In USA TODAY’s The Essentials, celebrities share what fuels their lives, whether it’s at home, on set or on the road.
NEW YORK – Summer should be fun, and “Summer House” star Amanda Batula is making sure of that.
The Bravo reality TV star, along with husband Kyle Cooke, has spent the last nine seasons showcasing the life of a share house in the Hamptons, bonding and partying with friends and housemates. This year, Batula is stepping into her power more than ever.
“I’m really becoming a new person now,” she says. Batula has entered entrepreneurship – launching a successful swimwear collaboration with South Moon Under and timing her sold-out drops to each Wednesday’s episode of Season 9 – and is putting her mental health and friendships first.
“We live in a house together, you don’t want unnecessary tension – even though we’ve had it over the years, and there’s been our ups and downs,” she says. “You want to get along. We all have the most fun when we’re all getting along together, and that’s what the fans really like to watch, too.”
Batula shares her morning routine must-haves, go-to TV shows and Hamptons necessities.
Amanda Batula reveals her top everyday essentials and favorites
Amanda Batula of Bravo’s “Summer House” shares a look at her daily routine and product must-haves.
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Maintaining mental health with sunshine, dog walks and meds
Batula has opened up on the Bravo reality show about her depression and mental health, finding support from her castmates and viewers alike for her candor.
Maintaining a solid foundation for her mental includes “my medication, I can’t speak more highly about it.”
“I know that there’s a stigma around it, but when you have a headache, you take Advil. When you’re depressed, you take antidepressants. If they’re making it that easy, why not just do it?” She also urges people to “go see your doctor if you’re struggling with mental health.”
“Getting outside is really big for me. Fortunately, I have my dogs,” she says as her adorable pup Reese watches her from the couch. “And then finding time to do things that I love: Cooking has been a big thing for me … (and) getting out and seeing friends.”
She says she’s taking “small steps to just feel like normal and feel like I’m able to keep my sanity.”
Electrolyte water is the new coffee
Though Batula says “coffee and matcha lattes” are “probably my favorite,” she’s made a morning drink switch.
“Recently, I’ve been feeling (caffeine is) giving me anxiety, so I’ve been drinking a big thing of electrolyte water” as her “new go to thing to energize me and fuel me throughout the day. Caffeine is only when absolutely necessary.” She cites Kroma Wellness’ cranberry hydration elixir jar as a go-to.
‘Summer House’ star’s mornings start slowly with couch cuddles
Mornings are “pretty slow over here,” she says. “We walk the dogs. I feed them, and their food is frozen, so we call it couch cuddles after breakfast cuddles. We get on the couch and we cuddle for a couple of minutes, and I’m able to scroll my phone and sort of wake up while the dogs digest.”
Batula works alongside her husband leading creative and branding for Cooke’s beverage brand, Loverboy, which allows her flexibility during her work day.
“Kyle goes over to the office side” of their shared space while Batula stays “on the apartment side, and I’m just able to do my content, take meetings, take calls.”
“Because I have the flexibility to work from home, and I’m not working for someone specifically, I’m able to do things that a lot of people do in the morning anytime throughout my day. If I want to squeeze in a quick workout or run some errands, I could anytime in between meetings. But I like a nice, calm, slow, quiet morning. Kyle’s up at the gym, (but) I’m still in bed by the time he gets back.”
Amanda Batula’s nonnegotiable in her night routine
Batula says she’s “more regimented” at night: “Doing my full skincare routine, making sure the kitchen is cleaned up before bed, taking the dogs out, unwinding with the dogs and watching some of our favorite shows or a movie.”
Her dogs have Wellness Whimzees dental bones “so that they’re brushing their teeth while I’m also brushing mine and getting ready for bed, because they’re small and dental health is such an important factor.”
Amanda Batula, Kyle Cooke are watching this medical show
Though she’s not a “repeat watcher” of the same comfort TV shows, Batula is a repeat viewer of the medical drama genre.
“I’ve been into doctor shows,” she says, noting Fox’s “Doc” and Max breakout series “The Pitt” as recent watches. “Those are two that I keep going back and forth between. I’m obsessed with them because they release weekly, (but) I’m like, can you just give them all to me at once?”
But, Batula jokes, if Cooke “ever watched anything without me, I would murder him.”
“He travels a bunch, so I’ll be home over the weekend (and) I’ll binge watch a whole season of something. If I think it’s really good, when he comes back I’ll say, ‘Let’s watch this together,’ and I’ll watch it a second time.”
Amanda Batula’s Hamptons essentials
As a Hamptons aficionado, Batula knows what to pack for the long haul from New York City to Long Island each weekend of the summer.
“You will never see me out in the Hamptons without denim,” she says, pairing jeans and denim shorts with a T-shirt or “a nice going-out top,” with Zara as a recent go-to for her clothing basics.
“Linen sets are a must again. They’re a really easy thing for me to pair. I’ll always have a pair of chunky sandals and a pair of very slim, sleek sandals and then sunglasses. … I love to put them up as an accessory, not even to wear on my face, almost more of as a headband. I’ll always be out there with sunglasses.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
