Food, Music and Zen with Tiffany: Wellness, Reinvention and Balance, Part 1

Introduction to Tiffany and the Interview 0:00

Welcome to Energize and Revitalize with Dr. Amy. I'm Dr. Amy Cooper-Smith, a doctor prepared nurse practitioner, and this show is about empowering you to live a radiant, healthy, and balanced life. I have a special guest today. In fact, we had so much to talk about. We're going to make two episodes. I first met this guest in person during the COVID pandemic, but I feel like we met much before that. When I was a teenager, I had my heart broken for the first time. There was a song released by an upcoming teenage artist that resonated heartbreak.

I listened to that song over and over. I really felt like she understood me. I got her album and I watched her career soar. Even back then, she was so down to earth. She performed in shopping malls and advocated fashion choices that every girl could afford I especially appreciated that coming from a single parent household. Teenage girls are especially sensitive to fitting in and keeping up with fashion. Looking back, some of those fashion choices were unique, but they were so much fun. The 80s really were a great time to be a kid.

MTV was developed, and we all got to watch our favorite performers Many years would pass before I got to see my guest perform in person. We were able to meet and collaborate on some wellness ventures, but more about that later. I recently saw that she was coming back to town to perform, and I knew she would be the perfect guest for this show. I'm talking about the pop icon, Tiffany. She recently joined me at Amethyst Wellness for an intimate discussion about her career and wellness journey. You know her for her chart-topping hits, but her story goes so much deeper.

Career Beginnings and Reinvention 2:06

Tiffany has spent decades evolving as an artist, exploring new sounds, performing around the world, and connecting with fans in really meaningful ways. And what I really love about Tiffany is that she's authentic. She shares her love of music with the world. She's also about wellness, creativity, and reinvention. Over the years, she's poured her passion into food, releasing a cookbook, and even her own line of spices. She's also been outspoken about the importance of balance, health, and finding joy in life's everyday routines.

even when she's touring nonstop. In this first part of our conversation, Tiffany takes us back to those early days in the music industry, the challenges and the lessons she's carried forward. She candidly discusses these challenges of being a celebrity, social media exposure, and how she deals with the pressure of constantly having to be present. She opens up about these challenges, the effect it's taken, and what she's doing to restore wellness and Zen to her life. Please enjoy part one of this interview.

You'll hear Tiffany's honesty, humor, and her warmth shining through. It's a story of resilience, reinvention, and joy, and you're going to love it. I'm very excited to introduce today's guest, Tiffany. Hello. I'm happy to be here. Thank you for having me. Happy to have you. Thank you. And Tiffany, you burst into the music scene in the 1980s as a teen pop sensation with chart-topping hits, including I Think We're Alone Now and Could Have Been, my favorite. Thank you. You've had a career spanning more than three decades.

You've sold over 15 million albums, and you're still performing. Yes, all the time. You're an entrepreneur, a cookbook author, and a lifestyle creator. You have a passion for food. You have a spice line. And now you've started Let Zen My Friend. Yes, which is so exciting. And you're so you do so many things and you're so busy. And I just can't wait to hear what you've been up to. Well thank you very much i know i am very very busy and that's why we were chatting before we sat down about how busy i am and you know that's why i started let's end my friend really was to kind of gather my existing fan base, but meet new people.

As I travel all over the world, I've had some health issues, getting a little older, had long COVID, still have long COVID, although I'm getting through it. But I noticed you can't do it all, although I'm required to do it all. I'm an independent artist, so I do have a label. But the music industry has changed so much. that it's not the big oversee you know that the label used to do it really is hands on and that requires my team but it requires me to be the head of the team so my hours just got extended extended extended more plus i you know i'm i have my own home i have six and a half acres i have a dog and a cat i have a niece and a nephew and sisters and friends and i think life just You know, as you get to our age, it's like you tend to put more on yourself, but you want to do it all.

You love, you want to live. But that starts to be reality of there's only one of me. And you start to not have any time for yourself. So literally through COVID, I think like all of us, I made some adjustments. I started to build the life that I really wanted. I thought, well, We really are starting from scratch now. You know, they kind of, in my opinion, like burn it all down with some of us lost our business. Some of us had to readjust our kids' futures from the schools to, you know, moving back to downsizing to whatever it is working from home.

So why not take that opportunity to really evaluate my life and go, okay, What is it I want? And, you know, I knew musically what I wanted. And that's, thank God, always been a platform for me. But then what life did I want? I was going through a divorce. My son is, you know, grown up. He's just turned 33. Wow. So there's no babies at home, which was different for me because you make those Choices to stay home and only tour in the summer because you have a small child or you want to be present or you know what all of that that was off the table.

