TODAY show Co-host Hoda Kotb sits alongside Selena Gomez — and the General Surgeon Dr. Vivek Murthy — for this week's episode of the Making Space podcast to discuss their mission to change the way we talk about mental health.
Gomez, 31, who has previously spoken about her struggles with bipolar disorder, told Kotb that she describes herself as “loving, caring … and a person who really wants to go out of her way to help someone.” , Gomez said. . “I think life can be a distraction, and there's so much noise and headlines don't scare me anymore because I've claimed my own story. I told my story and felt free from it.”
The singer said mental health advocacy is something she's always been passionate about. But before launching her Rare Beauty makeup line, she wanted to be “more than just a brand,” so she insisted that before she sold any products she wanted 1% of sales to go to the Rare Impact Fund, which focuses on providing wellness to children and teenagers. resources, including information about suicide prevention efforts.
“Ultimately we're able to help over 700,000 schools, we've raised $13 million … my goal has always been, 'How can I make a positive change in this world?'” he told Kotb. “Doing it through makeup sounds a bit interesting, but it's part of your mental health. It's mind, body and soul, people think they have to feel a certain way, and I wanted Rare to be a place where everyone feels like they belong.”
Gomez also recalled a conversation with an elderly woman going through a divorce around the time the singer released her 2019 smash single, “Lose You To Love Me,” and said their five-minute conversation was much more enjoyable than taking a selfie with fan. “I just noticed that those are the things that keep me going,” Gomez said of meaningful interactions and the importance of making connections. “She made my day and I hope I was able to make hers.”
Kotb described worrying that Gomez pours so much of herself into her work and other people that she wondered how the singer had enough energy for herself. “It starts with me taking the step to get help,” Gomez said. “A lot happened and I didn't understand my mind, I didn't understand my reactions and emotions. And that was probably the most painful moment in my life.”
But once Gomez was able to talk to people and work through some of those issues, “it became so clear and so important to me that now I make it a part of my life. I have limits. I learned to say no when necessary. I have great relationships and friends and great relationships with people I learn from.” At the end of the day, she said, it's about owning her power and knowing, “I am who I surround myself with.”
In March, Gomez spoke on a panel at SXSW about her 2022 doc Vulnerable My Mind & Me, admitting he was on the fence about publicizing the move. “The moment I did that, I felt this crazy amount of liberation,” she explained at the time about feeling like she had to hit “rock bottom” before she could overcome some of her challenges. “There was no hiding anymore. It was probably one of the most difficult moments of my life.”
The documentary was filmed over six years and delved into the singer's battles with depression and anxiety. Gomez revealed in 2020 that she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. At the third annual Rare Beauty Mental Health Summit in New York in May, Gomez — the most followed woman on Instagram with 428 million followers — told Kotb that she's turned off comments on her Insta except for her friends. “So I think I've created boundaries to help me,” she said. “I felt empowered doing that,” she added, “saying, 'This is just for me.'
“I will always work on my mental health and I will always evolve,” Gomez said at the event, which was also attended by Surgeon General Murthy, who has worked with Gomez for years to address the mental health challenges that faced by young people in the US. “I'm not better or worse than anyone. I'm just a person who lives and survives every day.”
And it still is. Speaking on the Kotb podcast, Gomez said now, when she looks in the mirror in the morning, she sees someone who “wakes up every day and does her best. And that's all I could ask for at the end of the day.”
Listen to the full episode of “Making Space” with Gomez here.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/selena-gomez-talks-embracing-mental-health-journey-hoda-kotb-1235683135/
