Gabrielle Union Opened Up About the Importance of Self-Care As a Mom

"We're super conditioned to not center ourselves in our own stories."

santa monica, california july 11 gabrielle union and kaavia james union wade attend the nickelodeon kids choice sports at barker hangar on july 11, 2019 in santa monica, california photo by rich furyfilmmagic
(Image credit: Gregg DeGuire)
Emily Dixon
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published
  • Gabrielle Union opened up about parenting and the importance of self-care, speaking to Scandal star Katie Lowes.
  • "We're super conditioned to not center ourselves in our own stories," Union said. "It is OK to center yourself and your needs and advocate for yourself."
  • She spoke to Lowes on parenting podcast Katie's Crib, released by Shondaland.

Gabrielle Union, you're no doubt aware, is a delight. And she's pretty delightful as a parent, too (some evidence: This adorable video with baby Kaavia (opens in new tab), and this lovely tribute she and husband Dwyane Wade paid to daughter Zaya (opens in new tab)). In a recent appearance on Katie Lowes' Shondaland podcast Katie's Crib, as People reports (opens in new tab), she spoke about her difficulties with infertility, her surrogacy experience, and her parenting journey. What's more, Union stressed the importance of prioritizing self-care as a parent and resisting societal pressure to "[give] every part of ourselves to other people." And if you're struggling to give adequate time and attention to your own needs? I very much recommend you listen to her advice.

A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) (opens in new tab)

A photo posted by on

"We're super conditioned to not center ourselves in our own stories," she said. "Anything less than giving everything, every part of ourselves to other people, we're that selfish bitch, we're the bad mom, we're the bad wife, we're the bad friend, when you don't give every piece of yourself to everyone else whenever they feel like they need it," she continued.

A post shared by Gabrielle Union-Wade (@gabunion) (opens in new tab)

A photo posted by on

"It is OK to center yourself and your needs and advocate for yourself and be the center of your own story, and be your best self for yourself, so you can offer—in reasonable doses, as you see fit—parts of you to other people," Union stressed. "We say in our family and in our crew, 'We all we got.' But that includes the motherfucker in the mirror. Start with you first."

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(Image credit: Andrew Toth)
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March 7, 2020

Dwyane Wade, Zaya, and Gabrielle Union stunned in matching custom Rich Fresh suits. Union wore a pair of&#xA0;<a href="https://www.bottegaveneta.com/us/sandals_cod11809790qa.html?tp=45408&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw9vn4BRBaEiwAh0muDDFoF8qovrWOkMYWXjsEGcfTJj615czSBShWaNDGrPlzYEQ30mEpTxoCncwQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">Bottega Veneta sandals</a>.

Emily Dixon
Emily Dixon

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.

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