NBA legend Dwyane Wade‘s wife Gabrielle Union often talks about keeping a positive mindset while forging her own path. In a recent conversation, the actress talked about following wellness trends, her own wellness routine, and the bedtime ritual with her daughter Kaavia, which helps her come out of the stress of a bad day.

Having faced numerous difficulties during the early stages of her career in Hollywood, the 51-year-old is a big fan of affirmations. And she has taught her 5-year-old daughter as well. In a conversation with marie claire, she said, “This is free and we do it every night with our daughter Kaavia at bedtime. We do daily affirmations,” Union told Marie Claire. Although there has been a slight change in her affirmations routine, the core of it remains the same. She said, “We used to use cards, but now we all make up our own.”

In fact, Union is very impressed by the way her daughter is picking up on things like this. She said that Kaavia has added her own spin to their daily affirmations, and it is very powerful. “There’s one Kaavia wrote herself that says: I am blessed. She makes us hold it together and say it in unison, while she holds the three of our hands together.”

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Now while she is impressed by it, Union has no clue where Kaavia picked it up from, but it has become a part of their ritual now. She said, “I don’t know where my kid came from, but that’s her thing. We just remind ourselves of our own strengths in various ways.” Highlighting the importance of these affirmations in her life, she said that there are times when this routine helps her take her mind off of a bad day. Union said, “Sometimes at the end of the night when you haven’t had the best day, these affirmations make me cry.“

Acceptance has been key to these therapeutic sessions. Back in April 2023, the mother-daughter duo posted one of these seasons on Instagram. The lesson was pretty simple. Looking at their self-reflections in a mirror, both loved and embraced what is otherwise accepted as “imperfections.” Take a look at the wholesome clip.

Despite all her other professional commitments, their family remains at the core of Union’s life. This is why such routines and rituals hold so much value because she gets to bond with her family on a spiritual level. She said, “Getting to do it with my daughter, my husband, and usually my sister just gives me that little oomph to recenter.” While toddler Kaavia needs her mama to help guide her, Union considers her older 16-year-old daughter as a comrade for life that transcends familial roles.

Gabrielle Union talks about her “bonus child”

In a date night with Zaya at the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards that was held just one day before Transgender Day of Visibility, she confessed, “I’m lucky to have Zaya as my bonus daughter. I did not birth her, but I’ve never felt more connected to anyone. And I’ve never felt more of a purpose as one of the adults in her village that is standing 10 toes down—sometimes behind her, sometimes beside her and sometimes in front of her leading.”

Both Zaya and Kaavia fill Gabrielle Union’ heart like nobody else. Before Kaavia was born in 2018 via surrogate, Union had suffered 8-9 miscarriages and was brokenhearted. When her no-nonsense doctor asked her to consider and opt for surrogacy, her immediate response was, “All I could do was nod. I was not ready to do that. I wanted the experience of being pregnant. To watch my body expand and shift to accommodate this miracle inside me. I also wanted the experience of being publicly pregnant.”

As someone who has gone through the pains of the distrust and skepticism that society harbors for women who don’t have babies whether by choice or nature, she certainly cherishes them, more so spiritually.

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