Few women a part of Bravo’s Real Housewives franchises are as iconic as Lisa Barlow. Between her one-of-a-kind “Lisa-isms” (Hi, baby gorgeous!), her unwavering self-love, fast food fanaticism and Diet Coke adoration, the 50-year-old television personality is as entertaining as they come. And when she isn’t glammed up on our screens as an integral member of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City cast, you won’t find her resting on her laurels. The reality star is what some might refer to as a serial entrepreneur, and whether she’s balancing her commitment to her liquor brand, VIDA Tequila, her marketing company, LUXE, or the demands of motherhood, Barlow certainly knows how to juggle. Now, with an exciting partnership with Clorox, she dishes to FIRST for Women about raising her two boys, finding peace and keeping her side of the street clean—even when things on RHOSLC get messy.
Lisa Barlow on the power of clean
Lisa Barlow has welcomed us into her home many times since we first met her back in 2020 on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, and for her and her family, a tidy space is about more than just aesthetics. “For me, it’s super therapeutic,” she says of cleaning. “I clean every Saturday morning from the top of the house to the bottom of the house, every room.” Whether it be her nightly routine of wiping down the baseboards of her home with a trusty Clorox wipe or her pre-bedtime routine of tidying up her room, for Lisa, it all boils down to organization and prioritizing her time.
“I just find that coming up with good habits creates a great lifestyle,” says the small-screen star—and this extends beyond cleaning her home. “As soon as I wear an outfit, it immediately goes to the dry cleaners so it’s fresh and clean. We’re the number one customer at our local dry cleaner,” she joked. “But I think just creating good habits is super important if you want to be successful in anything, from cleaning your house to work to being a mom.”
Lisa Barlow talks parenting and being mom to Jack and Henry
Lisa and her husband John share two sons, Jack, 20, and Henry, 13, and as a boy mom, Lisa knows a thing or two about messes. However, over time, she’s taught her two sons to take pride in their things and spaces, both boys coming to acquire her knack for cleaning—but it wasn’t without at least a little bit of trouble.
“Oh my gosh, we totally struggled with it,” she shared with FIRST. “But I think as they got older, they created good habits, like Henry won’t leave his room in the morning without making his bed. He loves to wash his sheets. He does his own laundry, and when he cooks in the kitchen, he does ‘Cooking with Henry,’ these little videos, and he’ll clean up after. He’ll make sure everything’s spotless after. And I think our boys like feeling like, we have nice things, so we want to keep our nice things nice, and part of that is keeping it clean, putting things away.”
While Lisa and her hubby have taught their boys the importance of taking care of themselves and their things, she’s also sure to credit them with teaching her a thing or two over the years.
“My boys both have this really strong, innate confidence, and where I used to want to go in and solve their problems and help them with things, I’ve learned to take a back seat, and they can handle way more than I think they can,” she says, citing that they’ve allowed her to realize that she doesn’t always have to be the fixer—and it’s their individual quirks and personality traits that makes being their mom so fun.
“I think his opinions on things are so important to me,” she said of her eldest son Jack, noting that their weekly phone calls while he is away serving on his Mormon mission in Colombia makes her love Mondays. “I feel like he’s so connected to his generation, and it helps me stay connected to his generation.” As for youngster Henry, Barlow says he is “smart, inventive, creative. He can take apart anything and put it back together, and he’s so pragmatic about his thoughts.” She continued, “I just love being their mom. I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my whole entire life. Parenting isn’t for everyone, but for me, it’s been the best thing I’ve ever done.”
How Lisa Barlow keeps her calm
For the reality TV star, when drama is at nearly every turn, self-care is crucial. From nighttime baths and weekly massages to prioritizing think time, Lisa has found the right tools to ensure she keeps her cool. “There are certain things that are super therapeutic,” she says. “I think walking is a good way for me to process my thoughts, get in touch with my feelings. I don’t always handle things well. I think I’m reactive and I’ve been really trying to be less reactive,” Barlow shares. “But I think it’s like, I am who I am. I think those kinds of things are super important.” And with that being said, Barlow’s quite content with who she is. After all, “You don’t have to like me,” she once famously said. “I love myself enough for the both of us.”
