Hoda Kotb on Sharing Daughter’s Diabetes Diagnosis: ‘Nothing to Be Ashamed Of’ (Exclusive)

Hoda Kotb spoke to “Extra’s” Carlos Greer in NYC as she launched her new Joy 101 wellness platform and online community. 

She explained that she wanted to create something that would offer users a very personalized experience.

Kotb shared, "I love it because, here's the thing about it — to me, there's so much wellness out there it's like, why would you make something else? I thought that, too, but what I was realizing is I could not find all of the stuff that I wanted out there. I wanted something personalized, so this would be personalized for you. You'd put in your name, your age, what you're looking for, the way you learn best — all these different things would be in — and it will give you your own curated program. ‘Hey, I've got a prayer for you, I've got meditation for you, I've got breath work, this is for you.’”

Hoda continued, “I wanted something that was personalized and that you could get easily. Like, I want a course on purpose, I don't want to go.on MasterClass or Googling, I want to know: how do you find your purpose? Well, we got the top professor who's giving us that course abbreviated. So we have stuff that's easy, and I also wanted it affordable. Like, why are people paying all this money? Let's keep it affordable.”

Sharing how to sign up, she said, “You go to Joy101.com and you can get, it's an app, it's retreats, it's courses, it's live events, it's, like, all the stuff that fills your soul. That's really what it is. It is a soul-filling place. I mean, we got, like, all the experts who've helped me, the ones who showed me the way, they're on this app. I'm like, if they're gonna change me, maybe they can change you. So, why do you have to go searching, like, is that person any good or is that one good at this? It's right here for you.”

As for her inspiration, she shared, “I think I was tired, man. I think I felt depleted. I think I couldn't figure out why I felt like I was carrying a heavy load. I was doing all the things, but I didn't feel right. I tried a breath work class — Jenna [Bush Hager] forced me. I was, like, stiff-arming her. I was like, ‘I don't want your breath work, crazy. I'm not woo-woo like you are.' And then I tried it, and she was like, ‘Did you cry?’ I go, ‘I did.’ She goes, ‘See?’ So, I felt a clarity and an energy that I was lacking, and it felt so good, so, and then it just snowballed. I’m just insatiable. I try this, I try that. I'm gonna try everything.”

Hoda recently revealed that her daughter Hope, 6, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

She told Carlos, “You know what's funny about it? I was posting a couple of pictures of Hope — I don't do it often, but I did — and I noticed her Dexcom and her Omnipod — which are devices that kids with diabetes have — were very prominent, and I just didn't say anything about it, put it out there. And then people were asking me, ‘Well, does she have diabetes?’ and I was thinking to myself, ‘Well, that's kind of her thing. It's our thing,’ but then I thought to myself, like, ‘A lot of kids have this.’"

She continued, "I saw, I mean, Chrissy Teigen's son has it. I've been getting texts and emails from a lot of people who I didn't realize that their children had it, too, and they're little kids — we're talking about a 6-year-old — and so I felt like it's part of her but not all of her, and it's nothing to be ashamed of or worried about. So, and in school when kids ask her, ‘What is that, Hope?’ on her arm, she goes, ‘Oh, it's my diabetes thing. Anyway, you wanna swing?’ And I took a page from her. I'm like, 'That's right, that's how you do it.'"  

Hoda shared, “She's doing well,” but revealed it was scary when Hope was first diagnosed.

“We thought it was the flu and it wasn't getting better,” Kotb said. “I went to the pediatrician a handful of times and they kept saying that it seemed like the flu and don't worry, don't worry, and one day I looked at her and I said, ‘I'm worried.’ So I took her to the ER and she was in the ICU for several days, so it was difficult.”

As for how the diagnosis impacted her decision to leave “Today,” Kotb said, “It definitely factored in. I mean, look, all I did was look at her numbers. I had my phone on the set when we were doing the news, and I was looking, 'cause you can see what her levels are doing, and if they drop too low, she needs help. So I was constantly looking at it, calling the school, calling my babysitter, calling, and I'm like, ‘Why am I calling all the time? Just, you be there.’”

Now, she's enjoying all her time at home with her girls!

She shared, “It's fun, but they were also, like, so crazy because after a while they were realizing like, ‘Wait, Mom's cramping our whole style. We had a whole vibe in the morning. I was watching ‘Bluey,’ I was eating Honey Nut Cheerios.’ I'm like, ‘No, no, that game has ended.’ They were like, ‘Wait.’ So, I think we're all adjusting, and me, too, quite frankly, because, ‘What do you want for breakfast?’ was not one of the questions I ever asked. Now, it's like, ‘Now what?’ But I have to tell you — I'm loving it.”