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Goldie Hawn: “I Had to See a Psychologist” Her 8-Year Journey in Combating Anxiety & Panic Attacks

In this episode of The School of Greatness, Lewis sits down with the legendary Goldie Hawn. Goldie shares her wisdom on maintaining a successful career in Hollywood while nurturing long-lasting relationships and raising healthy children.

Goldie HawnguestLewis Howeshost

Jun 19, 20241h 15mWatch on YouTube

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Chapter summaries

Cold open: panic attacks, meditation, and happiness built from within
Goldie Hawn opens with memories of experiencing panic attacks and not wanting the Hollywood “star” identity. She immediately contrasts that with how meditation helped her get “out of my head and into my heart,” framing happiness as something built internally.
- •Goldie Hawn recalls starting to have panic attacks and feeling uncomfortable with the idea of Hollywood and stardom
- •She describes meditation as a visceral shift from mental noise to a heart-centered feeling
- •She says happiness is not external; it’s something you build on the inside
- •She shares a private hope she once journaled about finding a man who would love her children the way she does
Family as the real legacy: closeness with adult kids and grandkids
Lewis Howes highlights Goldie’s long-term career success alongside a close family life, which he calls a “true measure of success.” Goldie describes living near her children, enjoying time together, and viewing her children as her core legacy.
- •Lewis says it’s meaningful when adult kids still want to spend time with their parent
- •Goldie describes the family choosing to be together and laughing a lot
- •She says her children are her legacy more than public achievements
- •She emphasizes the gift of having children and grandchildren close by
Parenting while working: instincts, presence, and “never take your eye off the ball”
Goldie explains how she approached parenting while maintaining an intense acting career. She stresses instinct, staying connected even while working, and being truly present—because kids can tell when you’re not.
- •Goldie says she relied on instincts and did what she could while working (including with a baby during a film)
- •She compares parenting to baseball: “You never take your eye off the ball”
- •She describes staying connected to details of her kids’ daily lives and trying to be home for routines
- •She says children sense presence and you can’t fake it
- •She emphasizes love as foundational and links it to “happier brains”
Self-love, insecurity, and becoming solution-oriented under pressure
Lewis asks about self-love during difficult periods, and Goldie admits to insecurities but says she never lost self-love or belief in herself. She illustrates a “solve the problem” mindset through stories of being stranded at 18 and later handling a major on-set filming disaster calmly.
- •Goldie recalls insecurities about her appearance but says she didn’t lose self-love
- •She describes believing she could “do it” as a core part of her identity
- •She tells a story of arriving in New York at 18 with nowhere to stay and finding a practical solution
- •She recounts losing an entire day of film while directing and focusing on solutions instead of blame
- •She reflects that setbacks can look terrible but often aren’t as bad as they seem
When fame shifts the relationship: imbalance, exposure, and money’s power
Goldie describes how rapid fame during her Laugh-In period affected an early relationship, creating imbalance and pressure. She and Lewis unpack how exposure, self-esteem, and money dynamics can erode a partnership if inner stability isn’t strong.
- •Goldie says it’s difficult when one partner “blows up” publicly and the other doesn’t
- •She notes that fame removes privacy and “everything eats away” without inner stability
- •She discusses how money creates power—and how uneven earnings can erode relationships
- •She emphasizes remembering what you love about a partner to “nurture your choice”
- •She comments on gender expectations and how some men struggle when a woman has more power or money
Boundaries and honesty in dating: fun, hormones, and choosing a true family partner
Goldie explains that attraction and a good sexual relationship can create bonding that isn’t the same as love or long-term fit. She emphasizes private self-honesty, clear boundaries, and her non-negotiable: finding someone who would love her children as much as she does.
- •Goldie says friendship matters and that people should know their needs and set boundaries
- •She warns against jumping in before recognizing what could become resentment later
- •She distinguishes sexual bonding from love and describes how hormones can blur clarity
- •She says you have to have “private conversations” with yourself and face the truth of what a relationship is
- •She shares that some men were fun but “not going to be the father,” and she wouldn’t settle below her standard for her children
Making long-term love work in the movie industry—and when to leave
Goldie reflects on sustaining her relationship with Kurt Russell over decades, emphasizing the shared desire to make it work and the need to “individuate” rather than expect a partner to be everything. She also warns strongly about abusive and narcissistic relationships, describing the cycle and urging people to leave and seek support.
- •Goldie says a relationship works when both people want it to work, despite disagreements
- •She stresses individuating and not expecting a partner to be a perfect match in all areas
- •She describes how movie sets can feel like families and create emotionally risky closeness
- •She discusses vulnerability as people age and how grandchildren can renew love if “you’ve done it right”
- •She gives a forceful warning about narcissism and abuse, describing the “supply” dynamic and urging people to get out and lean on friends
Happiness as an inner practice: children, metacognition, and gratitude
Goldie returns to the idea that happiness is built internally through identifying what genuinely nourishes you, including giving back and appreciating simple experiences. When asked about lessons from her kids, she describes regret about missed moments, gratitude for what they gave her, and the power of metacognition—witnessing yourself to learn and course-correct.
- •Goldie says happiness isn’t cars or money; it’s what you build inside
- •She names sources of happiness like nature, slowing down, and giving back
- •She says children are the most important parts of her life and she wishes she’d been there more
- •She explains metacognition as the ability to witness yourself and reflect on your words and actions
