Transcript

Norah O’Donnell’s First EVER Podcast Interview! Life-Changing Lessons & How Success Leaves Clues!

From Jamie Kern Lima · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 35 min · 15,749 words · 224 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "Norah O’Donnell’s First EVER Podcast Interview! Life-Changing Lessons & How Success Leaves Clues!", an episode of Jamie Kern Lima published February 17, 2026 (1 h 35 min, about 15,749 words). It mentions 41 people, works and ideas, including Nora O'Donnell, Jamie Kern Lima, We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, America, Declaration of Independence.

What this episode is about

Norah O’Donnell reflects on leadership, press freedom, and the challenges of broadcast journalism, sharing personal anecdotes and insights from a career breaking barriers and interviewing world leaders. The discussion touches resilience, the media landscape, and what success and fear look like for a high-profile journalist.

Key takeaways

  • Behind the questions lies a glass-half-full bias: Nora’s record shows adaptability beats rigidity in turbulent media bosses.
  • CBS scrutiny isn’t just agenda; it’s a stress test for newsroom culture under leadership churn and public mist.
  • Flagship interviews reveal power dynamics: being questioned flips status, exposing vulnerabilities from top anchors.
  • The 'immigration nation' arc recasts history: personal origin stories reframing national myth challenges xenophobic narratives.
  • We the Women thread highlights: spotlighting untold heroines reshapes who gets canonical status in American history.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: Nora O'Donnell, Jamie Kern Lima, America, The Jamie Kern Lima Show
  2. – 20:00: Barbara Walters, Gayle King, America, Women's History
  3. – 30:00: America, Declaration of Independence, Stephanie Goddard, Women's History
  4. – 40:00: America, Constance Baker Motley, Eleanor Roosevelt, New York, New York
  5. – 50:00: Statue of Liberty, America, Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life for You, Immigration
  6. – 1:00:00: America, Declaration of Independence, Jeff O'Donnell, Georgetown University
  7. – 1:10:00: New York, New York, IT Cosmetics, Texas
  8. – 1:20:00: America, New York, New York
  9. – 1:30:00: Jamie Kern Lima, Nora O'Donnell, CBS, America
  10. – 1:34:35: Self-Worth, Nora O'Donnell, Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life for You

Notable quotes from "Norah O’Donnell’s First EVER Podcast Interview! Life-Changing Lessons & How Success Leaves Clues!"

  • Welcome to the worldwide premiere of Nora O'Donnell in her first ever podcast interview.
    about Nora O'Donnell · at
  • I think America is the greatest country in the world. It's why everybody wants to come to America. People have fought and died for the right to vote. The power of the vote of your vote of all of.
    about America · at
  • Happiness. Since the signing of that document, Norah says the pressing question from women has been, why don't those unalienable rights apply to us? I have to say when you get…
    about women's rights · at
  • Someone you love shared this episode with you, I want to welcome you to the Jamie Karn Lima Show podcast family.
    about The Jamie Kern Lima Show · at
  • Inspired, and more worthy. In life, you don't soar to the level of your hopes and dreams. You stay stuck at the level of your self-worth. When you build your self-worth, you change your entire life.
    about Self-Worth · at
  • But one of the great stories we discovered and we start the book is that there's actually a woman's name on the Declaration of Independence. We all say you maybe you've heard…
    about Declaration of Independence · at
  • About, seeing the Statue of Liberty. I'm going to read the new colossus which is on the plaque of the Statue of Liberty. here are the words of that. Not like the brazen giant…
    about Statue of Liberty · at
  • I heard about this great book coming out called We the Women. And oh yeah, actually that's what I've been doing actually for three years. I didn't have anxiety writing it, but it.
    about We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Nora O'Donnell — Person · Main guest · 8 mentions · first at
    She is interviewed about her journalism career at CBS/60 Minutes and her new book on overlooked women in U.S. history, tying those stories to democracy, immigration, and women's rights.
  • Jamie Kern Lima — Person · Host · 5 mentions · first at
    She hosts the interview, frames themes of self-worth and perseverance, and promotes her book 'Worthy' while connecting Nora’s historical research to personal growth.
    Jamie, you're very good at this.
  • Stephanie Goddard — Person · Referenced historical figure (book subject) · 3 mentions · first at
    Central example of a forgotten woman tied to the Declaration of Independence via printing the first official copy with signatories; also illustrates gendered job displacement.
    But one of the great stories we discovered and we start the book is that there's actually a woman's name on the Declaration of Independence. We all say you maybe you've heard…
  • Barbara Walters — Person · Referenced inspiration/mentor figure · 5 mentions · first at
    Nora credits Barbara Walters as the role model she could 'see' as a girl, shaping her belief that she could become a major interviewer and anchor.
    Evening network news. It's Diane Sawyer, Katie Kirk, and you. And I know when you were a little girl, you watched Barbara Walters and you said, I want to do that. Nora, what is it about you?
  • Gayle King — Person · Referenced colleague/friend · 4 mentions · first at
    Nora describes co-anchoring a morning show with Gayle King and emphasizes their friendship and mutual support as an example of 'women supporting women.'
    Morning show, whenever we had a guest on or there would be somebody at the table, some conversation, Gail and I could literally look at each other and communicate without talking.
  • Constance Baker Motley — Person · Referenced historical figure (book subject) · 3 mentions · first at
    Presented as a 'hidden hero' of the Civil Rights Movement whose career shows rejection-as-redirection and influence on later leaders and jurists.
    Know rejection but then redirection in a great way and one of the stories that I tell in the book is of Constance Baker Mley an incredible civil rights icon. I mean she was…
  • Eleanor Roosevelt — Person · Referenced historical figure (book chapter focus) · 3 mentions · first at
    Nora highlights Eleanor Roosevelt as an example of turning pain into power through public leadership, advocacy, and wartime engagement.
    Turn that into perseverance and while most of the stories in my book are about hidden heroes we did write a whole chapter on Elanor Roosevelt because it's so good right and…
  • Jeff O'Donnell — Person · Referenced family member · 3 mentions · first at
    Nora describes her husband as a supportive partner (notes, caregiving, encouragement) and as part of her personal foundation enabling her demanding career and writing.
    You've been married 25 years to Jeff.
  • Alexander Francis — Person · Referenced interview subject (major career highlight) · 3 mentions · first at
    Nora describes pursuing an interview for 10 years via handwritten notes, using it to illustrate persistence, personal connection, and faith background.
    Asking for an interview. So Pope Francis was an interview. My dad's name is Francis. And so I wrote to Pope Francis for 10 years hoping for an interview. And it wasn't until just, a few months before we actually got the final interview that.
  • Chris Blackwell — Person · Referenced historical figure (book subject) · 2 mentions · first at
    Nora uses Blackwell’s repeated medical school rejections and later impact to illustrate perseverance and long-term societal change for women.
    She persevered. She graduated. She founded a hospital. And today, if you ask people like my sister who's a doctor, on February 3rd is National Women's Physicians Day, they get out a.
  • Taylor Swift — Person · Referenced artist (writing soundtrack) · 2 mentions · first at
    Nora mentions listening to Taylor Swift while writing, adding personal texture to her writing process and discipline.
    That's amazing. And he supports you listening to Taylor Swift while writing We the Women.
  • Benjamin Netanyahu — Person · Referenced interview subject · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as an example of the high-profile world leaders Nora has interviewed, underscoring her global reporting reach.
    Norah Oddonnell has interviewed the most prominent world leaders from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Saudi Crown Prince NBS to the Daly Lama Malala Oprah and Dolly Parton to a historic firstofits-kind sitdown with.
  • Dalai Lama — Person · Referenced interview subject · 1 mention · first at
    Listed among prominent figures Nora has interviewed, reinforcing the breadth of her career.
    Prominent world leaders from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Saudi Crown Prince NBS to the Daly Lama Malala Oprah and Dolly Parton to a historic firstofits-kind sitdown with Pope Francis. I know you don't like this question.
  • Malala Yousafzai — Person · Referenced interview subject · 1 mention · first at
    Mentioned as a notable person Nora has interviewed, aligning with themes of courage and women's rights.
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Saudi Crown Prince NBS to the Daly Lama Malala Oprah and Dolly Parton to a historic firstofits-kind sitdown with Pope Francis. I know you don't like this question.
  • Michelle Obama — Person · Referenced prior guest (show promo montage) · 1 mention · first at
    Appears in the show’s intro montage as a past interviewee, signaling the podcast’s caliber and Jamie’s interviewing style.
    Jamie, you are going so deep. I have never had this in-depth conversation.
  • Melinda French Gates — Person · Referenced prior guest (show promo montage) · 1 mention · first at
    Included in the intro montage as a prior guest, reinforcing the show’s focus on leadership, impact, and personal growth.
    Your brain and your spirit and your heart is Wow, Melinda French Gates.
  • Megan, Duchess of Sussex — Person · Referenced prior guest (show promo montage) · 1 mention · first at
    Appears in the intro montage as a past interviewee, indicating the podcast’s reach and guest profile.
  • Maria Shriver — Person · Referenced prior guest (show promo montage) · 1 mention · first at
    Included in the intro montage as a prior guest, supporting the show’s positioning around personal growth and storytelling.
    I could see the light around her. She's infused with light. Maria Shrivever.

Books & papers

  • We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America — Book · Primary discussed book · 2 mentions · first at
    Nora’s new book is the main subject: it spotlights under-taught women across U.S. history and connects their stories to modern democracy, rights, and civic participation.
  • Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life for You — Book · Host-promoted book / Core framework · 4 mentions · first at
    Jamie uses the book to anchor the episode’s self-worth theme, linking personal confidence tools to the perseverance shown by women in Nora’s historical narratives.
    If you have some self-doubt to destroy and a destiny to fulfill, Worthy is for you. In Worthy, you'll learn proven tools and simple steps that bring lifechanging results like how to get.

