After graduating from Virginia Tech with a journalism degree in 1986, Hoda Kotb returned to the home of her mother, Sameha, in Alexandria, Virginia, with a diploma and a dream of launching her broadcast career.
Sporting a stylish new green suit and an abundance of confidence, she set out on a road trip that would test her resolve. “I told my mom, ‘I’m going to get that job, and I’ll be back to pack my stuff,’ ” she recently recalled.
Her first stop was Richmond. It didn't go as planned. The news director watched barely a minute of her precisely prepared audition tape before delivering a blunt verdict that she was "green, inexperienced, and simply not ready.” He sent her to a colleague in Roanoke, where she met the same cold reception.
The rejections piled up. From Memphis and Birmingham to the Florida Panhandle, Hoda faced 27 face-to-face rejections over 10 days. The industry consensus was clear: “She didn't have it."
Defeated and driving home, she spotted a sign for Greenville, Mississippi's News Center 15. On a whim, she met with news director Stan Sandroni. This time, the reaction was different. "Stan couldn't take his eyes off the tape," Hoda said. "He looked at me and said, ‘I like what I see.’ I started sobbing like a baby. That man gave me my break," she explained during a recent National Conference for Women event.
That "yes" launched a legendary career that led to Dateline NBC and eventually the anchor chair at Today, from 2018 to 2025. Her takeaway remains a universal lesson: “All it takes is one yes,” she said. “Don’t walk past an open door, because you never know what is around the next corner.”
Now the 61-year-old mother to two daughters —Haley Joy, age 9, and Hope Catherine, 7— Hoda has entered a new chapter, recently launching Joy 101, a wellness app dedicated to support reflection, mindfulness, and intentional living.
Q&A with Hoda Kotb:
How did you persevere through difficult times?
Sometimes you feel like you are always going upstream, and you are exhausted, and are sure it will get easier. It’s about finding the ‘flow.’ I believe that taking a jump is worth it, whether into a new job or a relationship. If it doesn’t work, you simply regroup and try again. If it does go well, it’s a home run.
Why leave the Today show after such success?
It was a scary jump because I loved my colleagues (Jenna Bush Hager, Al Roker, and Savannah Guthrie) like family. But in my 50s, I realized I had the dream job and, more importantly, the family I never thought I’d have. I wanted to see what it felt like to be a "beginner" again in my 60s.
What sparked that career shift?
About a year ago, I was watching my six-year-old daughter, Hope, go up and down a tree in our front yard, and she mentioned that maybe I should find ‘a different tree to climb,’ referring to my career. It was exactly what I needed to hear. She taught me to carve my life up like a ‘delicious pie’ to make it more manageable.
How did you decide on later-in-life motherhood?
I thought that door had closed after my divorce until I saw Sandra Bullock adopt her son at my exact age. I realized it was still possible. When I finally got the text that Haley Joy was here, I wrote down the time of the text, and it was 11:54 a.m., and I knew this was the moment when everything changed. She fit into my life like a missing puzzle piece and filled me up in a way I could never have imagined.
What is your main message to others?
It is never too late. Put down your ‘heavy backpack’ and find whatever makes you happy.
Tell us about your new project, Joy 101.
I have put all of the goodness into my app, Joy 101. It’s an app designed to lift people up with pep talks and wellness tips. I want to share things that make you feel good and ways to make your body feel good. Let’s put that big load down, throw our shoulders back, and understand that life can be lighter, better, and more invigorating. I want to be like Mr. Rogers and say, ‘Let’s find the helpers, because we are right here!’
“All it takes is one yes. Don’t walk past an open door, because you never know what is around the next corner.”
“I believe that taking a jump is worth it. If it doesn’t work, you simply regroup and try again. If it does go well, it’s a home run.”
Delving Into Joy 101
Built for real life, the Joy 101 app offers daily practices, pep talks, joyful anecdotes, and real-life reflections. inspiring check-ins from Hoda Kotb, and a growing library of tools to help the app users reset.
Joy 101 teachers, coaches, and guides bring wisdom, warmth, and a deep belief in the power of joy.