NEED TO KNOW
- Natasha Rothwell opened up to PEOPLE about how her perspective has shifted when it comes to being in wellness spaces as a plus-size woman
- The White Lotus star says it’s her mission, both professionally and personally, to show people that health and wellness is accessible
- She says she prioritizes meditation and movement in her own lifestyle and maintains a healthy work-life balance
The White Lotus star Natasha Rothwell is feeling proud about being “thick and healthy at the same time,” encouraging others to unapologetically take up space in the wellness community.
The 44-year-old actress opened up to PEOPLE about her new partnership with ASICS for the sportswear brand’s “Everyday Escape” campaign, aimed at showing people that “you don’t need to travel far or spend big to take your body and mind to a happier place.”
The ad — a playful nod to her role as Belinda, the spa manager at the fictional White Lotus resort in Maui — begins with Rothwell channeling the Zen personality of her character before the music cuts and she has a “real talk” about health.
She jokes about typical amenities of health and wellness retreats — green juice, seaweed wraps, goat yoga — before encouraging people to ditch those for an “everyday escape” like a 15-minute daily movement break.
“Mental health is hugely important to me. I talk very openly about anxiety, depression, and ADHD. And what I love about this campaign is that it’s not asking you to pay money to sign up for a program or go on a retreat and chant your way to health and wellness,” Rothwell explains. “It’s just talking about how walking outside for 15 minutes can change your life.”
Rothwell tells PEOPLE that taking care of her health used to bring her “a great deal of shame” because wellness was associated with a specific look. However, her perspective has shifted since she realized that she has successfully maintained a healthy lifestyle over the years.
“As someone who is a plus-size woman of color, you don’t really see someone who looks like me fronting a health and wellness campaign because so often, especially in LA, health and wellness are conflated with being skinny,” she says.
“There was a point in my life where I would be very embarrassed, where I didn’t feel like I had the right to participate in health and wellness because of the way I looked,” she continues. “But now I’m so proud of it. I’m just like, yeah, I’m here. I’m letting people know that you can be thick and healthy at the same time.”
ASICS
The Emmy-nominated star says moments like this remind her of how far she’s come. That’s one of the reasons why she enjoys sharing her journey with others — because of the impact it can have on those like herself.
“You can be plus-size and very healthy, as I am,” she stresses. “And I think it’s a part of my mission, both professionally and personally, to demystify these areas where we see homogeneity. We want to be able to see diversity and show people that health and wellness is accessible.”
Rothwell says she prioritizes mediation and movement, specifically taking long daily walks with her two dogs, whom she calls her “amazing movement coaches.”
She says her health also relies on her having a strong work-life balance.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
ASICS
As an actress, Rothwell knows what it’s like to have a busy schedule and recognizes that taking care of yourself can easily get put on the back burner. But staying on top of it has become a habit.
“One of the things that I institute is something I call ‘the pause.’ So often, especially with ADHD, I can become very hyper-focused on a script or a project or a big day and almost lose sight of what it is that I need to do to keep doing those things, which is to eat, to drink water and to move,” she explains. “So I built into my schedule moments of pause just to kind of check in with yourself, like, what do I need right now? To just slow down and listen. Because I think not listening to what your body needs can often lead to aches and pains.”
Rothwell teases that that’s one of the biggest differences between her and her beloved on-screen character. She’s “more healed” than Belinda when it comes to putting herself first, something she takes a lot of pride in because it wasn’t an overnight fix.
“I used to deprioritize myself all the time. I’m a recovering people pleaser, as many boss bitches are,” she says with a laugh. “We’re always running things, putting our work life ahead of ourselves. So that’s what my health and wellness journey has been. It’s reprioritizing and balancing the energy I’m putting out into the world and making sure that in my to-do list, I’m on that list as well.”
ASICS
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Nowadays, Rothwell boasts that she’s in a “really good place” with both her physical and mental health but will continue giving herself grace.
“You have to be able to love whatever version of yourself is able to show up on any given day and not put this idea of perfection and happiness as a baseline. That’s just untenable,” she tells PEOPLE. “You know, some days I wake up and my best may be 50%… it’s still the best. And I have to celebrate that.”