Olivia Munn Shares The Life Lessons She Wishes She Knew At 21

Olivia Munn is used to getting sh*t done. The actor has a long history of scoring roles in iconic projects, from The Newsroom to Your Friends & Neighbors. “For so long in my life, I was so focused on the big wins,” she says. “I was always looking forward: ‘I want to get my blue belt in tae kwon do, then green belt, red belt, and black belt.’ It then became: ‘How do I get to Hollywood? How do I become an actor? How do I book this role?’”

But things changed in 2023, when Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer. For Munn, dedicating so much energy to the future no longer made sense. “In that moment, everything came to a screeching halt, and I couldn’t really look too far down the road because every step was so monumental,” she says.

Now cancer-free, Munn sees how the experience reshaped her definition of success, and this month, the 45-year-old is partnering with Athleta for its holiday campaign, Celebrate the Wins. “For me, winning means getting up and getting my son [Malcolm] to school on time. It’s hard — I have a 1-year-old daughter [Méi] at home, and he’s almost 4 — so it’s not that easy to get everybody fed and out the door,” she says. “But I love it. I love the mess of it. We’re shoving banana bread my mom sent in their mouths, bundling up, and walking to school.”

Amid the whirlwind of her daily life in Chicago, she works to find pockets of self-care. “The way my life is, I have to go with the flow,” she says. A quiet, chilly walk in with her daughter has become one of her favorite pastimes.

“She’s babbling, kicking her legs, and I can just enjoy the silence,” she says. “I don’t think you would’ve ever seen me in my 20s or 30s just going on a walk ever — I used to be focused on getting to my next thing that taking the time for a walk seemed crazy — but it really helps you be present in your body.”

The value of a good mental health walk isn’t the only lesson Munn has picked up along the way. Here, she shares all the advice she wishes she could give her 21-year-old self. — Hannah Kerns, associate editor

1. “The rush of feelings you have when you meet a boy and the dizziness of ‘falling in love’ has zero to do with actual love.”
2. “When someone breaks up with you, you have to let them go. Don’t waste your energy on trying to convince them that they’re going to regret it.”
3. “Your value doesn’t diminish just because someone doesn’t see it.”
4. “Don’t allow others’ opinions of you to drop your self-worth.”
5. “When you love and prioritize yourself, it multiplies to infinite degrees.”
6. “Prioritize keeping your mind and soul clear of negative voices.”
7. “Life will sometimes feel like going from one battle to the next. But that means you already know you can handle what’s coming.”
8. “If you took all of the time, energy, and love that you poured into people who didn’t deserve it, you’d be fluent in Mandarin, French, Italian, Spanish, and be able to play, like, eight instruments.”
9. “Magical little children will be coming into your life — so don’t worry so much about the little things.”
10. “You can (and will) need to push through fear, uncertainty, and crippling panic. But afterwards, you’ll know what you’re capable of.”
11. “Trust yourself.”
12. “Those close friendships you have now really will last a lifetime. You’ll keep growing, learning, and changing together.”
13. “You can save so much money and stress if you know how to do your own makeup and hair for press events and red carpets.”
14. “Go for a walk and feel the fresh air on your face.”
15. “I used to have this habit of building this compound interest of failures in my head — every time I didn’t accomplish something, I’d look at the whole day as a fail. Now I know that life is so much more pleasant when you’re easier on yourself.”
16. “If you get a chance to meditate today, that’s a win.”
17. “Talk to your mom. In my 20s and even my 30s, I didn’t want to tell my mom some things because I didn’t want to worry her. Looking back, I’ve realized every time I’ve come to her in those situations, she was a pillar of strength for me.”
18. “Your mom is funny, outgoing, and easygoing. I wish I had really seen her earlier.”
19. “You can’t climb a mountain with emotional baggage. For so many years, I’d be walking to have lunch with a friend and all of a sudden something would pop into my mind — jealousy, anger, resentment, or self-doubt. I subconsciously dropped that baggage at the beginning of my cancer journey, and I left it there.”
20. “Think of your mind like a clean house — things will get messy every now and then, but it’s easier to put things back in place when you have a neat base.”
21. “I wish I knew that I didn’t have a kind inner voice in my head. I was unknowingly battling a negative voice that played like a soundtrack in my life — coloring every moment. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it at the time. I’d like to go back and tell my 21-year-old self that we conquered that voice. Life is so much more peaceful now.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.