Alyson Stoner: From Child Star to Mental Health Advocate

Alyson Stoner is a multi-disciplinary artist who has appeared in numerous films, TV shows, and tours throughout her childhood, including Disney Channel’s Camp Rock, Phineas and Ferb, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and film franchises Cheaper by the Dozen and Step Up. 

While Stoner remains active as a content creator and performer, in recent years, she has switched her attention to mental health advocacy. 

Growing up with depression and anxiety while simultaneously experiencing the struggles and trauma of the Hollywood spotlight, Stoner understands firsthand how important it is to take care of one’s mental health and well-being. She recently founded Movement Genius, a platform for finding mind and body wellness in a way that works for you. 

Stoner is on a mission to make personal transformation accessible, affordable, and relevant. She is currently utilizing her certification to design courses alongside psychotherapists and topical experts in the realms of somatic healing for racialized trauma, tech and media literacy, integral consciousness, and mindful movement. Stoner also teaches dance monthly to thousands of students through CLI Studios.

OFM had the opportunity to talk more with Stoner about Movement Genius, why she is passionate about mental health, and the dark side of fame she faced as a child star.

How are you doing during these days of COVID?
I am adapting to adapting [laughs]. I will say, I do feel very fortunate that I have quite a large tool kit of resources and practices that helped during the initial transition period. However, it is not without plenty of stress and ebbs and flows.

Millions of people know you as a singer, dancer, and former Disney Channel star, but you have truly emerged these days as a mental health advocate. What are some tips you can offer to those who have been going stir crazy while in lockdown and quarantine?
Yes, thank you for bringing us to the present right away. Since many of us do not have time or resources to maintain a six-hour morning ritual or attend an exclusive retreat in Costa Rica, I try to look for the most efficient, affordable, and multi-dimensional solutions that really meet you where you are. I have been putting on whatever song feels appropriate to that day’s mood, even like a specific theme, prompt, or free movement just for 10 minutes. For me, that checks a box of some physical activity, as well as a mental reset, emotional processing, and even creativity. 

If that feels outside your interest, I have also found it very helpful to consider your day across four domains: mental, physical, emotional, and social. At the start of the day, while laying in bed, ask yourself, which of these domains needs the most attention and priority for that day? For example, if you are going to be very sedentary here on Zoom, prioritizing movements in the evening may help clear out some cobwebs. If it has been a stressful week, then set aside time to cry on a lunch break. It is OK to be human. This way, there is no shame in not fulfilling a fancy self-care routine. It is really in the moment, meeting yourself where you are with your highest need, and then building trust with yourself that you will listen and respond.

Why is mental health so important to you, and can you tell us how this journey of advocacy began?
Mental health, just like brain health and heart health, is core to our very existence. Our sense of well-being, self-worth, identity, and productivity are so closely correlated to how we speak to ourselves and think through situations. It also involves understanding our unique chemistry and temperament, which is, of course, influenced by lifestyle, medication, genetics, etc. Of the thousands of thoughts, we have each day, there is constant communication between mind and body that shapes how we make decisions, interpret our environment, and treat people. I long for each of us to feel confident, safe, comfortable, and at home in our skin. 

My journey, I have always been drawn to contemplation and self-reflection. I grew up in a very chaotic industry, as well as a chaotic household that involves abuse and addiction. Somehow, I think that provoked a constant yearning for meaning, peace, and equilibrium. I searched high and low, Eastern and Western, scientific and spiritual, and solo and communal for resources and practices that can reduce the constant anxiety and stress I felt. Thankfully, I also found a therapist early on, who taught me how to safely reinhabit my body when I was numbing or disassociating. So, I am very grateful. Mental health has been a pillar for me. Anything that provides value is something I want to be able to then turn around and offer others.

Can you talk more about the biggest challenges you faced and the darker side of fame you encountered?
The industry took a drastic toll on every part of me. Mind, body, being, identity, relationships, family, purpose. We have to recognize that at such an impressionable age, young actors are being asked to reenact a variety of often extreme scenarios as characters, and our brains are not differentiating them as fiction. Many of us are rapidly adultified to the position of financially providing for our families. Many of us are asked to behave in inappropriate ways with adults, on and offset. Many of us are taking on the responsibility of maintaining a global, public reputation. Many of us miss out on formative education. I attended eight different versions of school. 

We also deal with breaches of basic safety. Our person is not our own. It is a product, and it is accessible to others to possess and control. There is an important thing to mention, which I call the toddler-to-train-wreck industrial complex. There are very few resources that support young performers and families through these inevitably difficult experiences, and there is also very little accountability with production companies and agencies. Right now, I am advocating for mental health practitioners on every set, especially sets with minors, and basic media and industry literacy courses just to create safer spaces. A lot of work to be done.

Because Hollywood is such a cutthroat industry, do you believe that is why so many child stars and young artists grow up with severe struggles and trauma?
The train wreck pipeline, I believe it is completely preventable. However, it requires each of us examining our role, whether you are the performer, parent, guardian, studio executive, agent, or even the viewer at home. We need to look at the demands for output, and we need to examine culture at large and what sort of societal customs allow for a phenomenon like child stardom. It is easy and convenient to reduce someone suffering to a tabloid article, because we have been conditioned to believe it is either normal or not our problem. In reality, we cannot afford to misunderstand others suffering for my peers. It has been fatal. So, yes, there is a correlation, but within that is also a shared responsibility.

Do you think we will ever get to a place where child stardom is no longer weird and unhealthy?
I think placing human wellbeing at the center of making decisions will guide us to whatever configuration of Hollywood and child performance that is healthiest and most humane. I recognize that we are actively reimagining and re-envisioning this system in real time. If we do that, anything is possible, but it will not happen on its own. 

