Do you know Hoda Kotb?  The award winning journalist and “Today” show cohost with a talent for witty banter and for keeping it real on-air, on social media and in person. I have met and worked with plenty of celerities but I have never fangirled it out like I did when I met Hoda. Have you ever felt someone’s heart even before they open their mouths? I was at a Hoda appearance focused on her 3^rd book. “Where We Belong: Journeys That Show Us the Way”.  A compilation of stories about inspirational “real” people who have made changes in their lives in dramatic ways,  finding their passions or their true path. Hoda also interviews newsmakers in entertainment and sports who have pursued their passions and live them everyday.

I relate to the message of the book. I started blogging to get my message to you, how to live the healthy modern lifestyle. I could have gotten a position in some company making someone else’s dreams come true but I decided to pursue my own dreams, living my passion. I try to live my life believing that the glass half full, I find that most people don’t. They have a perspective that life isn’t what you make it to be; rather life is what happens to you. This powerful book is an array of stories about discovering your power and running towards your truth.

Invited by Denise Albert and Melissa Gurstein of The Moms, I found myself in a room of women bloggers with Hoda, I needed to ask a question, what an opportunity! As I raised my hand and stood, I realized I was shaking. I am never nervous about talking in front of a room of people, I was being a fangirl. I first told her how much I admired her and then asked Hoda about being authentic. Blogging is all about being myself and letting my audience know the real me. In true Hoda style, she explained “Be who you are, be exactly who you are, be authentically you, if your not being sense it. I loved her answer, but what I loved more is that she looked at me while answering the question. I felt that she really wanted me to hear what she thought and that my question mattered to her. We all matter to Hoda, that is one of the things that makes her so magnetic.

In 2007, Hoda was diagnosed with breast cancer, she is now cancer free and doing well. But that’s not the end of the story, that wouldn’t be the Hoda that I love. She is getting the message out, bringing a face to the ever growing survivors of cancers. In the last few years, way to many of my friends have had to face their own cancer challenges. Hoda feels that we need to share the pain to grow with our community and support each other. I am doing just that this year with Cycle For Survival, an indoor team cycling event which raises funds that are critical for rare cancer research. If you would like to contribute to my fund please click thru here: http://mskcc.convio.net/site/TR?px=2343442&pg=personal&fr_id=2540

Having cancer empowered me to take more risks. I knew beating

cancer was going to shape me, but it wasn’t going to be all of me.

 

HODA KOTB