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    • Why is Hoda Kotb leaving “Today?” “The pain is there, but I’m ready”
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    Why is Hoda Kotb leaving “Today?” “The pain is there, but I’m ready”

    Online Niel Posted on

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    AUSTIN – Hoda Kotb leaves ‘Today’ sprinting with open arms to fresh tomorrows.

    When I spoke with the “Today” host and “Hoda & Jenna” in March for her children’s book, Hope is a Rainbow Kotb said he dreamed of moving into the wellness space. Eight months later and a month after announcing her “Today” departure, Kotb shared a glimpse of the pivot when she and “Today” hosted 150 attendees for a wellness retreat at Miraval Austin Resort and Spa last weekend.

    When Kotb announced his exit on “Today” on Sept. 26, Savannah Guthrie congratulated her co-host because you have the courage to start a new adventure. But on a terrace at Miraval, Kotb says he didn’t need to muster up the courage.

    “Weirdly, at the time, it was my only choice for me,” she says. “I have everything I want. I’m not risking anything. I have the love of my family. I have wonderful colleagues who will be my friends forever. I have him. So I didn’t feel like, ‘What am I missing?’

    An inner voice beckoned: “The whispers were very quiet, and then as they went on, they got much louder, to the point where you almost couldn’t help but listen,” says Kotb. “In various forms, it said, ‘You’re an adventurer.’ It read: ‘You need time with your kids (Haley Joy, 7, and Hope Catherine, 5).’ It said, “What’s the next chapter?” It said, “Did you do everything? “

    “Today” named Kotb as Matt Lauer’s replacement in 2018 after NBC fired the disgraced journalist for alleged sexual misconduct. (Kotb, a 26-year NBC News veteran, also worked on the network’s investigative series “Dateline.”) Kotb and Guthrie marked the first female anchor duo for “Today” since its 1952 debut. Morning show festivities for Kotb’s 60th birthday in August he solidified his decision to leave.

    “I cried almost the whole party, mainly because I knew,” she says of an admission that provided a sense of relief. “It’s like when you tell yourself the truth about something your whole body relaxes, your body says ‘OK.’ That’s how I’ve felt ever since. Love is strong and that’s why the pain is there, but I’m ready.”

    She will step down from her daily desk duties early next year, but will continue as an NBC contributor on this one as well The making of the Space podcast.

    The late-morning “daily therapy sessions” with Guthrie and co-host Jenna Bush Hager is what Kotb will miss the most. Their friendship will continue, Kotb says, “but I’m going to miss those intimate moments, which you can only have when you’re vulnerable, when you’re wide-eyed, when you haven’t slept, and when” you’re sitting next to each other and , all of a sudden, you’re pouring out your soul.”

    During this time of transition, Kotb clings to a vision of herself on the other side, a tip she learned by Sarah Jakes Robertsan author and pastor. “It says you can’t just jump into an abyss,” Kotb explains. “I take my children to school, and I’m trying something new and I feel fulfilled and I’m in touch with everyone I love. There were all these “ands”. So I could see him. So I think once I could see it clearly, I said, “OK, now I get it.”

    Kotb’s plans also include introducing a new business that will focus on “giving women permission to take care of their own well-being” with an app and more retreats. The concept of wellness clicked for Kotb in her 50s, when she felt run down.

    “I’m like, ‘I know I’ll eat salmon and run some more and then I’ll feel better,'” she says. “And I did, for one day. And then I realized that there has to be something more that nourishes you without vegetables and sweat on a Peloton bike. You have to have more.”

    Throughout the weekend, participants were able to practice meditation, yoga and breathing (Kotb et Bush Hager are fans). Attendees heard inspirational talks from Maria Shriver and Jamie Kern Lima, co-founder of IT Cosmetics, who triumphed over several disappointments and eventually sold her thriving business for $1.2 billion.

    Kotb wants her next chapter “to be about returning the favor,” she says. “I was given much more than I deserve, much more. So now it’s like this is the season of giving, of helping, of mentoring, of showing up and hopefully it might make someone else’s life easier.”

    “Her example of going out on top inspires people to say, ‘What do I really want?'” says Kern Lima, “and accept that they are worthy to believe in themselves, to bet on themselves, and to live the life that this. I feel it’s consistent with their mission.”

    Kotb reflected on the many meaningful connections he made Monday after retiring. “I didn’t know my heart could last this long or have this much capacity. It just kept deepening.”

    She Kotb felt even more confident that leaving “Today” was the right choice.

    “I think it reinforced something that I knew was true,” she says. “I felt like it was home. I said, “This is what home feels like. This is when something is right.”

    Online Niel
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