Actress and entrepreneur Keshia Knight Pulliam is getting back to one of her favorite activities—horseback riding. Pulliam, 45, shared a picture of herself wearing horse riding gear, a Foxcroft sweater, and a helmet, smiling as she posed on a white horse. “2025 is the year of joy for me!! The question I have started asking myself before every decision is, ‘Does this bring me joy?’ It’s very simple, if the answer is yes I move forward…If not I lovingly decline. This moment brought me JOY!! It’s been over 25 years since my last horse show or riding consistently. I was a little nervous to get back on after all of these years. However, I’m happy I did!!” Pulliam has been in the public eye since she was a little girl—here’s how she stays focused, happy, and strong.
Growing Her Own Food
Pulliam grows her own produce on her farm. "We have a farm outside of Atlanta, Georgia, about 17 acres," she said at the Essence Festival of Culture's Food and Wine activation. "We have a couple of goats, some chickens, some vegetables, and it is our joy. I planted a couple of apple trees, which actually we got some apples this season, so I was so excited for that. But I'm growing over 60 different types of fruits and vegetables. I have plums, apricots, pomegranate, kale, all different types of lettuces, tomatoes, eggplants."
Embracing Her Hair
Pulliam had to take extra care protecting her hair for reality show Splash. “The funny thing is, people only know me for having straight hair for work, but I live in Atlanta where it’s hot and humid in the summertime,” she told Essence. “So when I’m home I wear my hair natural. My hair is naturally curly, I don’t have a relaxer. I just use really good products because at the end of the day, it’s all about keeping your hair hydrated and making sure when you get out of that chlorine you wash your hair. No matter what your hair looks like o
Health First
Pulliam is passionate about health over beauty. “As a Black woman trying different products and figuring out what works best for me, the one thing that I realized is that hair brands lump us together as having ‘black hair’ but all black hair is not alike,” she told Essence. “We cross a spectrum more than any other ethnic group and our hair has always been about looking like someone else’s instead of embracing what God has given us. For me it’s about healthy hair.”
Motherhood Challenges
Pulliam had her second child in her early 40s, and says having two young kids later in life has its own set of challenges. “The best thing is when you’re an older mom, I think you appreciate it a little more because you’ve had fun, you’ve lived life, you’ve kicked it, you’ve done all the things,” she told The Bump. “So now you can really just turn your focus on these two little humans who are looking to you… They get the best of you. I love that. The downside, of course, is you’re older, so you’re a little tired.”
Self-Care For Moms
Pulliam loves her family but emphasizes how important self-care is for mothers. “Family has always been the most important thing to me. I come from a big loving, boisterous family myself,” she told The Bump. “I’m the oldest of four—I have three brothers. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t look forward to having a family of my own.”