In this episode, Monica sits down with actress, women’s health advocate, and breast cancer survivor, Olivia Munn for a candid conversation about resilience, self-discovery, and healing. Olivia reflects on her childhood experiences with bullying and how her stubbornness helped shape her fierce, determined spirit as an adult. She also discusses the lessons she’s learned in the industry, the mindful practices that keep her grounded, and her journey through a breast cancer diagnosis—including the challenges of a mastectomy and her bold decision to reveal her scars in her iconic Skims campaign. With an honest, down-to-earth conversation, this episode offers real talk on resilience, growth, and learning to live in the now.Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/reclaiming-with-monica-lewinsky now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: Who is Olivia Munn and what challenges has she faced?
Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky early and ad free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple podcasts, or you can listen for free wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, everyone. For today's episode, I spoke with my brave and brilliant friend, Olivia Munn. We met over a decade ago and bonded over all things woo-woo.
So crystals, astrology, we just got into deep, real conversation really quickly, which is kind of the way I like to do it. You probably know her as an actor and an activist. And if you're on social media, you'd also know her as the mom to adorable Malcolm and May. Because Olivia and I are close, I knew about her struggle with breast cancer in real time.
But to hear her heartbreaking and inspiring story in the details that she shared in our conversation, it meant so much to me and made me admire her even more. And for any fans of the newsroom, we went there too. So anyway, I hope you find something to connect to in our chat. And thanks for joining us on Reclaiming. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Audible.
Visit audible.com slash reclaiming to find your next listen. Thank you to our sponsor, Reformation. Visit reformation.com to see why they're my go-to for stylish and sustainable fashion. Thank you for being here. I'm so happy to be here. I was so excited when you called. Aw, thanks. I was thinking about, you know, in having this chat, thinking about how we met. Oh my gosh, so long ago.
I know, at the Vanity Fair Oscar party. And then you came over not that long after and you brought me these lovely, it was like Jungian psychology books by... Robert Johnson, I think.
He and she.
Exactly. And we. Yes, he, she, we. He, she, we. And I loved that.
So I love like either books or candles. Well, you know, when I walked into, I have not been, by that point, I had not been someone who was really into warning, trigger warning crystals. Yeah. Like people were like, um, and, and I, I approached it scientifically, um, not in a very, you like to use the word woo. Um, and I, I never, I wasn't into that until then really right around that time.
And, um, And when I went into your apartment in New York, there was crystals everywhere. And I was like, okay, we're going to get each other. That's why the Robert A. Johnson books resonated with me because he was a student of Carl Jung. He was a famous Swiss psychiatrist. So it was those things that kind of got me into understanding my –
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Chapter 2: How did Olivia Munn's childhood experiences shape her adulthood?
This is cliche. But I think that sometimes things being so cliche, something being said in the world so long, it kind of doesn't really register. You don't really know how to take it in. It just feels like one of those things that people say. But to truly be present and with my anxiety that I had for so long, realizing that I was never enjoying the day. I was never being present in the day.
So every day, I was wasting it because I was worried about tomorrow, two months, one month, a year. And I was regretting things I did the day before and the week before and months and years before would still stay with me. Looking at my two babies, and it's difficult when you have two because my parents, Three-year-old has completely different needs than my four-month-old.
And I'm being torn in two different directions. When I was younger, I used to say to myself, what would the 80-year-old me say to the 27-year-old me? Or what would the 80-year-old say to the 19-year-old me? And like I would a lot of times – and it didn't mean that I took this advice. But I would be like – get out of this relationship. Don't be so hard on yourself.
I would just be like, this doesn't matter. Your whole life is, is, is over, you know, not 80 or 90. Right. Sometimes people get to a hundred, but I was like, the majority is gone and you, and you, you should have just moved on because you know, it's, you're wasting time.
And so now every time I get frustrated, which is actually very seldom because of, of, because I, because I've gone through cancer and I'm, was so scared. I, I wouldn't make it through for, you know, all the reasons. Um, but so the frustration isn't something there, but being tired is something that I experienced a lot just from everything I've been through and the medicine I have to be on.
But whenever I feel tired or I'm like, Oh, he made this mess or, Oh my gosh, like he threw his food and like my new white couch is like decimated. I think about being 80 and if I was granted. a time machine to go 40 years back. And they said, we're going to give you 40 years as a gift. You can go back and do it again. That's what I think about every time. And I think I would not be on my phone.
I'd be sitting here looking at his little face, looking at her little face. I would say, make the mess. I don't care. I will not remember the mess when I'm 80. I will just want to be here. I want to live every single moment. Every time you throw a fit, I want to experience it. Every time you you want to put on the TV and watch Daniel Tiger. That's fine with me.
And every time you want to go, it makes me really realize how fast life will go and how lucky I would be if I got all this time back. So actually in this moment, I do often think And it comes into my mind really instantly. I think, oh, I've just been given 40 years. I've just been given 40 years to do it all over again. Oh, yeah. What am I going to do?
So sometimes when I can't help the insecure thoughts that come in or the worrying that comes in or will people take this the wrong way or will they go back and – and time and try to put me back into a box. Will I allow myself to be put into that box?
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