From debuting a new television series to becoming a single mom, Tia Mowry has had quite the year. Since the days of Sister, Sister, she’s always been associated with family (something many twins can relate to). But in this new chapter of life, she’s focusing on herself.

As shown in Tia Mowry: My Next Act, which premiered on WE TV in September and is available to stream on ALLBLK, Mowry has had to navigate being on her own for the first time post-divorce. Viewers followed her on “a fearless and fierce journey of self-discovery,” according to the show’s description. 

“Tia was always part of a duo, first as a twin sister, then as a wife … now she’s on her own for the first time in her life,” reads the synopsis. “The struggle is real as Tia takes on dating again while juggling her acting career, businesses, and motherhood.”

With all of this change, Mowry’s home life has taken on a transformation, too. Here, she sits down to chat about this exciting new phase, caring for her children, and embracing the unknown.

Whether it’s adding natural elements or kid-proofing her couches, Mowry ultimately wants her home to be a place of refuge for all who enter. Here’s how she’s made it her own.

If you’re going to be coming into my home, you’re going to have to just put forth kindness. I can talk about other things that are more predictable—but the one thing that is really important is, whenever someone’s coming into my space, they should be kind and inviting and have this spirit of love. 

And the reason why I say that is because that’s what’s important in my home. It’s something that I’m very intentional about; my house is a home that’s very zen. It’s very peaceful. Those are the intentions. Of course, things aren’t always perfect, but it’s a place where people can be themselves, have freedom of expression, and feel comfortable.

And if I were to dive more into that, that is also the aesthetic of my home. I want the feeling to be peaceful and comfortable. Yes, I do like design. And yes, I do, of course, like nice things. But what is more important: I have two children, and I love inviting people over to the house. Having get-togethers and comfort is important, just having that feeling of, they can just chill and vibe and relax.

I truly believe in feng shui. I’m very intentional when it comes to choice of colors, even in the children’s room, my room, around the house. Because, again, it’s all about being intentional about a feeling and a vibe. And so the house is monochromatic; the tones are warm. It’s very zen and peaceful.

I’m a huge fan of candles, and I have candles throughout the house. If you come into my home, you will always see a Santal candle being burnt. I love the aroma—it gives you a calming and relaxing energy.

Also, I think when I talk about my aesthetic, and when I was designing the home and putting furniture in the home, what was important to me was bringing nature in. So I have woods; I have marble. I have plants in my house, just to create, again, that calming energy. I feel like nature is so healing. And if I can add some of those elements into my house, it really, really helps. Throughout the house you’ll see cutting boards, wood serving containers in the kitchen. You’ll even see leather on the chairs, or the backing of chairs, things like that.

Giving [the kids] dedicated areas is really important—where they have freedom and room to play, and have a space to just feel free. As soon as I brought my son into this world, who is my firstborn, I always had a playroom for him so he has a space to play with all of his toys and video games.

When I was looking for a home—I can’t believe I’ve been in this home for almost 10 years—I [wanted] a theater room for the kids to watch TV. And you know kids—they’re just like jumping all over the couches, doing forward rolls, backward rolls, while they’re watching TV. Even the couches in the theater room are kid-approved. So if things were to spill, you don’t have to worry.

The couch that I had in living room—which it’s not a cloud couch but it’s kind of like a cloud couch—it was something that I had custom-made. It’s a big couch, and I wanted to make sure it was something that you could remove the linen and take it to the cleaners. It gives you this stress-free mindset.

Coming up the stairs, I have a collage of photos, and the photos are pretty impactful. As I’m going through this transition in my life, I hadn’t taken any family photos. And one of my friends [Becky] who is a photographer was like, ‘Hey, I would love to do some family photos for you.’ And it was so meaningful to me because there was a transition that happened in the family, and just because it happened doesn’t mean that we’re no longer family or that I no longer have a family. So she took photos of the three of us, and they’re so beautiful and represent love, family, and joy. I ended up putting them on my wall as you go up the stairs—so every day the kids see it, I see it, and it’s a nice reminder.