Companies & orgs

  • CBS — Company · Employer / institutional context · 3 mentions · first at
    CBS is discussed as Nora’s longtime workplace and as being under scrutiny with leadership changes, affecting newsroom morale and uncertainty about the future.
    We have had a lot of leadership changes at CBS and that has been challenging.
  • National Women's History Museum — Organization · Referenced authority/source · 1 mention · first at
    Cited for the statistic that only 15% of school instruction focuses on women’s achievements, supporting Nora’s argument about underrepresentation.
    And the National Women's History Museum says that only 15% of what is taught in school focuses on the achievements and the legacy of women in history.
  • IT Cosmetics — Company · Referenced company (host’s background) · 3 mentions · first at
    Jamie cites founding IT Cosmetics and enduring rejection as a parallel to the perseverance themes discussed in Nora’s book.
    Believed in you. I went from struggling waitress facing non-stop rejection to founder of IT Cosmetics, a billion-dollar company, by learning how to overcome self-doubt and…
  • Georgetown University — Organization · Referenced institution (education/personal life) · 2 mentions · first at
    Nora notes attending Georgetown (where she met Jeff O'Donnell) and references it in the context of her Catholic upbringing and life trajectory.
    And then went to Georgetown University in Washington DC and here I meet this boy as my friends say, You dating a Yankee?

Concepts & topics

  • Declaration of Independence — Concept · Core historical concept · 7 mentions · first at
    The episode repeatedly returns to the Declaration’s promises ('all men are created equal') and how women have pushed America to live up to those ideals over 250 years.
  • Women's History — Concept · Core topic / rationale for book · 3 mentions · first at
    Nora argues women’s history has been under-studied and under-taught, motivating her effort to 'excavate' stories and broaden what is considered important history.
    Study about women, certainly in the founding of America and America's revolution. That really that field of women's history is really only about 30 years old.
  • Self-Worth — Concept · Core topic / personal development lens · 5 mentions · first at
    Jamie frames the conversation around self-worth as the foundation for action and resilience, connecting it to the courage of historical women and modern listeners.
  • women's rights — Concept · Core topic · 2 mentions · first at
    The conversation links women’s rights to the Declaration’s ideals, suffrage, voting access, and the broader project of equality over 250 years.
  • Immigration — Concept · Core topic · 3 mentions · first at
    Nora ties her family history (Northern Ireland to New York; illegal entry via Canada) to America’s identity as a nation of immigrants and to current policy debates.
    What's happening over immigration policy?
  • Civil Rights Movement — Concept · Referenced historical movement · 2 mentions · first at
    Discussed through Constance Baker Motley’s litigation work, connecting women’s contributions to major U.S. rights expansions.
    She was at litigating almost every major fight of the civil rights movement. She worked under Thood Marshall. Everybody knows Thood Marshall, right? The first black judge on the Supreme Court. She.

Places & events

  • America — Place · Primary setting / civic focus · 18 mentions · first at
    America is discussed as a nation shaped by immigration and democratic ideals, with attention to polarization, inequality, voting rights, and the 250-year historical arc.
  • Statue of Liberty — Place · Symbolic location (immigration + ideals) · 6 mentions · first at
    Used as a symbol of welcome and immigration; the episode quotes Emma Lazarus’s poem and connects it to Nora’s grandmother arriving in New York Harbor.
  • America's 250th Birthday — Event · Motivating milestone · 2 mentions · first at
    Serves as the catalyst for Nora’s decision to re-examine U.S. history through women’s stories and the nation’s founding promises.
    Now, in honor of America's 250th birthday, she's focusing that passion on American heroins who helped change the course of history. In her brand new book, We the Women: The Hidden Heroes.
  • New York, New York — Place · Referenced place (family + career context) · 6 mentions · first at
    New York appears as Nora’s family roots, her grandmother’s life in Queens, and as a symbolic immigration gateway (New York Harbor/Statue of Liberty).
    Get older, you think of your grandparents and your parents by maybe holidays or I used to, visit my grandma who lived in Queens, New York. And I remember her house and these…
  • Northern Ireland — Place · Referenced origin location (family immigration) · 3 mentions · first at
    Nora cites her grandmother’s Catholic background and religious persecution in Northern Ireland as a driver of immigration to America.
    Talk about women who had it really hard and you know my grandparents were Catholics growing up in Protestant controlled Northern Ireland. And my grandma Mary Teresa was the oldest girl of nine kids. And she started working at age 12,.
  • Texas — Place · Referenced place (upbringing) · 2 mentions · first at
    Nora identifies as a 'Texas girl' (San Antonio) and references long-term friendships ('Texas Peeps') and contemporary politics in Texas.
    Chef Jeff. It happens to rhyme. Tell us about Jeff. Oh, well, I grew up in San Antonio, Texas. so even though my parents are from New York, I'm consider myself a Texas girl.
  • Washington, D.C. — Place · Referenced career/education hub · 3 mentions · first at
    Appears as the center of Nora’s political reporting (White House/Pentagon/Congress) and as Georgetown’s location.
    And then went to Georgetown University in Washington DC and here I meet this boy as my friends say, You dating a Yankee?
  • Canada — Place · Referenced location (family immigration route) · 2 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as the route through which Nora’s grandfather entered the U.S. illegally, supporting the episode’s immigration narrative.
    Persecution as a Catholic. My grandfather did not come through Ellis Island. He came through illegally through Canada and was a stowaway on a boat. This is a nation built on immigrants. It's all kinds of immigrants from all over the.

Media & podcasts

  • The Jamie Kern Lima Show — Podcast · Primary podcast / setting · 4 mentions · first at
    This is the show where Nora gives her first long-form podcast interview; it frames the conversation around inspiration, self-worth, and storytelling.
  • 60 Minutes — Media · Referenced program (career credential) · 3 mentions · first at
    Mentioned as part of Nora’s CBS career and as the platform for major political interviews (e.g., Joe Biden 2015 decision).
    You know her from her iconic history-making interviews on CBS and 60 Minutes. What are you doing as president to end the shutdown to being one of only three women in our.

Sponsors

  • Oprah Winfrey — Person · Referenced supporter / notable figure · 1 mention · first at
    Nora recounts Oprah Winfrey calling and sending roses when Nora took over the evening news, illustrating public support among prominent women.
    And well, first of all, she sent those giant roses. Did she? She Oprah sends these roses, that could like make up a table. it's got to be like a thousand roses or something like this, you know? They're just like.

Full transcript with timestamps

Do you feel as a country that we're moving in the right direction? Jamie, you're very good at this.

Welcome to the worldwide premiere of Nora O'Donnell in her first ever podcast interview.

The microscope is really on CBS right now in a lot of ways. What can you tell us about that? We have had a lot of leadership changes at CBS and that has been challenging. People are fearful about what the future means.

Do you still believe the first amendment and freedom of the press is protected? We all take a lot of heat, you know, making sure that her last child had my grandmother's name and feeding all of that love and hope into her daughters. And now my sister spends her days saving people's lives. And that's that's life. That's the journey of life. Can your heart expand?

M. Mhm. What What keeps you up at night? Almost everything. Yeah. Yeah, I do. I'm a little bit of a worry wart. um maybe undiagnosed anxiety. You know her from her iconic history-making interviews on CBS and 60 Minutes. What are you doing as president to end the shutdown

to being one of only three women in our history to solo anchor the prime time evening network news. She's interviewed every living president. And today, for the first time ever, she's agreed to be the one getting interviewed. That's right. Nora O'Donnell has never before done a podcast or long- form sitdown interview where the tables are turned and she's the one being asked the questions. And I am so honored, excited, and truly so grateful that she is here in person with you and me today for her first ever podcast interview. Getting to the top is hard. Getting anywhere is hard. Your eyes just lit up when you said Gail King.

My own grandmother, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, fleeing religious persecution as a Catholic. My grandfather did not come through Ellis Island. He came through illegally through Canada and um was a stowaway on a boat. This is a nation built on immigrants. It's all kinds of immigrants from all over the world. And those that's my family. Those words in the Declaration of Independence, those are the most important words in human history.

Do you think those words ring true right now? I think America is the greatest country in the world. It's why everybody wants to come to America. People have fought and died for the right to vote. The power of the vote of your vote of all of our votes is so incredibly important. Do you think our elections are still fair? You've been married 25 years to Jeff. Jeff the chef. Chef Jeff.

Chef Jeff. I love a man that can cook. Love a man that can cook. In addition to interviewing every living US president, including her much talked about recent viral interview with President Trump. Norah Oddonnell has interviewed the most prominent world leaders from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Saudi Crown Prince NBS to the Daly Lama Malala Oprah and Dolly Parton to a historic firstofits-kind sitdown with Pope Francis. I know you don't like this question. And over her decadesl long distinguished career, award-winning journalist Nora O'Donnell has also made it her mission to shed light on untold women's stories.

Now, in honor of America's 250th birthday, she's focusing that passion on American heroins who helped change the course of history. In her brand new book, We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, We the Women presents a Fresh Look at American History through the Eyes of Women, introducing us to inspiring patriots who demanded that the country live up to the promises made 250 years ago in the Declaration of Independence. that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Since the signing of that document, Norah says the pressing question from women has been, why don't those unalienable rights apply to us? I have to say when you get this book home and read it for yourself, it will ignite a strength and conviction in you that for me feels so exciting and so needed.

I am such a believer that we can learn from and be inspired by and borrow courage from other people's stories. Nora O'Donnell has flown across the country to be here with you and me today in her first ever long form sitdown interview where she's the one in the hot seat. And I am so excited for this conversation and for this worldwide premiere of Norah O'Donnell on the Jamie Karn Lima Show. And whether today you're listening for yourself or because someone you love shared this episode with you, I want to welcome you to the Jamie Karn Lima Show podcast family.

Thank you so much for being here. And can you take two seconds and hit the subscribe or follow button on the app you're listening or watching on? It truly means the world to me. You can also get inspiration from me right to you for free in your inbox. Just join my newsletter community at jamie kernlema.com. And this incredible podcast episode, it's not just for you and me. Please share this with every single person you know who might need some inspiration today. Perhaps a boost in their self-belief or some belief in their own story and the power of it.

