JoAnna Garcia Swisher Talks Self-Care and Teases 'Sweet Magnolias' Season 3

The Netflix star is helping moms prioritize me-time.

JoAnna Garcia Swisher did not pour out spoilers for the upcoming season of Sweet Magnolias, but she did tease the return of the beloved Netflix series.

"I think it'll be here before you know it," she told Parade while promoting Mrs. T’s Pierogies' All-Star Moms campaign.

Swisher, who plays Maddie Townsend in Sweet Magnolias, thinks the new season shows a "whole new feel and look." While fans can expect the same Serenity and familiar faces, the series is "digging a little bit deeper this year," according to the Reba alum.

"It was really a fun season and it's setting up, I think, for what I'm just gonna manifest is Season 4 because the story has to continue," she said.

Swisher joked that they are pretty "torturous" when it comes to ending on cliffhangers, but revealed that Season 3 ends "in a very hopeful new beginning kind of feel." The host of Ultimatum: Queer Love added, "I think that it's really in tune with, you know, you had a lot of chaos to start the show, and the dust is kind of settling and then you really build towards these solid relationships and I think that you really start to feel like there's new beginnings and it's an exciting future for Serenity and everyone that's inside of it."

Continue reading to find out what else Swisher had to say about Season 3 of Sweet Magnolias, in addition to her partnership with Mrs. T’s Pierogies—starting Feb. 28 through March 28, fans can nominate a deserving mom in their life or themselves to win $20,000 and a personalized home design by JoAnna for the ultimate recharging room creation or upgrade.

Related: How to Read the Sweet Magnolia Books In Order

You've partnered with Mrs. T’s Pierogies to create personal recharging spaces and to focus on the importance of self-care for moms. We'd love to know how do you like to recharge?

I love to recharge by taking a bath. Right now, I've been trying to go on a lot more walks, which my big dog is really happy about. I would say reading is a luxury right now and I'm an avid reader. In my personal recharging space that I've created in my own home, it is geared towards picking up my books and just having a few minutes to read and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Do you find it difficult to prioritize self-care as a mom of two?

I think that all moms would probably say that prioritizing self-care and a little bit of me-time is something that often falls by the wayside, which is why I was so excited to partner with Mrs. T's Pierogies on this campaign. They came to me and they said they wanted to celebrate super moms, and I thought "OK, I'm in!" They wanted to do it by inspiring moms to take some time to themselves to create spaces in their homes to recharge and to take a little bit of me-time.

I talk to my mom friends all the time and it's so interesting that we all agree that carving out that time is sometimes [hard]—you have a million things to do and a million places to go and you have to be in all the after-school and this and that. Moms don't really have a lot of time, but it's so vital and so important. So to be able to partner with Mrs. T's Pierogies on this campaign, it was just, to me, it's perfect.

Related: Sweet Magnolias Author Sherryl Woods Tells All

What advice would you give to fellow parents who struggle to prioritize self-care?

I think that just knowing that you don't have to get it all done every day. My best friend actually said this to me the other day—I had a sick kid, I had this and that, and I was like, "I feel like I'm just like mom failing today." And she said, "You know, you worked really hard today in your job, and I know that your girls love you. You can't be everything at every moment."

Just giving ourselves a little bit of grace, and I think oftentimes that you're able to see that light when you give yourself a little bit of space and time to do that. It feels like, a big task, sometimes, just stepping back. But really, when you have these recharging spaces in your house, you can just pop in there even if it's for five minutes, and it does a world of a difference. So I think it's really easy to lose sight of that. But it takes a village, and I rely heavily on mine and just giving myself a little bit of grace and giving myself the time and the space to recharge my batteries.

Related: What Is Self-Care? And the Most Practical, Enjoyable Ideas for Weaving It Into Your Life

Where do you find serenity and peace?

In my bathtub! In my big cozy chair that I have set up with my slippers and a nice fuzzy blanket and surrounded by the things that I love, like my books. Those are the things that I feel the most like I'm indulging in some real proper self-care and some real me-time.

And of course, speaking of Serenity, we are super excited for Season 3 of Sweet Magnolias. Can we expect that this year?

Yeah, absolutely. I think it'll be here before you know it. I don't have a date to give you today, but I will soon, and I'm just so excited for Season 3. I think it shows a whole new feel and look. I mean, it's the same sweet, beautiful Serenity with the same friendly faces and familiar faces, but it's just digging a little bit deeper this year. It was really a fun season and it's setting up—I'm just gonna manifest Season 4 because the story has to continue!

