Kimberly Schlapman Dishes on Why Little Big Town Has Stayed Together for Over 25 Years: 'We're Pretty Much a Family'

Kimberly Schlapman and her Little Big Town bandmates — Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook — know there’s something truly special about their enduring success in country music.

"We’ve been together 26 years now, so we’ve been through just about anything life can throw at you, and we’ve been through it together. When Karen and I first put the band together, we wanted to find guys we could stand being around for a few years because we wanted to make sure we all got along. Little did we know two decades later we’d still be here and how important that would become," the country star, 56, exclusively tells OK! while speaking about AbbVie’s "Changing the Tune of Parkinson's Disease" campaign, which is about empowering both patients and caregivers to advocate for themselves and explore treatment options that meet their specific needs.

"We’re pretty much a family. We don’t always agree on everything, but we talk things through, we support each other, and we take care of each other. That’s a really big part of why we’ve been around so long," she continues.

These days, the group is still continuing to work together.

"We’ve got brand-new music. We released a new song called 'Summer Sunshine,' which is all about hope — maybe you’ve been through a rough time, but you’re coming out of it, and you’re not alone. We’ve also got a brand-new record coming later, maybe August-ish, and we’ve had a great time making this new music," she shares.

Additionally, the blonde babe and Fairchild get to mentor up-and-coming country stars, including Kelsea Ballerini, Ella Langley and more.

"It’s really cool. It takes me back to when we first started and were out on tour with Martina McBride. I was actually pregnant on that tour with my now almost-19-year-old, and Martina gave me such great advice as a mama — how to bring babies on the road, how to live with a baby on a bus, all those things," she states. "She really poured into Karen and me when we were on the road with her, and it was invaluable advice. So now I guess we’re just paying that forward. We want to be an open book to those women because it’s not always easy, and there’s a lot of guilt that comes with our jobs when we have to leave kids at home or whatever it is. I’m glad we can be an encouragement to them."

Schlapman says it's "phenomenal" to see ladies rising to the top.

"We’ve been beating the door down for this for years. Karen especially has been such a strong advocate for women in this business. Now women are all over the charts, winning awards, taking over the world — and we are right behind them," she says.

Aside from taking over the country world, Schlapman wants to raise awareness about Parkinson's disease, especially after her mother was diagnosed. As a working mother herself, she's witnessed how the condition affects entire families, not just patients.

The star also spoke at the World Parkinson's Congress in Phoenix on May 25 to highlight what's often missing from the conversation: the caregiver perspective. Nearly 1 million Americans have Parkinson's, yet caregivers remain largely unheard in national discussions about the disease.

"My mother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 21 years ago, and at that time, we literally only knew that if you had Parkinson’s, you probably had a tremor. That’s all we understood or knew about Parkinson’s. And so this program, which I’m just so excited to be a part of — 'Changing the Tune of Parkinson’s Disease' — it encourages people and empowers people to advocate for either yourself, if you’re living with Parkinson’s, or your loved one who’s living with Parkinson’s, to get the very best care you can possibly get. Because another thing we’ve learned about Parkinson’s is that it’s so diverse and so unique to each patient. There are so many different symptoms, and different patients have different symptoms. It’s just mind-blowing how diverse it is and how unique it is to the individual. So being an advocate for your loved one or yourself is so incredibly important in getting the right care with your doctor. Tell your doctor every single symptom you can think of, even if you think it’s silly. If you’ve had a change in something, mention it to your doctor because it might be Parkinson’s. It might mean something," she explains.

"If you’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and something changes or something feels different, always mention it to the doctor," she continues.

Growing up, the performer, who has two daughters with her husband, Stephen Schlapman, didn't feel like women were open about their health issues.

"My mother took care of her mother, who had b----- cancer, but she never really talked about it. Women — and men — have been taking care of their loved ones for generations, but no one really talked about it. So then my generation comes up and we’re like, 'Hey, nobody tells us how to do this.' So thankfully we’re speaking up. And I just want to encourage people who find themselves in a caregiver role — probably most unexpectedly because we think our parents are invincible or our loved ones are always going to live forever and be superheroes to us — but life deals us different things, and sometimes we find ourselves taking care of the people who used to take care of us," she says. "And so in these shoes, I just want to encourage people that you need to not keep all this inside. You need to share it with others. You need to advocate for your loved one and yourself. Try to find the best help and information you can. And with this Parkinson’s program, 'Changing the Tune of Parkinson’s Disease,' it offers so many ideas for caregivers, which is why I’m so excited about it because it gives us so many ideas and so much direction."

She adds, "If you’re new to caregiving, it’s going to show you how to start. If your loved one’s been living with the disease for 20 years, it’s also going to encourage you how to advocate for that person. So I think we’ve got to talk about it more. And then hopefully our kiddos are not going to be so like, 'I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to take care of my loved one.' Hopefully they’re going to learn from us and be a little more equipped."

Kimberly also "feels good" when she interacts with fans online about what she's going through.

"That’s the thing about the human spirit. We can come alongside each other and lift each other up and make each other feel like we’re not alone. That’s magic, and that’s where some healing begins," she notes.

Ultimately, Kimberly hopes to spread the message about AbbVie’s "Changing the Tune of Parkinson's Disease" campaign.

"I hope people understand that there’s no symptom too small to mention to your doctor. It’s never too early and it’s never too late to share something with your doctor to make your care plan as individualized as possible. Parkinson’s has such a huge gamut of symptoms, and when you share your specific symptoms with your doctor, they can say, 'Okay, we should do this,' or 'We can try this.' I just want people to speak up. Use your voice. Speak up for yourself, speak up for your loved ones, because there’s possibly something that can make your quality of life better," she states.