Tabitha Brown was inspired by Mister Rogers for her new YouTube Kids show 'Tab Time'

• Tabitha Brown's YouTube Kids show "Tab Time" premiered Wednesday.

• Insider spoke with the "Feeding the Soul" author about her journey and inspiration.

• Brown said she was inspired by the late Fred Roger's "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

Tabitha Brown's gentle approach to teaching has a direct connection to Mister Rogers, whom she credits with partially inspiring her new kids' show, "Tab Time," on YouTube.

The actress turned "momfluencer" garnered the hearts and attention of viewers with her TikTok vegan cooking videos that came sprinkled with words of wisdom. Brown grew her following on the platform to nearly five million followers, leading her to new business ventures like her own branded seasoning and a best-selling cookbook.

Now, her growing fanbase opened the door for her to pursue a dream that felt like an answered prayer, she said.

"For the last few years, that has been my desire — to do a children's show," Brown told Insider during a phone call earlier this week. "I thought that if I could get children's minds to open, to where they understand themselves and their feelings, then they can learn to have compassion, kindness, and love for others."

Brown says she has been compared to Mister Rogers in the past thanks to their shared belief in compassion

Brown said she came up with the idea of creating a show like "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" with a modern twist that includes vibrant colors and music. "Tab Time" explores themes such as family, helping others, music, how things grow, and mistakes.

Rogers' show ran from 1968 to 2001, and was designed for young viewers to explore early childhood themes through his interaction with friends and neighbors along with puppet stories set in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

"For years people would compare us," Brown said of the late Fred Rogers, who hosted the children's program. "They would say, 'You remind me of Mister Rogers,' and I would think, 'How do I remind you of Mister Rogers?' But I guess over time I started to see it and understand because he was all about love and compassion."

And it's the same love and compassion that Brown shows that got many online to become fans. For example, In Time Magazine's profile of Brown, she was called the "the Gentlest Person on the Internet."

Throughout her 10-episode YouTube show, Brown hopes that it not only helps children but the inner-child in adults as well. She hopes "they feel loved, heard, seen, and excited about a new way of thinking and communicating."

Brown says 'Tab Time' is tapping back into herself after feeling lost in the Hollywood shuffle

Brown told Insider she had to rediscover herself when asked about the journey to becoming this person that inspires and connects with people.

"It really came from me tapping into myself," she said. "I had to get back to me. For so many years I was lost in the shuffle of trying to fit in and trying to be accepted by who I thought Hollywood, the entertainment industry, or corporate America wanted me to be — and I lost myself."

She continued: "And so I was like, 'Wait a minute, this is not freedom.' In that moment, I tapped back into Tab and said, 'You know what? I'm enough just as I am. And I have to show up for me and be who God created me to be every day.' That's what freedom is."

It's a daily process for Brown, who said she peels back layers of herself daily. "I don't sacrifice my freedom for anything," she added.

Episodes of "Tab Time" are released on Wednesdays at 12 p.m. ET on the official Tabitha Brown YouTube channel.

Read the original article on Insider