Making Space with Hoda Kotb

Suleika Jaouad is a New York Times-bestselling author and journalist. When Jaouad was just 22-years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia, sidelining her dream of becoming a foreign correspondent. Instead, she chronicled her cancer battle in the New York Times column "Life, Interrupted", and went on to write a best-selling memoir. Jaouad opened up to Hoda about her journaling practice, which inspired her latest book "The Book of Alchemy: Creative Prompts for an Inspired Life."

Martha Beck is a best-selling author, life coach, and speaker and expert in coping with anxiety. Despite decades of sociology research and coaching, Beck says she'd struggled with anxiety her entire life. She says we live in a global anxiety spiral, and turned to neuroscience to understand why, and how to move past it. Through her research, Beck found that anxiety shuts down the brain's curiosity and creativity, and tapping into them can be life-changing. She opened up to Hoda about her book, "Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose", and shares strategies to change the way they think and live.

Joanna Gaines is the co-founder and designer behind the iconic Magnolia brand. She and her husband Chip made a name for themselves flipping homes in Waco, Texas and gained popularity thanks to their HGTV shows and own network. Gaines opened up to Hoda about imposter syndrome, being a working mom, and how she stays connected with her husband through it all.

Miami Heat forward Kevin Love is a five-time NBA All-Star and advocate for mental health. He opened up about the recent, devastating loss of his father, former NBA player Stan Love, and that viral post-game hug with former teammate, Tristan Thompson. He also speaks to Hoda about his anxiety and his non profit, the Kevin Love Fund

Tom Llamas is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News. He got his start in news at just 15 years old as an intern for Telemundo in Miami. After 30 years in the news industry, he says raising his hand for opportunities helped get him to the anchor chair. Llamas is the son of Cuban immigrants, who fled the country when they were young. Growing up in a Cuban American community, Llamas says his family didn't shy away from discussing politics and current events. He opened up to Hoda about his upbringing, his love for storytelling, and the responsibility of anchoring an iconic broadcast.

Sahil Bloom is an author, businessman, and investor. He had a successful career in finance before a conversation with a friend changed his life forever, forcing him to rediscover the meaning of true prosperity. In his book "The 5 Types of Wealth", he writes that a fulfilling life is built around five kinds of wealth: time, social, mental, physical, and financial. He opened up to Hoda about taking a leap and discovering whats on the other side.

In this special episode of Making Space, Hoda sits down with former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern. During this inspiring and thoughtful conversation, Ardern touches on the significance of becoming the country’s youngest Prime Minister in 150 years, plus her reaction to the surprising news she was pregnant just six days after being elected. Ardern also speaks about her unwavering commitment to kindness while also taking swift action on major policies during her five and a half years in office.

Dan Harris is an author, podcast host, and journalist.  Harris worked for ABC News for more than 21 years and currently hosts the 10% Happier Podcast. His journey of self-discovery began in 2004, after suffering a panic attack while live on-air.  In the aftermath of that episode, he turned to meditation to confront his drug use, his effort to cope with covering the post-9/11 war zones across the middle east. Harris opened up to Hoda on the power of meditation, self-improvement, and how to quiet your mind in a chaotic world.

Sara Blakely is the founder of Spanx and Sneex and opens up about believing in her products and trusting her gut. She created her revolutionary brand after identifying a problem in her wardrobe: what undergarments could she wear with white pants? Blakely's answer to that question started a shapewear revolution. She used the money she earned selling fax machines to launch her products, which soon started flying off the shelves of department stores and became a wardrobe staple for millions. She sold her majority stake in Spanx in 2021 after more than twenty years at the helm. Blakely opened up to Hoda on her journey to success, embracing failure, and trusting her intuition.

Dr. Judith Joseph is a New York-based psychiatrist, studying happiness. Throughout her life, she's been a high-achiever, graduating from medical school at Columbia and opening her own clinical research institute. She now says she was "pathologically productive" to try to mask feelings of inadequacy. Through her research, and her own experience, Dr. Joseph identified what she refers to as "high-functioning depression". On the outside, she had it all, but she was wrestling with fatigue, poor concentration, and restlessness. In her new book “High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy”, she shares what she's learned with Hoda.