Because what you're about to hear can truly impact mine, yours, and their life, too. Welcome to the Jamie Kern Lemish Show.

Oprah, how have you defied the odds? Her show is unlike any I've ever done. A revelation. When you listen, it feels like a hug. First Lady Michelle Obama.

Jamie, you are going so deep. I have never had this in-depth conversation. I've actually never said that out loud to anybody in an interview before. You know how to get there. Your brain and your spirit and your heart is like, "Wow, Melinda French Gates."

When I look into Jaime's eyes, I feel like I am on some other cosmic level with her.

Megan, Duchess of Sussex. I wasn't expecting that one. I could see the light around her. She's infused with light. Maria Shrivever.

I never made that mistake again. Imagine overcoming self-doubt, learning to believe in yourself and trust yourself and know you are enough. Welcome to the Jamie Kern Lima show.

Jamie Kern Lima is her name. Everybody needs Jamie K Lima in their life. Jamie Karn Lima.

Jamie, you're so inspiring. Jamie Kern Lima. Norah O'Donnell. Welcome to the Jamie Kern Lima show. Oh my goodness, Jamie. Thank you so much for for having me. I'm thrilled to be here. You have interviewed every living president, almost every notable figure in the world, all of the world leaders. You're sitting down here for the first time ever in a long form interview where the tables are turned. The tables are turned, Jamie. And I can't think of anybody better to do it with than you. But yes, I mean I think I'm fearless in many ways in my journalistic career and um but I don't I usually ask people questions. Listening is my superpower.

I'm not used to answering questions. But I've written this book about women. Yeah. Um, in addition to all those big interviews I've done in my life, I've also tried to tell the stories of women because I think storytelling is incredibly important and I do want women and young girls to hear the stories of women who do incredible things

and um to learn from them and gain inspiration and courage from them. Yeah, I have to say when I read we the women that's out now, everyone go grab your copy. I am an author and I know how much work goes into creating a book and reading your book, the research that went into this book. But the stories that you selected over 250 years, right, of our country's history, I closed the book fired up, feeling more confident than ever uh in the things I'm willing to take on. looking at other women who just got back up and kept going or didn't didn't worry that maybe it was too late or they were too old or they were the wrong gender and just like the things that they've gone through

has been so inspiring. And so for you, you are one of only three women in our history to solo anchor the prime time evening network news. It's Diane Sawyer, Katie Kirk, and you. And I know when you were a little girl, you watched Barbara Walters and you said, "I want to do that." Nora, what is it about you? Because we're talking about you. What is it? What is it about you that went from, you know, growing up seeing Barbara Walters and maybe feeling a whisper saying, "I have that dream." to actually making it happen. It's a great question and one of the things I want young girls to do is believe in their dreams and to have big big dreams and don't let anybody crush your dreams

because a lot of people try and you know over time you get rejected. Yeah. You've talked about it in building your incredible business in your life. Um and you have to surround yourself with a support system which is what my mom always told me. so that when life gets tough or people doubt you or your own your own self-limiting doubts that you keep pushing forward. And so I think of myself um as a little girl, you know, I'd look back at pictures of myself um playing soccer, you know, right-wing forward, growing up with two brothers, getting dirty, and never thinking about all of the things that limit your belief in yourself.

And luckily for my parents, they exposed us to the news. We had newspapers around our house. My dad was in the army. I'm a military brat. So certainly we followed what was happening not only at home but around the world. And so the TV was always on. And there was really one woman who was everywhere interviewing the most powerful people in the world, the 10 most fascinating people in the world. You know, she used to have those specials. And I thought, who is this Barbara Walters? you know, Saturday Night Live used to do skits on on Barbara Walters and and um you know, I'm a firm believer in that if you can see it, you can believe it. And I think I looked up to Barbara Walters and just said, "Wow, she has a front row seat to history and I want to do that and I want to be that." And somehow somehow over a very long career and working mostly seven days a week, you know, I did get to sit in the same chair

as Walter Kankite and Katie Kurrick. Yeah. And you've interviewed I mean everyone.

Yeah. I mean um my background really was in covering politics in Washington, you know. I mean I covered the White House and covered the Pentagon and covered Congress. traveled the world after the 911 attacks. So, I've covered wars and hurricanes. I always say natural disasters and man-made disasters and um then went and anchored the morning show alongside Gail King and got to do the morning show for seven years, which was really one of the best jobs I've ever had in television because Gail and I used to get ready our makeup ready in the morning together starting at, you know, 5:00 a.m.

Uh and then I anchored the evening news uh for almost six years. So doing the news every single day for 13 years um is a lot and an incredible privilege. And so as part of that, you know, I sought the biggest interviews in the world and try to build a reputation of integrity and trust that led me on this path to being able to meet and interview the most fascinating, powerful people in the world and build trust and respect.

Your eyes just lit up when you said Gail King. You know her. Is there anybody better? Can you talk about what that's like to have like a genuine friendship where two women, you know that saying, empowered women empower women? A lot of people wonder, is it really like that behind the scenes? Your eyes just lit up when you said her name, which is really cool to see.

Well, anchoring a morning show is tough. Yeah. You know, you it's tiring and there's nothing better than sitting for, you know, at the crack of dawn with Gail King telling hilarious stories. She has endless energy. But when we anchored the morning show, whenever we had a guest on or there would be somebody at the table, some conversation, Gail and I could literally look at each other and communicate without talking.

Wow. I mean, that's how much we can sort of read each other's mind on something. Yeah.

And that's like an old friendship, you know, when you can read your friend just by by looking at them. And I think what Gail is is really a best friend. Um, you know, she's you want you want to be around people who are like sunshine,

whether they're friends or people you work with. And Gail is sunshine. I think it's no coincidence that her favorite color is yellow.

Yellow like the sun. Yeah. And she wears that yellow dress right every year anniversary. Yes. Um, with Barbara Walters, did you ever get a chance to tell her in person?

I did get to tell her in person. And um when I took over the evening news, she sent me a note and it meant a great deal to me because you know Barbara Walters um did co-anchor the evening news at one point early in her career and was doubted and um you know she had a tough career even though we all think of just the incredible career that she had but she also had a tough tough times as well. Um, and so when you get a letter from someone who, you know, is an icon that you grow up, it was really meant an incredible um, meant so much to me. And I can remember when she passed away, it was just around, you know, Christmas time and New Year's. And I remember thinking, what a huge loss, but also just how much she inspired me.

And I would never I don't think I've had this opportunity unless Barbara Walters had existed. and so many women have followed in her steps that also paved the way for me to have the career and opportunities that that I've had.

What did she say in her letter? You know, I got to go back and find it, but I think it was sort of I think it was pretty straightforward like a congratulations, you have made it and good luck.

Yeah. Um I remember Oprah called me too. And um well, first of all, she sent those giant roses. Did she? She Oprah sends these roses, you know, that could like make up a table. I mean, it's got to be like a thousand roses or something like this, you know? They're just like nothing you've ever seen in your life,

but in only the way that Oprah can speak, as you know, because I know how much you love Oprah, too. Um, she told me and made helped me understood what would be my own power. said, "You will be traveling the world telling us at home about the most important stories in the world."

That is power. And um when I left the evening news, we talked too because she said she worked out every day to to watch. She's like, "I don't know what I'm going to do. Who am I going to work out to now? I watch you while I'm working out watching the evening news." So, but I think that story is important too because when women support women, great things happen. I actually have that t-shirt. I should have worn it today. I should have worn it today. And I do think we need the constant encouragement of our friends and fellow women. And not just privately.

Yes. But publicly, too. And getting to the top is hard. Getting anywhere is hard.

And what women do really well is friendships. And so, let's keep doing it. privately and publicly because we certainly need, you know, more women um in the, you know, middle management, upper management, in power to help not only change business, change the world, change legislation, all of it.

Yeah. You know, I um I think I love what you just shared about supporting women privately, supporting them publicly. And and one of the things I love is I think even when it's women that we've never met and stories maybe that are from you know this year or 100 years ago when you read the stories of the women that you are highlighting in your new book we the women I felt like I had all these women that I could lean on because of what they've gone through. And so can you share for everyone listening and watching right now what inspired you to write we the women and what did you discover in in writing it? Oh, I discovered so much. You know, we the women began as this way of thinking about America 250. You know, we're celebrating America's 250th birthday and the Declaration of Women. And I thought, well, let me write about all the women that we don't know about. and so to shine a spotlight on women's voices

and women's stories. But I had no idea that in researching this book, excavating these stories that in some ways too it would unlock something within myself. And um you know I worked with um Kate and Julie and a team of people to sort of put it there was almost three years of excavating these stories and of course listening to Taylor Swift while writing. I would lock in with headphones on like a Saturday or Sunday. My husband would check in on me and I would just be like, you know, yeah, writing away. But um I think what I learned is that as Harriet Beer Stowe said, women are the great architects of society. M

they are and women have been throughout our history a force for positive change in the world

even when they had absolutely no rights. And so um I I hope that this book too because we break it up into 50ear parts that you can kind of rediscover history.

Yeah. And also the stories of women are kind of in short little bursts too. So, they're great for discussion and um if you're like me, you I can only read like 30 pages before I fall asleep.

Yeah. Yeah. So, it's that kind of a book. Yeah. I love that you can also just like open it up to any page and read and all of a sudden you're inspired.

