Living a kind life has shaped my life immensely, from writing books to lobbying politicians on cruelty-free and plant-forward legislation to co-founding and working with companies that share similar values. My brain is always spinning with questions and ideas regarding health, ethics, and the sustainability behind everything from food to beauty goods to household products. I have “kind” goggles on and they influence every action I take!
As a part of my series about strong female leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing actress Alicia Silverstone. Alicia is best known for her generation-defining turn in Clueless. Her performances have garnered Emmy and Golden Globe nominations as well as a National Board of Review award. A dynamic and well-connected fixture in the acting, political, and scientific communities, Silverstone is also a dedicated activist. Silverstone recently starred in the Paramount series, American Woman, based on the life of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills producer Kyle Richards. The comedy was created by John Riggi of 30 Rock. She also appeared alongside Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, and Candice Bergen in the comedy feature, Book Club. In 2017, Silverstone worked with director, Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster) on the acclaimed thriller, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, starring Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman. In 2018, Silverstone wrapped shooting the upcoming independent features, Judy Small and The Pleasure of Your Presence. She also starred in the 2019 Sundance hit, The Lodge and is currently filming The Baby-Sitters Club for Netflix. In 2016, Silverstone wrapped independent films King Cobra, alongside James Franco and Garrett Clayton, Who Gets the Dog opposite Ryan Kwanten, and Catfight with Anne Heche and Michelle Oh. She also starred in the summer production of OF Good Stock for the Manhattan Theatre Company. Silverstone made her feature film debut in 1993 as Adrienne Forrester in The Crush, playing a teenage girl who sets out to ruin an older man after he spurns her affections; she won two MTV Movie Awards for the role — Best Breakthrough Performance and Best Villain. After seeing her in The Crush, Marty Callner cast Silverstone in Aerosmith’s music videos for “Cryin’,” “Amazing,” and “Crazy.” The success of those videos helped Silverstone get noticed by filmmaker Amy Heckerling, who offered her a role in Clueless. Clueless became a sleeper hit and critical darling during the summer of 1995, Silverstone’s performance earned her a National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performer, the MTV Movie Awards for Best Female Performance and Most Desirable Female, and the American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture. After playing Batgirl in 1997’s Batman & Robin, Silverstone starred alongside Benicio del Toro and Christopher Walken in the dark comedy Excess Baggage, which she also produced. Her other film credits include Beauty Shop opposite Queen Latifah; Blast from the Past, Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation of Shakepeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost; Stormbreakers with Mickey Rourke and Ewan McGregor; Le Nouveau Monde alongside James Gandolfini; Global Heresy; Scooby Doo2: Monsters Unleashed; Hideaway with Jeff Goldblum; and Scorched with Woody Harrelson and John Cleese. Silverstone’s television credits include ABC’s Suburgatory, NBC’s Miss Match- for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination-and ABC Family’s animated Braceface.
In October 2009, Silverstone released her first book, “The Kind Diet; A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet.” The New York Times bestseller describes Silverstone’s journey toward a more conscious way of eating and reveals how it has made her feel better than she ever thought possible. The book is filled with personal anecdotes, motivational tips, and nearly 100 delicious recipes.
Silverstone’s second book, “The Kind Mama: A Simple guide to Supercharged Fertility, a Radiant Pregnancy, a Sweeter Birth, and a Healthier, More Beautiful Beginning,” hit stores on April 15, 2014. Published by Rodale, The Kind Mama is a comprehensive and practical guide empowering women to take charge of their fertility, pregnancy, and first 6 months with baby. Silverstone also founded the mykind Organics vitamin line, which is the first ever food-based, organic, non-GMO vegan vitamin.
Silverstone is also a dedicated activist in the health and wellness space. She has been a vegan and animal rights advocate for over two decades. She is the recipient of Mercy for Animals Hope Award and PETA’s 35th Anniversary Huminatarian Award. Silverstone’s website, THEKINDLIFE.com, is the platform for health and eco-living.
