Stassi Schroeder Found 'Power' in Saying 'No' to Certain Opportunities: 'Your Backbone Gets So Much Stronger'

Stassi Schroeder learned a lot during her time away from reality television.

The Next Level Basic author, 36, rose to fame while being at the center of the drama on Vanderpump Rules. However, after she was let go from the Bravo series in 2020, Schroeder positively adapted to her new normal.

"Something I’ve learned over the last couple of years is that I love the word 'no.' There is such a power when you say no to opportunities or going to a party," she reflected in a recent interview. "In terms of becoming a mother, your backbone gets so much stronger."

"Everyone has a fear of ‘remaining relevant,’ but there’s so much power in being out of the spotlight. You have to evolve a little bit. You need to let people miss you," Schroeder explained. "No one wants to see, hear, watch, or read the same thing over and over. So taking a break and not being relevant is powerful — just like saying no."

Nowadays, the blonde beauty's life is much different than when she was causing chaos at Lisa Vanderpump's West Hollywood restaurant. Schroeder married Beau Clark in 2020, and the couple share a daughter, Hartford, 3, and a son, Messer, 12 months. Despite being happy, the best-selling author admits there's a part of her that will always love doing reality television.

"I don’t have to sit at a table like, ‘OK, I have to talk about how Scheana [Shay, her former costar] called blah blah,'" she said about filming VPR in the past. “There’s a wonderful freedom in that.”

"I love reality TV. Even through all of the s---, how it makes you a psychopath, [how] it’s not good for your mental health, I still enjoy doing it," Schroeder, who will be starring in Season 2 of Vanderpump Villa, made clear. "I know that there’s something out there that will make sense that won’t be cat fighting, and it will be safe for my kids, my marriage."

The podcaster has enough drama at home as she and her husband navigate their kiddos' growing pains. “The second we get in the car, Hartford and Messer are screaming bloody murder at the same time, the whole ride home,” she revealed of parenthood.

"When we get into the house, we ignore her tantrum. I can see her, I make sure she’s safe, but we literally go about our life as if this blood-curdling scream isn’t happening for an hour," Schroeder added.

As for how that scenario would have played out on her old show? She said, "We would look like the most neglectful freaking parents. They would probably zoom in on the messes, the dirty plates in the kitchen sink. Anything that would help shape [the idea] that ‘Wow, they’re awful parents. Their lives are falling apart.'"

Bustle conducted the interview with Schroeder.