{"id":2786,"date":"2016-03-04T18:22:46","date_gmt":"2016-03-04T18:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=2786"},"modified":"2016-03-06T16:42:01","modified_gmt":"2016-03-06T16:42:01","slug":"hoda-kotb-shares-journeys-that-show-us-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/winter-2016\/hoda-kotb-shares-journeys-that-show-us-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Hoda Kotb Shares Journeys That Show Us The Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

From her personal passage to her exploration of others,<\/em>\n Hoda Kotb offers insight into finding the right life path.<\/em><\/p>\n

Y<\/span>ou know her from the NBC TODAY<\/em> show, \u201cfourth hour,\u201d as they call it, ever smiling and laughing along with Kathie Lee Gifford at what sometimes seems like a morning happy hour complete with wine.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let the bubbly personality fool you into thinking Kotb (pronounced Cot B) is a lightweight by any means. In addition to being co-anchor of the Daytime Emmy Award-winning TODAY<\/em> show since 2007, she has been a solid news reporter and has followed her passion of being a journalist all throughout her career.<\/p>\n

As a correspondent for Dateline NBC<\/em> since 1998, Kotb has covered domestic and international stories on a variety of fronts. She reported from the thick of major events from the war in Iraq, the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and even from Afghanistan. Kotb\u2019s news reporting also led her to cover the devastating 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia and the conflict in Burma.<\/p>\n

Born in Cairo, she moved with her family to the United States \u201cfor a better life.\u201d Her father was a graduate of Cairo University where he learned to speak four languages and received degrees in petroleum engineering. Her mother graduated with a law degree.<\/p>\n

Just a week after they were married, Kotb\u2019s parents moved to the United States to pretty much the opposite of Cairo\u2014Norman, Oklahoma. Her father worked for the government and later started his own business, International Petroleum Consulting Service, after a move to Morgantown, West Virginia.<\/p>\n

Growing up in Morgantown, Kotb attended Fort Hunt High School where she was elected homecoming queen. She graduated in 1982 and went on to Virginia Tech where she majored in broadcast journalism and was a member of Tri-Delta sorority.<\/p>\n

The road to \u201cfourth hour\u201d TODAY<\/em> was not easy or quick. Like most people whose passion is for television news as a career, the path was long and sometimes bumpy. She paid her dues while loving it at stations like WWL-TV (CBS), New Orleans, LA where she was an anchor as well as reporter for the 10 o\u2019clock evening news, WINK-TV, Fort Myers, FL as a weekend anchor and reporter; WQAD-TV (ABC), Molin, IL as a morning anchor and assignment reporter and WXVT-TV (CBS), Greenville, MS. One of her first assignments was as a news assistant in Cairo, Egypt.<\/p>\n

Many wonder how to pronounce her name and its origin. According to Kotb, \u201cI am Egyptian. So is my name, Hoda Kotb.\u201d In Egypt, she says, her name is as common as Jane Doe.<\/p>\n

She relates an amusing anecdote about an inquisitive passerby who questioned her background. One day, as a 21-year-old news reporter in Greenville, Mississippi, an older woman approached her. \u201c[She] cupped my face in her hands, looked into my eyes, and asked, \u2018What is you?\u2019\u201d Hoda said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have asked it in one form or another for most of my life. I get that my name and my appearance require an explanation. So here it is. I am Egyptian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like many of us, Hoda struggled to fit in as a child. She attributes some of her self-consciousness to her coarse, frizzy hair and glasses.<\/p>\n

However, \u201c\u2019it\u2019s easy for me now\u2026I\u2019ve ditched the stop-sign glasses for contacts. I will always be asked \u2018What is you?\u2019 And while I\u2019ll proudly explain I\u2019m Egyptian\u2026again, the answer in my head will always be: I\u2019m just me<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kotb is just like all of us from the overstuffed pocketbook, crazy schedule and life trials. In 2007, she had to face breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Bravely, she told her story on the air through the TODAY<\/em> show. Today she is cancer-free and continues to be an advocate for others who have the disease.<\/p>\n

Previously married for two years to University of New Orleans tennis coach, Burzis Kanga, Kotb says she is currently in a relationship with Joel Schiffman who works with a New York investment firm.<\/p>\n

A prolific writer, Kotb is the author of several books published by Simon & Schuster including the New York Times Bestseller, Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer and Kathie Lee<\/em>, a light, funny autobiography of sorts, and Ten Years Later: Six People Who Faced Adversity and Transformed Their Lives<\/em>, which examines game-changing moments experienced by six different people\u2014then revisits those people a decade later.<\/p>\n

\"Kotb_Where-We-Belong_Cover\"In her new book, Where We Belong: Journeys That Show Us The Way<\/em>,<\/a> Kotb continues her exploration into what makes people do what they do. Here, Kotb shares stories of inspirational people who have followed the yearning voice in their heads to do what they really wanted to and were, perhaps, born to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re young, it\u2019s difficult to know what will make you happy,\u201d Kotb said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re older, you finally know what makes you happy, but it\u2019s complicated to redirect your many-pronged life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kotb set out to confirm that it is possible to have a life that is both fun and rewarding. The people she uncovered prove her premise. \u201cThese wide-ranging stories offer us all hope that it\u2019s never too late, or early to identify what brings us joy and peace,\u201d Kotb said.<\/p>\n

Three stand-outs in Kotb\u2019s book are Michelle Hauser, Craig Juntunen and Lindley DeGarmo.<\/p>\n

[awesome-gallery id=2847]

