Exclusive: Jennifer Stone Says Nursing and Acting 'Allowed Me to Rediscover My Passion for 2 Different Things': 'I Consider Myself Lucky'

Jennifer Stone is known for her role as Harper Finkle in Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place, which ran from 2007 to 2012, but these days, you can find her working as a registered nurse in Los Angeles — while continuing to prioritize her acting career.

"It's allowed me to rediscover my passion for two different things I've been passionate about for a long time. I've been passionate about acting since I was six. I've always been interested in healthcare and science and human physiology, and so nursing has really satisfied that passion and also allows me to feel like I'm doing something that isn't about me," the actress, 31, who has partnered with Medtronic Diabetes to help others living with type 1 diabetes learn more about advanced technologies that can help make life with diabetes easier, exclusively tells Morning Honey. "It gives back to other people."

With nursing, the star doesn't have to "wait by the phone for an acting job."

"I can be more intentional about the stuff I want to do, rather than being like, 'OK, I have do another TV or movie this week because I have to pay my bills this month.' It's been a nice evolution of those different passions where I get to find my autonomy in both of them," she explains. "I get to get back to the basics of why I love both them pretty continuously — and I consider myself lucky for that."

Additionally, Stone believes that nursing has made her a better actor. "It's exposed me to so many different kinds of people, and it's exposed me to so many different kinds of experiences," she says. "I feel like I am more fulfilled as a person, which has helped my acting career. I enjoy it even more now."

At this time, Stone is balancing nursing and acting — something she still can't believe sometimes. "I'm still not sure how!" she quips. "We also shoot the 'Wizards of Waverly Pod' every two or three months, so that isn't as frequent."

Though it may be tough to juggle everything, Stone thrives in the "chaos."

"I like mixing it up, but I would be lying if I said there weren't weeks that I am like, 'What did I get myself into? This is way too much.' You know how life is — you'll be doing nothing for two weeks and then all of a sudden the next two weeks everything is shoved into that timeframe. I just have to make sure I am taking care of myself and keeping things balanced and taking things one day at a time," she confesses.

"You don't have to be boxed into one thing," she says of her many interests. "There are challenges, but if you're multifaceted and you have multiple passions, you can explore them. You don't have to choose one thing. Is it going to be easy? No. But is it going to be worth it? H--- yeah!"

Though Stone is now a nurse, she previously had to learn how to live with the disease when she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2013. "I was thrown for a loop because I had some type 1 symptoms and some type 2 symptoms. It took me about four years to find an endocrinologist and a plan that really fit into my lifestyle," she shares. "That's where Medtronic comes in because I had tried pumps, but the technology wasn't working for me. My doctor talked to me about the Medtronic InPen — it just hooks up to your phone with an app! It gives you insulin dosing recommendations that is personalized to each individual. It helps take the mental math out of diabetes, which was my biggest selling point because I hate math so much! It used to drive me nuts."

"It's crazy to see where I was at 20 years old, having no clue what was going on or how best to treat type 1 diabetes. You also have to find what works best for you. For me, that's the Medtronic InPen," she adds.

As a "former perfectionist," the red-headed beauty has become "stronger" in many different areas of her life. "It's forced me to not be a perfectionist when it comes to people looking up to me," she admits. "Sometimes there's pressure to be the perfect diabetic, which doesn't exist. I have good and bad days like anyone else. I just want everyone to do your best everyday — that's enough. You're capable of anything. When I was first diagnosed, everyone told me all the things I couldn't do. I don't respond well when people tell me I can't do something, so I just want to make sure my life is an example of showing up and doing your best but anything is still possible."

Since Stone is constantly helping people in her job, she hopes to encourage others along the way. "My patients will be like, 'You just brought a sense of peace,' or 'You made me feel really comfortable and really safe.' I work in the ER — it's a very unsettling environment and most people are having a really bad day when they're there. They are scared and not sure what is going on, and that's a terrible place to be in. The best thing I can do is reassure them — that's the biggest gift I can give. It's so rewarding to hear that I'm able to offer a sense of peace or calm. That means a lot to me. I'm amazed I'm in a position where I might be able to offer someone that," she says.

"As diabetes these days, we're so lucky with the tools we have. I am going to Medtronic events and seeing what other diabetics use. I know how impactful the Medtronic InPen has been in my life. I feel like we're more liberated than we've ever been," she adds. "I want us to continue to move forward. It's important we continue to make living with chronic conditions like type 1 or type 2 diabetes more seamless — and we're pretty darn close."