Absolutely. Those books where it's like when you when you get it home, what I plan to do is like keep it on my coffee table or give it to every woman in my life like every and this is across generations. This is all ages of women. And of course, when you read it cover to cover, it's inspiring. But it's like one of those books, too, where if you're just like, I need some hope today. I need some strength today. I need some grit today. I need some resilience today. Just like flip it open to any page. Read about the woman on that page. And I'm telling you, like, it's just I don't know. It's it's powerful. And these stories are true. And they, you know, we're in a time, I think, in our country where a lot of us need some hope right now. A lot of us need some hope and to feel like we're not alone in what's happening and just all of it. And so I want to ask you, you know, with with the 250 years that we're talking about

America's birthday, 250 years, what did you learn in particular that maybe you didn't learn in history in school? We need to pause for a super brief break. And while we do, take a moment to share this episode with every single person that you know who this could inspire because this conversation can truly be the words and inspiration they need to hear today to keep going to remember that they matter and to feel less alone and more enough, more connected, more inspired, and more worthy. In life, you don't soar to the level of your hopes and dreams. You stay stuck at the level of your self-worth. When you build your self-worth, you change your entire life.

And that's exactly why I wrote my new book, Worthy: How to Believe You Are Enough and Transform Your Life for You. If you have some self-doubt to destroy and a destiny to fulfill, Worthy is for you. In Worthy, you'll learn proven tools and simple steps that bring lifechanging results like how to get unstuck from the things holding you back. Build unshakable self-love. Unlearn the lies that lead to self-doubt and embrace the truths that wake up worthiness. Overcome limiting beliefs and imposttor syndrome. achieve your hopes and dreams by believing you are worthy of them and so much more. Are you ready to unleash your greatness and step into the person you were born to be? Imagine a life with zero self-doubt and unshakable self-worth. Get your copy of Worthy, plus some amazing thank you bonus gifts for you at worthybook.com or the link in the show notes below. Imagine what you'd do if you fully believed in you. It's

time to find out with worthy. Who you spend time around is so important as energy is contagious and so is self-belief. And I'd love to hang out with you even more, especially if you could use an extra dose of inspiration. Which is exactly why I've created my free weekly newsletter that's also a love letter to you delivered straight to your inbox each and every Tuesday morning from me. If you haven't signed up to make sure that you get it each week, just go to jamie karnma.com to make sure you're on the list and you'll get your one-on-one withjamie weekly newsletter and get ready to believe in you. If you're tired of hearing the bad news every single day and need some inspiration, some tips, tools, joy, and love hitting your inbox, I'm your girl.

Subscribe at jamie lima.com or in the link in the show notes. Do you struggle with negative self-t talk? Living with a constant mental narrative that you're not good enough is exhausting. I know because I spent most of my life in that habit. The words you say to yourself about yourself are so powerful. And when you learn to take control over your self-t talk, it's life-changing. And I wanted to give you a free resource that I created for you if this is something that could benefit your life. It's called five ways to overcome negative selft talk and build self-love. And it's a free how-to guide to overcome that negative selft talk to build confidence and develop unshakable self-love so that you can dream big and keep going in the pursuit of your goals. Don't let self- sabotaging thoughts hinder your progress any longer. It's time to rewrite the script of your life, one filled with self-love, resilience, and unwavering

belief. If you're ready to take charge of your narrative, build unwavering confidence, and empower yourself to persevere on the path to your dreams, you can grab your free guide to stop overthinking and learn to trust yourself at jamie kernlema.com/resources or click the link in the show notes below. And now more of this incredible conversation together. With the 250 years that we're talking about, America's birthday, 250 years. What did you learn in particular that maybe you didn't learn in history in school? Well, a lot I didn't know truly about the revolutionary period, you know, and that's because there's been so little study about women, uh, you know, certainly in the founding of America and America's revolution. That really that field of women's history is really only about 30 years old.

And that's because women's stories weren't considered important until just recently. In fact, part of the problem we had is that people didn't save women's letters or women's diaries because women's stories weren't considered important.

And that's like my heart kind of hurts saying that. Um, but one of the great stories we discovered and we start the book is is that there's actually a woman's name on the Declaration of Independence. We all say you maybe you've heard like sign your J John Hancock here, right? And so we know John Hancock's name is on the Declaration of Independence, right? And Adams and all these other founding fathers. But what about the founding mothers?

And it turns out that Mary Katherine Goddard printed the first official Declaration of Independence that has all the signitories on there. And remember back then that was an act of treason to put your name on a Declaration of Independence from the British. So, she was brave, too, and courageous. And I've never heard that story before.

And the National uh Women's History Museum says that only 15% of what is taught in school focuses on the achievements and the legacy of women in history. So, what if as a young girl I had learned more about these incredible, brave, courageous women? Would it have changed what I thought about who I could be?

Maybe. Would it have would it have made me dream of something different? Because I dreamed of Barbara Walters because I saw her. But what if I had learned about these women women who fought at war, who were engag engaged in politics um through the power of their ideas, these scientists and others. what if I had learned about them? Would I also dream of being those women? And so I hope that, you know, we can all learn about those women as sort of icons and because they we dream learning the stories of other people. That's why we go to the movies. That's why we listen to podcasts, right?

We're taking in all of this storytelling and information because it's not just entertainment. It's also learning. And so I want to put more of those women's stories out there in the universe. So many women that I hear from and girls, but really women of all ages, all ages, talk about how the fear of rejection or failure or judgment or what other people might think kind of like holds them back from going for things. What did you learn through so many women's stories in We the Women? What did you learn about about rejection and about how they handled it?

Boy, I learned that rejection is universal and it dates back to the founding of America.

And Mary Katherine Goddard, whose name is on the Declaration of Independence, printed the first official broadside, as they call it. She was also the postmaster. She delivered all the mail. She was then fired from her position and replaced by a man. She wrote a letter to George Washington. Here she was fired, rejected. She writes to George Washington asking for her job back. The governor of Maryland writes on her behalf, too. And she decries what she calls this extraordinary act of oppression towards her, which historians say may have been the first time that a woman talked about oppression. And she never got her job back. But I do think like there her name is forged in ink on parchment. You know, she g helped give birth to this nation and we should honor her. But other stories of rejection, I mean, Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to graduate from medical school in America.

She was rejected from more than 10 medical schools because she was a woman. She only got in, as we tell the story in the book, it was a joke that they let her in. Like literally, they thought it was a joke.

She persevered. She graduated. She founded a hospital. And today, if you ask people like my sister who's a doctor, on February 3rd is National Women's Physicians Day, they get out a cake. Like, if you work with other doctors, they get out a cake and they celebrate her birthday. And now a majority of graduates of medical school in America are female.

So, Elizabeth Blackbo was the first and the men in her class thought she was crazy, but she has inspired countless women and inspires them today.

Like, that's awesome. But she was faced rejection at every turn. So often we think, you know, we get rejected or we think we get one no or someone doesn't believe in us or we try and and it doesn't go our way and after one time or two times or five times we think like oh we don't have what it takes or we never should have even tried or you know any of that. And I think that, you know, one of the reasons I was so passionate about um sharing my story of, you know, building a business is because it was like it looks great in the headlines, but the number of rejections, the number of setbacks, the number of nos and and I remember after sharing starting to share that part of my story, the number of people that were just like, you know, I'm inspired to keep going. I'm inspired to get up and try again. I'm inspired to launch that idea or raise my hand at work tomorrow or, you know, whatever it might be. the

grit, the tenacity, but the huge setback some of these women have faced. I mean, you know, I know you can't compare despair, but some of us think that there's hard times now. Some of the things these women fought through, dealt with, the setbacks, the judgment, the discrimination, the rejection, and they still they still kept going. What do you think it was, Nora, for if you were to pull a through line through a lot of the women in their stories in here that had them believe they were worthy of continuing fighting for what they believed in or going after what they wanted or putting themselves out there?

You know, I love your book worthy and I do think, you know, like rejection is redirection,

right? And when one door closes, perhaps another one opens. And I think for myself and others, the first thing about rejection too is having friends, family around you that tells you keep going, right? Building that support system around you to help your own belief system, right? To keep going, to keep asking. I tell my kids, if you don't ask, you don't get. Just keep asking, right? Keep asking. You just got to keep going.

I love that. Keep going. And um so there's countless you know stories of as you point out you know rejection but then redirection in a great way and one of the stories that I tell in the book is of Constance Baker Mley an incredible civil rights icon. I mean she was Martin Luther King Jr's lawyer. I've never heard of her until recently. I mean, you know, Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous I have a dream speech in 1963. Who's standing beside her? It's beside him, Constance Baker Mley.

She was at litigating almost every major fight of the civil rights movement. She worked under Thood Marshall. Everybody knows Thood Marshall, right? The first black judge on the Supreme Court. She worked with him at the NAACP legal defense fund. He gets brought to the Supreme Court. Many people thought she should become the head of the NAACP legal defense fund. They put another man in that spot. So what does she do? She ends up becoming um New York State senator. Um then gets appointed to the federal bench. She becomes the first black woman on a federal bench. And then who does she end up inspiring? Katanji Brown Jackson reads about her as a little girl. And now Katanji Brown Jackson is on the US Supreme Court.

Kamla Harris read about Constance Baker Mley as a little girl. So, you know, I read those stories and thought, how did I not ever learn about Constance Baker Mley when I was growing up? Like, I would have written papers about her. Like, what a great story. I mean, we have a smalish chapter on her, but she deserves dozens of biographies on her and children's books about her. And you know, but for her, rejection meant redirection and she wouldn't have made it to the federal bench if she had been able to replace their good marshall, the NAACP, legal defense fun.

Or it may have just been a different path. Wouldn't they even not refer to her by name like in the courtroom and she'd have to correct people? Yes. And how to address her?

That's right. Right. When she was defending MLK Jr., People couldn't believe that down in the south that a black woman who had a degree from Colombia was there as a lawyer. You know, who's that lady lawyer as many women in um you know, the legal profession have faced. But I mean, there should be a movie about her, right?

Yes. Yes. Yeah. Can you talk also just about turning pain into um purpose and also perseverance?

I think we all know about this in our own life. dealing with pain and um you certainly feeling the feels as we say are good but then um how to turn that into perseverance and while most of the stories in my book are about hidden heroes we did write a whole chapter on Elanor Roosevelt

because it's so good right and again like I did learn about Elanor Roosevelt in school but talking about turning pain

into power and perseverance I mean, her mother would put her down at parties. Her mother was a celebrated beauty. And when Eleanor Roosevelt would walk into the room as a child, her mother would call her, "Oh, look. Isn't she a funny child just like Granny?" And Eleanor Roosevelt said, "I wouldn't want to sink through the floor."

