Health and Wellness

Olivia Wilde's best career advice—and the game-changer in her wellness routine

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 11: Olivia Wilde attends the InStyle Max Mara Women in Film Celebration at Chateau Marmont on June 11, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
Credit: Rodin Eckenroth / Stringer

Olivia Wilde is a successful actress, perhaps best known for her roles as Alex Kelly on "The O.C." and Dr. Remy 'Thirteen' Hadley on "House" on FOX. But according to Wilde, "you're never too old to pivot."

"I have been an actress since I was a teenager and now I'm 35 and I'm really leaning into a new career of directing full-time," Wilde tells CNBC Make It.

In 2011, Wilde started to slowly transition to directing and has already racked up four director credits.

"I think sometimes we all get into the mindset that if you've chosen your career at 25 — that's it. You can't shift your career focus and it's just not true," she says.

Wilde in part blames the college system for forcing people to believe that once you pick a major, you are stuck with it for the next 70 years of your life. (Wilde was accepted to Bard College but went to acting school in Dublin instead.)

"I think we need to continue to evolve and trust [our] own evolution and don't be afraid to pivot," she adds.

In addition to acting and directing, Wilde is an entrepreneur. In 2017, the former Revlon ambassador signed on as a spokesperson with organic skincare brand True Botanicals and was given an equity stake in the company instead of a one-time cash deal.

Wilde says switching to organic skincare was a game-changer for not only her skin because she suffered from adult acne into her 30s but it the most consistent "healthy choice" she has made for her overall health.

"Your skin is your largest organ," she says.

But she admits she's not always perfect when it comes to sticking to wellness routines, like eating clean.

"I try to," says Wilde, "but it's all about balance."

"I think anyone who's ever had even a small period of their life where they clean up their act — first begin to eat healthy food and exercise and use natural products — they'll always say ... I feel my best. But sometimes it's hard to sustain that lifestyle. You know it's tricky for anybody to stay totally clean."

Wilde says she tries to eat healthfully and avoid processed foods (it's always her New Year's resolution to get better), but can't resist the occasional Coca-Cola. ("I really love it," she says, which puts her in good company with Coke fan and investor Warren Buffett.)

She does not have a regimented fitness routine either. As a New Yorker (she lives in New York City with her longtime partner actor Jason Sudeikis and two kids), she relies on walking. "We already walk more than people in a lot of other cities. But when you have an option to walk or take a car, walk if it's an option. I'll take the stairs.

"There's often a way to [be active]," she says. "Rather than sitting at home and taking a call and doing a phone meeting, walk around. You could often incorporate activity into your life."

Wilde has also dabbled in Transcendental Meditation (billionaire hedge fund guru Ray Dalio is a devotee and says it's been key to his success). She trained at the David Lynch Foundation but says "I'm not consistent enough.... I want to get better at that."

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