Mary Mary’s Keys to Health, Wealth and Keeping It All Together

The gospel duo talks balancing career and motherhood.

Something Big - It's clear that Mary Mary plans to continue pushing the boundaries of what gospel music can look and sound like, and their fans can't wait to see what they do next.(Photo: Columbia Pictures)

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Maintaining Grace - For three seasons now, Tina and Erica Campbell of the gospel duo Mary Mary have opened their personal lives up for the world for their hit WE tv reality series, Mary Mary, and as the cameras have shown, it isn’t always a pretty. With Season 3 premiering on February 27, the Grammy Award-winning gospel singers continue to face the challenges of managing motherhood, career and even heartbreak. Speaking exclusively with BET.com, Tina and Erica share how they have learned to keep the faith through it all. By Britt Middleton (Photo: Columbia Pictures)

Reaching a Breaking Point - Struggling like many women to “do it all", Erica says her breaking point came after she ruptured a vocal cord, threatening her ability to sing, and learned slowing down in life isn’t an option. “I was trying to fully be in Mary Mary and fully be a solo artist. So we would do a Mary Mary concert on Friday and I would leave on Saturday and go do some solo stuff and do something again on Sunday. Then Monday I’d have to come back to Mary Mary and [I found myself] trying to figure out why my body is shutting down. I had to learn to revamp.”  (Photo: Erica Campbell via Instagram)

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Reaching a Breaking Point - Struggling like many women to “do it all", Erica says her breaking point came after she ruptured a vocal cord, threatening her ability to sing, and learned slowing down in life isn’t an option. “I was trying to fully be in Mary Mary and fully be a solo artist. So we would do a Mary Mary concert on Friday and I would leave on Saturday and go do some solo stuff and do something again on Sunday. Then Monday I’d have to come back to Mary Mary and [I found myself] trying to figure out why my body is shutting down. I had to learn to revamp.” (Photo: Erica Campbell via Instagram)

On the Road - During the '90s, they toured with the gospel stage shows Mama I’m Sorry and Sneaky. They also toured as background singers for a variety of R&B acts.\r(Photo by Kristian Dowling/PictureGroup)

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Dispel the Myth of Superwoman - “As a working woman, a lot of times we try to be superwoman and sometimes we compete with the images we see in the media, with the Oprah’s and the Beyonce’s...and you don’t understand the amount of staffing they have to do what they do,” says Erica, who is a mother-of-three with husband Warryn Campbell, II. “You have to set realistic goals for yourself. But stay committed, because sometimes God does challenge you. If God is opening these doors, then he’s going to give you the wisdom to go through each individual door and be excellent.”(Photo: Kristian Dowling/PictureGroup)

Don’t Condemn Yourself - Striving for excellence often comes at a price for many working moms, as Tina, who is a mother of five with husband Teddy Campbell, explains. “What happens is that we run around condemning ourselves, and that’s the most horrible thing any of us can do. Most working moms, we sit around condemned because we’re working to take care of our children and we’re feeling guilty that we don’t have the same freedom as a mom who doesn’t work. Put your greatest energy in the thing that is most important or fulfilling to you. If it’s not work, then take a little time and put it into family.”  (Photo: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Super Bowl)

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Don’t Condemn Yourself - Striving for excellence often comes at a price for many working moms, as Tina, who is a mother of five with husband Teddy Campbell, explains. “What happens is that we run around condemning ourselves, and that’s the most horrible thing any of us can do. Most working moms, we sit around condemned because we’re working to take care of our children and we’re feeling guilty that we don’t have the same freedom as a mom who doesn’t work. Put your greatest energy in the thing that is most important or fulfilling to you. If it’s not work, then take a little time and put it into family.” (Photo: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Super Bowl)

Best Gospel Artist – Mary Mary - It's a three-peat for the gospel duo, who won Best Gospel Artist in 2009 and again in 2011.  (Photo: Sony Music)