What was the breaking point for you when you realized you needed to change your life for the better?
At around 18, my health was visibly deteriorating. I knew if I wanted longevity, not just in the industry but as a human being, as well as to serve others, I needed to drastically shift paths. So, I began deconstructing what I call the invisible dome that was around me. The contracts, team members, people, and ideas that had driven my career, and I went to rehab privately. I did not choose to publicize it because I wanted to glean the wisdom without repeatedly subjecting myself to unmanageable amounts of exposure in triggers, right after. 

I did not go to rehab for drugs or alcohol. It was not substance abuse, but I was underweight. I was fatigued. I was sensing a much-deserved breakdown, and I wanted to have clinical expertise. Like I said, I also felt responsible to do this in a way that could hopefully become purposeful action steps for others, but I absolutely had to walk that path myself first. I am so grateful that something in me led me to be okay with whatever repercussions would ensue, whatever judgment I would experience from making that decision. I just knew underneath there is far more to gain that benefits everyone than there is to lose by doing this, temporarily.

You are the founder of Movement Genius. What can you tell us about this platform, and what made you want to start it?
Yes, a much greater topic! Movement Genius is an online platform that uses movement to improve mental and emotional well-being. We work with licensed somatic psychotherapists and a variety of movement instructors across cultures, identities, and abilities to create movement content that meets you where you are, helps you reconnect your mind and body, reduces stress, and helps you feel better.

Specifically, we wanted to create a welcoming space for people who do not necessarily want to dance or do yoga, or they do not identify as an athlete. We all have a body, and we all deserve to be able to understand our natural way of moving through the world, but classes can feel a bit alienating, especially for underrepresented communities in wellness, including queer folks. We want to be very conscientious about how we design classes. Truly, inclusivity is not just a buzzword for us, but it is fundamental to the core team to the classes and to the user experience.

Why do you think it is so difficult for people to reach out for help?
We have added quite a bit of shame to the narrative around mental health or mental health struggles. Really, it is a beautiful and powering act to acknowledge that you need help, and then seeking to remedy it. However, there also may be very real fears. Fears of your attempts to feel better not working, fears of having people see you as flawed, incompetent, and weak, or fears of facing yourself and what’s within. I still tend personally toward independence and coping alone, but during COVID, I have opened myself up to leaning on others. It is not as natural for me to receive as it is for me to want to offer support, but it is so vital that this is a two-way street for folks. So, reducing the stigma, and if you notice someone is struggling to ask for help, be able to lead with your own experience to normalize that. Humanize it. Dignify it. That is very effective.

A couple years ago, you did a video called Stripped Bare where you shaved your head, and you called it an act of mental health and confidence. Do you think people put a negative connotation to these kinds of acts because of Britney Spears in 2007?
To clarify, the act itself for Britney may have been liberating and empowering. However, we jumped to the conclusion and added the negative connotation and did not allow it to be anything other than a signal of distress. Cross culturally and historically, shaving one’s head is tied to so many pivotal moments, rites of passage, rebirth, preparing for battle. It is time to expand our view of acts and release them from our stereotypical interpretations. Humans are far more interesting and complex, and life really opens up when you let go of the one-track interpretation. I think I felt compelled to over explain and reassure, but hopefully people will not have to do that forever. 

Another obstacle you faced in life was accepting your sexuality. How did you overcome that, and what advice can you offer to those who are experiencing similar struggles?
The process in the moment felt less like overcoming a hurdle and more like deconstructing, wrestling with myself at ground zero. I will say, once you mind your own heart, head, and spirit, very little surprises you about humanity. If you are in a similar space of questioning, first, know that from the beginning of time, millions of humans have experienced love, connection, and identity beyond the narrow binary. So, you are not alone. Two, you may need to learn how to be an ally to yourself if those around you are not able to understand or support. That can take practice and really compassionate self-talk. 

As you develop that relationship with yourself, it will also become a new template for what you will and will not tolerate as treatment from others. Lastly, move at your own pace. I am still unpacking who I am. I will be until my last breath. There is no rush, so protect your safety and honor your process. Always know you can tap into resources online and start by following folks whose stories resonate, just like watching a movie and finding yourself in a character. You can learn from others who have already walked the path, and it helps to understand yourself better.

Do you have any upcoming dancing, acting, or music projects we should be on the lookout for?
Yes. My main focus is my role as founder of Movement Genius. That is my absolute top priority, but I am still a full-time content creator. I write, produce, direct, and perform in new series, often. I am still very active in the voiceover community, and I will be starting another series soon. I also teach dance multiple times a month, but most importantly, right now the focus is on Movement Genius. 

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
As mentioned, everyone deserves to feel safe, comfortable, and confident in their body and mind. We know that wellness has notoriously been built by and for a very narrow set of bodies, identities, and abilities. Our core team wants to broaden the appearance of wellness and the access to wellness with ultra affordable prices. We also want it to feel relevant to daily life. We are truly meeting people in practical situations. Movement itself is such a powerful healing tool that really allows you to process, express, and release what you may not otherwise be able to release via something like talk therapy. You do not need to be a dancer, yogi, or athlete. Come as you are, no heavy equipment, no expensive price tag. Just you and your body discovering your natural way of moving and finding wellness in a way that works for you.

Stay up-to-date with Stoner by following her on Instagram and Clubhouse, or visit her official website, AlysonStoner.com.

Photos Courtesy of Nick Onken
@nickonken | @photographsbynickoken