Making Space with Hoda Kotb

Sheryl Lee Ralph is an Emmy-winning actress, singer, and advocate whose radiant spirit and decades-long career, from Dreamgirls to Abbott Elementary, have inspired generations. Sheryl opens up to Hoda about choosing joy as her “strong suit,” the resilience that carried her through rejection and reinvention, and how she learned to believe in herself even when others didn’t. She reflects on lessons from her parents, a surprising run-in with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and why following her own path turned out to be the most rewarding part of her journey. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Selma Blair is an actress, author, and advocate whose career has spanned film, television and stage, with standout performances in Legally Blonde, Cruel Intentions, and Hellboy. After publicly revealing her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis (MS), she has become a powerful voice for chronic illness awareness, inspiring others through her honesty, resilience, and vulnerability. Selma sits down with Hoda to discuss her lifelong health struggles, her relationship with her late mother and the strength that carried her through acting, motherhood and moments of uncertainty. She reflects on her friendships with fellow stars navigating MS, including Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and why she refuses to let anything stand in the way of the life she’s determined to live. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Clea Shearer is the co-founder of The Home Edit, star of the hit Netflix series, Get Organized with The Home Edit, and a New York Times bestselling author who’s sharing the lessons she’s learned in her cancer journey in her new book, Cancer Is Complicated and Other Unexpected Lessons I’ve Learned. Clea opens up to Hoda about how she learned to advocate more for herself amidst her cancer journey, the importance of accepting help from others and why she views her diagnosis not as “why me,” but as “why not me.” In addition, she shares how she spoke to her kids about her diagnosis and how her perspective has broadened after the trying experience. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Matthew McConaughey is an Academy Award-winning actor, bestselling author, and now the writer of Poems and Prayers, a deeply personal collection of poetry and reflections spanning 30 years that explores faith, hope, and purpose. Though he is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars, McConaughey admits he’s never felt the “ah, I did it” feeling, leading him on a search for deeper meaning through family, teaching, writing, and even advocacy, including speaking at the White House after the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. In this conversation, McConaughey sits down with Hoda to reflect on his evolving relationship with humility, gratitude, and belief and why writing has become his way to understand the world, inspire others, and remind us all to keep believing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey TODAY fans! As a bonus, we’re giving you a special preview of Jenna Bush Hager’s podcast, ‘Open Book with Jenna.’ In the season’s debut episode, Jenna sits down with three-time Grammy-winning artist, and lead vocalist of the Zac Brown Band, Zac Brown. From his humble beginnings playing in coffee shops at age fourteen to his upcoming residency at the Las Vegas Sphere, Zac reflects on the milestones that shaped his path. He opens up about fatherhood, founding Camp Southern Ground, and the creative process behind his upcoming album Love and Fear, which features collaborations with icons like Snoop Dogg and Dolly Parton. To listen to the full conversation, just search ‘Open Book with Jenna’ wherever you’re listening to follow now, or click here: https://www.today.com/open-book-with-jenna Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Linda Cliatt-Wayman spent 20 years teaching special education before rising to oversee all high schools in The School District of Philadelphia, but her defining moment came when she stepped up to lead Strawberry Mansion High School: a school that no one wanted to run. With fierce love, high expectations, and unshakable hope, Wayman and her team turned despair into possibility. In this conversation from a Joy 101 event earlier this year, Wayman sits down with Hoda to share how she inspired real change in her students and how she’s continuing that work in her latest chapter.

Chart-topping rapper Big Sean has spent nearly 15 years in the spotlight, but his path to success wasn’t always easy. The Detroit native joins Hoda Kotb to reflect on his evolving relationship with fame, from believing he was destined for stardom at a young age to how he views notoriety today. In this revealing conversation from April 2025, he also shares lessons from his new book, Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace, a guide he follows to be the best version of himself every day.

Bestselling author, acclaimed public speaker, and Harvard Business School professor Arthur C. Brooks joins Hoda Kotb for an inspiring conversation on the science and practice of happiness. They discuss how to cultivate joy in everyday life, get unstuck during challenging times, and why happiness is not a final destination but a direction you can intentionally choose. In this conversation from March 2024, Brooks draws from his years of research into what makes life meaningful, insights that also shape his new book, The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life, out this week.

Erin Andrews is a fixture on the NFL sidelines. She’s been a sportscaster for more than two decades, and is a legend in the sports industry. But like the rest of us, not every season has felt like a winning one for Erin. She’s learned that some test your strength, your endurance and your drive to keep going. Erin opened up to Hoda Kotb about the road to becoming one of sports tv’s brightest stars, her cervical cancer diagnosis, her battle with infertility and her journey to motherhood. Erin continues to inspire on and off the field, as she celebrates the busiest and best season of her life yet.

Goldie Hawn is a Hollywood legend. And while she never set out to be a movie star, the Academy Award winning actress, producer and director has had a prolific career spanning more than five decades, with iconic roles in films like “Overboard”, “Private Benjamin” and “The First Wives Club”. And while Goldie is beloved for her work on-screen, she is also making an impact off-screen, with her charity MindUp, created with a mission to promote mental health and fitness for children, after facing her own struggles. Goldie sat down with Hoda Kotb to talk about her accidental rise to fame, her famous family and where she finds her purpose.

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.

Sarah Blakely is the founder of Spanx 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.