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Burn The Midnight Oil - Having four Grammys to their name is a testament to their work ethic. It’s important to have for yourself a sacred space where you can work on personal projects, Tina says, free from the distractions of the outside world. “As far as my creative space goes, I find that I have to do that when everybody else is asleep. I literally turn on all my creativity at 10 o’clock [at night]. So I say [to myself] just accept it, ‘Tina, rock your 10 to 2 [a.m. ]and choose the days that you want to get sleep on.’ It works for me.” (Photo: Sony Music)

Let Discipline Guide You - “I had a friend tell me that you’ll only go as far as your discipline will take you,” Erica says. “If you are not disciplined enough to start a business to see it through, then you won’t reach it.  Your discipline is the determining factor. When it comes to business, if you’re not on top of things and meeting deadlines, you’re not going to reach those high levels of success.”(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

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Let Discipline Guide You - “I had a friend tell me that you’ll only go as far as your discipline will take you,” Erica says. “If you are not disciplined enough to start a business to see it through, then you won’t reach it.  Your discipline is the determining factor. When it comes to business, if you’re not on top of things and meeting deadlines, you’re not going to reach those high levels of success.”(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Gospel Superstars - Mary Mary was the first gospel act to record for mainstream music label Columbia Records.(Photo: Phil McCarten/PictureGroup)

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Take Care of Yourself First - Even with their plates full with performances and studio sessions, the ladies say they still make time for fitness and good nutrition, even if it means sneaking it in by running laps around the park when she takes her children to the playground, Erica says. “You just have to fit it in where you can, and it’s really chaotic. But the same way you have to change the oil in your car, you have to change your body. You have to detox and make sure that you’re drinking lots of water and getting lots of rest eat as healthy as you can while trying to be a creative entrepreneur.”(Photo: Phil McCarten/PictureGroup)

Photo: Phil McCarten/PictureGroup

Mary Mary - With a career that spans almost twenty years, this "Shackles (Praise You)" duo broke the mold in 2000 with their debut album Thankful.Now, after winning multiple Grammys, including one for their most recent song "Go Get It," the duo is nominated for the BET Awards '13 Best Group award.

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Don’t Deprive Yourself - While Tina admits that she’s still working on finding ways to fit fitness into her busy schedule, she keeps her health goals in check by balancing smarter food choices with the occasional indulgences. “I really like healthy food, but I also like my macaroni and cheese and biscuits and stuff like that. I mix that in with some nice kale salads and some berries and things like that. And water is my liquid of choice.”(Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for NAACP Image Awards)

Erica Campbell - February 26, 2014 - Erica Campbell's stopped by 106 and gave the audience a little "Help" with her new single.Watch a clip now!(Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

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Mastering Mommy Chic  - “Even when I’m being mommy, I still take a little time for myself,” Erica says. I like extensions and wigs and sometimes I wear my own hair and just add some clip-ins. I used to do hair, so I like to mix it up a little bit. As for her favorite hair health tip she says, “Condition, condition, condition!” She’s a fan of leave-in conditioners by African Pride. “You have to take care of your hair, whether you wear braids or weave, and mostly you do it from the inside out. The same way you want healthy nails and skin, you’ll have healthy hair.” (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Keep It Simple - For her everyday beauty routine, sister Tina says less is more for her on-the-go lifestyle. “I don’t like to wear a whole lot of makeup. Most of the time, it’s a nice ponytail with [my] edges slicked really pretty and some mascara and lip gloss to get the job done. I almost never leave my house without moisturizing and applying a radiant shimmer on my face. I’ll add it to my moisturizer and sometimes my foundation. I’ve been using one by Benefit.”  (Photo: Courtesy of Paras Griffin)

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Keep It Simple - For her everyday beauty routine, sister Tina says less is more for her on-the-go lifestyle. “I don’t like to wear a whole lot of makeup. Most of the time, it’s a nice ponytail with [my] edges slicked really pretty and some mascara and lip gloss to get the job done. I almost never leave my house without moisturizing and applying a radiant shimmer on my face. I’ll add it to my moisturizer and sometimes my foundation. I’ve been using one by Benefit.” (Photo: Courtesy of Paras Griffin)