Thank you so much for joining us Alicia! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
There are two major stories that come to mind. The first was being a theater nerd. My parents are British and when I was very young, we would visit England every year. My dad would take me to all these amazing plays in the West End and being exposed to this art ignited a deep love for theater. This passion ultimately led me to join an acting class and start working as an actress!
The second is going vegan, I watched the documentary “The Witness” and took a look at my dog Sampson and thought “If I’m not willing to eat you, how can I continue to eat these other creatures that have the same desire to live, are just as funny, and have the same reaction to pain as my dogs?” I went vegan for the animals but the health transformation I experienced and continue to experience was extraordinary. This revolutionized my world at 21 and shaped my life and career tremendously — from writing two books (The Kind Diet and The Kind Mama) to co-founding the first-ever vegan certified organic, non-GMO verified, all food-based, and no fillers/binders vitamin line, mykind Organics, to more recently partnering with the natural and cruelty-free deodorant brand, CRYSTAL.
What do you think makes the company you have partnered with stand out? Can you share a story?
I have used CRYSTAL Deodorant for over 20 years because it’s safe, vegan and most importantly it works! I am proud to partner with a company that shares my values and is committed to making healthier and kinder products. I recently hosted an event sponsored by CRYSTAL at The Gentle Barn, a non-profit animal sanctuary that’s mission is to teach people kindness and compassion to animals, each other, and the planet. I’ve been visiting The Gentle Barn for 20 years. I had my 25th birthday there! When I saw CRYSTAL, my favorite deodorant, was sponsoring a non-profit like The Gentle Barn, I knew I had to be involved. It was wonderful celebrating The Gentle Barn’s 20th Anniversary with my friends from CRYSTAL. I wish everyone was cruelty-free and conscious like these two entities are!
When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
When I went vegan so many friends, colleagues, fans, family members etc. expressed so much curiosity around my lifestyle that I ended up spending so much time individually emailing and following up with recipes and resources. I wished I could just hand over a book and say “It’s all in here!” When I turned 30, I started writing The Kind Diet. As a food snob, I knew it had to have the most delicious recipes and also make it easy and accessible for everyone! The Kind Diet was a New York Times Best Seller and to this day I meet people out in the world that stop me and tell me how it changed their life. It brings me tremendous joy that on an individual level my diet helps make the world a kinder and more sustainable place, but it’s also beyond amazing to hear from so many people I’ve influenced around the world that have shifted to a kind diet. This impact is so inspiring to me and a great honor.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Living a kind life has shaped my life immensely, from writing books to lobbying politicians on cruelty-free and plant-forward legislation to co-founding and working with companies that share similar values. My brain is always spinning with questions and ideas regarding health, ethics, and the sustainability behind everything from food to beauty goods to household products. I have “kind” goggles on and they influence every action I take!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are so many people that have shaped who I am in this life — those that encouraged me and also those that caused pain.
My dad took me to the theater as a child and after watching me perform in a play at age 12, enrolled me in an acting class. That acting class eventually led me to LA.
My mother had a deep love for animals, if we ever saw a dog running in the street that looked in need, she’d slam on the brakes and we’d hop out of the car to help. I’m still rescuing dogs to this day! She taught me the barebones of environmentalism since she was such a resourceful person! She never ever wanted to waste anything and was anti-materialistic in nature.
Can you share your top three “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
1. Ditch animal foods and integrate foods that are kind to your body. Start moving away from dairy, meat, sugar, and processed foods, and instead, get cozy with whole grains and plant-based proteins and veggies. Everything’s better when you do this! My first book, The Kind Diet, has tons of advice and recipes for how to do just that! I credit this diet 100 percent with improving my own health and wellness — from losing weight to skyrocketing my energy. Not too bad for saving animals and the planet!
2. Eat these healing and blood cleansing foods on a regular basis: leafy greens such as kale, bok choy, collards, and watercress. Also so important are seaweed, miso soup, cultured fermented veggies, a variety of whole grains, and adzuki beans. With these ingredients, you can come up with some seriously delicious, healing, and glow-y recipes. I love watercress with creamy tahini dressing and toasted sesame seeds; you can find the recipe in my book, The Kind Mama.
