Laura Prepon's life has changed a lot in the past few years, and she credits a lot of it to motherhood.
The 41-year-old actress is opening up about how differently she sees things, including her relationship with her own mother, now that she's a mom herself. Laura has a 16-month-old son and a 4-year-old daughter with husband Ben Foster. For Laura, becoming a mom encouraged her to turn inward.
"As a brand new mother, I was reflecting so much on my own upbringing and the way I was mothered," she told People.
"I was forced to look at a lot of things in my life that I wasn't looking at before."
In March 2020, Laura released a candid memoir in which she shared that her mother had taught her how to be bulimic. She was nervous about being so publicly vulnerable with sharing her story, but she's come to see it as a positive experience.
"I had so many people reaching out to me, telling me about their own issues and struggles with food and their relationships with their parents," she shared.
"Many people have thanked me for opening up about my relationship with my mother. Both the positive and the negative, because a lot of times we glaze over stuff because it's hard or makes us feel vulnerable. If there's someone out there who's silently struggling with dysfunctional eating or struggling with their parents, and if I helped a single person, I'd be happy."
Laura noted that there's no such thing as perfect mother-daughter relationships. "Even if we have great relationships with our mothers, it's complicated," she noted.
"I'm still learning from it. My mother has Alzheimer's and I have to come to terms with the fact that this woman who was an incredible force in my life — is fading. It's very hard to watch. I just try to be there and stay present for the good moments we have."
Laura also opened up about leaving Scientology, a decision she made five years ago but hasn't spoken about until now.
"I've always been very open-minded, even since I was a child. I was raised Catholic and Jewish. I've prayed in churches, meditated in temples. I've studied Chinese meridian theory," she shared.
"I haven't practiced Scientology in close to five years and it's no longer part of my life."
These days, Laura focuses her spiritual energies on meditation, which she does with her husband.
"We meditate daily and I'm really liking it," she shared.
"Because it's something that helps me to hear my own voice and it's something we can do together."
"If motherhood has taught me anything so far, it's that something can work out for a period of time and then you move on and evolve from that," Laura shared.
"As a new mom, I was riddled with anxiety that I had never experienced before. My friends who were mothers with older kids said, 'Laura, this is a phase, you'll move on and then it will be something different.' And that has transcended into other parts of my life. We're all evolving. I always see that with my kids."
Laura says that her kids keep her on her toes as they come into their dynamic personalities.
"They are changing every day now," she said.
"My daughter is outgoing and wonderful and obsessed with mermaids — it used to be unicorns. She's also very determined and does not give up. My son is beginning to socialize with kids more in small classes. He's much more calm and observant."
Becoming a mom of two made her a little nervous, but the shift has been wonderful for both Laura and Ben.
"When I had my second child I thought, how am I ever going to love a child as much as I love my first?" she shared.
"Then you do and it's this overwhelming sense of love. It's incredible how that happens."
Laura is currently working on her cookware line, PrepOn Kitchen, and her third book, a cookbook. She hasn't shut the door on acting, but she's got a lot of considerations before taking a role.
"Orange Is the New Black was so incredible, to work with all of those incredible actors and direct multiple episodes, it's hard to find something that lives up to that," she noted.
"Now, my first question is how long is it going to take me away from my family. Now that I have two kids, everything is a family decision. I miss acting but my life is pretty dominated by my entrepreneurial stuff. Right now, it's kind of a one-woman show over here!"
