In USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives, whether it's at home, on the set or on the road.
Porsha Williams is back like she never left.
The reality star and entrepreneur, who rose to prominence on "Real Housewives of Atlanta," is returning to the show after two seasons away from the Bravo reality series. Since we last saw Williams, 43, she has been busy with multiple businesses (Go Naked Hair, Pampered by Porsha) and acting roles ("Single Black Female 3," set to premiere on Lifetime March 22), as well as motherhood and entering a new chapter post-filing for divorce.
This season of "RHOA" feels "right" for her.
"It was the type of situation where the door wasn't all the way closed, and it just ended up being the right synergy, the right time, right space," she says. "Three years ended up being enough time for me to spend mommy-ing, doing all the things that I needed to do off TV, enjoying that break. And there was a little bit of less pressure on me."
From what makes sisterhood on "RHOA" crucial to post-relationship life lessons and the importance of self-care, Williams lets us in on her essentials.
Porsha Williams on 'RHOA' sisterhood, relationship with Phaedra Parks
Williams said a stint on "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip" Season 3 and the sisterhood felt on the spinoff made her consider rejoining the "Housewives" fray for Season 16.
"I was talking to (executive producer Andy Cohen and production), saying, I would love for 'Housewives' to have this vibe: sisterhood, having a good time, enjoyable, very little producing at all," she says. "And we worked it out."
A part of that sisterhood that fans have come to miss is the Frick and Frack relationship between Williams and fellow longtime cast member Phaedra Parks.
Their relationship has had ebbs and flows, but Parks has said her return to the show after six seasons at the same time as Williams was the Pampered by Porsha founder's idea.
Williams is "more excited than anybody" about it. "I think having that Frick and Frack relationship back at a time like this is most important."
What makes a good friend? Porsha Williams stresses different friends for different seasons
The No. 1 rule of the Frick and Frack dynamic is to "support each other" and "celebrate each other," she added.
For Williams, real friendship isn't just about leaning on someone in hard times – it's about having a good time together, too.
"I needed that light-hearted fun," she says. "All friends aren't the ones that you just cry on their shoulders. Some are there to distract you with a good time and a good twerk. And we do just that together."
She continues: "There's no jealousy, there's no competition, none of that," bringing a positive energy to the show.
One of Williams' favorite parts of this season was an "old school Housewives" moment with her, Parks and Cynthia Bailey, who is a friend of the show this season.
"It is definitely heartwarming to be able to have Cynthia there, have Phaedra there. We were just cutting up, acting silly, having a good time, reading each girl one by one, just having a good kiki. And it really took me back to those sisterhood moments of being able to just enjoy another female who deals with the things that you deal with in life."
Porsha Williams' life lessons post-divorce: 'Let people come in'
Just over a year ago, Williams filed to divorce her husband, Simon Guobadia, after 15 months of marriage. Though the Go Naked hair founder won't say much about the ongoing legal matter, her main takeaway for this chapter of her life is to assess who is around you, and not to be afraid to rely on your village.
"Being able to have people who speak life into you and your difficult moments, and who allow you to process things the way you would need to process them. To be able to let people come in and support you, who love you and care about you, this is very important," she says. "And I don't think I valued that as much before because I always felt like I was on my own and doing everything on my own, and had to survive on my own."
When it comes to her family and her team, she intends to "keep that circle tight and close and cherish them."
"The people who you have closest to you really do make a difference (in) how you handle situations."
Porsha Williams on balancing work, motherhood
From work to being a full-time mom to daughter Pilar with her ex, Dennis McKinley, what keeps Williams grounded is "taking time for me" and making her well-being a priority.
"I have had the opportunity to enjoy true peace, and I protect it fiercely," she says. "I have strong boundaries for anything that seems to come in and disrupt any part of my peace."
And between multiple businesses and acting roles, she listens to her mind and body if she needs a break.
"At the end of the day, I realized, as long as I'm good, if my cup is filled, then that's how I can go into my daughter and my work and everything else around me," she says. "So I do prioritize self, which can seem a little selfish, but you have to be a survivor these days."
