I never saw

38:36

coming. Yeah, tell them, yeah, it's called

38:38

me, right? I love it. It's called

38:40

Me by Jenny Garth and I'm

38:43

doing exclusively with QVC. And

38:46

the main just meaning behind

38:48

me even doing fashion is to

38:50

provide women with a choice. Provide

38:53

women with an easy choice every morning to pick something

38:55

that you're going to look good in, feel good in,

38:57

you're gonna be confident. Like, you know, when you go

38:59

in the closet and you're like, oh, I don't know

39:01

what to wear today and I gotta go to be

39:03

in front of this person or do this meeting or

39:05

go to this lunch or whatever it is, like there's

39:07

a pressure to look a certain way and

39:09

you know, you wanna feel good in the way you look. So

39:12

being able to provide women with the

39:14

clothes that make them feel strong and

39:16

beautiful and confident in who they are gives

39:18

me so much joy. I never

39:21

saw it coming. Wow, did you know that

39:23

you were gonna do that? No, I told

39:25

you at 50, I

39:28

had no idea what I was doing with my life.

39:31

Like I was terrified

39:33

and I didn't know how to pivot. And

39:37

now doing this, I'm

39:39

designing the life that I want moving

39:42

forward. I am literally doing only the

39:44

things that I want to do and

39:47

I'm calling the shots and it's the most

39:50

incredibly freeing feeling. And

39:52

I know now at this age that I have

39:54

the ability, I have what it takes

39:56

and I never probably would have thought that I could

39:58

do things like this then. And for me,

40:00

I have adopted the motto, the sky

40:03

is the limit. Like there's nothing, I've always known

40:05

there's nothing I can't do. That's how I was

40:07

raised. I know you said the same thing on

40:09

my podcast. You were always taught by your grandma,

40:11

there's nothing you can't do and you are amazing.

40:14

I was taught that, but I don't think I ever

40:16

really believed it. Wow, now

40:18

you've just reached this pinnacle of

40:20

this time in your life. And

40:23

you're doing this clothing line with your

40:25

daughter. Yes, your middle child? I mean,

40:27

the great things just keep on coming.

40:29

It's like a gift. The

40:32

gift from Kelly's statement, I choose me

40:34

has changed my life and

40:36

the gifts just keep on coming from it.

40:38

Now I'm able to do this fashion

40:41

line with my daughter when I got the

40:43

opportunity and I got the phone call

40:45

and I thought, oh man, this sounds like a lot of

40:47

work. And I like

40:50

you and impulsive. And I said yes, without even

40:52

really thinking it through and thinking about like what

40:54

it would take. And I

40:56

said to my daughter that day, who

40:58

is in school for fashion, I'm

41:01

probably gonna do this. I would love to give

41:03

you the opportunity to do this with me. I

41:05

know you could learn so much about

41:07

creating a brand from the ground up

41:10

and developing fashion. I

41:12

said, you don't have to answer me right away, just give it a

41:14

minute. And she came back and she said, I wanna do it mom.

41:17

And I was like, oh my God, I'm so happy. And

41:20

we've been working, we work every day together.

41:22

We make every decision together. We

41:24

think the same way. And it's such a

41:26

beautiful partnership. And what you go on QVC

41:28

together and sell it together and talk about. I'm

41:31

still working on that. I go on QVC

41:33

alone and sell. But she's

41:35

right off camera. Got it. Literally

41:38

standing there watching the whole time. I think

41:40

that's like the sweet sauce is you guys

41:42

together. Is she just shy? Yeah,

41:45

she doesn't wanna be in the limelight. She

41:47

sees what that's been like for me. And

41:49

I think she has such a respect for

41:51

me in enduring it

41:53

and being able to do it. And she

41:55

just knows that she doesn't wanna

41:57

be a part of it. Not yet anyway, I'm still working.

42:00

Okay, last question. Okay. What

42:02

advice do you have for folks that also

42:04

want to learn to put themselves first, to

42:06

choose themselves? I

42:10

would have to say it's never too late.