She marries FDR, has six children in 10 years. Then she finds out he's cheating on her with Lucy Mercer. She offers him a divorce. They decide to stay together for his political career. He gets polio. She nurses him through um through that. Helps him run for governor, helps him get elected president of the United States, and then really becomes the most powerful female political figure for 50 years. So talk about turning pain from her childhood, her parents also died at an early age, into perseverance. I mean, I'm giving myself the goosebumps.

I am too right now. Do you see my arm? I'm like, I'm giving myself I mean, in addition to also having that many children of her own. You know, she invited women into the White House, you know, to advise her president. She had press conferences on her own. She had more than 300 press conferences. She traveled the world during World War II, Elanor Roosevelt, to meet with troops in all these far-flung areas. She lost she lost 30 pounds on, you know, a month-long trip visiting with soldiers. She was the shadow commanderin-chief

in so many ways. So Eleanor Roosevelt to me, I mean, I've seen statues of her and so I think of her as this, you know, longest serving first lady in America, but she dealt with a lot of pain and rejection and she persevered and she wrote newspaper columns and had her own radio show and she persevered and did great things for this country. She's a hero of mine, a real hero. Another hero of yours, another incredible woman, uh, your grandma who immigrated from Ireland to the US in the 30s. She boarded a boat all alone to America in a week-long boat ride over the Atlantic. Uh, can you talk about about your grandma's journey about her being greeted by the Statue of Liberty?

Yeah, I talk about my grandma because talk about women who had it really hard and um you know my my grandparents were Catholics growing up in Protestant controlled Northern Ireland. And my grandma Mary Teresa was the oldest girl of nine kids. And she started working at age 12, you know, walking through barbed wire and barricades to work in a linen factory at age 12. And she never made it past 8th grade. But somehow she was smart enough to know she had to come to America. And so in her early 20s, she boards a boat all by herself. I mean, this is 1930. Like you don't have a cell phone or you don't know where you're going. I mean, and I just think of her and I think, wow, I hope that when she pulled into New York Harbor, the first thing she saw there was the Statue of Liberty, you know, a woman

holding a torch. And I hope that she thought "Oh I made the right decision." you know,

and um my my grandma worked for many years in a medical facility uh for people who were mentally ill and she had a really hard job and a really hard life, but she was, as my mom still says to this day, was really the kindest woman in the world. And I hope that the bravery that brought my grandmother across the Atlantic is also the same bravery that lives in all of the women in these this book that persevered and persisted despite doubts and discrimination and just kept going. And that's why I say that women really are the most positive force for change. And that's the message that I want to come out of this is because women rely on community, family, friendships, and can be a very positive force for change. You say that if you could travel back in time, you'd hold your grandma's hand and tell her it's going to be okay.

Do you ever channel is not the right word. Do you ever feel her strength like through you and absolutely to your children?

Yeah. And it's kind of a thing when you get older, you know, you think of your grandparents and your parents by maybe holidays or I used to, you know, visit my grandma who lived in Queens, New York. And I remember her house and these little strawberries that she had growing in the back of a little teeny house, you know, but she had little strawberry plants. And think of my grandmother like that and just how sweet she was. But I when I learn more and more about her story, I'm how brave, how incredibly brave

and how hard working hard working. I mean, my mom tells stories too that sometimes they didn't have enough food growing up and that changes who you are,

you know, that kind of thing changes how you are. So, um, as we say amongst the women I work with, never been a lazy girl.

Never been a lazy girl. Never met a lazy girl. We got it on coffee cups. Yeah. Um, so and women are incredibly hardworking, too. Really hardworking. And um, and you know, that's that's the other thing I felt about the women in this book. Like, we need to pause for a super brief break. And while we do, take a moment to share this episode with every single person that you know who this could inspire because this conversation can truly be the words and inspiration they need to hear today to keep going to remember that they matter and to feel less alone and more enough, more connected, more inspired, and more worthy. Who you spend time around is so important as energy is contagious and so is self-belief. And I'd love to hang out with you even more, especially if you could use an extra dose of inspiration. Which is exactly why I've created my free weekly newsletter that's also a love letter to

you, delivered straight to your inbox each and every Tuesday morning from me. If you haven't signed up to make sure that you get it each week, just go to jamie kernelma.com to make sure you're on the list and you'll get your one-on-one with Jamie weekly newsletter and get ready to believe in you. If you're tired of hearing the bad news every single day and need some inspiration, some tips, tools, joy, and love hitting your inbox, I'm your girl. Subscribe at jamie lima.com or in the link in the show notes.

I am so excited for this book. You know why? Cuz it's going to save so many people. It's going to save the your new beautiful book worthy.

Get this book. This book I'm telling you, it's a book that can change anybody's life who picks it up. Anybody who's ever felt that they were not good enough, didn't measure up, something's missing in your life. I have to tell you, it's powerful. It's happening. It's worth it.

Imagine what would you do if you fully believed in you. I went from struggling waitress facing non-stop rejection to founder of IT Cosmetics, a billion-dollar company, by learning how to overcome self-doubt and believe I'm worthy of my hopes and dreams. And I'm sharing how you can too in my new book, Worthy, how to believe you are enough and transform your life. If you're ready to truly trust yourself and break through that barrier of self-doubt and know that where you come from or even where you are right now doesn't determine where you're going, then worthy is for you. It's time to go from doubting you're enough to knowing you're enough. It's time to step into all of who you are and into the person you were born to be. And it's time to believe that you are worthy of it. Because in life, we don't become what we want, we become what we believe we're worthy of.

Join the worthy movement today by grabbing your copy of Worthy anywhere books are sold. Then head to worthybook.com now for free gifts, including my five-part course on becoming unstoppable and my 95page worthy workbook action plan that teaches you how to implement the tools from the book into your real life right now.

Worthy is groundbreaking. YO, MY GOD, WORTHY. You are worthy. This book is going to change lives. This book literally will teach you how to actually feel worthy so that you can have the strength. You can have the confidence.

The lessons in this book and the strategies will change your life. You will never be the same again after you read this book.

Jaime's book worthy is a must-read. It is going to inspire you, empower you, give you the hope that you need and the kick in the rear end that you deserve.

Jamie's book worthy is incredible. The gifts are going away, but they're all free right now on worthybook.com. And now, more of this incredible conversation together.

Women are incredibly hardworking, too. Really hardworking. And um and you know, that's that's the other thing I felt about the women in this book. like some were lucky to be educated, you know, women certainly didn't have the right to go to college, but some were educated, some were not, but all of them were just I mean, in addition to being brave, just really hard workers, you know, when you talk about um your grandma not uh having a cell phone,

right, being all alone on this week-long voyage going from Ireland to the US and and pulling in, you know, and you imagine her seeing the Statue of Liberty. I mean, imagine being on a voyage like that. And and it just Well, I asked my mother. I'm like, "How did how did grandma know where to go?"

Yeah. And she was like, "You know, the story that that that we told us that they knew the Bradley's and the Bradley's owned a bar and that when she got through Ellis Island, she was just supposed to go to the bar

and you just met somebody there and they told you what to do." I mean, I wish when my grandmother was was alive, I mean, she died when I was a teenager. I wish I had sat down with her and asked her all these questions.

Yeah. I just wish I had knew the story. We don't know the story. And that's really what we found. I know so little about my grandmother's life.

Yeah. And sort of the grit and perseverance. And that was part of this too is like trying to excavate these stories of women which are so incredibly important just not only for American history but also this so that we can learn from them.

The power of of stories too. And I'm going to read this because believe it or not, a lot of Americans actually don't know this poem that's on the beautiful words of Emma Lazarus that are on the Statue of Liberty. And I'm as I'm reading we the women, I'm imagining your grandma coming over here and you talk about, you know, seeing the Statue of Liberty. Uh I'm going to read uh the new colossus which is on the plaque of the Statue of Liberty. Uh here are the words of that. Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, with conquering limbs a stride from land to land. Here at our seaashed sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch whose flame is the imprisoned lightning and her name mother of exiles. From her beacon hand glows worldwide welcome. Her mild eyes command the airbridged harbor that twin cities frame. Keep ancient lands your storied pomp cries she with silent lips give me your tired your poor your

huddled masses yearning to breathe free the wretched refuse of your teeming shore send these the homeless tempest tossed to me I lift my lamp beside the golden door when you are reminded of those words what do you think give me your tired, poor, huddled masses yearning to be free. Written by a woman, Emma Lazarus, who by the way, that poem wouldn't have ended up on the Statue of Liberty if it were not for another friend, another woman who made sure it got on that statue. But I think about it, you know, my own grandmother, an immigrant from Northern Ireland, fleeing religious persecution as a Catholic. My grandfather did not come through Ellis Island. He came through illegally through Canada and um was a stowaway on a boat almost kind of like Titanic like my grandfather was one at the bottom of the boat.

Um and um so this is a nation built on immigrants. It's built on Irish immigrants, all kinds of immigrants from all over the world. And those that's my family and who were uh who had almost no education really my grandparents. And so it's very much imbued in my sense of um upbringing because my mom had to work her way to get through, you know, college and get her way to medical school where she met my dad. And so that was very much a sense of you have a lot to give back to America. And I hope in some ways too um I'm giving something back with this book.

But I also think you know my grandmother as I write about in the final chapter just about the arc of history here my grandmother Mary Teresa who never made it past the eighth grade and worked um as an orderly essentially in a mental hospital. Her name is my sister's name

and my sister who's 10 years younger than me and my sister is now the chief surgeon

at a hospital. And I wish my grandmother knew that. I think my mom had something to do with it. making sure that her last child had my grandmother's name, but also and feeding all of that love and hope into her daughters. And now my sister spends her days saving people's lives, making their lives better, you know, trying to cure them of cancer. And um there's this throughine as you say and I hope too that that's the point of studying these stories is that maybe you see part of yourself in these women in this book.

