‘Descendants’ Fairy Godmother Melanie Paxson Shares Her Journey to Motherhood

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You have no doubt seen Melanie Paxson on your TV hundreds if not thousands of times over the last two decades. Most of you will recognize her right away as the “Glad Girl”. She captured our hearts and made us want to use better food storage and trash bags when she starred in several commercials for Gladware.  My favorite commercial she starred in was for Red Robin. Seriously, their burgers are bomb!

In addition to being a prolific commercial actress, Melanie has a lengthy list of TV credits as well. She starred in “Cupid,” “Happy Family,” and all three “Descendants” movies. And I also have a favorite show she’s been in: “Notes From the Underbelly.” That’s where I got my final SAG voucher to join the union. I was not only a fan of that show, but it some small way, it helped get my professional acting career started.

So as you can imagine I was thrilled Melanie agreed to come on my show. We immediately jumped into how much we love being moms. As in-demand as she is, she is prioritizing her children and focusing on family. She has a 9-year-old son and a recently welcomed a baby girl as well. We talked about why there was a nine year gap between kids and how fleeting fertility can be.

She has an incredibly fertility story to tell, but she isn’t quite ready to share that yet. Melanie hopes to write it down and share it when she feels ready. For now we talk about the struggles of prioritizing family in an industry that feels so demanding. It feels as if you take a moment off, opportunities will pass you by. But in reality, there will always be opportunity to work, audition and create.

We also give ourselves permission to spend time with our kids. I love taking Chan to piano class, soccer practice and picking her up after school. It’s the one part of my day that has the least amount of pressure and stress and brings me immense joy.

Actress Melanie Paxon poses on arrival for the US Premiere of the film ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, on December 9, 2013. The film has a limited opening on December 13 and will open nationwide on December 20. AFP PHOTO / Frederic J. Brown (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

And I think you will find immense joy when you listen to this episode! Make sure you subscribe and leave a review to keep up with my show. And don’t forget to follow Melanie on Instagram. She’s starring in a new Amazon Prime Video show called “Dealbreakers” and you won’t want to miss it.