For successful actress and entrepreneur Vanessa Hudgens, the so-called “secret” to finding that elusive work-life balance is admitting that, well, it doesn’t exist at all.
“There is no such thing as balance. I don’t believe in balance,” the High School Musical star and cofounder of Caliwater, 37, exclusively told Us on Friday, September 25, while attending a Golden hour With Caliwater poolside gathering. “With me, it’s literally all or nothing.”
She continued, “I think [Caliwater cofounder] Oliver [Trevena] mentioned it, but I’m a very present person. I’m very proud of myself for being able to stay in the present. And I feel like, in the present, you can only focus on one thing at a time in order to be fully present. So it’s all or nothing for me.”
Hudgens and her husband, Cole Tucker, certainly have their hands full as the busy parents of two kids under 2. (Hudgens gave birth to baby No. 1 in July 2024, going on to welcome their second baby in November 2025. The pair did not immediately reveal their children’s names or sexes.)
“[We have] two kids now,” Tucker, 30, said on a January 2026 episode of the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast. “I got [kids who are] 7 weeks and a year-and-a-half right now. I’m in the fight.”
He continued at the time, “[We have] one of each. I want him to do whatever he wants to do, but my wife and I want to expose him to as much as we can. He was born on July 1st last year, and he [already] plays the drums and the piano and the guitar and baseball.”
While speaking to Us on Friday, Hudgens — who is not only the cofounder of Caliwater, a beverage brand that produces antioxidant-rich cactus water, but who has also cofounded several additional businesses including A Star Is Born and KNOW Beauty — explained that if she tries to do too much at once in the name of “balance” things become unmanageable.
“I try to stay present because if I get ahead of myself, I get extremely overwhelmed,” she explained. “But I’m so blessed and so fortunate to be able to do everything that I do, and I try to just breathe and enjoy every moment.”
Hudgens’ business partner, Trevena, couldn’t help but sing the actress’ praises on Friday, revealing the many reasons why Hudgens is a joy to work with.
“I will give you 100 percent honesty. Forget work – she’s my best friend,” Trevena, 45, told Us. “She’s been there for me through it all — every struggle, every everything. She’s my go-therapist. And then work, she’s a dream partner because she shows up. She’s passionate about what she does. She cares.”
Trevena continued, “She’s so particular about everything she does, and I think that’s what shows up in her work. Whether it’s on screen, whether it’s a brand, whether [it’s] anything she’s building, she is hands-on and passionate about it. As far as a partner, it makes my job easy because she’s got my back personally and professionally.”
While Hudgens continues to show up as an actress, entrepreneur and business partner, wife and mom of two, she told Us there’s one thing she hopes her babies take away from her focus and success.
“I just want my kids to always know that mom was there for them,” she explained. “That’s the most important thing I feel in life, honestly — being a parent and being there for your children and creating wonder for them.”
