GM: First of all, I want to just congratulate you on Megan Hope.
AS: Well, thank you so much. We’re so thrilled!
GM: And from reading your blogs, it sounds like Ben is a wonderful big brother and it sounds like he just adores his little sister.
AS: He does. He’s a really good big brother.
GM: I also read that you went back to The Biggest Loser set just eight days after her birth?
AS: Yeah, I did. I went right back to work.
GM: And then you returned to the set of Days of Our Lives just two weeks after her birth?
AS: I did. Yeah, I was back to work pretty quick with both.
GM: Now how did you manage to do that? Cause, you know there are so many women who just do not have the energy at all to do that.
AS: Well, I mean certainly it’s overwhelming to be a parent, and certainly to be a parent again when you already have an older child. There’s a lot on your plate. And for me, I just love my job. I love what I do, and I wanted to, I didn’t want to leave the contestants. I care so much about their story and their progress. It was important for me to stay in their world and a part of what was going on. And obviously with DAYS, you can’t be away for too long with the way the stories are being told, and so I had to whip myself back into shape. It was tough. It wasn’t easy.
GM: And you know, many fans just think you’re so amazing with your endless amounts of positive energy and enthusiasm that you have. How do you manage to balance your life with two jobs and two precious children, because you’re such an inspiration to other mothers with how you do it all.
AS: You know, it’s just a day to day thing. I try not to look at my whole year ahead of me in the slate of all the different projects I’m working on and all the crazy stuff I have to do and let it overwhelm me. I try to take it one step at a time, one day at a time, and make room for everything. I think a lot of it is about balance, and a lot of it’s about not beating myself up about not getting everything in that one day, and there’s always tomorrow. So I think that’s a lesson I’ve learned throughout certainly being on a part of Days of Our Lives and my life of finding a way to make things work. And even more important to me than that in getting through my day is having the tools I need to get through it. Every single day whether it’s in terms of my nutrition, I pack a snack and I bring it with me in my purse, that I have healthy food available to me, so that way in case I miss the gym I’m still staying on my diet plan. Or with my kids if I’m running around with them I’m armed with healthy snacks for them or toys I keep. Literally in my purse right now you’d find two dinosaurs, some crayons, and a little snack for them.
I always am armed with stuff, and for myself actually, one of the things that I’ve been talking about lately because it happens to be allergy season is not letting my allergies slow me down, because I’m partnering with the American Pharmacist Association and McNeil. They did a study which shows that eighty percent of people who allow allergies to slow them down, and I can’t let that happen. I can’t let my day get affected by that so I have to be prepared. I have my Zyrtec-D in my purse and I don’t let anything get in my way.
GM: I was going to ask you about the American Pharmacist Association. I understand you’re partnering with them and McNeil Consumer Healthcare to help others identify their nasal congestion and allergy symptoms.
AS: That's exactly right. It is identifying what medication is the best for and for your symptoms and what you’re dealing with and knowing where to find it, and that’s what the campaign is about, to bring awareness to the fact that a lot of medicines are behind the counter, BTC. And you can look for them there or ask your pharmacist about it, and the website, BTCCenter.com has all of the information. I’ve been an allergy sufferer my entire life, and it’s one of the things where it may seem very day to day, but it’s a problem and it can affect your life if you don’t know how to deal with it. And getting the information and asking your pharmacist about it is exactly the right way to make sure that you don’t let your allergies slow you down.
GM: What medicines do you use for your allergies?
AS: I take Zyrtec-D for my general allergy symptoms and sometimes with congestion I find that Sudafed works really well too.
GM: This is a lot of wonderful information, especially for mothers who are trying to juggle it all.
AS: The bottom line is, BTC stands for “Behind the Counter,” and I find sometimes that the medicines I take are behind the counter and I have to ask my pharmacist. You have to go to the pharmacy counter to get it and you can sign in. It’s no big deal, but sometimes people don’t know about that and they end up not getting the help they need.
GM: Let’s talk about The Biggest Loser. When does the season finale air?
AS: The season finale is May 12. We are done filming the rest of the season, so we’re at home now getting in shape, getting ready for the live finale.
GM: Great. Can you give us any hints or predictions on who might win?
AS: Oh my goodness! I can’t give that away, you know me better than that! I’ve got to tell you though, that they are all so amazing to me. Obviously if you know anything about me you know how competitive I am, so I relate to Tara, as you’re starting to see her on the show how incredibly competitive she has been. It’s just so intense the way she gives it everything she can in those challenges. I relate to her a lot, watching her battle it out in challenges and that competitive spirit she has.