And then living in a place that i love nashville tennessee and having six and a half acres and having this home that i was like i don't spend any time at home though right. Even before covid i was like mad dash girl i would just throw the bags in take another bag and out the door and again loving what i do but. Why am i doing it right if i don't have a personal life if i'm not here to spend time with friends and family and i really saw that in covid i thought oh. Okay i need to change this so full circle now i do bring a lot of people with me i've grown my team i'm working with people that i love you know which

Wellness, Boundaries, and Long COVID 7:54

kind of was always the case but i've expanded. And then doing these let's end my friend gatherings we have our very first together in March in the UK actually and I'm really excited about these gatherings because I get to do exactly this talk about my life talk about what's working not working. And expose my fans and building this community one on one wherever we land like we're going to be doing the camden club in the uk and i'm bringing local. People with small businesses yoga teachers reiki healers you know people who know meditation life coaches products all the oils all the crystals all the all the things we need that i love so much that i use every day.

To really talk about it so you understand what they can and cannot do for your life. Because i think a lot of people we buy things on social media and we don't really know we go that's pretty you know even me with crystal i didn't know i was putting the wrong crystals by my bed. them that create a lot of energy. Well, I don't need energy by my bedside. I'm already tripping anyway. So what crystals do you like by your bed? Well, I love amethyst by my bed. How convenient is not convenient, but it also can give you energy.

Yes. So for me, I've had to place it across the room for me, not right by my bedside. So this is things that I didn't know until I really had a minute in Palm Springs actually I was buying some crystals from my friend last pass you might know who he is from may have heard of him and he's got two beautiful kids. boy and a girl. And I thought, gosh, what could aunt T give them that they don't really already have? I mean, they've got the toys and they've got all of this. And I thought, I really want to give them something that is holistic in the holistic world.

Something they're creative. They're going to be around so many creative people, of course, musicians, writers, actors, all of it. And I thought I'd love something that really kind of gives them a good platform for the arts. but also grounds them for their homework and just their playtime and everything. So I thought, Hmm, what if I bought them some really beautiful crystals to put into their room? Um, nobody would do that, right? So I did in one of my favorite stores is out in Palm Springs. So I went there and I had a chance to just sit with the owner and I, so this is what I want.

And I said, I want it to be creative, but also calming amethyst, amethyst, amethyst. And I bought these beautiful pieces. Um, and they turned out to be great. So aunt T has to keep on that vibe. Like I'm like finding teas now or anything oils that they can use now cause their birthday is up and coming. But I'm, you know, I'm like, Yeah i didn't know that i was placing them all around my home and the wrong way i hadn't learned that much about so this is what let's send my friend is about is me learning.

People are learning through me i'm just exposing them on my socials. um on instagram mainly and i have my website where i'll talk monthly about what i'm learning uh people can ask me questions we're going to zoom and hang out just like this and but i'm definitely not a practitioner i'm i am learning it but i think that's the beauty of it that people feel like i can learn with tiffany where's she taking me today are we going to be in japan are we going to be in palm springs and i just expose people to all different people As you know, from again, dealing with long COVID, I just had a major flare up before I came down here to Florida.

And it just went, oh, what's this? I didn't do anything that really got me out of pocket. I didn't eat bad. I haven't had major stress, but I've had stress. Lots of scheduling, lots of going and going and going. And guess what? I forgot to turn it off. And that's what happened with my body. Like how do you stay grounded with all the things you do? Well, again, I, and here's the funny thing is I'm finding that, you know, that my team that I'm putting together, understand it, my existing team that may, and I'm even going to be honest, maybe some of my family, although they want to support, they don't know this Tiffany, the Tiffany that says, no, I need a minute.

No, I can't do that. No, I need to get up at 30 minutes before I need to ground. No, I'm going to have to step away in the middle of the day. Setting boundaries. And people don't like it. I think that's going to be one of the first things that we talk about at my gathering, let's say my friend gathering, is boundaries. We tend to feel really bad about setting them. Right. It's like, oh, I'm doing something wrong and people make you feel bad. What's this? Well, you did it before. Well, this is just nonsense.

