Kristin Cavallari may have spent her teens partying in Cabo on national TV, but her own kids won’t be getting that same spring break freedom.

In The Reunion: Laguna Beach, streaming April 10 on Roku, the reality star turned entrepreneur and podcast queen returns to her coastal hometown nearly 22 years after the MTV series debuted. In a conversation with Yahoo touching on everything from the reunion to her kids to turning 40 next year, Cavallari reflects on that long-awaited moment, including on-camera closure with onscreen rival Lauren Conrad, and how she sees her high school years differently as a mom.

“How did my dad let me go to Cabo without an adult as a junior in high school?” she tells me with a laugh. “Letting kids [do that] at 16, 17, 18 is pretty wild to me.”

Cavallari also shares what her three kids — Camden, 13, Jaxon, 12, and Saylor, 10 — think about the series, saying they were “bored” when they saw clips and view her as “cringey” in general. These days, she’s let go of trying to control every outcome, saying she’s “more in the passenger seat” of her life and focused on being present during what she sees as a busy — and fleeting — season of parenting.

And while she’s built her life in Tennessee, Cavallari doesn’t rule out returning to Laguna Beach someday.

One thing from the reunion fans will love

After being pitted against each other onscreen in a rivalry over Stephen Colletti, Cavallari and Conrad find resolution at the bonfire as the reunion ends.

“The one thing that made it all worthwhile was having that finale scene with Lauren,” she says. “After all of these years, it just had to happen.”

Hearing their perspectives, with the benefit of time and distance, feels like the ending viewers didn’t get back then. The special brings together the original cast — also including Talan Torriero, Dieter Schmitz, Trey Phillips and Lo Bosworth (virtually, as she just gave birth) — at more settled points in their lives.

“I just think seeing everybody 22 years later [will be a highlight for fans,” says Cavallari. “It's nostalgic. But it's also really sweet because everyone collectively is doing really well. People will be happy to see how everyone turned out.”

One thing about being back in Laguna Beach

The reunion brought Cavallari back to familiar spots — including old haunts — and gave her a renewed appreciation for Orange County, Calif.

“Every time you drive into Laguna, it really does take your breath away,” she says. “It's not that I didn’t appreciate it in high school, but when you live somewhere like that, you take it for granted. It wasn't until I moved away and experienced other places … that I started to appreciate it much more.”

Conrad moved back to town with her family, we learn in the special. Cavallari says she hasn’t ruled out a similar path — just not yet.

“When we were there for the reunion, it was the first time I was like: ‘You know what? Maybe I could,’” she says. “I'm not going anywhere — I'm in Franklin, Tenn., and my kids are really happy there. I think it's the perfect place to raise a family. But I have eight more years until kids are out of the house. Maybe to some people, that sounds like a long time, but I know how quickly that will go. I do think I'll end up at a beach somewhere — I am just figuring out where — But I really love Laguna, so we’ll see.”

One thing from the show that she sees differently now as a parent

“Spring break,” Cavallari says without missing a beat. “That I would not let my kids do — or I’d be the chaperone.”

She doesn’t think it was all out of line for a teenager.

“How did my dad let me go to Cabo without an adult? Letting kids [do that] at 16, 17, 18 is pretty wild to me.”

“We were doing what most teenage kids are doing— we just lived in Laguna Beach with a beautiful backdrop,” she says. “The drinking, the lying to your parents, saying you're sleeping at a friend's house when really you're sleeping at a boyfriend's, that's pretty universal. My dad obviously had no idea that was going on, or if he did, he didn't give me any indication.”

One thing she regrets about early fame

The reunion revisits the show’s defining moments, including the love triangle involving Colletti, who apologizes for how he treated her in Cabo.

“I actually don’t regret anything — and I know that’s really cliché,” Cavallari says. “There are moments I’m not necessarily proud of, but I had to grow up, and I happened to do it in front of the public. It was all part of [getting] me where I am today. The show and fame at such a young age really made me look inward, so I’m actually really thankful for it.”

One thing about motherhood

Her kids with ex-husband Jay Cutler have seen snippets of Laguna Beach and The Hills, which followed. She went on to headline her own shows, Very Cavallari and Honestly Cavallari. They are generally unimpressed.

“They don't think much of it,” she laughs. “They've seen clips and thought it was boring. Obviously, they know it was a huge part of my life, and it's what jump-started my entire career. But my kids really just look at me as Mom. It's not exciting to them. There have been little moments in my career that they've thought were cool, but overall, they think I'm Mom and they think I'm cringey, is what they say.”

One thing about fashion

Her signature style has come full circle.

“I was known for the black choker on Laguna Beach, and when I launched Uncommon James in 2017, we launched with a bunch of chokers,” she says. “In honor of the reunion, we’re bringing the black choker back. It’s really nice to pay homage to the original series like that.”

She’s also revisiting another 2000s staple.

“Butterfly clips — I was obsessed with them,” she says. “This morning when I was taking a shower, I didn't want to wash my hair, so I put it all up in a little butterfly clip  … which is what I always used to do. So everything old is new again.”

One thing about wellness

When it comes to her mental and physical well-being, she has one non-negotiable.

“Sleep is the most important thing for me,” Cavallari says. “Everyone who knows me jokes that I go to bed very early. I’m usually in bed by 9. I wake up early, obviously for school and whatnot, but … if I don’t get enough sleep, I can see it in my face, and mentally I can tell. So I really prioritize sleep as much as possible.”

One thing about being a podcast host

She also found success as a podcast host, currently helming lifestyle listen Let’s Be Honest. (Back to the Beach, which she did with Colletti, remains a fan fave — and is now living on in the archives.) So who’s her dream guest list?

“There's not an active one that I'm like: ‘Let's keep asking this person,’” she says. “But I really wanted Brandon Sklenar to come on to promote The Housemaid, but that didn't happen, so I would love [to have] him. And Kate Moss … [she] doesn't do podcasts, but she would be my dream guest. She obviously has the best stories. I would love to just pick her brain for hours and hours.”

One thing she wants to do before turning 40 

While she has a milestone birthday coming in January 2027, Cavallari isn’t making a checklist.

“Oh God, that’s not that much time,” she says when I ask if there’s anything she’s hoping to do before she turns 40. “What’s so funny is I used to be very goal-oriented. I used to have — or think I had — my whole life planned out. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve let go of a lot of that control.”

Instead, the divorcée is embracing a different mindset.

“I’m really in a phase of letting life unfold,” she says. “Of course I have goals, but I’m more in the passenger seat of my life — and that feels really good. There’s nothing on my list like, ‘I really want to do this.’”

She’s more focused on being in the moment.

“My life is mostly kids and then work,” she says. “We’re really busy with all the sports. It’s a busy season. I know these years go by so fast, so I’m just trying to be fully present.”