When Hoda Kotb announced her newest venture, Joy101 — a wellness platform dedicated to helping people build happier and healthier habits — earlier this year, it felt like there could not have been a more perfect next step for the former TODAY anchor.
After all, with her signature positivity, heart and compassion, she brought plenty of joy to viewers' homes during her nearly 20-year tenure on the show. And now, with the app, she's been able to do that in a completely new way.
"We’re putting goodness out into the world [at Joy101], and when I think about it, that’s really all I ever want to do," Hoda tells us during a recent phone interview. "It’s what I loved about the TODAY Show and still love to this day. I think that’s the common thread. We’re only on this planet for a minute, so let’s lift each other up, let’s do things that help, let’s enhance, let’s make life better, let’s make ourselves lighter. So I feel like this company is another huge lane for me to do that."
So what brings her the most joy? Recently, it's been her morning walks to school with her daughters, Haley Joy, 8, and Hope Catherine, 6.
"I’m feeling what their hands feel like in mine, I'm remembering the weight of their hands. That sounds small, but it’s really big. That’s what Hope’s hand feels like resting in mine, that’s what Haley’s hand feels like."
And while life hasn't really calmed down since she departed TODAY — she's running a company and is about to release another book, after all — she's also finding joy in embracing some of the slowness.
"I spent most of my [time] raising my kids, telling them to hurry: 'Hurry up, we’re late, we’re already late.' And then I realized, slow it all down, there's actually time. How you spend your time matters. I can rush my kids through things and it’ll still take the same amount of time to get them where they want to go. I’ve had meaningful and great conversations because we’re slowing down."
Here, we spoke with Hoda about some of her current must-haves, from the beauty products she learned about from the pros at TODAY to the snack she brings on road trips in her minivan.
Shopping Diaries: Hoda Kotb
Her guide to embracing change:
In her latest book, "Jump and Find Joy," Hoda dives into the unexpected joy of making big jumps in life, sharing her own stories and those of influential people, from Viola Davis to Bette Midler. While Hoda is no stranger to change, this book was inspired by what she calls her "biggest and most public jump," leaving her role as TODAY co-host.
"It was probably one of the scariest things I think I’ve done, because it was leaving something that was not only joyful, but that was secure, and that was a sure thing," Hoda says. However, she had realized that "even the most beautiful things in your life" have a peak and she had reached that.
In the months since, she's had many people asking her how she decided the time was right and how she navigated the fear that comes along with making a change like that. So, she wrote this book, which she says can serve as "a mini road map to take you on these journeys, if you’re thinking about a change."
Because, sometimes, she says, it can help to hear from someone who has made a leap or shared the experience. "It's how I felt when Sandra Bullock adopted children, and I looked up her age and [I realized] she was my age. Sometimes you need someone who’s done it. And you go, I can leap into motherhood, I can take that jump, I see a path now."
Her secret to living a more joyful life:
Hoda announced her latest venture, Joy 101, in May of this year. It's both a wellness platform and a community, offering members research-backed tools, from meditations to guided movement, and even pep talks from Hoda herself.
As she tells us, becoming the CEO of her own brand has been both “exhilarating and exciting.”
“I’m learning about a different kind of leadership,” Hoda says. “I’ve never really been a boss, I’ve always been part of a team, which I’ve always loved, but I’ve never held that role before ... I was always a cheerleader, I’m always cheering everybody on, which I still do. But I also have to have honest, straightforward conversations [with my team].”
Her morning essential:
"I've been taking Grüns, those gummies, and they're a game-changer for me," Hoda says. "I don't even know what's in them, I just know I rip open the package. If I'm working out with a friend, I'll bring her a packet. I love those."
Her afternoon pick-me-up:
"I didn’t know Chobani had creamer. And I was with somebody and I go, 'Is that Chobani creamer?' The coffee creamer is insane. It’s the vanilla [flavor] and it makes your coffee taste like a treat," she says. Hoda adds, "I like an afternoon coffee because I feel like I get to restart the whole day again. I’m like, 'Here we go again,' at 2, I get a restart to the entire day. And that’s the stuff I put in for the afternoon [cup of coffee]."
Her stylist-approved hair essential:
Laura Castorino, a longtime TODAY hair stylist who Hoda still works with, was the first person to introduce her to this beloved Color Wow spray, which she still calls a "go-to." "You spray [it] in your hair when it’s wet and your hair is immediately silky."
Castorino also introduced her to Olaplex's hair oils, which Hoda says "are really good."
Her go-to styling tool:
Hoda calls her Shark styler her "dream hair tool," as it allows her to do everything from straightening her hair to styling it when it's wet. The brand says that it's heat-controlled to help prevent damage.
When she's not reaching for her hot tools, she swears by Milbon's curl gel. "This stuff is like a magic trick," Hoda says. All you have to do is scrunch it in and let it dry and you're good to go. (It's not available in many places online, so you'll have to swing by a salon to try the product yourself.)
Her makeup must-have:
Mary Kahler, who did Hoda's makeup on the show and still does now for events, introduced her to Pat McGrath's makeup products. "All the Pat McGrath stuff is insane," Hoda says. "I love her cheek stuff, I love her lip stuff."
She loves the brand's stick blush, in particular, which the brand says features moisturizing ingredients for additional skin benefits.
Her dog mom essential:
This summer, Hoda and her daughters welcomed a sweet new addition into their family: a puppy named Waffles!
"Waffles is the dream. She’s an unbelievable dog — not to be braggy." She continues, "She’s been such a beautiful addition to our lives. You know how they say, there’s always room for more love? There really is. If you open the door and let something else in, it finds its spot, it fills up and it was meant to be there. She was meant to be with us."
Of course, puppies can get messy. But when it comes to Waffles' bathtime, this is a current staple. "[We use] the wild cherry for the shampoo and vanilla almond for the conditioner. I love it on her. We wash her in the sink because we don’t know what we’re doing. But she loves the scrub, and when she’s out, she smells fresh and clean. It’s not too perfumy and weird — she still smells like Waffles, which I love."
Her minivan essential:
In case you haven't heard, when Hoda moved to the suburbs, she officially became the proud owner of a Toyota Sienna — and she's been loving the minivan mom lifestyle.
"We are definitely snack people," she says about what they typically bring along for long car rides. "We fill the car with snacks, which is apparent when you look on the floor of the van, because it’s nothing but Cheez-Its and Cheddar Bunnies and all the rest. So for road trips, we bring that. We are also big music people on the road. The kids love the '& Juliet' soundtrack, which is from the Broadway musical ... they know every word. They usually ask for it on shuffle because that way they can guess what song’s coming up. But every trip it’s on. It’s either that or Taylor Swift, but '& Juliet' has been winning lately."
