Kristin Chenoweth Reached Out To Ariana Grande With A Vocal Hack Ahead Of 'Wicked'

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Kristin Chenoweth is feeling better than she did in her 20s. And she's passing some of those tips onto Ariana Grande as she takes the lead in the new Wicked.

On May 15, the Emmy- and Tony-winning actress, 55, appeared at the Women's Health Health Lab in New York City, chatting with Women's Health executive editor Abigail Cuffey and Headache Center of Hope founder Dr. Hope O'Brien, MD. During the Owning It panel, she opened up about her experience with chronic migraines, including her treatments with Botox.

In an exclusive interview with Women's Health after the session, Kristin shared that she's been feeling her healthiest ever thanks to a series of lifestyle changes, including hot yoga and drinking lots of water.

Kristin says she found vocal benefits in drinking a shot of apple cider vinegar a day, sharing that it's "helped my acid reflux a lot." It's even a practice she's taught to Ariana Grande, who'll be playing Glinda the Good Witch in the filmed adaptations of Wicked, a character Kristin originated on Broadway in 2003.

The two first met when Ariana was 10 years old and came to a show. They cried together when Ariana was cast in the Jon M. Chu production. Kristin has seen early cuts of the film, which she "can't wait" for the world to see.

"I always assumed because I was a performer and most of the roles I take are very active, that would be enough," she explains. "But there's really something to be said about your workout and hydration. Those two things, combined with my [Botox] treatment—I can really tell the difference."

Kristin first began dealing with painful chronic migraines when she was just 25 years old, after feeling like she had a "jackhammer in my head" during a performance with the Virginia Symphony. And thanks to triggers common in her profession—like stress and bright, flashing lights—the migraines ultimately became so bad she was "facing retirement."

She recalled getting a migraine once in the middle of a musical at New York City's Lincoln Center called A New Brain. (The show is, ironically, about a brain injury.)

"I got a migraine in the middle of the show. At intermission, my understudy was put on, and I was out of that show for three weeks. In my world, that's fireable," she says.

But over the past few years, Kristin has found ways to reduce her symptoms. She's recently gotten into hot yoga, which she attends two to three times per week. The actress credits it with easing her chronic pain from a series of injuries sustained over decades on stage.

"For some reason, the combination of holding a pose for 60 seconds in a hot room helps my joints," she says, adding that it even helped her release her frozen shoulder. (The condition primarily affects women between the ages of 40 and 60 and involves stiffness and pain in the shoulder joint, according to the Mayo Clinic.)

The practice has even helped her sing. The Glee star says she's able to control her breathing better.

"I sing with Andrea Bocelli, and I'm like, 'Does that man take a breath?' I've been talking with him for several years about my circular breathing and how bad it is," she says. "Now, I'm opening and I'm holding notes longer than I ever have. It should be getting less, but it's getting more."

Unfortunately, the workout isn't for her new husband, musician Josh Bryant. "I brought him to hot yoga three times. He almost passed away," she recalls. "We almost had a funeral for Josh!" Instead, the two love to go on walks together around their Nashville home.

Kristin is eating more plant-based protein these days, which she said helps her feel better. ("I'm not going to say I'm a vegetarian. I'm from Oklahoma!") She's also become a proponent of drinking enough water, refilling her Simple Modern tumbler four times a day. "I used to live on two Cokes a day, hardly any water," she reflects. "Now I hardly live on Coca-Cola! I live on water!"

Overall, the star encourages people to be more open about their health, and talk to their doctor about treatment options for migraines, chronic pain, and more.

"You don't have to be in pain," she says. "It can be better."

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