Exclusive: Lisa Ann Walter Encourages Others to Achieve Their Dreams at Any Age: 'You Don't Know What Life Has in Store for You'

Lisa Ann Walter skyrocketed to fame when she played Chessy in the 1998 film The Parent Trap alongside Lindsay Lohan, but these days, she feels like things are only getting sweeter.

"If you ever have a dream and you haven't done it or you haven't started it because you're like, 'Oh, I'm getting older, I shouldn't start taking college classes or open a business,' there is no deadline! There is no expiration date on your dreams. You don't know what life has in store for you! I feel even more vibrant than I was when I was chasing around four kids. I've got way more energy to do things that I've always dreamed of doing, so I'm here to say nothing ends. Keep living your good life and take care of your health," the 60-year-old star, who is teaming up with Centrum to launch "Hot Conversations" on Wednesday, July 17 – a first-of-its-kind workforce menopause training video that aims to provide women and their colleagues with information about menopause to foster understanding, encourage support in the workplace, and change the menopause narrative, exclusively tells Morning Honey.

"I think there were people that assumed that I was 60 when I did The Parent Trap. You would see these people and be like, 'Oh, the wise nanny lady!' We did that movie 30 years ago. So much of what we do is about perception. I get up in the morning and I am filled with optimism because of what I've seen happen in my career," the red-headed beauty, who now stars on the Emmy-winning series Abbott Elementary, continues.

Walter admits that as an actor, she knows anything can change in a split second. "Some days are harder than others. Sheryl Lee Ralph [from Abbott Elementary] and I bonded over raising children in Los Angeles, which is very difficult and very expensive. We had to make sure we stayed relevant in the business," she says. "It can be that way in many businesses. Sometimes it's hard but you don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. If I'm a help to anyone to say keep living your best life and be the best version of yourself, then that's great! If I say out loud, 'I've never looked this good,' then I am going to feel good! It feeds into each other."

Since the star is in her sixth decade and understands the aging process, it was a no-brainer for her to partner with Centrum to talk about menopause. For working women, navigating menopause symptoms is challenging – but finding the support to work through them is often just as difficult. More than 3/4 of women surveyed agree that managing menopause symptoms like insomnia, brain fog and hot flashes at work is challenging, yet less than half say they receive menopause support at work, from formal policies to more casual support like flexible accommodations and stigma-free environments.

"They came to me and said, 'Hey, we're interested in starting a project and would love to talk to you about coming on board to further this discussion about menopause because we think it's stigmatized in the workplace — women aren't getting support,'" she explains. "It's talked about more, but there are more things that can be done to address this topic, including the NEW Centrum Menopause Support, a line of supplements specifically designed to help relieve common symptoms of menopause."

"We know more how to help with some of the symptoms like brain fog, sleeplessness, hot flashes and more. There's a report that women wind up leaving the workplace rather than staying and trying to handle the brain fog. I loved the idea they came up with. I was like, 'Count me in.' I'm on board with the fact that we're having something called 'Hot Conversations.' The piece they wrote is brilliant, and I am really proud of how it came out," she says of having open dialogue with others. "It becomes less preachy and easier to digest. You hear it better when it has humor attached. I love the whole idea and then the actual product they formulated to help with those different kinds of symptoms. It's a fantastic partnership that I'm proud to be part of."

To learn more about Hot Conversations and to see if Centrum Menopause Support is right for you, visit https://centrummenopausetogether.com/hot-conversations.