Maybe you say, "Oh, maybe that's not what I'm doing right now, but maybe I do want to do that. I'm going to change careers and turn become this kind of person or maybe I'm going to help my children see those stories so that they can follow and or build their own dreams." Um, it unlocked something new for me. It did.

And thinking of your grandma who immigrated here as an orderly in a mental hospital like working so hard for all those years and then your sister with the same name.

He's like running things. Yeah. Pretty incredible. Yeah. Um, and I do think, you know, too, this is as caregivers. You know, my grandmother was a caregiver. Um, and my sister as a doctor is a caregiver. And women are caregivers of our community

and the health of our nation. And those words in the Declaration of Independence, those 13 words, right? But all men are created equal, which women of course are men and women are created equal, right? Those are the most important words in human history

and the whole history of the past 250 years of America has been trying to live up to those ideals in the Declaration of Independence and I believe women have been at the center of that. Do you think those words and the promise that's sitting there on the plaque of the Statue of Liberty right now? Do you think those words ring true right now?

I do. I do. I think America is the greatest country in the world. It's why everybody wants to come to America. There are opportunities in America that don't exist anywhere else. But as a journalist, I know democracy is messy. I also studied philosophy. So I also know democracy can be messy. But that's part of the process. And that's why people have fought and died for the right to vote.

And women fought and died. Women were the leaders of the abolitionist movement early on, the leaders of the suffragist movement to make sure that women could get the right to vote. And even when women did get the right to vote with the 19th amendment in 1920, black women and Native American or indigenous women didn't have the right to vote. And so the power of the vote of your vote of all of our votes is so incredibly important. And um you know politics can be divisive but it can also be unifying

and I've in my oh my gosh how old am I? I'm 52. So I guess now you know 30 years a baby for your birthday.

Thank you. 30 years of covering politics I've seen it all. I've seen I've interviewed every living president. I've seen both parties in control. Um, I've been able to interview them because I have the respect and trust on both sides. And you see how engaged Americans are in what happens in not only their communities, other communities, and that drives more and more people to the polls every year. And that's a good thing.

Being involved, um, speaking up is a really good thing. Letting your voice be heard, that's that's part of the process. Do you think our elections are still fair?

I do. Yeah. Yeah, I do. Um, I'm going to ask you about about your interviews uh in a minute and so many of the incredible people you've interviewed. Uh, but I want to ask you about uh what I'm assuming is your favorite man in your life, which is your husband you met while attending Georgetown. Uh, you've been married 25 years.

That's right. To Jeff. Jeff the chef. Chef Jeff. Chef Jeff. It happens to rhyme. Tell us about Jeff. Oh, well, you know, I I grew up in San Antonio, Texas. Um, so even though my parents are from New York, I'm consider myself a Texas girl.

And then went to Georgetown University in Washington DC and uh here I meet this boy as my friends say, "You dating a Yankee?" That's what growing up in the South, you dating a Yankee? Yeah. Um, and um, you know, I've been with Jeff for so long, and I think the incredible thing about our partnership is is I married my best friend

and someone who has supported me through my career, uh, has been an equal partner in marriage and parenthood, maybe sometimes has done even more than equal. And um look, we want to spend our lives with partners who make us better at what we do, make us better parents, make us better people, and that's ultimately, I think, the secret to our long marriage. Plus, he also makes really good bacon and pancakes for breakfast and great dinners. And you know, don't

I love a man that can cook. Love a man that can cook. Absolutely. In your day. and he takes the dogs out in the morning so that I can stay in bed cuz after anchoring a morning show for seven years. I like to luxuriate in bed in the morning and so I am very grateful for my husband who takes the dogs out in the morning.

That's amazing. And he supports you listening to Taylor Swift while writing We the Women.

Of course. Yes. Would bring me coffee. Would bring me coffee. Yes. While I was just typing away and and uh he's he read the early copy of the book as well and enjoyed it. Mh. In your Georgetown commencement, uh, you mentioned that he when you guys were dating in college, he would leave you sticky notes, like post-it notes with encouraging words, and he still does that to this day.

He does. Um, you know, and isn't that so sweet, too? I mean, and I think about this in life, too. We all need lots of sticky notes of encouragement.

And I met a guy who would leave them all over my dorm room. And um it's one of been one of the most effective and rewarding parts of my life is learning to write more notes myself to people.

And letting them know how much I appreciate them and the work that they do. And so I think we all know it, but it goes should not go without saying again. Every time you say thank you to someone in person, whether they're the barista or it's the person at the gas station or a doctor or nurse that looks really busy and is not actually maybe paying too much attention to you while you're standing in line waiting to, you know, check in. They deserve a thank you.

Um because it goes a long way. And almost every big interview that I've um been able to do followed not only the notes of bookers and producers, but also handwritten notes by myself to people

asking for an interview. So Pope Francis was an interview. My dad's name is Francis. And um so I wrote to Pope Francis for 10 years hoping for an interview. And it wasn't until just, you know, um, a few months before we actually got the final interview that with the encouragement of my producer to say, you know, maybe you should be more personal in your note. Talk about how you're mom and you have three kids and that you went to Georgetown and talk about, you know, growing up Catholic and be more personal. And so it's just a reminder that writing and I make my kids write handwritten notes and sometimes it takes them a long time to get it done, but they do it because writing thank you notes and writing notes and asking for what you want or that kind of communication uh is so incredibly important. One story of Joe Biden who I knew covering Congress, you know, he was a senator for a long time. Um, I knew his son, um, Bo

Biden, who died in his 40s of brain cancer when Joe Biden was vice president. I wrote the vice president then a handwritten note about Bose's passing and how sorry I was, a condolence note, and I then did the first interview with Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Biden when he announced that he would not run for president in 2015. And that's when then Hillary Clinton ended up running against Donald Trump the first time and then Donald Trump won his first term in office. And when I got that 60 Minutes interview with Joe Biden where he announced on 60 Minutes in this interview that he was not going to seek the presidency at the end I said, "Thank you so much um Mr. Vice President for doing the interview with us." He said, "I've had your handwritten note on my desk."

So if that isn't a reminder and I wrote him a handwritten note about his son passing, not you know and um so personal connection is incredibly important

all the time. And I think when when we're this new era of text and emails, that's okay, too. But I hope the handwritten note that that old craft that those of us do that still continues. A handwritten note or a thank you note is still great thing to do. You know, I'm reminded when I was um building at Cosmetics, we were so small, so tiny, no one had heard of us, just scrappy. And I'd seen uh the then head of L'Oreal, Carol Hamilton, give this big presentation on she just got back from Harvard and she was doing her top 10 all-time favorite products at this huge beauty industry event. And I remember I wrote her a handwritten note, told her how much I appreciated uh her talk. Uh and the only problem with it was that uh it cosmetics was not on her top 10. And if she actually tried it, she would love it and I'd be so honored like on and on and on. But I really, you know, thanked her for her talk as well

and and sent her some products. Fast forward, gosh, how many years was it? Nora, several years later, we met for the first time

and then we did meetings and meetings and meetings and years later, L'Oreal acquired at Cosmetics and she kept that note. She kept that handwritten note and I was just like astonished. But I think it's so rare that people take the time and they take the care and they do something personal. So I think that that's really And it's free.

Yes, it's free. We can all do it. Yes. I think there's also something in the handwriting of a note.

That does something for the person writing the note. You're spending the extra time to get the cursive right so that it looks good. Sometimes I have to go through a couple of versions because my cursive is not that great.

But it does something in the person once again slowly signaling your intention about what you want. And then the receiver also knows that that means your intention is clear.

It's not an email. It's a handwritten note. you really want it or you're really grateful or you're really sad about what they've been going through or you're really celebrating their great new birth of a child or whatever it may be. Um, and so while certainly I can myself be better about writing more handwritten notes, I have lots of handwritten notes that are halfwritten across my desk all the time. Do you? I do. Um, and it usually takes us like to the end of January to get out the Christmas thank you notes, you know. Um,

um, it's still really important. Really, really important. Yeah. I have I got to get your address so I make sure I send you a thank you note.

Same. Same. But I just cherish, you know, I think I'm thinking just right now, you know, for the first time about this and and just I cherished handwritten things like, you know, even even things my mom wrote out a recipe. My mom's no longer with us. I mean, I cherish what she wrote. Like anything that she wrote. Yes.

Um I remember the first handwritten note from Oprah. I was like, it's really her signature. It's real. It's real. It's real. Like I ch like the something about handwriting my And you know, talking about the our feelings and the way we write things. So I am from San Antonio, Texas. I talk to my seven best friends every day. We text each other. We're on a text chain called Texas Peeps. And one of my friends, Allison, she is married to this guy, Jason, that I was in love with.

In love with. Everybody was in love with him. I mean, he was the guy. And this is in like seventh grade.

Okay. So, at our 20th high school reunion, she was like, "Jason's not here, but he saved the letter you wrote him like pouring out your love for him." It is hilarious. But I mean, I'm so glad that he has it because it just signals how silly and in love and crazy you are as like a seventh grader and it's awesome.

Yes. And it's this long, you know, big bubble writing on like a yellow notepad paper and I think like

purple marker or something, you know? Yeah. But I love it because it's I'm like, who's that girl? Who's that teenager who was just so sweet

and madly in love with in her seventh grade love kind of way with Jason. Yeah. Who's now married to Allison and love her

in your Texas Peeps group. I love this. Yeah. How long have you known this the other women in that group?

Um my oldest friend is Rebecca. I've known her um since um before first grade. Okay. Wow.