3. Choose organic! When you choose organic food, you’re voting for healthy soil, nutrient-rich produce, clean water, and ecologically sound farming. Added bonus, since organic foods are grown in richer, purer soil, they contain more minerals than conventionally grown, chemically-enhanced food, making them tastier and more nutritious.
What are your “Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1. How to eat the kind diet so I felt in control of my health, wellness, and looks.
Switching to a plant-based diet rocked my world. I credit this diet 100 percent with improving my life — I’ve ditched my asthma inhaler, stopped my weekly allergy shots, lost weight, energy boosted, and found my skin and hair to be more radiant than ever. Releasing the grip from certain foods immediately healed and freed both my body and mind! And as a major foodie, it exposed me to a world of crazy delicious foods. My first book, The Kind Diet, has tons of advice and recipes.
2. Trust my instincts by listening to myself first, over others.
From taking jobs that didn’t feel quite right, to questioning products that appeared natural but weren’t truly clean. There’s no better example of this than when I was pregnant. I was feeding my body all the clean, nutrition-packed foods that had transformed my health years ago. But under the instruction of my midwife, she suggested I take a prenatal as an ‘insurance policy’. I embarked on a quest to find the cleanest prenatal vitamin possible, one that fit with the way I ate. After countless research, a voice inside me echoed that nothing on the market met truly healthy and transparent standards. I trusted this instinct and sought after making one
The stars aligned with Garden of Life and I co-founded mykind Organics. Together, we created an entirely new kind of vitamin line that is Certified USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, and free of synthetic binders and fillers. Seriously — made with nothing but whole foods and love!
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
All of those topics are dire to me and underline the significance of a plant-based diet. You eat three times a day and each plant-based plate can positively impact your physical and mental well-being and also earth’s sustainability. A plant-based diet is the number one thing you can do to dial down your impact on the earth’s precious resources (energy, land use, greenhouse gas emissions, water, and more)!
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Make the switch to a plant-based diet! Plant-based eating is one of the most effective ways to help save our planet. Animal agriculture is responsible for 51% of greenhouse gas emissions and is the leading cause of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution. It’s as if you have two meals of equal yumminess side by side — but one plate’s adverse for the earth, your health, and furthers world hunger. The other plate is harmless, healthy, and healing!
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I have so many things going on from being a mom, actress, author, blogger, and activist! Right now I’m excited about my partnership with CRYSTAL! CRYSTAL has been my go-to deodorant for about 20 years. Mainstream deodorants are filled with tons of toxic chemicals that are not only bad for our bodies (i.e. breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, etc) but bad for our Earth. Plus, so many major brands are still testing on animals! For this reason, I am thrilled CRYSTAL exists and am energized to partner with them.
Aside from my work with CRYSTAL, last fall mykind Organics added 16 Herbal supplements to our line. These products are so special because we source ingredients from sustainable organic farms and use a groundbreaking Organic, Non-GMO extraction method without the use of conventional corn alcohol or other harsh chemicals commonly used. I’m especially excited about our Elderberry Gummy, Turmeric Gummy, Golden Milk powder, Sleep Well spray, Ashwagandha, and Adrenal Balance capsules. mykind Organics has so many ideas in the pipeline, so stay tuned!
Upcoming acting work includes The Baby-Sitters Club TV series for Netflix and The Lodge, a psychological thriller that’s in theaters in the new year. This past spring I did a short with Zach Braff and Florence Pugh called In the Time It Takes to Get There. It’s a comical take on social influencers set in the 19th century! And last year I stared in Paramount Network’s TV series American Woman and played Diane Keaton’s daughter in the film Book Club!
Some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I’ve been lucky enough to be on Oprah’s show in the past, but she recently did a month long one vegan meal a day challenge. I would love to be her personal coach in sustaining and cheering on this effort!
How can our readers connect with you on social media?
Instagram & Facebook @aliciasilverstone
Twitter & Pinterest @aliciasilv