WOMEN ACROSS America are redefining
what it means to be in the third act of life.
Kathie Lee Gifford, 64, and Hoda Kotb, 53,
cohosts of the Kathie Lee and Hoda show,
are shining examples as they strive to be their
best selves in all aspects of life.
Both women are embracing what they
describe as the privilege of getting older.
In many interviews, both women have
been incredibly candid about the joys and
challenges that are part of being women with
life experience.
Neither woman is shy about openly
discussing her life. They have enjoyed the
sweetest of times and faced life-changing
challengers, such as sickness and death,
head on.
One of the hardest moments for Kathie Lee
was the death of her husband Frank Gifford.
For Hoda, a life-changing challenge was
her fight with breast cancer. In March
2007, she underwent a mastectomy and
reconstructive surgery. She’s since an
advocate for breast cancer awareness.
Both women have said these moments are
reminders of the importance of living fully
and being an active participant of life rather
than an observer.
Kathie Lee says she’s aware that time is finite
and precious. She has said that she’s thankful
she’s the age she is and healthy. She’s grateful
to be employed and to be surrounded by her
children and other loved ones.
Hoda too says she’s happier now than
when she was younger. She said shes more
confident in her 50s and is no longer afraid of
things that once frightened her.
She loves being a mother to her little girl,
Haley Joy Kotb, and the wife of New York
financier, Joel Schiffman.
Both women look to their mothers for
inspiration. Kathie Lee has said her late
mother was an example of living happily
no matter what age or stage one is at in life.
Until her last day of life, she said, she hopes
to learn something new.
When Hoda saw her mother run a marathon,
she said, she realized anything is possible.
Viewers of the Kathie Lee and Hoda show
know these women have great on-air
chemistry. Hoda has said being with Kathie
Lee’s cohost on air comes as naturally as
breathing.
The women have been there for one another in
good times and bad for a decade. When Frank
Gifford died, in 2015, at age 84, Hoda ignored
Kathie Lee’s request for no visitors. She went to
her colleague’s home anyway to comfort her.
Kathie Lee has said how grateful she was to
her friend and colleague that she ignored her
request for no visitors.
“These moments
are reminders of the
importance of living
fully and being an
active participant of
life rather than an
observer.”
While deeply grieving her husband, Kathie
Lee said she takes comfort in her faith and
knows she will see him again. She recalled
his life of success as a football legend and
broadcaster, a devoted father and husband.
She refused to call his death a tragedy and
reminded Hoda that tragedy is the death of
a child who never got to live a long, healthy
and happy life. The secret to a healthy, happy
life for these women is found in many things.
Both are active. Kathie Lee is an early riser.
She’s out of bed by 4:30 a.m. and has coffee
and spends time in prayer before she makes
the drive from her Connecticut home to the
television studio in New York by 6:30 a.m.
She will typically eat breakfast—oatmeal
and peanut butter—after she arrives at work.
She’s always been one to maintain her
health by paying attention to what she eats
and by remaining active. Over the years,
she’s helped millions of others do the same
through her exercise videos.
Hoda takes care of herself too. She started
running in 2007 after her cancer fight and
mastectomy. She says getting in an early run
is calming.
When it comes to food, we all have those
certain snacks or sweets which are hard to
resist. For Hoda, it’s Oreos. She’s admitted in
TV interviews she will eat five cookies and
then throw the rest in the garbage or pour
detergent on them. Like many of us, she’s
making efforts to be mindful of what she
eats and has worked with a nutritionist to
clean up her diet.
Both women are shining examples of living life
on one’s own terms and being unafraid to face
whatever comes your way. For the past decade
they’ve done much of it together. In April the
women celebrated their 10th anniversary
together. When they first met, Kathie Lee
wondered how it would possibly work out.
She’s been quoted as saying “Oh wait,
we got the Egyptian journalist and post-
menopausal has-been? How do those two
things work?” As it turns out, it’s worked
out very well. Their on-air partnership has
developed into a deep, supportive friendship
that comes with age, wisdom, and the
benefits of knowing that no matter what
happens, everything will be just fine.
“Both women are
shining examples
of living life
on one’s own
terms and being
unafraid to face
whatever comes
your way.”
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