Trusting The Process with Tia Mowry

If you are an 80’s baby like myself then you are familiar with Tia Mowry and her twin Sister Tamera. These twin powerhouses stole our hearts first in their debut show Sister, Sister and then continued with movies such as Twitches and Seventeen Again. Though as a twin she and her sister received much success early that was later met with the reality all child stars face. 

“ Many people including myself think that you have to have everything figured out right after you graduate from high school”

You might have thought that after Sister, Sister ended the opportunities for Tia Mowry would have been endless, but you would be sadly mistaken. Like many child stars she was boxed in a space where directors and casting agents couldn’t see past her being a child star and the fact all her roles had been acted with her sister. “It happens all the time casting directors, producers, and even networks wonder if they can do this, can they not do this, or if they are even capable,” said Mowry when reminiscing on her experience as well as those experienced by others in similar situations. This rejection caused her to hesitate if she should continue pursuing acting after she graduates Pepperdine University with a degree in Psychology. She was at a crossroads in life because it was either go get your graduate degree or continue to do acting. 

“I followed my heart and took myself out of my comfort zone.”

If she had listened to the wishes of her parents she would have continued her education. “ I need to grind. I need to feel that grind again. I need to hustle,” said Mowry. She chose a route that wasn’t going to guarantee her success, but it would put her back in the driver’s seat of her life. She was living in a very nice house with her sister, but made the choice to downsize and move into an apartment in the Valley area of Los Angeles so she could once again live an actor’s life. Even then this part of the process was difficult for her because she kept receiving rejections. There was a moment she crawled up in a ball and cried before going inside her home because of how heavy it was on her spirit. 

“I was so depleted.”

There was another crossroads for her during this time because it just didn’t seem like nothing was working in her favor. The love and support of then boyfriend now husband Cory was exactly what swung the pendulum in her favor. “ He coached me and he was the one that inspired me and said, ‘Tia you can do this,” said Mowry. It was his motivation and constant encouragement that reminded her that was capable and that this was where she belonged. It was perfect timing because shortly after Tia booked her role on The Game and from there her career was revamped. “People don’t realize that me booking The Game my next major show after Sister, Sister took six years,’” said Mowry. 

“ And people no longer saw me as a child actor.” 

Let’s get cooking with Tia

“Everything that I do is purposeful, inspirational, and intentional.”

Many people don’t know but Tia actually considered going to culinary school when she wasn’t booking any roles after college. She’s always had a love for food and cooking especially for friends and family. “ Once I got married I kind of came back to me,” said Mowy. Like each part of her journey, Tia started to embrace more of her passions and pursued them without fear. She was already cooking up a storm for Cory before she got married but after they wed she would watch popular Food Network shows like Giada at Home. Tia said, “I would even cook from her recipe book.” 

“ I remember seeing on television that actors were getting cooking show deals”

Once she saw Hayle Duff, Tiffany Amber Thiessent, and Chrissy Teigen with cooking shows she knew it was her time to get her own. “ And I was like, oh my god I want to do this and reached out to my team,” said Mowry. This was another pivotal moment in her journey and process where her support system helped her go to the next level. She said it was because they believed in her and they immediately went to work on getting her her own cooking show. 

“ Seven years later I’m able to come out with something that I had been dreaming about”

If you know Tia you know she isn’t going to stop until she accomplishes her dreams. “Back in 2014 when I had my cooking show I already had dreams of having a cookware line,” said Mowry. But for her it was more important to build the foundation and credibility so that others would take her seriously. This was important for her because beyond just having the cookware line and cookbook she had her eyes set on retail. Now getting into retail is no easy feat, but with her drive, patience, and determination she and her team made it happen. You can find her cookware online at walmart.com and will be rolling out into stores this year.