Tabitha Brown Says Healing the World Starts With Children

Tabitha Brown understands her assignment, and that includes "healing the world." The New York Times bestselling author, actress, entrepreneur, vegan powerhouse, and, most importantly, mom believes that this healing begins with children.

With her new YouTube Originals show Tab Time, Brown is placing social-emotional intelligence at the center of her online series, all while teaching the next generation the power of communication, how to get in tune with their own feelings, and all about the concept that big things can come from a small "seed." Brown is a living testament of how something small can manifest beyond one's wildest dreams.

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Known on social media for being a motivational force, Brown is candid about the reality that her true breakthroughs in life did not occur until she began to go on a journey of feeding her own soul. This realization led to her writing the book, Feeding The Soul (Because It's My Business): Finding Our Way To Joy, Love and Freedom, and opening the plant-based restaurant Kale My Name in both Los Angeles and Chicago. America's favorite mom recently spoke with Kindred by Parents.com to talk about Tab Time, her new series for children and families, how her family keeps her grounded in the midst of success, and her unyielding faith.

You're on assignment to heal the world. Where does this begin, and what does healing mean to Tabitha Brown?

Tabitha Brown: So, it started about four and a half years ago. When I started on my journey of healing myself. I was suffering from depression and sickness, and a lot of things that I was coming out of. And in prayer every day, I started hearing "heal the world" and I thought, Well, Lord, how am I, one person, going to do that? Right? How can I heal? And I had to realize first that I am my own world. Then, after that, the voice of healed the world continued. And I thought, okay, Lord, how? And then I heard the Lord say, "It starts with children. And so over the years I kept saying, you don't have a love to do a children's show. I had an idea that if I could get children's minds to open, and they could learn to see themselves, understand themselves, their feelings, see children, and learn to have compassion for each other, despite our differences, love each other, be kind to each other, while learning things together. And when those children grow up and become adults, they'll be more inclined to love each other, help each other, and heal together. So I thought, oh, that's the way to heal the world, through children. And, I feel that I was called to do that. Then, [secondly] nothing is better than being free and feeling okay to express yourself just as you are. That's what healing is to me. Knowing that you are okay just as you are. Just as you sit there in that yellow shirt honey, with these beautiful braids, you are enough just as you are.

What are some ways that parents and families can bring their homes back to proper alignment?

TB: I think it really starts with ourselves, right? Because as a parent, for a long time I kind of lost myself in being a mom and being a wife. I was kind of showing up halfway empty. By the time I got back to me, I was completely empty. I wasn't showing up as my best self for my husband, or my children. I wasn't able to give them the best of me. So, that was teaching them that they didn't have to show up, and give the best of them. As parents, if we must show up full, and we put ourselves first to make sure we are the best mama, daddy, husband, wife, right? Then we show our children that we are always to make sure we're okay first, before we take care of others. So, start there first.

Communication is everything. Talking about our feelings, sharing about our feelings, sitting together and having conversations at a table. We used to do that when I was growing up, you know. We sat at the dinner table together and we had conversations about our day, or about our week. And so with the Tab Time show, we have Craft Time, and we have conversations. A lot of that you don't get to see, but we have a lot of conversations, and it gets children to talk. And then we also make a craft that is also about the conversation. So, sometimes it's hard for people to talk. Sometimes, it's hard for parents to talk to their children. It's all about learning that there are other ways to communicate, like through crafts, or through food.

That's what I love about the show! It is absolutely adorable. How did this opportunity come to you, and how much creative freedom was given? Because I saw the magenta window sills. I saw the peach cabinets, everything was just so free-spirited. How did this opportunity come about?

TB: I'm so thankful that I have an amazing team who listens to me, who sees me, who hears me. I've had this idea for a couple of years to do a children's show, and I kept telling them, you know, that I want to bring a Mr. Rogers type of show back, but in 2021, with a whole Black woman with an afro!

What a gift to be seen, because there are so many creatives walking about carrying so much, but they don't have a team that sees them. What are some ways that parents can help to foster their children's creativity? Because oftentimes, parents have these ideas of what their children are supposed to be, as opposed to seeing what lessons the children are sent to teach.

TB: Honey, the first and foremost, is knowing that your child is not you! They're their own human being. Watch them, let them show you who they are. Don't take away their creativity by forcing your own thoughts and beliefs on them. Let them tell you who God created them to be. I had to learn this for myself. We're parents and we're blessed to be their mothers or fathers. We don't own them. They're not ours. We're here to guide them. But they're going to grow up and be their own person. So, we have to allow that to happen, and encourage it. Encourage the growth, encourage those things that other kids may tell them that it's weird or that silly. Encourage them to say, "You know what? I like being weird. Weird is good." So encouragement and allowing them to be. Those two things together honey, and you're going to win.

I love how each episode has a theme or truth. Can you share some of your own personal truths for parents or just in general? What are one or two of Tab's truths?

TB: Finding your way to freedom. I wrote a book about that, because for a long time I was not free. I had to tell myself the truth. I was like, girl, you're living for other people, and that's not freedom. Being able to show up, and be just me, and be okay with that. You know, on my way back to that also brings me joy. I had to go on a journey, and find out my answer. Just like we do on the show, [Tab Time]. I had to go on a journey, and I had to ask myself, "How do I find my way back to freedom? And what does freedom mean to me?"