Hoda Kotb’s Guide to Reinventing Your Life: Stop the Train, Open the Door, & Never Quit
- Oscar Uribe
- Dec 9, 2025
- 4 min read
We all know Hoda Kotb from the morning show, a broadcast icon who seems to have it all. But what happens when "having it all" still feels like "not enough"? In a powerful conversation from the Mel Robbins podcast, "How to Reinvent Your Life Starting Today," Hoda gets incredibly candid about the deep dissatisfaction that leads to life-changing reinvention, proving that no matter where you are, it’s never too late to pivot.
If you’re sitting there right now feeling discouraged, like your life is just "okay," Hoda and Mel have a message for you: You are not lost, you are seeking. The feeling that your life is "crappy" simply means you are looking for something better. The number one thing holding everyone back is discouragement—the belief that something better is not possible for you.
The truth is, all the problems, the job you tolerate, the relationships you question—none of that is your final destiny. Hoda realized that she could hit the brakes on her life at any time, whether she was 20, 40, 60, or 80. We often feel like we are trapped on a train speeding toward a predetermined fate, but you have the power to stop and look at your life from 35,000 feet.
The Paper Exercise That Reveals Everything
So, how do you actually look at your life clearly? Hoda shared a brilliant exercise: Take a piece of paper and cut it into several pieces. On each piece, write down a part of your life that requires your time, attention, and energy, making the size of the piece correspond to how much you invest. This could be your job, caring for your kids or parents, or exercise. When you lay out those pieces, you are seeing your "time pie" laid bare.
It’s often shocking when you realize that the work slice is actually bigger than the family slice, or that some area you prioritize mentally is barely represented. This visual exercise forces you to pause, stop, re-evaluate, and look at your life in a totally different way. It's the first step in deciding if you like the life, you’ve inadvertently created, or if it's time to try to 360 it.
The Whisper That Opens the Door
The desire for change, whether it's leaving a long-term relationship or starting a new career, often begins as a quiet whisper. For Hoda, one of those buried desires was motherhood. She had convinced herself it was too late and avoided even speaking about it out loud because she thought if she wanted it, and it didn't happen, the pain would be too much.
But Mel emphasizes that when you bury a dream, you are the one locking the door closed. When Hoda finally said the desire out loud to a friend—just a whisper—everything shifted. Soon after, she saw a path to adoption. Speaking the thing out loud changes the energy and allows possibilities to flow in.
The Power of Being a Non-Quitter
The biggest barrier to opening that door is fear and discouragement. It’s easy to quit when things are hard. When Hoda was starting her career, she faced 27 rejections from news directors who told her she wasn't ready and wasn't good enough.
Yet, she kept driving, kept showing her tape, until she found Stan, the one person who said yes. The truth about successful people is they are linked by one quality: they’re not quitting. If you’ve faced twenty no’s, you just haven't met your one "Stan" yet.
Hoda’s recent leap into the world of tech CEO at 61, launching her wellness app Joy 101, proves that you are never too old or too established to change your trajectory. She chose to be a beginner again, which she calls "one of the finest feelings in the world".
Your Roadmap to Action
If you feel that tingling sensation that maybe things could be different, you don’t have to fling yourself off a cliff. Instead, take baby steps. Hoda suggests focusing on four daily prompts: Body, Intellect, Emotion, and Spirit, journaling what each need. This helps you dissect your life and understand what’s truly lacking.
When you are ready to explore a big possibility, like opening a business, commit to the 30 minutes for 30 days rule. Dedicate 30 minutes daily to research and planning. After 30 days, you will have 900 minutes clocked and enough data to know if you should move forward, all without quitting your day job.
The goal isn't necessarily to leave everything behind; sometimes the leap is "up" where you are, changing your point of view. But if you feel you deserve more, if you feel you are worthy of abundance, then start looking ahead and go for it.
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A Relevant Question: If fear of disappointment is the only thing keeping the door closed to your biggest dream, what small action could you take today to peek inside?
An Easy Takeaway: Embrace the power of language. Start your day by intentionally changing your internal settings with the phrase: "Good things keep happening to me."
My Favorite Quote from the Podcast: "It’s never too late, you’re not too old, and everything, everything, everything happens right on time."
Source: "How to Reinvent Your Life Starting Today" uploaded on the YouTube channel "Mel Robbins."
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