Heidi D'Amelio On Supporting Her Daughters' Passions And Prioritizing Wellness At 53
When Charli and Dixie D'Amelio started posting dance videos on TikTok from their home in Norwalk, Conn., no one in the family could have predicted how quickly their lives would change. Heidi D'Amelio soon found herself in front of the camera too—and now, as a former personal trainer, she's using her platform to share her own journey with health and wellness.
By the end of 2019, Charli and Dixie had become two of TikTok's most-followed creators and amassed millions of fans seemingly overnight. Their viral success evolved into a full-scale empire, including a three-season Hulu reality series, The D'Amelio Show, brand endorsements, business ventures like D'Amelio Brands and 444 Capital, Dancing With the Stars, and more. Forbes named Charli the highest-paid TikTok star in the world in 2021 and 2022.
'Everything that happened with the girls is a lot to digest—especially as young ladies,' Heidi told me over Zoom. "It's taken a minute for them to settle in and feel good just in their own bodies.' She shared that her daughters are continuing to pursue passions beyond social media, like Charli making her Broadway debut in & Juliet and Dixie returning to the recording studio.
For Heidi, between navigating life as an empty nester and celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary, she's diving into health and wellness, reconnecting with herself, and carving out space to support other women in a similar stage.
'Oh my gosh. Just a lot of happiness,' she said of this season of life. 'I feel, health-wise, better than I've ever felt, because I'm figuring it out.' She and her husband, Marc D'Amelio, will mark their 25th wedding anniversary in May, and she's looking forward to 'celebrate us and that, to honor the girls and what they're doing, individually and together.'
I spoke with Heidi about how it all started, what she's learned along the way, her experience on Dancing with the Stars, and why she's passionate about health tech, like the Evie Ring, as a tool to help women embrace data-driven wellness and feel empowered in their bodies. (This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: (EDITOR'S NOTE: Image has been retouched.) In this image released on ... More January 24, (L-R) Dixie D'Amelio, Marc D'Amelio, Heidi D'Amelio, and Charli D'Amelio pose for a portrait during the 26th Annual Family Film And TV Awards in Los Angeles, California. The 26th Annual Family Film And TV Awards airs on Saturday, Jan. 27 (8:00 PM-9:00 PM, ET/PT), exclusively on the CBS Television Network and available for live and on-demand streaming via Paramount+. (Photo byfor Family Film and TV Awards)
Monica Mercuri: It's been over five years since your family started sharing videos on TikTok. Looking back, did you ever expect your daughters' videos to turn into such a massive success?
Heidi D'Amelio: No, I don't think you could ever plan for that. That was not a goal of theirs, and they're pretty big goal setters, and that was not on the list. So yeah, it kind of came out of left field.
Mercuri: And plus, they were, like, fun dancing videos, right? So that must have been a shock for you guys to think that moment okay, these videos are going viral.
D'Amelio: And the app was so new—it was new to us, but it was new to everybody. The girls were new to it too. It was just having fun and doing the dance videos and that kind of thing.
Mercuri: And when did you and Marc decide to get involved and try it out for yourselves?
D'Amelio: So what was happening was they gained a pretty big following of college boys. And Charli was 15 at the time, Dixie was—yeah—barely 18. And so they didn't really talk too much on the app, and there's a lot of conversations in the comments. So Marc and I felt like people need to know that they're part of a family. They have parents. These are real human beings.
We started posting, and they're like, 'Oh, wait—okay, they're normal kids. Actually, they have a family, and they live at home,' and the whole thing. And also, kind of, to humanize them, things they wouldn't post on their own accounts. Things from when they were younger and Charli dancing when she was two years old, and Dixie singing when she was three. So it humanized them without them having to tell that story. And then people just got really interested in the whole family.
Mercuri: Your social media success has provided so many opportunities now, from your Hulu reality show to Dancing with the Stars. Would you be open to doing Dancing with the Stars again, if they did like an All Star Season, and what was your experience like on that show?
D'Amelio: Amazing. It was so hard. It was so challenging, but that was the best part of it. I accomplished so much personally—pushing my mind, my muscle memory, my body, my emotions. I just had a lot of growth in that time. So I would definitely do it again. I think they've only done one All-Star season. I don't know. I think they should do an over-50 season. I would be down for that!
Mercuri: That would be amazing.
D'Amelio: I don't want to go against Charli again, I'll tell you that much! It was amazing. Honestly, we would ride to rehearsals together. We'd go home and ride home together crying, usually, because we both felt so defeated all the time. It was so hard, and we were just like two mush brains of emotions most of the time. But it was nice that we were going through it and we could lean on each other.
Mercuri: What is something you haven't done yet that's on your bucket list?
D'Amelio: I have a couple [of] things, and they're in two different directions. One, just with my own platform. I'm actually reorganizing [to] get my message of just overall wellness [out there]—with a lot of fun added into it—and just [to be] better at connecting with my audience through the things I have to share, [which] I think is something that could be helpful to other people.