42:12

Like even if you have not

42:14

put yourself first over

42:16

the course of your years, if you've made

42:18

mistakes, you know, and you've lived your life

42:20

for everybody else and you put everybody else

42:23

first and that's

42:25

natural. That's who we are. As

42:27

women, we're caretakers naturally and there

42:29

comes a time when it can

42:32

sound like a selfish, like, oh, I choose

42:34

me, but it's not selfish at all. It's

42:36

actually vital to our survival, to take care

42:39

of ourselves, to put effort into our happiness,

42:42

our joy, our wellbeing. And

42:45

I love health and wellness and everything

42:47

in that world and just being able

42:49

to be a part of that now

42:51

and encouraging other women to take

42:54

their life by

42:56

the horns and make it what they want it and

42:58

make it what they deserve, that

43:01

I'm so fulfilled. And I think that just

43:04

being able to give that message to people is

43:06

so important to me. Just think about it. Just

43:08

think about every day a little way you could choose

43:10

yourself instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs. I

43:12

mean, that's the most, you know, simple

43:14

advice, but good. Thank you, Jenny Garth. Thank you

43:16

so much for this time. It's so fun to

43:18

get to know you. I feel like I know

43:20

you and it turns out I kind of do.

43:23

We do. I feel like I

43:25

know you. We are. I'm coming over to know

43:27

you. You'd say hello, right? Oh, yeah. Kelly Taylor

43:29

would say hello. I mean, Kelly Taylor, I don't

43:31

know, but I definitely

43:33

would. But Jenny Garth, yes. Okay. Thanks,

43:35

Ricky. I loved it. Me

43:38

too. Wow. Talking

43:41

to Jenny was really so much fun. It's

43:43

like a blast from the past. It was

43:45

amazing to really see how much we actually

43:47

have in common, experiencing family tumult,

43:49

tragedy, being so young when we

43:51

started our careers, where both the

43:54

marrying kind turns out and of

43:56

course, Dancing with the Stars. Just

43:58

so many things. If you

44:00

enjoyed our conversation, you can head over to Jenny's

44:02

podcast, I Choose Me to hear part one of

44:04

our conversation. We put a link to that episode

44:06

in the show notes. Thank

44:08

you guys so much for listening. There is much

44:10

more of The High Life with Lemonada Premium. Subscribers

44:14

get exclusive access to bonus content like rapid

44:16

fire questions about Dancing with the Stars with

44:18

Jenny herself. Subscribe

44:20

now in Apple Podcasts. The

44:27

High Life is a production of Lemonada

44:29

Media. Isabella Kulkarni and Katherine

44:31

Barnes produce our show. Our

44:34

mix is by James Barber. Executive

44:36

producers are Stephanie Whittles-Wax and

44:38

Jessica Cordova-Cramer. Additional Lemonada

44:40

support from Rachel Neal and Steve Nelson.

44:43

You can find me at Ricky Lake

44:45

on Instagram. Follow The High Life with

44:47

Ricky Lake wherever you get your podcasts

44:49

or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with

44:51

your Prime membership. Hey

45:00

y'all, I'm Brandy Cyrus. Wait, are we

45:02

live? And that's my

45:04

mom Tish. Sorry,

45:07

we're stoned. You're gonna have to

45:09

talk into the mic toots. Hey everybody, it's

45:11

Tish the Dish here. Just ready to

45:14

dish on all of life's hottest topics.

45:16

And plus you'll hear crazy family stories,

45:18

design tips, and oh so much more.

45:21

So follow our pod and find us

45:23

on Instagram at Starry Wurr Stone so

45:25

you don't miss an episode. That's donors.

45:31

Hi everyone, Gloria Rivera here and we

45:34

are back for another season of No

45:36

One Is Coming to Save Us, a

45:38

podcast about America's child care crisis. This

45:41

season we're delving deep into five critical

45:43

issues facing our country through the lens

45:45

of child care, poverty, mental

45:47

health, housing, climate change, and

45:49

the public school system. By

45:52

exploring these connections we aim to highlight

45:54

that child care is not an isolated

45:57

issue but one that influences all facets

45:59

of life. of American life. Season

46:01

four of No One Is Coming To Save Us

46:03

is out now wherever you get your podcasts.