Every once in a while, we come across a person who inspires us with their passion, charisma and energy and reminds us of the better person we aspire to be.  That person for me is Hoda Kotb, Co-Anchor of the fourth hour on NBC’s Today show and author.

To celebrate the release of her autobiography last fall, the 21 Club hosted a lovely early Tuesday morning breakfast on February 15th, 2011, where Kotb shared with us some stories of her personal and professional life.  Giving us a quick glimpse into her autobiography, Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee, she told us stories about her awkward childhood, how she spent 10 days getting rejected before scoring her first job in journalism, her career at NBC, covering Hurricane Katrina and the war in Afghanistan, and how she found out she had breast cancer.

Located in Midtown West, the 21 Club provided the setting for the discussion.  First established in 1922 in Greenwich Village as a speakeasy before moving uptown as an exclusive bar and restaurant serving the elite and famous, it now serves as a meeting ground for businessmen and foodies alike. 

Throughout her extensive career, Kotb has interviewed countless numbers of celebrities, policiticans, world leaders and leaders, and has already gone on several bookstore visits.  She told an anecdote about when she was doing a book signing in Tribeca a few months ago, two 20-somethings came up to her with a laminated list of “10 Reasons Why You Should Date Our Dad.”  And sure enough, they’ve been dating! 

Even at the early morning breakfast, Kotb was still supremely energetic, mixing in her personal humor and charisma while sharing a few of the emotional and physical challenges she has faced, including her divorce and her breast cancer.  Fortunately, she has overcome many challenges in her life and still retains such positive energy that she shares with her audience.  Her words of widsom seep through her pages in her book, but listening to her speak in person was such an honor.

Be sure to check out her book!

Yours,
Von

21 Club
21 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019