Yeah. Yeah. And then um you know some of them through elementary school and all of them at least through since middle school

and they've been with you through all this through all of it. Yeah. And you're just like yeah just sitting down with another president today and they're like yep that's Nora. Do they just think it's Nora? I mean yeah they love it all. I mean some of them don't catch everything that's on you know TV because they're busy but we try to get together um every couple of years. M

the actually the funniest story is I was actually just at you'll appreciate this story. I don't know if you'll end up you know using it but I was actually just at the Kennedy Center Honors and I turned to my right and Miranda Lambert is sitting there with her husband who is the hot cop from New York.

Yeah. And I'm like I was like I hope you don't mind me saying this. First of all, Miranda, I am your biggest fan ever. But um Mr. a hot cop. I was like, "You took a picture with me in the Texas Peeps in New York when you were still a cop." And then I'm texting my friends and they send the picture. I'm like, "Here it is.

Wow." Yeah. So, good. My my my as you as you can tell, my best friends, they keep the evidence, the pictures, the letters. They've got it all.

Oh my gosh, I love it. Um, do they give you feedback on your interviews? Like, oh, this or that or what?

Yeah, they do. And their opinions. Yeah, but they're they're um you know, the great my Texas Peeps friends. They are very faithful, prayerful, positive people. So, I don't think they've ever said a negative word in their life.

Really, like just even in person, they are just the most loving, amazing people.

So, it's usually the text chain is just about a lot of positivity, which is awesome.

And you know, and as you get older, we all have challenges in our lives. So, it's nice to have friends that we send each other, well, not post-it notes, texts of positivity that keep you going.

You can trust and you can trust. Yeah. Because there's that history. You have three children.

Grace, Henry, and Riley. Mhm. And you know, thinking about your grandma, your mom, your sister, you, when you think about Grace and Henry and Riley, what do you hope? Let's say someone were to ask them 50 years from now about who their mom is, what do you hope they say? Oh wow. You know, I wrote in the dedication in this book that it was for my mother and my grandmother and to my daughters to let them know that nothing is impossible.

And I hope, you know, my kids will get from me the belief that nothing's impossible and to not let anybody stand in the way of their dreams. Now, this didn't work well when they were toddlers

because if you don't ask, you don't get, you know, there was a lot of asking until they got the answer that they wanted. Um, yeah. So, as as one Monasuri school teacher said to me, you know, I don't negotiate with children, but your daughter, I I have started to negotiate with her. She's pretty tough. Were you so proud? I actually was really proud. Um, so but I do hope um my husband has a saying, good manners, good behavior, everything else is fun.

So that's kind of I hope that's the lesson that we've taught them. Be a good person.

Good manners, good behavior. And then everything else can be fun. And I mean that's I know that sounds simple in some ways, but it's sort of like do the right thing,

be kind, take care of one another, you have to do the dishes and take out the trash.

And one child is in charge of the keeping the refrigerator and the pantry organized, the rooms, the varying degrees of success on that. Mhm.

But, you know, I hope they know that um as I told them on my birthday recently that I never thought I could love you more than the day you were born. But when you become adults, it's like a whole another thing. And I had no idea that my heart could get even bigger. And that's the great thing about parenthood. Sometimes you don't think you could love your kids more and then it just you do. And that's that's life. That's the journey of life. Can your heart expand?

Are you proud of them? So proud. And it's the one thing I make sure I tell them every day, I love you. And if I'm sitting at my desk early in the morning and they're rushing off to school at 7:30, I jump up and say, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I love you and I'm proud of you."

You could never say that enough to anybody. I love you and I'm proud of you. How do they feel about everything that you do professionally? Are you cool or are they just like I remember Barack Obama just saying his kids are like whatever you're president whatever. Um you know I actually think they think it's pretty cool.

Yeah. I think they think it's pretty cool. Um, I mean sometimes I invite them to some things and they don't want to come and I'm like I think you should come to that. Um, but the one thing too as they get older, I mean they're still 17 and 18, so they're still young is that they now follow the news pretty closely now. They follow it from different sources perhaps than what you know I follow because they're getting a lot more from Tik Tok and other social media feeds. Um, but I'm glad that they're engaged and look, I want to introduce them to all kinds of people who do all different kinds of things, you know, not just in the media.

Yeah. But people who are creators and entrepreneurs and artists and people who reach for their dreams, athletes, you know, great athletes, too.

What What keeps you up at night? Almost everything. Yeah. Yeah, I do. I'm a little bit of a worry wart. Um, maybe undiagnosed anxiety. Um, yeah, I do. I worry a lot. And I think part of honestly, I think most of what I've done is channeled my fear through life. I think it's one of I think I have, you know, I think my superpower is listening. And then I think I've been able to um channel fear, fear of failure. I've channeled it into just studying work. You know, for me, I always say um preparation builds confidence and confidence equals success. And so sometimes I'll work myself into a tizzy preparing, but it gives me confidence.

Um so sometimes I wish I'd worried less. What do you mostly worry about? I think I'm well I think lately, you know, I worry about my kids. You know, I worry about their health and safety and um you know, I worry about people's well-being. Um I think for the most part people are really happy and loving people

and care deeply about their community. I think that there is so much information that's now we're intaking.

Um, you know, I'd love to go back to the days of just the three powerful networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS, right? But now we have multiple sources, which is a good thing. You know, we have multiple sources of of information out there, but because there's we're sort of like sipping from a fire hose of information, right? Think about that metaphor. just coming at us

and social media is feeding a lot of that to us. The most disturbing images that is giving a lot of us a great deal of anxiety and concern about what's happening in the world.

Now, some of that is good to know what's happening in the world because it may cause you to get involved or go out and vote or donate money or change your career or whatever it may be. But some of it does become anxiety producing. So we've got to find the right way to modulate that. So lately what I've done recently, you know, because I do worry a lot is I try and read more. I'm trying to do just that, which is to put down the phone and read great books.

I heard about this great book coming out called We the Women. And oh yeah, actually that's what I've been doing actually for three years. I didn't have anxiety writing it, but it certainly I think probably kept me busy over the last three years or else I would have been in a major heightened state of anxiety. Yeah.

Can you talk about the role of faith in your life? Yes. I mean, I grew up um I grew up Catholic and went to church every Sunday. I can remember even when I had chickenpox, my father's an infectious disease doctor. He would say, "No, you're not infectious." this and I'd be like, "Dad, but I've got all these like scars." And he'd be like, "It's okay. You can sit in the back. Um, you're not contagious. It's okay." Um, and I can always remember in Sunday school coloring the picture of God with all the little children, and God is for everyone, no matter what.

And I don't go to church now as regularly as I did, you know, growing up. Um but I believe faith is an incredibly important thing that sustains um many of us. But for me it's been less about going to church than it's more been the values that I learned growing up which is love for each and every individual which is what my parents espouse every day of their life no matter what. To see people for who they are. My mom has always said, "It does not matter what is on the outside. It matters what is on the inside. Work on what's on the inside."

Do you feel like you know with certainty God is real? It's a good question. I'm not sure that I've explored that even though my husband was a theology major. Mhm.

Um I think my faith is real. I do. And um you know with my friends who I text with every day from Texas, we talk a lot about God and faith and send each other prayerful messages. And I know how much that faith sustains me and my friends in what have been some tough times.

Yeah. I guess if we had absolute certainty, we wouldn't need faith, right? That's right.

Yeah. Yeah. How do you feel about it? Gosh, I was raised going to church and um Yeah. And you know, and I used to sit in service and just like scan all the pews for cute boys and none of the, you know, it was all of it. And I Oh, yeah. I went I went, not only did I go to Catholic church, I went to Baptist church camp because that was where that's where the boys were.

That's where the boys were. Um, and you know, and then later in life, you know, going to graduate school, living in New York City, and um, being around people of all different faith, a lot of people have no faith at all. And a lot of people I was around thought, well, if you have really strong faith, you must just not be that smart. And yeah, and I started like I went through this long season where I was like doubting God existed. And um and it wasn't until uh someone once said to me like what makes you think God can't handle your doubt?

Like why don't you try telling him you doubt him and just to prove you wrong? You had a shadow of a doubt. So, it was a it was a number of years where if I was praying for a friend or their health or whatever was going on, I would end my prayer, Nora, and I would say, "And by the way, God, I'm doubting you exist. So, if you could please show up and prove me wrong, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I'd be so grateful in Jesus name. Amen." I used to literally end my prayers that that way.

And uh I could do 10 podcasts. I never have done this, but I could do I could talk for hours on the ways that I now have absolute like belief. There's so many ways God has shown up in my life like where it just is indisputable. I mean, there's so many stories I have now where I'm like, "Okay, okay, okay." um you know, things that have happened, people that have come into my life, people that have favor that has happened in my life where the person just said to me, "Listen, I don't even know why I'm doing this, but I felt like God told me I need to do this for you." Just like it's just been so many stories like that where I'm like, "Okay, all right." I think what you're describing too, which is the way I see faith, is it walks alongside you.

You know, some people describe the footprints in the sand or holding your hand.

And you asked me kind of about what I worry about. And so a lot of times now when I wake up in the middle of the night, I say the Lord's prayer

or now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. And I frequently say that at night.

Yeah. And it is almost a form of well prayer. It's also a form of meditation. Um, and praying for the health of family, friends, all of that is like that person walking alongside you or the faith walking alongside you

is a partner in life. That's how I think of kind of my spirituality. That's beautiful. I say that same exact prayer. That was the prayer I was taught growing up. Now I lay me down to sleep. Yeah. And

I'm saying it a lot of times. I think I'm falling asleep early and then when I wake up in the middle of the night then I say my

then you say it. You know what's funny? My my prayer so don't grab my phone. Um my my toolbox of prayers has expanded a little like 50 cents grandma once said either pray or worry but don't do both. And I was like oh. So now when I find myself worrying I'm like I just prayed about it but if I'm still going to worry it means I'm not trusting God. It means I think I have to carry it all myself. So then I'll like literally remember that quote. So yeah, prayers can come from everywhere.

Yeah. I think one of the interesting things too from a journalistic perspective too is that you know one of the reasons that we're looking at what people view as a lot of division in America is because we are not

we're not associating people who may disagree with our political views anymore as we did in the past because less people are going to church. We now see communities where you're living amongst people who are very who share the same political philosophy of you as you or maybe in the same financial bracket as you.

