In CafeMom's monthly series, Work It, Mama, powerful moms detail how they navigate their professions and home life.
Though we'll forever think of Tiffani Thiessen as a perky high school cheerleader, thanks to her role as Kelly Kapowski on the early '90s TV series Saved by the Bell, these days she's a 48-year-old mom of two. Since leaving the halls of Bayside, she's continued to build her acting résumé, starring in shows like Beverly Hills, 90210, White Collar, and Alexa & Katie, while also making a name for herself in the foodie world with a cookbook and a Cooking Channel show, Dinner at Tiffani's.
More recently, she's appeared on MTV's Deliciousness — where she and her cohosts react to funny food-related clips from the internet — and in an unexpected twist, she and her old Saved by the Bell castmates got to reunite 30 years later for a reboot series in 2020. She's also a celebrity spokesperson for the National Meningitis Association, helping to spread awareness for the importance of vaccinating children to protect them from the potentially deadly disease of meningococcal meningitis.
"It's [an illness that] very often gets misdiagnosed because the symptoms are so similar to the flu, and that's really scary," Tiffani tells CafeMom. "So the fact that you can get your kids a vaccination against this and keep them safe, sign me up."
While juggling the demands of her busy career, Tiffani is raising a 12-year-old daughter, Harper, and a 7-year-old son, Holt, together with husband Brady Smith. And even though she's now more than a decade into the working mom grind, she admits she doesn't have it all figured out and still sometimes struggles to keep all those balls in the air, just like the rest of us.
"It's definitely a challenge to balance everything. Some days are easier than others," Tiffani says. But with a good routine, a solid support system — and the occasional glass of wine at night — she's able to keep her cool, chase her career goals, and do the work she loves while still being a present, hands-on mom to her kids. (If you ask us, she really does have that working mom thing figured out.)
Here, Tiffani shares how she keeps her home life running smoothly when work gets busy (spoiler alert: it involves a lot of lists), what she does to de-stress, and how it felt being back at Bayside after all these years.
You have a lot going on in your career right now. How do you make it all work?
"I always try to take it as it comes, and with tons of help," Tiffani says. "I lean on my husband a lot, as much as he leans on me. I also lean on my parents. Thankfully, they live not too far from us and they're hugely helpful with my children."
Still, there are times when she feels overwhelmed by the conflicting demands of her work and family lives. "There are still days when I'm super stressed and it's a lot of, 'How am I gonna get to the soccer game?' and 'How am I gonna get to the swim meet?' and 'What time am I gonna be done with work?' and 'Am I gonna get dinner on the table?' — all those things that working moms think about and go through."
But that's when her support system steps in to save the day. "Today, I literally forgot to pack a lunch for my daughter for her field trip. But Nana comes in and is like, 'I'll pack it right now for you.' So you lean on the people you love, right? And you're very thankful for them."
What's the morning rush like in your household?
Tiffani, who describes herself as "very type A," loves to make lots of lists, whether on paper or her phone. "And I also like a good schedule," she adds. "The kids get up at a certain time during the week now that school's back, and I make breakfast in the morning."
And before you think that means pouring some cereal into a bowl, remember we're talking about Tiffani, the foodie extraordinaire. "It's never a quick thing," she explains. "Food is very important to me and and how I raise my kids. And so they sit down and have a nice breakfast. Then they get ready for school, and we're out the door by like 7:40 — it's early."
Fortunately, her children are "morning people" so there's no having to coax them out of bed each day. "I know a lot of kids have a harder time with it, but I'm lucky. It's at nighttime that it's a challenge. I'll be herding them into their rooms like, 'Let's go to bed, let's go. Mommy needs her time.'"
What does a typical work day look like for you, if there even is such a thing?
"Sadly, there is no typical day; it's different all the time," she says. "Today was a 4:45 a.m. alarm clock to start a press day. But if I'm shooting for Deliciousness, I'm still able to have breakfast with my kids and take them to school because it's on my way to set. And then I'm usually done by 4:00 p.m. and my kids are already home, or they're at a swim meet or baseball practice or whatever, and I get to make dinner for them."
Then there are days when a super packed work schedule means she doesn't even see her kids at all. But since she became a mom, Tiffani says she's been much pickier and intentional about the projects she takes on in order to protect her family time.
How do you manage stress?
