Naturi Naughton Says She Feels Like a ‘Superwoman’ after Losing Nearly 30 Lbs in Nine Months (Exclusive)

Naturi Naughton is opening up about her holistic transformation.

While speaking with PEOPLE ahead of the premiere of her new project, Eric Jerome Dickey’s Friends and Lovers, the singer and actress opens up about the mental and physical transformation she’s made over the past few months.

Naughton, 41, won the 2025 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie for her role in Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie in February. She tells PEOPLE that she was “excited and honored” to be not only a nominee, but also the recipient of the award. However, she says she didn’t feel “confident” in her appearance.

“I just really didn’t feel as confident in my clothes, in my dress and in my own skin in a way. It took me a while post-pregnancy to feel good again, and I think at that time, I really made a mental shift that I was like, ‘I’m going to have to eat and workout differently, try different things,’ ” she explains. “I was just willing to go harder, so that I could really see true results. And I think that was the shift.”

Naughton explains that it wasn’t that she didn’t believe she looked beautiful that night. Instead, she tells PEOPLE she wanted “to feel beautiful in a different way.”

From that moment, the Power actress set her mind to one goal: “elevation.” With every workout session with her personal trainer, Jerry Joseph, Naughton challenged herself to reach new heights, both physically and mentally.

“It’s more of an elevation of myself. I feel like yes, my physical may look different to some people, but I’m the same girl, just elevated,” she says. “And I think that there was a goal in mind as far as feeling healthy and feeling lighter.”

Over the past nine months, Naughton shifted her eating habits, dedicated herself to a workout regimen, and improved her mental health. The mom of two has lost nearly 30 lbs. and rebuilt her strength.

The Lottery Ticket alum tells PEOPLE she started to see her physical change when her husband Two Lewis, her children, son Tru and daughter Zuri, and her close family and friends began to tell her that it was working. They even joined her for a few of the workouts, which only motivated her more.

“As someone who’s had two children, I know that even how I was feeling after my second baby, it was more like taking back control of my body and taking back control of how I feel in my own skin,” she tells PEOPLE. “And I think that that’s something that’s a struggle as a mother often that I encourage people no matter what it is, just do what works for you and don’t apologize for it, just do you.”

She adds, “I really want to be able to still be able to be healthy and feel active, not just for me, but for my kids.”

Throughout her holistic wellness journey, Naughton says she experienced a few personal emotional setbacks. She explains there were times when negative public opinion of her body on social media would be a “distraction” from her overall goals.

“I think what I had to do during those emotional setbacks was to say, ‘You know what, I know the version of me that I’m happy with, and I know when I feel my best and I know when I’m happy and feeling sexy and beautiful and that’s where I’m at right now,’ ” she says. “‘And I really don’t care what anybody else says or feels or whatever they think because it’s all worth it in the end.'”

“It is literally a mental shift because losing weight is changing your mindset first. And everything else that you do to push you… is a mental commitment,” she adds. “So if your mind is committed to doing something, everything else will follow.”

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For Naughton, this mental shift gave her the power to choose herself and get focused on her wellness. It created a space for her where she’d cater to herself first, empowering her to feel as though she could do everything she wanted to do.

“[With] the change and the weight loss and me really getting focused about my mental and my body, I felt that I was some kind of superwoman,” Naughton tells PEOPLE. “I started to feel like I can do anything.”

“I feel really empowered. I feel that once you show yourself that you can accomplish something, it does give you a boost of energy,” she continues. “I also feel really light on my feet. I feel young again, to be honest. I know this is cliché, but I actually do feel young again.”

Reflecting on the past few months when she reclaimed herself, Naughton advises others who desire to devote themselves to their own journeys not to be too hard on themselves and to commit to their word. She shares that the journey surpasses weight loss, extending to all areas of life.

“Be kind to yourself, surround yourself with good people and like-minded individuals who understand your goals,” she advises. “Then do what you say you’re going to do.”

“Keep your word,” she adds. “That’s a big one, keep your word, and just believe in yourself. That’d be my advice, believe that you can do it ’cause if you believe you can do it, you will do it.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.