And then the other thing is Special Forces. I think that would be fun to do and crazy and super hard, but I love a good challenge. And also, more content with Marc. People love when I have content with Marc on my page. We're just together all the time, so we're not thinking about making videos. It's just hang time. So, we gotta do more of that.
Mercuri: And you recently celebrated your 53rd birthday, and I know you mentioned your platform of spreading wellness. What does this stage of life look like for you?
D'Amelio: Oh my gosh. Just a lot of happiness. A lot of feeling content with where I am right now. I feel, health-wise, better than I've ever felt, because I'm figuring it out. It takes a long time sometimes, but that's been good. I just feel really happy.
Marc and I are empty nesters. I feel so happy in what we've grown to be. We're going to be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in May. Just to celebrate us and that, to celebrate the girls and what they're doing, individually and together. And I don't know—just feeling good in my skin and in my body.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 13: (L-R) Marc D'Amelio and Heidi D'Amelio arrive at the 22nd ... More annual 'Christmas at The Grove' Tree Lighting Celebration on November 13, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo byfor Caruso)
Mercuri: And to touch on what Dixie and Charli are up to—first, with Charli and her Broadway debut in & Juliet. Every video I've seen of her dancing in that show, I just stop and watch it. You must be feeling so proud. What was it like to watch that opening performance? When you saw her for the first time on stage, what did you think?
D'Amelio: Of course I was there. I would say there was this feeling of—obviously, I'm seeing her and the cast, and it's amazing and emotional—but I'm seeing my little five-year-old Charli performing. It's like, wow. She's put so many years and she's getting up on stage, and now she's on this stage, the stage of all stages. It's incredible. It's hard to put into words, because it's an amazing feeling to watch and to know all the work that went into getting there. She started dance at three years old.
Mercuri: And then for Dixie—she released some music and has pursued modeling. What is she up to now?
D'Amelio: She's just been living her best life! She's doing a lot of developing who she is as an artist. She's back in the studio and creating, and just really enjoying where she is.
Everything that happened with the girls is a lot to digest—especially as young ladies—so it's taken a minute for them to settle in and feel good just in their own bodies. And now, to put out things and get involved with projects that feel so good to them and what they're passionate about.
Mercuri: When they really exploded in fame, it was during the pandemic. It was before they were really adults. And now it seems like they're able to take the time and focus on, like you said, passions and things they've always wanted to do.
What's next for you? I know you mentioned a little bit about the wellness space, but what's coming up for you this year?
D'Amelio: I want to talk about the Evie Ring because that's been a really important part of my life. Actually, in the last roughly eight months since I got the ring, I was just super interested when I heard about it. It's the first smart ring designed for women, which is very exciting and really piqued my interest—like, what is this? What are we talking about?
It's been super beneficial for me as far as tracking my sleep. And the way that the data inspires me to prioritize it even more. And for me, sleep is number one. All the other parts of my life, they're running better because I am prioritizing my sleep. It not only just tells you how long you've slept, but it tells you what your body is doing when you're sleeping. It tells you all the different zones of sleep and how long you were in them and your vitals while you're sleeping.
And then the journal, which has been super helpful. I log my journal every night. You log your energy, your mood, and then it goes pretty deep. I mean, how you're feeling— hopeful, happy, confident, irritated, angry—your symptoms, everything from spotting, cramping, low back pain, headaches… all of these things that we think about in passing, like, 'Oh, my lower back hurts,' or 'Why am I cramping today?'
You collect this data to help yourself. It's just priceless the way this ring can do that. Even your vaginal discharge—it sounds silly, but it's so important for women's health. To have something that's so easy and kind of cute to wear on your body that can give you all these benefits is just so important for me.
Mercuri: You seem like you have a really good grip on life at 53 right now, and like you said, you're exploring your health and wellness. What advice would you give to other women your age who might be struggling—or who might just need some inspiration or encouragement?
D'Amelio: I think in the last few years, something that's been super helpful to me is really connecting with my friends, because especially at my age, we're all going through the same things. It's that menopause age, or pre-menopause, or perimenopause, and just making you feel like you're not crazy [is] very important.
So, having the conversations, just letting it out and talking to your friends or your family about how you're feeling—especially friends that are also in that same phase of their life to talk through those things and realize you're not alone. I'm going to be okay. We have to get through this, and we all learn from each other.
That has been something that's been helpful for me in my 50s so far. And then, just finding things like the Evie Ring that can help me. If I'm going into my journal and logging that I'm having the same symptoms a few times a week, I can go, 'Wait—there might be something off with me. I need to dig into this a little deeper.'
Listen to [your body]. It's smart. Pay attention. Go to your doctor. Talk to your friends. Talk to women who are a little bit older than you that maybe have been through it already. People are happy to talk about things like that. I don't care what age you are—whatever you're going through, there are people who have been through it or are going through it with you. They do want to hear about it, and they want to share.
I think naturally, as humans, we want to help each other. And that's what I want to do. I'm so fortunate to have a platform to do that, and I want to do more of that.
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