Are there any secrets that you can pour out for us?

No, you know how heavily guarded Netflix and Sheryl Anderson, our showrunner, guard our Serenity secrets! So no, I am sworn to secrecy, but I can assure you that this season you're gonna see, especially from my character, a lot of self-reflection. She's kind of coming out of that cloud of divorce and really taking a toll on her relationship and just seeing how that's working for her and for Cal, and trying to find her footing and find out who she's gonna be as she steps into this next chapter of her life.

Related: JoAnna Garcia Swisher Totally Gets Why Sweet Magnolias Is Hitting a 'Soft Spot in People's Hearts' 

Season 2 ended with Cal being arrested at Dana Sue's restaurant. Can you say if that going will affect their relationship this season?

I think it's safe to say that there is an element of that arrest that will affect their relationship. Yes.

You guys do love to leave us on cliffhangers!

I know! We're pretty torturous like that. But you get a lot of answers right away.

Does this one end with a cliffhanger?

I feel like this season, Season 3 ends in a very hopeful new beginning kind of feel and I think that it's really in tune with [the show]. You had a lot of chaos to start the show, and the dust is kind of settling, and then you really build towards these solid relationships and I think that you really start to feel like there are new beginnings. It's an exciting future for Serenity and everyone that's inside of it.

It's such a sweet show about friendship and family. Are your daughters fans of the show? Is that something you guys like to watch as a family?

Yeah, they watch the show. They actually were part of the background actors in one of the episodes with Heather Headley's son and daughter and it was really, really sweet. It was something I didn't anticipate doing, but it was just a great moment. And it was so fun to have them at work in that capacity. So yeah, you know, all of the Swisher family is all over Serenity.

Do you think we'd ever see Reba McEntire make an appearance in Serenity?

Maybe!

Related: Sweet Magnolias Star JoAnna Garcia Swisher on Why the Set of Her Hit Series Is Her ‘Happy Place’ 

Aside from Sweet Magnolias, you have another show heading to Netflix this year, The Ultimatum: Queer Love. What can you tell us about the show and what drew you to the project?

When Netflix asked me to be a part of Ultimatum: Queer Love, I just instantly jumped to be a part of it. I love the whole concept of, you know, looking deeper into relationships and, you know, inevitably, oftentimes you find that people are in different places within their relationship. I found that really intriguing, but also to really celebrate and take a deeper, more intimate look into queer relationships. I think it's super important and a story that hasn't been told enough. I feel really proud to have been a part of it and to continue to hopefully be a part of it.

I was so impressed by the people that participated in the show. They were so vulnerable and honest, and I learned a lot. I think it's really important that queer relationships are highlighted and celebrated and normalized, and their incredible love stories and individually. I saw people fall in love with themselves throughout this process and reconnect and fall in love with their partner, and a lot of things happened in the show. It was really a compelling experience. I think the show is wonderful. I've seen it all now and I'm so proud to be a part of it.

How was the experience hosting?

It was different! I put a lot of pressure on myself. Vanessa Lachey and Nick Lachey are friends of mine, so I relied heavily on them. You know, a few frantic phone calls just to make sure I was doing as good a job or trying to do as good of a job as they do in their roles as hosts for Love is Blind and The Ultimatum, so I had a lot of help and a lot of support and it was a lot of fun.

Are you a big fan of watching dating reality shows?

Absolutely. I think it's so interesting. And I think especially when it's created by the people at Kinetic [Content] who are just so—they respect everyone involved in the show so much and really allow these stories to kind of unfold personally, and there's no manipulation there. It's really just about an opportunity to see people experience some really intense emotions and it was fascinating and I was excited. It was fun.

What is next for you?

Well, this partnership has been a really fun one. I'm really excited! From February 28 to March 28 to be able to go to mrstspierogies.com/allstarmoms to nominate either yourself or a supermom that you know of to have an opportunity to win a recharging space designed and curated by me and $20,000 to bring it to life, and Mrs. T's Pierogies for a year. There are also some really fun prize packages that include pierogies and cash prizes. So there are opportunities for supermoms, more than just one supermom, to be celebrated by Mrs. T's Pierogies. I urge everybody to go to the website and nominate your supermom.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Next, Everything We Know About Season 3 of Sweet Magnolias