Goldie Hawn on what inspired her to seek medical help in her 20s

Goldie Hawn is getting real about her life behind the scenes.

After becoming a professional dancer at 19-years-old and then winning her first Academy Award at 24 for "Cactus Flower," Hawn, now 76, admits that she had a hard time dealing with fame back in her 20s.

"What happened was is that being a dancer all my life and then being picked outta the chorus, put into a TV show, I didn’t respond well," she said during a recent Sunday Sitdown appearance with Willie Geist. "And then I started getting anxious. And then I started getting panic attacks."

Hawn said she was so "scared about what was going on" that she decided to seek medical attention.

"I saw a doctor," she said. "I wanted to get happy again. My intention was not to live this way."

"So I went for eight years, and what was so great about it, it was like the university," Hawn continued. "I called it the university of me."

In 2003, Hawn took a 15-year break from acting. She devoted her time to creating MindUP, an organization that helps children "manage stress, regulate emotions and face the challenges of the 21st century with optimism, resilience and compassion," the website states.

"I had a big, honkin’ dream, it was crazy. I mean, I thought, I want to create something that I can — that children can access, and teachers, all over the world," she said. "Because we need to build a kinder world, a world that actually has greater capacity for critical thinking."

To date, the programs that MindUP offers like mindful awareness and positive psychology have reached over 7 million kids worldwide and Hawn couldn't be any happier.

"I will say maybe the best, ‘cause I was a producer — that I ever produced, the best thing, is MindUP," she said. "I won’t get an Academy Award for this script, but definitely it’s gonna work for kids. You know what I mean? And then I said, 'OK, if it works for, like, 10 children, I’ve done something good.' And now there’re millions."

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