Katie Lowes

There's something about getting onstage in a play where the actor tells the story, beginning, middle, and end, the way they want to tell it. For me, it's the most powerful place to be, and it's the most empowering place to be.

I don't know if it's because of 'Scandal,' but I am a huge wine and popcorn fan.

When I start my mornings, I put some essential oils in a diffuser; it might be orange blossom or jasmine to energize and spruce me up or lavender at night to really calm me down.

Being a new mommy really is the best.

I feel so honored to be a mom and get to do something that women have done for thousands of years.

For me, having a baby was never going to be timed randomly. I wanted to have mine while I was on 'Scandal.' Kerry Washington is one of my best friends, and I've gotten to watch her go through motherhood. I also have the greatest female boss in Shonda Rhimes, who is a mother of three and a huge advocate for women.

I am a type-A planner. That's just how I roll.

Until you get pregnant, you never know about baby brands and baby furniture, but it's actually a choice. And Oeuf is a very affordable company, and everything is organic - chemically free, sustainable. It's all beautifully made and can also transition from babies to toddlers. Everything has conversion kits, so it's practicable.

A lot of times, I put my own personal health to the side, focusing on work or family or getting ahead. At the end of the day, you're just exhausted on your couch and haven't made that doctor's appointment, didn't make that phone call, and feel terrible.

As somebody who has psoriasis, it's your job to constantly stay on top of these things: talking to your doctor and talking to your doctor and just being proactive about your specific case.

I love to walk in the door of my home and love what I see.

I wanted a doula because it's my first baby, and I want to be able to call her when I'm going into labor so she can come over and help us go through the early stage.

My husband and I are both actors; we're obviously dramatic.

It's just heaven to be a mom, and a working mom, and a pregnant person in Shondaland.

This whole thing of motherhood is insane.

I'm big on yoga and of taking care of my mental health.

Acting is a growing tick muscle. I really believe that it's similar to being a musician in that the more you practice it in any capacity, as much as you practice doing it every day, the better you get.

I went to NYU Tisch for undergrad, and it was amazing. My life then was extremely experimental with acting. I did crazy theater where we would be rolling around on the floor. I would be playing grandmothers, and clowns, and all this crazy stuff. Then I would be doing Shakespeare eight hours a day.

I look so fondly back on that time in my life when you first got an agent and you were in your mid-twenties and the world was your oyster.

I think that there is something truly beautiful in everybody you meet.