Well, we have a time frame. We've got to be there and I'm learning now to go. I guess I won't be able to do it then. about what sounds to some people very unprofessional, like, Oh, you don't want to be career, then Oh, you don't want to be. But I'm also I do. But I realize if I don't do this, I won't be here to enjoy it. It really is that serious now. So in having these flare ups, which just reminded me, Oh, I've done too much. Okay, let me backtrack. what I was doing the last couple of weeks well didn't look that stressful oh but I never shut off my mind right I mean and I was constantly rushing around accomplishing everything I needed to do even in my social life yeah but I never sat down for a minute when I sat down, I was sleeping.

And even then I was, you know, restful because I was thinking, okay, I'm not going to get up at 630. I got to do that. I got to go here. And I did it today. Well, no wonder why I'm all screwed up, you know? So I, like I said, I'm still learning. Yep. I recently literally just sat down at my house and turned off my cell phone. My partner, he was like in my ear, in my ear about stuff that was nothing wrong, that he was asking questions for shows up and coming. He's my also my musical director. We work together, live together, we're everything together.

So he's, but I had to turn and say, I need 15 minutes. I just need quiet verbalizing. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be mean. I know you need answers right now, but I've decided that I'm taking this time and I'm shutting off the world. I'm just literally going to sit here in silence for a second. I need to undo everything here. I don't need to take in more. I need to let go. And I sat out there and just stared at trees and listened to the wind come through. And the whole time I'm thinking, okay, Oh, I hope it didn't hurt his feelings.

Oh, I said it as nice as possible. Oh, he looked at me so strange, like, this is weird. What are you doing? You're saying no, but I don't understand. Oh, Christina, you know. And I thought, oh my gosh, this is hard. We are going to pause for a break from our sponsor. You're listening to Energize and Revitalize with Dr. Amy. Don't go anywhere. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Energize and Revitalize with Dr. Amy. I'm Dr. Amy Coopersmith, and my guest today is Tiffany. Before the break, we were talking about Tiffany's journey toward wellness and what she's learned about various modalities, including her favorite crystal, the amethyst.

She shared the challenges of being a celebrity and living a busy lifestyle. She is learning to set boundaries and has developed Let's Zen My Friend to help herself and others on this journey. So even Let's Zen My Friend gatherings, that's why the first 30 minutes we're going to do, you know, if you don't want to be touched, it's fine. But I'd like a hand massage when you walk in, when you're checking in.

Healthy Aging and COVID Reflections 16:48

They take at least a couple of minutes to give you some reflexology. some oils so you're smelling right away, some tea that you're drinking, go get your seat, sit in a nice lit, dimly lit candles, just take it down a notch, but a good 30 minutes, because if you're like me, I look like I'm present, but I'm not. I'm not in my body. I understand that. It takes a minute, right? Yeah. But we fake it a lot. We're like, yeah, we're fine. Oh, OK. Not a problem. Um, and I think there was such a sweet spot in COVID where everybody was like, I got this and I'm changing my life working from home.

And somehow now we've wrapped it up even more. Why do you think that is? I don't know. We've went back to our old habits. Um, I think there's a lot of climate. Just that we find on social media, right? That really gives us a lot of anxiety. That's me all the time. You know, you can really see a lot of fear on social media. Yes. And not that you shouldn't be cautious and you know, but you can't live in fear. I, I find myself going like this all day long, not just to mention my schedule, but Oh, what if, and what if this and what is that?

And Oh, what if the airline shut down? What if I get stuck here? What if it, you know, and you're just like, Oh, wow, put that down. That's not something you have control on. Take a deep breath. Um, so, you know, I do limit my time now on social media, you know, and it's hard because as Celebrity we're supposed to live more on social media be so difficult to really constantly be in it really is from you know. How many put on face all the time. You know today i came with no makeup cuz you know it's not just inside but it is outside and i've noticed some problems with my skin.

Because of some of the rush diet although i try to make better choices lot of process food all around me. And i've noticed flare ups with my skin bumps and things and stuff so i came with no makeup today to talk about that as well because you've always put me back together so i'm excited to be so much fun today for sure she's the full. Shop everything from inside to outside and it really does matter because if you listen to your body. You see these signs, right? Your face, you know, it starts to look like it's not a lot of that can be what you're putting in here.

A lot of it is mental. We can age ourselves so much. What we're thinking and I'm guilty of that. I think we're learning more now how much our mental health is important to our well-being. Yes. Oh, definitely. I mean, I'm very guilty that my mom had bipolar. You know, she she self-medicated for a lot of years with alcohol. So I come from that background of alcoholics. A lot in the you know the women side of my family so thank goodness now my sisters and i are choosing something different but that doesn't mean that the behavior patterns that we learned or how to deal with stress or what we thought a lot of fear.

