If asked to write a story about the sex lives of midlife moms, multi-hyphenate Mindy Kaling swears she wouldn’t be the right person for the job.
“I write these shows about people who…are uninhibited and live out loud and the reason I do that is because it’s nice escapism from my life which is very mundane,” the actress and screenwriter told Flow Space.
“So no one would want to see a show about my life — unless your thing was watching a very boring reality show about a woman with very loud children. There are many middle-aged mothers who are having very sexy lives, but I think I’m probably not the resource for that.”
As the force behind shows such as “The Mindy Project,” “Never Have I Ever,” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” Kaling added that she would likely tune in. “I’d watch that show….but I don’t have the storylines right now — I wish.”
Kaling sat down with Flow Space to discuss how she’s prioritizing her health, what an inclusive workplace would look like at ‘The Office,’ and her recent partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb to raise awareness about plaque psoriasis.
Being a parent has made Kaling, who regularly shares healthy cooking videos on Instagram, more invested in her long-term health. “We all sort of feel our mortality I think after we have children,” she said. “It starts with this thing, ‘Okay I have to live for a long time to take care of these children’ particularly since I’m a single mom.’”
“The Office” star also opened up about her fitness routine, and it’s refreshingly relatable. She shared her approach to weightlifting, admitting that her current regimen involves modest five-pound weights.
“I use five-pound weights and I have eight exercises that I just do. I try to do it twice a week,” she revealed. “Especially leading up to events where I might be showing more arms than I normally do, which is almost never, ‘cause I usually wear sweatshirts.”
In addition to weight training, the 44-year-old actress opened up about how her definition of strength has altered from when she was younger. Kaling said because she’s not a very patient person, she often struggles with being patient, especially with her children.
“I have to be patient with my children because they’re not my employees,” Kaling says. “They live in my home and they’re learning everything for the first time. So for me, strength is learning things that are difficult for me.”
On the topic of inclusive workplaces, Kaling didn’t shy away from imagining how the fictional character Michael Scott would tackle the task of making the workplace more friendly for those with issues such as psoriasis and menopause. She suggests that Michael, in his own quirky way, might stumble upon an appropriate workplace resource and attempt to demonstrate support, but that his well-meaning gestures would likely miss the mark.
“And you’re like, ‘You almost had it. You went to the right site, but you’re not supposed to bring it up to someone at a place of work.’ This is a great company, but let them come to you,” Kaling says. “And also, they might not come to their employer for plaque health, but I bet you that employee would be like ‘all right, Michael was like 10 percent correct because he brought me this resource.’’
Plaque psoriasis affects about 6.7 million adults and is the most common type of psoriasis. Despite not experiencing psoriasis herself, Kaling has joined forces with fellow actor Ted Danson to raise awareness for Sotyktu, an oral treatment designed for individuals with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Leveraging her platform and personal commitment to self-advocacy, Kaling hopes to empower psoriasis patients to find effective treatment options.