I used to think that solitude meant punishment, but no, it’s completely the opposite. Being in solitude is where self-discovery begins; it’s courageous and shows strength.

— Tia Mowry

I think the most rewarding process about this whole journey is getting an understanding of myself and learning more about who I am. There have been a lot of inner learnings, growth, and awareness. There are several things I’ve learned, trust me—but I think the biggest thing is that change is OK.

Change will always win, and permanence is a part of life; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve done something wrong or that your future is going to be terrible. The unknown is actually a beautiful place. But the unknown can be scary, and because of it being scary, we often—and I can only speak for myself—fear it, and we tend to go back to what’s familiar and comfortable, but there’s no growth there. You become stifled. And so I’ve learned to embrace the unknown, become friends with it, look it right in the face, and say it’s OK, and all is well. 

I used to think that solitude meant punishment, but no, it’s completely the opposite. Being in solitude is where self-discovery begins; it’s courageous and shows strength. I’ve learned that there’s a difference between loneliness and solitude. I am not lonely; I am just in solitude. And there is so much growth that comes from that, and for that, I’m so grateful. I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. 

Adding some family photos that represent what the family looks like now. Again, it’s part of that self-discovery, like what works for me. I’ve been leaning on a lot of Buddhist principles, and so I have more Buddhas in my house. I put more books on the shelves, books that I’ve read [laughs]. I’ve definitely become more of an avid reader. 

To be honest, I contemplated moving, but I didn’t want to add too much change for the kids. Again, change is a part of life, and the kids are going through a transition. One step at a time, you know. 

It’s been a process. In the beginning of my transition, it was a very scary place. When you’re so used to having someone right by your side, sleeping next to you, having [them] move throughout your home with you, creating memories, visualizations, it’s scary. There’s a sense of deep sadness and loneliness, especially when—and I even talk about it on the show—you’re co-parenting, and the kids have to leave the home to be with the co-parent.

I remember when that first happened, I did not know what to do with myself. I didn’t feel like myself. I just plopped down on my bed, and I couldn’t move. I was like, ‘What is this? This feels so weird. This feels so foreign.’ But the thing is, it’s not that way anymore. The feeling of solitude is now so empowering. I am not afraid to be with my own thoughts. I now embrace them, and there’s comfort there, and there’s this beautiful sense of strength. Yes, independence, courage, but also, I’m gonna say safety.

Which I feel like it’s not something that someone would expect. I sure didn’t. And what I mean by safety is when you become one with yourself and your inner thoughts. Maybe I can even say peace because I think peace equals safety.

For me, there’s an incredible amount of peace that comes over you, and that’s where I am now. That’s when I will start putting on the candles, putting on some of my favorite music, opening up a book, meditating, journaling. And those moments have become so beautiful to me and peaceful. I look forward to them now. I’m not afraid of it.

I am a huge fan of taking baths. I know it’s kind of old school—it seems like it’s the medieval ages now; not many people are into that. But it’s the way I [love] to end my day and how I feel so incredibly comfortable and fulfilled: a bubble bath, burning some sage or Palo Santo, burning a candle, having a glass of wine, and just [relaxing]. And then I do some journaling, some meditating. 

Sometimes it’s hard to create this routine, but I think it’s about prioritizing it, right? When you make the choice to prioritize self-love, replenishing oneself before the next day, filling up your cup—it becomes a part of your routine, and it starts with you making it a priority. 

I’m always going to go to pasta. I absolutely love pasta, and I feel like it’s a universal dish that children and adults love. It’s also a versatile dish, meaning if there are people that are dairy-free, you don’t have to put cheese in it. If there are people that are vegan, you could just do pasta and tomato sauce. If there are kids, you can just do garlic noodles and butter or just butter noodles. And then, if you’re like me and my son, we absolutely love seafood or pancetta: pork, crispy bites, and pasta with some parmesan cheese on top. And it pairs very nicely with a glass of wine.