- •She describes parenting moments that reveal what makes you happy and deepen gratitude
The miracle and chaos of parenthood—and trusting love again
Lewis asks about becoming a parent and later about trusting love after failed marriages. Goldie advises not to overthink parenting, describes the awe of pregnancy and birth, and shares how she stayed focused on work and family without fretting about finding a partner—while still longing for someone who’d love her children deeply.
- •Goldie tells Lewis not to overthink parenthood and to look at listening, emotions, and stress management
- •She describes the miracle of seeing a baby and feeling honored to carry a human life
- •She notes the early chaos of parenting and how siblings react once a new baby arrives
- •She says trusting love again was hard briefly, but she knew she wanted a man who would help raise the children and love them
- •She advises against worrying and “squeezing the sand too much,” warning that people can get addicted to living alone
Anxiety, therapy, and ‘the University of Me’: an 8-year psychological journey
Goldie explains her deep interest in the mind began with serious anxiety and panic attacks after early professional opportunities pulled her toward Hollywood and away from the life she expected. She shares that she began therapy at 21, worked with a psychologist for eight years, and found the uncensored exploration of the mind transformative.
- •Goldie links her fascination with neuroscience and meditation to living with serious anxiety and panic attacks
- •She recounts early career acceleration through auditions and agency representation, which triggered anxiety about becoming a “star”
- •She says happiness was “primo” for her even as a child, and she tried to learn from or walk away from unhappiness
- •She shares that she went to a psychologist at 21 and worked with him for eight years
- •She describes Freudian free association as a process that lifted veils and reduced fear through honest, uncensored self-examination
Meditation begins (1972): getting out of the head and into the heart
Goldie describes being initiated into transcendental meditation and experiencing a profound, sensory quiet that reconnected her to joy. She says meditation continues to fill her heart, sometimes bringing tears, and it became a gateway to learning more about the brain.
- •Goldie says she began meditating in 1972 and references transcendental meditation and receiving a mantra
- •She describes a vivid first session: breath, incense, light wind, and deep quiet
- •She says meditation helped her “meet myself again” and unlock her true joy
- •She describes feeling “nothingness” as a place where she flourishes
- •She connects meditation with her growing interest in how the brain works
Winning an Oscar and building a career with control: work ethic and producing choices
Goldie recounts winning Best Supporting Actress while working in London and not even realizing the ceremony had aired. She explains that the award didn’t change her trajectory dramatically because she already had commitments, and she describes herself as a “worker bee” who chose producing for practical control over what stories she could tell.
- •Goldie says she won her Oscar in 1971 and learned about it afterward via a phone call
- •She remembers Fred Astaire announcing her name and later seeing the clip for the first time, which moved her deeply
- •She says life after the award didn’t bring extra pressure; she continued with pre-agreed films and incremental pay increases
- •She describes herself as disciplined from years of ballet training and focused on working consistently
- •She explains producing was a practical way to control projects and choose what she wanted to “throw light on” in society
Art, craft, and a defining early performance: earning her father’s awe
Goldie discusses not “mourning” the dancer dream and shares an early acting story: playing Juliet as a teen in the rain, and her father’s stunned pride afterward. She also reflects on how art isn’t mastered for external outcomes and describes the creative process as deep, intuitive, and tied to improvisation of the mind.
- •Goldie says she didn’t mourn leaving the dancer path; it became a new reality amid exciting work and self-development
- •She recounts performing Romeo and Juliet outdoors in the rain and the audience staying seated
- •She shares a powerful memory of her father asking, “Where did you learn to do that?”
- •She says her parents taught her to be real and that the audience—not producers—ultimately matters
- •She argues you don’t master art to achieve something external; you master it to create from the heart and to access flow
MindUP’s origin: searching for joy, 9/11 trauma, and teaching kids the brain
Goldie explains MindUP grew out of her work on a documentary about joy and her concern that children would be traumatized after 9/11. She describes the program’s classroom focus on optimism and teaching children brain basics—so they can build agency over emotions and improve learning and well-being.
- •Goldie says she pursued a documentary, In Search of Joy, because she believed many people weren’t experiencing enough happiness
- •She discusses differences in happiness across places and how reducing anxiety around basics can matter
- •She says 9/11 prompted her to create something practical for classrooms to support children’s optimism and well-being
- •She explains MindUP teaches children simple neuroscience concepts (including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex)
- •She says the program helps kids regulate emotions and supports thinking, analysis, and memory through structured practices
Brain breaks and impact stories: the chime, regulation, and how to support the mission
Goldie details the “brain break” practice—three minutes with a chime that helps calm reactivity and teach self-regulation. She and Lewis discuss emotional regulation’s importance, she shares a story about an autistic student leading a brain break, and she explains that donations help sustain the foundation before closing with final reflections and rapid-fire end questions.
- •Goldie explains the three-minute brain break and why the chime is used to build a calming association
- •She describes the amygdala as reactive (“like a barking dog”) and frames the practice as calming that system
- •Lewis references a brain surgeon guest who named emotional regulation as a top skill, and Goldie strongly agrees
- •Goldie shares a story of a formerly non-verbal autistic boy guiding an entire brain break over the school PA system
- •She says support primarily means funding via mindup.org; the episode ends with Lewis’s acknowledgments and Goldie’s “three truths” and definition of greatness

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