Tia Mowry Says ‘Distance’ from Sister Tamera is Due to Family Obligations (Exclusive)

Tia Mowry is pulling back the curtain on her life, and her relationships.

The Sister, Sister and Family Reunion star’s upcoming WeTV reality series, Tia Mowry: My Next Act, explores her world now as a single mom navigating life in the aftermath of her divorce from actor Cory Hardrict.

“For me, it’s never been about fame for me. It’s been about inspiring, encouraging, and really having some purpose,” she tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I decided to do this show mainly because as I was going through this transition in my life, I felt very alone. I didn’t see any representation when it came to women being vulnerable and open about this process and this journey. And I didn’t want anyone to feel alone and the way I felt.”

A recent trailer for the show made headlines, as it showed Mowry in a particularly vulnerable moment, saying she wished she and her identical twin sister Tamera were “still close” so she could reach out in times of need.

Thinking back on what she was feeling while filming that scene of the show, “I’m just wanting a hug, you know what I mean?” she says of the moment. “That’s what I’m referring to.”

But in response to fans speculating about what has caused the “distance” she mentioned between her and her sister, Mowry offers some context to their current situation.

“You start as siblings in a household and a family, and as we grow up and start our own families, it is very normal for all of us to take on new roles and responsibilities when it comes to our life,” she says. “My sister has a family of her own…I guess what I’m saying is it’s normal. It’s very natural for us to create lives for ourselves.”

Most importantly, there’s still a lot of love there.

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“There’s so much love there,” she says. “There’s this beautiful bonding connection that we have that will never leave. My sister and I have always been women of inspiration, and we will continue to. And why would that change now?”

She continues, “I think we’ve shown who we are as people and our integrity.” As for the distance between them now, “It’s just a part of life,” she adds. “People have started to create their own families. It is what it is and that’s okay. There’s no hard feelings.”

Tia Mowry: My Next Act premieres Oct. 4 on WeTV.