‘The Chicken Sisters’ Star Lea Thompson’s 6 Secrets to Resilience, Reinvention and Joy at 64 (EXCLUSIVE)

We fell in love with Lea Thompson as the girl-next-door in Some Kind of Wonderful, laughed with her on Caroline in the City, and cheered her on through time in Back to the Future. Now, at 64, the award-winning actress is back on our screens in Hallmark Channel’s The Chicken Sisters, premiering August 10. 

But long before Hollywood came calling, Lea dreamed of becoming a professional ballet dancer—and her path to stardom was anything but predictable. 

“I’m nothing if not resilient,” Lea tells Woman’s World from the set of The Chicken Sisters, where she’s directing as well as co-starring. “I’ve picked myself up and kept going a lot. I think life has a way of throwing disappointments in our way.”

One of those disappointments came at age 20, when none other than Mikhail Baryshnikov told her she was a beautiful dancer—but too stocky. “Dance really taught me resilience, because it’s not an easy field to be in when dealing with your own physical limitations, and also to accept your limitations by pushing forward. It’s an important skill to have to survive, and that’s one of the things I’m most proud of.”

Rather than give up, Lea pivoted. After performing in more than 45 ballets, she began acting—and never looked back. “When I can’t see the forest for the trees, I think, well, someday I will.” Since then, she’s acted, directed and produced, and she’s currently directing USA’s upcoming Anna Pigeon mystery series. 

Personally, she’s just as fulfilled: Married 35 years and recently a first-time grandmother, she reflects as our cover girl this week (get your copy here), “I’ve been incredibly blessed with my family and my health and the love that I’ve been able to be surrounded by or to nurture.”

Here, our cover star shares 6 pieces of heartfelt wisdom that keep her grounded, joyful and strong.

1. Lea Thomson’s motto: ‘Make yourself a priority’

“If you’re not happy and healthy in your own heart and brain, you can’t be a great wife or mom,” Lea shares. “I often think of when you’re on a plane and they say to put your mask on first, then on your child. So you have to put your mask on first and think of life in those terms. And I do. To make a lot of growth experiences in life, I think I have to do this for myself, but also for my family. You have to invest in yourself, so put your mask on first.”

2. Try her 7-minute exercise hack

“I have this free app called the 7 Minute Scientific Workout and I thought, ‘Okay, I can do anything for seven minutes!’ I don’t dance enough anymore, so this app is easy and shows you what to do. Squats, wall sits, push-ups, sit-ups. I do the workout in the morning after my coffee with cream and sugar. Lately, I’ve been trying honey or maple syrup in my coffee instead of sugar because I know it’s better for me.”

3. Lea’s cranberry cravings cure

“Water is everything. I even try to drink a big glass before my morning coffee.” Thirst can masquerade as hunger, Lea says, which can lead to unnecessary snacking. “I think about that a lot. So it’s better for you to drink than to eat at this time. I’m really into cranberry juice, so I’ve started with serious cranberry juice–no sugary kind. I’m working my way up with water and cranberry juice, which is kind of sour, but I’m actually beginning to like it.”

4. Listen to your heart

Back to the Future’s message is that one moment could change your life forever, and Lea agrees. “When I was a dancer, I had this moment within three days when I was offered an off-Broadway play, a callback to a musical and a job in the Ohio Valley. I had to decide which trajectory to go—whether I’d be an actor, a hoofer or a ballet dancer. And I picked the right one. Nobody really saw me in the play, A Trick Back Down, but in my heart, I decided what direction I wanted to take.”

5 .Use meditation to stay positive

Lea meditates both morning and night for 15 minutes. “At night, it’s all about checking in with my breath and trying to figure out what I did well in the day and what I’m grateful for,” she shares. “It’s sort of a positive affirmation and it’s hard for me to ask myself what I did well for that day, and it shouldn’t be that way. I’m a very good person. It seems like an insurmountable task, but I try to do that every day, because I feel that’s an affirmation in encouragement. It also helps me find what I’m grateful for and there’s so much to be grateful for every single day.”

6. Invest in your life

“The person I’ve become is more self-assured than I used to be,” Lea shares. “I’ve made a lot of investments in my life that have paid off, like being able to stay happily married for 35 years, staying close to my family, putting down deep roots that nurture me and my family. I feel like I’m enjoying the investments I’ve made in life—not financially, but physically, mentally, spiritually and artistically. I feel my life is built one little thing at a time. Someone told me once that you’re the sum total of the people you love and also the sum total of all the decisions you make.”

Watch Lea Thompson in ‘The Chicken Sisters,’ premiering August 10

In the heartwarming second season, Lea plays Nancy, one of three Southern sisters finding their footing—and their happiness—through food, family and fresh starts. “I identify with Nancy 155 percent. I think a lot of women share that we don’t put ourselves first,” Lea says. “I’m a people pleaser, and that’s what Nancy is.” The series serves up fried chicken, personal growth, romance and laughs—and shows us it’s never too late to rewrite your story.