Goldie Hawn’s Nonprofit Is Helping Kids Cope With Pandemic Life

Goldie Hawn is no dumb blonde. She’s an Oscar-winning actress, a loyal partner to her long-time love, Kurt Russell, a mother of three (including actress Kate Hudson), and the adoring grandma to seven little ones. We’ve giggled along with her, from Laugh-In to First Wives Club, but underneath the goofy act, Hawn wasn’t always laughing.

When she was in her 20s and dealing with newfound fame, Hawn struggled with severe depression, something she recently shared in an interview with Good Morning Britain. That’s part of the reason she founded MindUP, a nonprofit that teaches mindfulness to kids, back in 2003. And while Hawn originally launched the organization in response to the effects of 9/11 on children, she now thinks it might help them deal with the fallout from the pandemic, too.

A Road Map Out of Despair

Hawn believes depression is nothing to feel embarrassed about. “We should never be ashamed to say ‘I’m feeling sad,'” Hawn told Good Morning Britain.

MindUP’s goals for kids include better stress regulation, less aggression, and improved academic performance. The program has two new subgroups, MindUP for Parents and Families and MindUP for Educators and Schools, which encourages parents and educators to learn about mindfulness themselves, so they can help kids better understand their emotions. Educators who’ve used the program report feeling better prepared to address the full emotional responses of their students.

Hawn’s MindUP mission statement is simple. “I create[d] a program that would help kids regulate their emotions, become more resilient, and give them a road map out of despair into a positive mindset.”

Goldie Hawn doesn’t just have gold in her name and on her mantel — she’s got a heart made of it, too.