They drive the same type of car. Um we're living in social media where it is feeding us the same set of belief systems back because of an algorithm.

Yes. So I think one of the most important things is am I exposing myself to people who may believe something differently than me? And shouldn't we be doing that? So being a listener, right? And realizing that social media is, you know, I like working out. You know, I'm interested in menopause and per menopause and I like golf. So I'm getting fed all this stuff because I've clicked on that.

Right. I'm not It's not feeding me any baseball. Right. You have seen every living US president, world leaders, so many of the world's greatest thought leaders and most fascinating people firsthand. You've had intimate conversations with them. And from your perspective, I'm so curious how you truly feel about this. Do you feel as a country that we're moving in the right direction? I think it's a Jamie, you're very good at this. I think what we've seen are really close elections the past couple times for a reason. I think um we're at probably one of the greatest moments of transition certainly in my lifetime and I think it is most exacerbated by financial inequality.

So in the book we talk about um the abolitionist movement, the suffrage movement um and as predicted by some of the women in this book. The next will be about class struggle and I think that's what's ultimately in a capitalistic democracy what we're witnessing right now. Um a very strong pull between halves and have nots and a growing wealth chasm in America. And that's what's leading to this deep polarization and deep fear. James Talerico, who is a uh running for Senate in Texas right now, I heard him say recently, the greatest divide in our country right now is not left versus right, it's top versus bottom.

And he's talking about how so few people are controlling almost everything at the top and and how that divide's growing. What can everyone do about it right now?

Well, it's a good question. I mean, you know, even we saw there was a substantial number of supporters of Bernie Sanders

who voted for Donald Trump in the last election, and that's a story about concern over what you just mentioned. Um, so look, I don't I'm a journalist, so I don't weigh in on what is my opinion. Mhm.

My job is to get interviews with the toughest pe the toughest people to get interviews with. Ask tough but fair and respectful questions because I believe journalism is what we need to make democracy work. What does that mean?

Yeah. I we need an elector an electorate that can trust members of the media because it's hard to decipher what's the truth. And I want people to trust me and be able to say, okay, what does Norah say about this issue? Like how what's the the debate over healthcare, right? And what's happening with healthcare? That's a real debate.

Yeah. Um what's happening over immigration policy? What's happening with our involvement around the world? I, you know, I'm from a military family. So um you know I believe there's a free flow of information. I believe there are a set of trusted news sources and everybody needs to be careful about what are the knowing what is a trusted set of news sources and be a consumer of that information in a smart way.

Do you still believe that the first amendment and freedom of the press is protected?

I do. I do. And that is the very first amendment in the Bill of Rights amended to the Constitution. The very first amendment protects the role of the press. And you know, I think about the ability that I have to be able to sit across from whether it's the president of the United States or a foreign leader. I've interviewed presidents, prime ministers, princes, and been able to ask them tough questions. And I still have that, you know, ability to do that. Now, is the press um are people pushing that? Yes. Meaning, are people pushing against that freedom of the press? Yes. People sewing doubt? Yes.

Are journalists under threat sometimes? Yes. And that is a serious unconscionable thing to do is to threaten someone no matter who you are, right? Um but I am so hopeful I am about the state of people still being able to exercise their democratic rights and I still believe firmly in the job that I'm able to do.

Do you feel that your job is harder now than it was five or 10 years ago? Sure. Sure. I think everybody probably feels like their job is harder. Um, but I think one of the most important things for me in this environment is my uh integrity. And I want people to be able to trust me as someone who is fair. And I I work at that, you know, and I think that's why I've been able to interview Democratic presidents, Republican presidents. uh world leaders um who will take the tough questions um in a respectful way but answer the tough questions.

Yeah. I mean, your career and everything that you've brought to the table, the types of interviews you've done with presidents on both sides of the aisle. I mean it's

you are getting the biggest interviews of anyone in the country right now. I feel like you have the biggest you're you're

I'm trying. I mean, the Pope was pretty good, but I mean, the Pope is is amazing. But when you look at what's happening, I'll have to say, too, I think your team's doing a phenomenal job of of the clips going viral, too. on top of it, your recent interview with President Trump and that going everywhere. I mean, you're you're doing the highest profile interviews and you always have and you are right now in this moment. Um, well, thank you, Jamie. I really should say though that we we like to say amongst everybody I work with, teamwork makes the dream work

and none of us do anything alone. And I think we've just over many years worked with a a group of people that um you know I have enormous respect for and that work really hard um and if you can build the right team you know I think in anything you do in life whether it's professionally or personally you know at home um I say that because I think that's important for working women and I when I say team like your husband in whether it's whoever's helping you at home too like you can achieve a lot but nobody can do anything alone ever there is no there is no I and team as they say yeah so but thank you for saying that but honestly we really have I'm very fortunate to work for CBS News and work with the very best producers and um you know sometimes we all take a lot of heat you know and um but I happen to work with some really incredible, incredible people who um make our job not only interesting, successful, but

also we care deeply about each other. Well, I have to ask this and you'll know that better than anyone else. Um there are there's so much buzz and the the the microscope is really on CBS right now in a lot of ways. What can you tell us about that? You know, I I have worked at CBS now for oh my goodness, probably almost 14 years and have had a great career, whether it was covering the White House, anchoring the morning show, uh, anchoring the evening news, and working for 60 Minutes. We have had a lot of leadership changes at CBS and that has been challenging not only for me but I know for my colleagues and I think with so many leadership changes people are fearful about what the future means.

This conversation with Nora O'Donnell is so incredible we made it into more than one part. So, if you want to be even more inspired to use your voice, believe you're worthy of it, and ignite that passion and courage inside of you on your own heroes journey in your life right now. If you want to add your own toolbox of wisdom and insights from the stories of these incredible hidden heroes who've changed the course of history, well, you are not going to want to miss this incredible part two of our conversation with Nora O'Donnell. That's coming up in the next episode of the Jamie Kern Lima Show. Remember, this episode's not just for you and me.

Please share this with every single person you know, because it can impact and change their life, too. And if you love today's episode, please click the follow or subscribe button for the show on the app that you're listening to it on or watching it on. And if it added value to your life, if you could please give it a rating or review, I love a great five star review. I would be so so grateful. And again, share it with everyone you believe in. Maybe it's another person in your life who could benefit from it, or someone you know who's making a change in their career or marriage or health, or just trying to get in touch with their story and the power that's inside of them. Share it with your community online who just might need the words and tools and lessons in this episode today. You never know whose life you're meant to change today by sharing this episode. And thank you so much for joining me today. Before

you go, I want to share some words with you that couldn't be more true. You right now, exactly as you are, are enough and fully worthy. You're worthy of your greatest hopes, your wildest dreams, and all the unconditional love in the world. And it is an honor to welcome you to each and every episode of the Jamie Krenley Show here. I hope you'll come as you are and heal where you need, blossom what you choose, journey toward your calling, and stay as long as you'd like because you belong here. You are worthy. You are loved. You are love. And I love you. And I cannot wait to join you on the next episode of the Jamie Karn Lima Show. In life, you don't soar to the level of your hopes and dreams. You stay stuck at the level of your self-worth. When you build your self-worth, you change your entire life.

And that's exactly why I wrote my new book, Worthy. How to believe you are enough and transform your life for you. If you have some self-doubt to destroy and a destiny to fulfill, Worthy is for you. In Worthy, you'll learn proven tools and simple steps that bring lifechanging results like how to get unstuck from the things holding you back. Build unshakable self-love. Unlearn the lies that lead to self-doubt. Embrace the truths that wake up worthiness. Overcome limiting beliefs and imposttor syndrome. Achieve your hopes and dreams by believing you are worthy of them. And so much more. Are you ready to unleash your greatness and step into the person you were born to be?

Imagine a life with zero self-doubt and unshakable self-worth. Get your copy of Worthy, plus some amazing thank you bonus gifts for you at worthybook.com or the link in the show notes below. Imagine what you'd do if you fully believed in you. It's time to find out with worthy. Who you spend time around is so important as energy is contagious and so is self-belief. and I'd love to hang out with you even more, especially if you could use an extra dose of inspiration, which is exactly why I've created my free weekly newsletter that's also a love letter to you, delivered straight to your inbox from me. If you haven't signed up to make sure that you get it each week, just go to jamie kernelma.com to make sure you're on the list and you'll get your one-on-one with Jamie weekly newsletter and get ready to believe in you. If you're tired of hearing the bad news every single day and need some inspiration, some tips,

tools, joy, and love hitting your inbox, I'm your girl. Subscribe at jamie lima.com or in the link in the show notes. And please note, I'm not a licensed therapist and this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. If you love this incredible episode with Nora O'Donnell, I promise you, you're also going to love this lifechanging episode of the Jamie Klema Show right here. It's up next just for you.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Norah O’Donnell’s First EVER Podcast Interview! Life-Changing Lessons & How Success Leaves Clues!"?

Jamie Kern Lima (Guest), Nora O'Donnell (Guest).

What is "Norah O’Donnell’s First EVER Podcast Interview! Life-Changing Lessons & How Success Leaves Clues!" about?

Norah O’Donnell reflects on leadership, press freedom, and the challenges of broadcast journalism, sharing personal anecdotes and insights from a career breaking barriers and interviewing world leaders. The discussion touches resilience, the media landscape, and what success and fear look like for a high-profile journalist.

What is mentioned in this Jamie Kern Lima episode?

41 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Nora O'Donnell, Jamie Kern Lima, We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America, America, Declaration of Independence, The Jamie Kern Lima Show. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Norah O’Donnell’s First EVER Podcast Interview! Life-Changing Lessons & How Success Leaves Clues!"?

The episode runs 1 h 35 min; the transcript is about 15,749 words in 224 timestamped sections.

More from Jamie Kern Lima

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated October 29, 2026.