Michelle Hauser prepping at Chez Panisse (Michelle Hauser photo), Michelle-Hauser at Harvard Medical School with the Dean.(Photo.Commencement-Photos), Michelle Hauser and Jason.(Photo: James Hall.Bustle.Twine). All photos courtesy of Simon & Schuster.<\/p><\/p>\n

Michelle Hauser<\/h4>\n

Michelle Hauser<\/a> overcame a childhood of ups and downs, from growing up poor in rural Iowa, having divorced parents and sometimes encountering unsupportive people. Her dream was to become a doctor but was continually discouraged to do so.<\/p>\n

Her high school guidance counselor was one such person. \u201cWhen I met with her to discuss options for my future, she asked, \u2018What do you want to do with your life?\u2019 I said that I wanted to be a doctor. She laughed and told me \u201c[I] needed to find something more suitable to do,\u201d Hauser said. She suggested factory work.<\/p>\n

Such unhelpful advice often spurs people to succeed. Maybe it\u2019s that \u201cI told you I could do this\u201d attitude that pushed Hauser to become a doctor. Along the way, she followed her culinary passion, turning it into an internship at the renowned Chez Panisse<\/em> in Berkeley, California, and attending Le Cordon Bleu.<\/p>\n

Today, Hauser is a member of the board of directors of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, an internal medicine-primary care physician and more. Kotb\u2019s compelling story of how Hauser navigated from seemingly impossible odds to her role in the medical world is not only inspirational but heart-warming.<\/p>\n

[awesome-gallery id=2805]

Craig and Kathi Juntunen, Juntunen family. Photos courtesy of Craig Juntunen.<\/p><\/p>\n

Craig Juntunen<\/h4>\n

From \u201cI\u2019m never having kids\u201d to adopting three and devoting his life to helping children in war-torn Haiti, Craig Juntunen\u2019s journey is one of the elevating profiles stories in Kotb\u2019s book.<\/p>\n

You might know that commercial where the guy swears not only he will never get married, will never have kids and winds up doing every one of those \u201cnevers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Craig Juntunen echoed those same declarations for most of his life. However, he changed part of that simple tune into a philharmonic orchestra.<\/p>\n

But not before he basked in the glory of his own spotlight. First, he was the star quarterback at Lynbrook High School from 1969 to 1973 and then received a full football scholarship at the University of Idaho before being drafted in 1978 as quarterback for the Calgary Stampeders of Canadian Football League.<\/p>\n

From there, it was off the gridiron and into his own headhunting business with a desire to retire at forty.<\/p>\n

Not much time for the wife and kids. In fact, he was married and divorced twice, steadfastly keeping his vow not to have children by having a vasectomy.<\/p>\n

Then Kathi Adler came into his life. She had her own successful career and was as devoted to working as Craig. By 43, Craig married Kathi, sold his business and officially \u201cretired.\u201d<\/p>\n

They spent their time traveling the world\u2014cruising to Italy, Turkey and Greece. They biked, hiked and explored.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest decisions we made were, \u2018Are we going to use a three wood or a driver off the tee?\u2019 and \u2018Are we drinking red or white wine for dinner?\u2019\u201d Craig said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem with retirement is that most of what\u2019s in our forefront are memories of how it was,\u201d Craig said. \u201cYou\u2019re not looking forward to anything other than another round of golf or another party. There isn\u2019t anything that\u2019s pressing in front of you, so all the really good parts of your life are in the rearview mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just began to feel a little narcissistic, a little too, Is this all we\u2019re going to do for the next forty years of our lives<\/em>? Something didn\u2019t feel right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, a casual golf game changed his and Kathi\u2019s lives forever. Listening to his partner\u2019s story of adopting two children from Haiti struck a chord with Craig.<\/p>\n

Craig\u2019s epiphany of why he wanted to have children, how he became consumed with helping children in war-torn Haiti is beautifully told in Kotb\u2019s book. Not only did he travel to Haiti, but he and Kathi adopted three children. Just as he has always totally immersed himself and succeeded in everything he has done, he founded two foundations for adoption, Chances4Children.org<\/a> and BothEndsBurning.org<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cOur kids are such a cornerstone of our being now,\u201d Craig said. \u201cWe thought we were comfortable, but taking this risk put us into such a different place, which has opened up so many opportunities to learn and grow and evolve as humans. It\u2019s given our life a much different dimension than had we just stayed playing golf every day and living in our own little bubble. Life would not have been nearly as meaningful as it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n

[awesome-gallery id=2852]<\/p>\n

Lindley DeGarmo<\/h4>\n

As a boy, Lindley DeGarmo dreamed of becoming a United States senator or even president someday. Growing up on a farm, he led the quintessential country life and worshipped at United Methodist. He notes it never occurred to him not to believe in God at that age.\nDe Garmo moved along the traditional path from college to a financial analyst for Exxon to Solomon Brothers and marriage to Sarah Finlayson. But something was missing. How he transitions from the corporate world to becoming a pastor, ministering to others and fulfilling his life with a passion that he never identified until later in life is just one of the many inspirational profiles shared\u00a0by Kotb.<\/p>\n

Hoda Kotb again proves she has the right instincts for interesting and inspirational profiles to feature in her writing. Her latest book seems to mirror her own motivation to find the right path and seeks to help everyone answer the question: \u201cAm I where I belong?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From her personal passage to her exploration of others, Hoda Kotb offers insight into finding the right life path.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-2016","category-winter-2016-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2786"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3499,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2786\/revisions\/3499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}