#FlyWashington Magazine Fall 2022 | Page 10

Bob Ellis , Wren Ellis , and Adora Ellis
Credit : Angie Goff
Goff ’ s personal mission statement for her podcast show is : “ Behind every headline is a human story .” That human could be someone famous and familiar to D . C . like First Lady Dr . Jill Biden or billionaire Dallas Mavericks ’ owner and Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban , “ who talks about failure but also talks about innovation .” Her guests are also mainstream people who do extraordinary things , like a modernday witch or a storm chaser . “ I like to talk about your accolades , but I also want to talk about how you were brought up , what inspired you and did you ever feel like quitting ?” she said about her interview subjects . As for her listeners , “ Hopefully , somebody else will walk away either learning something new , laughing really hard , or wanting to go out and take action to do something for themselves or somebody else . That ’ s really my goal ,” Goff said .
So many people have distinct boundaries between their work life and their family life — but Goff says her family is her life , so it is natural that husband , Robert ( a dentist from South Carolina ), and the kids become part of her podcast and social media . Her youngest daughter , Wren , has already tried to read the news and weather reports to follow in her mom ’ s footsteps . “ She ’ s like , ‘ Am I taping my podcast today ?’ I mean , she ’ s four !” Goff marveled . “ She is a different breed . She ’ s a different animal .”
Goff believes that “ normal is boring ,” which is a mantra she regularly shares with her children : Adora , 11 ; Bob , nine ; Wren , four . “ I just never want them to lose their sense of curiosity , their sense of imagination ,” she told # FlyWashington .
Imagination is something Goff is never short of , whether at work or play . In her role as a news anchor , she has reported on tragedies such as hurricanes and mass shootings , or global events like the royal wedding and the Pope ’ s U . S . visit . But it ’ s her own podcast , The Oh My Goff Show , where fans get to connect with the real Angie . “ I consider the podcast to be my outlet ,” she said . “ Even though it is more work , it is rewarding because it allows for creativity and is a way to have ownership and control .”
Despite being an essential part of the city ’ s pop culture , Goff wasn ’ t born in Washington , D . C . In fact , she was born almost 7,000 miles away in Seoul , South Korea , and attended Seoul American High School for her freshman and sophomore years . The Army brat and her family moved to Virginia in 1995 and Goff attended Herndon High School where she was senior class president ( which is no surprise to anyone who knows her now !). Rather than attending journalism school , Goff studied communications at George Mason University and considers herself to be a “ self-taught ” newscaster .
While Goff remains passionate about her job anchoring the FOX5 show , she finds the news cycle can often be repetitive and , at times , limited . Like many journalists , she has a lot of other interests and a great appreciation for letting a story or interview breathe . All of this led to her launching The Oh My Goff Show in June 2019 . “ I couldn ’ t be happier !” she gushed .
Meanwhile , oldest daughter Adora is more into TikToking and knows her mom is always game for anything . “ I once showed up to sing her ‘ Happy Birthday ’ at school in a big fat flamingo inflatable costume !” Goff said , revealing : “ We literally have a room that ’ s dedicated to wigs of all shapes and sizes . We literally just walk around sometimes with wigs and costumes on in the house . It seems bizarre and crazy — but it ’ s funny , and to us it ’ s normal .” Goff believes as adults , we get “ hardened by things ” so we should all remember to have fun and laugh more , rather than caring about what people think and taking things too seriously .
When they ’ re not creating a fantasy world inside their own home , Goff and her family love to travel . And if the thought of flying with three children fills you with dread , the super mom says she ’ s got it figured out . “ I don ’ t judge any parent for doing what they have to do to have sanity on a flight , especially if it ’ s over two hours ,” she laughed . The secret , she said , is preparation . “ I limit screen time , but not when it comes to traveling . I ’ ve got the movies downloaded . I ’ ve got extra battery packs in case I lose any juice . I ’ ve got a bag of Dum Dum lollipops , M & M ’ s , Twizzlers , anything to bribe them so that they will just behave and not disrupt any flight or anybody else around them .”
St . Thomas in the U . S . Virgin Islands is one of the family ’ s favorite tropical destinations as it is so easy to get to from Washington , D . C ., even with a toddler . “ For us , it ’ s all about ‘ where can we get to fast ?’” Goff explained . “ St . Thomas was just so beautiful , plus once you ’ re there , you can get to St . John and visit other islands … I think we did four or five days [ there ] and that was more than enough .” Other favorite city destinations for Goff include New York City , and as self-confessed Dolly Parton fanatic , Nashville and Pigeon Forge . “ Getting to go to Dollywood and Gatlinburg , and see this empire that she ’ s built there , that was great .” Of course , with three children under 12 , Disney World is always a must , and they try to get to Orlando at least once a year . “ I ’ m kind of a Disney-crazy person . Yes , we are the family who dresses up and has matching shirts , and sometimes costumes ,” she confessed . “ We love going around October because they do the big Disney Halloween and it gives you even more of a reason to dress up .”
FLYWASHINGTON . COM 8 AUTUMN 2022