Like many moms, Tiffani likes a good sweat session to help her stay in balance. And after the kids have gone to sleep, she treats herself. "I have that glass of wine before bed. It's kind of my dessert — my ice cream cone, right?" she jokes.
Do you make sure to carve out time for fun with friends?
"Oh definitely. I always love a good girls' night, either someone coming over to our house and we sit outside and have wine by the fire or we take a girls' trip," she reveals. "I have a cabin up in the mountains and I go there with friends and hike and hang out. My husband does the same thing."
Tiffani knows that getting these opportunities to unwind and recharge ultimately helps her be a better mom each day. "It's very important to do this stuff, whether it's getting a quick massage, going to the gym, going for a hike, or taking your dogs for a walk," she explains. "I think you build in those moments because you need them and it definitely reflects in how you parent and how you work and how you relate to other people."
What is your best working mom advice?
While many of us feel like we have to be supermoms, doing all the things all the time, Tiffani advises knowing your limits. "I learned after having kids that my to-do list could not be as big, and that was really hard for me to swallow because I thought I could do it all. That I could nurse my child and go to the gym and go to work and cook dinner and have all these to do-lists and all that," she explains.
"And you know what? No, you can't, because sometimes it's more important to just sit there and watch your kid play for a few hours on the floor than it is to tackle that to-do list. My kids are a little bit older now, but I remember when they were really little, and I wanted to cherish those moments because they weren't gonna be there forever."
What drives you when it comes to your career?
"It's funny, it's very different now than back when I was in my 20s. I think my drive now is doing things that I really enjoy, like the food stuff. I feel like I'm better at it because I have the enjoyment," she says. "But in my 20s, I was always like, 'Oh, I gotta take this job because I need the money.' And granted, we all have to do that sometimes, but I now try to do things that I enjoy because I know I'm better for it."
She also takes pride in the fact that she's setting an example for her kids as a working parent. "Especially having a daughter — showing her that mommy likes to work and likes to be productive and likes to do creative things. My son, too, sees that mommy and daddy do things, and they can have different schedules but they still come together as a family."
How did this whole foodie side of your career come about?
Spend a few minutes scrolling through Tiffani's Instagram and you'll see this celeb mama really knows her way around the kitchen. It's no wonder she's becoming just as well known for her culinary expertise as her TV roles.
"Food has always been a huge passion of mine. I grew up in a family where all the women were very much in the kitchen cooking. And I of course wanted to be with all the cool women in my family doing what they were doing. So I was taught very young," she explains. "And I just loved how as I got older, food was kind of that bridge — that people could really enjoy each other's company through breaking bread and having a drink and some food."
While she was shooting White Collar in New York (the USA series ran from 2009 to 2014), she had an idea for a food show where she'd prepare dinner for a different group of celebrity friends each episode. "I was like, 'Oh, Food Network is here in New York. Maybe I could go there and pitch them.' They totally bought it, and that's how Dinner at Tiffani's was brought to air. And then I was able to do a cookbook right after. Now I've just finished my second cookbook, which will be out next year. So, yeah, I just love what food can do with people. It really brings everyone together."
What was it like getting back together with the 'Saved by the Bell' gang for the reboot?
Tiffani and costars Mario Lopez, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Lark Voorhies, and Elizabeth Berkley returned to their showbiz roots and filmed two seasons of the revamped show for Peacock, about a brand new group of Bayside High students. Tiffani's character, a now grown-up Kelly, is married to Zack Morris and serving beside him as the first lady of California. (The reboot sadly was canceled after two seasons, despite largely positive reviews from critics and fans.)
"It was super fun," Tiffani says of the experience. "We were very sad that it didn't go longer. We wished it would and we thought it would, but the two seasons we did have, it was definitely nostalgic in many aspects. But also really fun and new and different. I think their take on the reboot was very smart. Tracey [Wigfield], who created it, did an amazing job keeping the nostalgia of it all, while at the same time giving it a breath of fresh air with some really great characters and new kids."
While they're no longer hanging out together on set, Tiffani says she'll always remain close to the original Bayside crew, who are like family to her. "We'll always keep in touch. I'm very close to Mark-Paul. I consider him a brother — we've known each other since we were 15 years old. I mean, a lot of years, a lot of life. And I'm gonna be seeing Mario soon. We've all shared so much together."