Didn't take hold especially me because I think I went through it more because I was the oldest and a lot of things had changed when my sisters were really coming up and coming with their their teenage years thank God my mom was sober then but. She really battled with mental illness. She battled with chronic negativity, worry. You know, the glass was always half empty rather than half full. A lot of fear, fear, fear, fear my whole life. You know, I go places. Oh, I don't know if that's OK. Oh, I don't know.

I worry about planes. Oh, you know, and I didn't realize, but it was giving me seeds. I used to be like, mom, I can't, you know, and I would like literally sometimes hang up and go, mom, I can't do this right now. You know, and I did have boundaries, but now I'm on the other side and I find myself, all this stuff is pulling up. Oh yeah. It affects us. I'm like, where's that coming from? Oh no, not, not in a bad way. Cause I love my mom, but that's my mom. That's the way my mom got, where is this coming from?

Why is this happening now? All this negativity or worry or stress? Well, I'm at a certain age. We did have covid which i think drop kick everybody absolutely. And now we're trying to build back but again you have social media which is pretty negative a lot of times throughout the day worry worry worry. But again be being a social figure i'm now supposed to live out loud show everything be on camera because it's all about your numbers and you literally find that with partnering with people to put your records out to my spice line people go what's your numbers you know i'm like.

Well, that means get on social media again and talk more about it and take pictures and put events together. Oh, we're back there. Okay. Not my favorite to be honest with you. I think it could be a good thing, but it is stress in a different way, you know, because a lot of times you think, I don't know if I'm ready right today to live out loud. I just had some bad news or I'm feeling tired or I don't feel like I want to get on social media and be all preachy preachy about how perfect I am when I sat an argument with my boyfriend or fiance and feels like the bottoms, you know, falling out.

Uh you know it's very hard to go and then look at me i find it disturbing myself so those are the times that i'll go quiet and then i have to like build it back up and go okay but the other side of that is it's a blessing to be here. It's a blessing to have that platform. It's a blessing to just be honest. You know, there's nothing wrong with saying, I don't have it together. I think that's really what Let's Zen is about. Hey guys, we're going to do this together. I don't have it all together. I am human.

I make mistakes. I'm learning. But what I'm seeing more importantly is that if I don't learn and put myself first and have balance and really take hold of this, chronic disease will make the choice for me. And then you don't have choices. And let's face it, I'm in my 50s, so I'm right there. to where everything we do now and how we apply this next stage of our life is setting us up for our older years. I hate to say that, but we're here, so it's good to be here. So much of this show is about healthy aging and what we can do to have the, as we go into these later years, to how we can enjoy ourselves and not become ill.

How can we age healthy? Exactly. That's why I'm in your hands. Yes. I'm so excited. So we first met during COVID. Everything was shut down and you came to hang out with us in Flagler and put on an outdoor concert.

Closing Remarks and Part Two Preview 24:18

I did. And it was so amazing. I saw that and I said to my friends, we have to go. And it's so important. And we talked about wellness and music and how it helped us to be together and less isolated. And it's so good that you did that. And I feel like it helped me because We were all scared during COVID and what's happening and we're alone. But that just allowed us to be with each other. It really did change my life. Full story there, I was in Nashville. I had started my cooking club because so many of my family have passed away.

So when this all happened covid i was on the road i had a huge tour plan coming off the new kids off the on the block and so 2020 was gonna be my year and i literally was just finishing up some of the smaller shows to get ready to recruit for a huge tour. Which was global. And it takes a while to get that kind of notoriety back, get those sponsors back to connect all the dots, to have the right agent to all of it, the finances to do it. And it was there. That's going to wrap up part one of our conversation.

Tune in next week to hear the conclusion of our talk. In part two, Tiffany shares how she turned the disappointment and disruption of COVID into new opportunities. We'll talk about her journey as a foodie, her upcoming cookbook release, and her creative spice blends. Discover what wellness means to her on the road and her upcoming tour schedule. Thanks to our listeners for tuning in to Energize and Revitalize with Dr. Amy. If there are topics you would like to hear about, please send an email to radiantpodcast2025 at gmail.com.

Check out past episodes on Amethyst Wellness YouTube. And we are now featured on Apple podcasts and all your favorite platforms. Please subscribe and leave a five-star review with a quick comment. It really helps others find us just like you. I'll be back next Saturday morning at 7.30. Until then, stay healthy and here's to your best life.