The Coop with Kit

Katie Couric: Navigating Grief, 50s Dating & Crushing the Back Nine

May 15, 2024 Katie Couric Season 1 Episode 4
Katie Couric: Navigating Grief, 50s Dating & Crushing the Back Nine
The Coop with Kit
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The Coop with Kit
Katie Couric: Navigating Grief, 50s Dating & Crushing the Back Nine
May 15, 2024 Season 1 Episode 4
Katie Couric

In today’s sunny episode of The Coop, Kit Hoover brings in none other than Katie Couric for a chat bubbling with laughter and sage advice. Whether she’s discussing the rose and thorns in her career, navigating widowhood, or how she’s shaping the future of women's health with her current projects, Katie is a vibrant force of nature.

Katie's career rose from morning cheer on the 'Today Show' to making history as the first female anchor of the 'CBS Evening News' and then stirring up (and walking away from) daytime TV with her own talk show. She didn't just stay in the headlines; she rewrote them by channeling her personal battles with cancer into a powerhouse advocacy for early colon and breast cancer screenings. Katie has taught us everything about how to turn pain into purpose.

And because no visit to The Coop is complete without some spice, we dive into Katie’s love life pre-Molner (her current hubby) and the lessons learned from dating in her 50s. 

This episode is a treasure trove of inspiration and giggles. Tune in and get ready to be inspired, educated, and, as always, left wanting just a little more Katie.




Follow us on social media @thecoopwithkithoover (  / thecoopwithkithoover  )  for behind the scenes content, teasers and updates.

Keep up with Katie Couric on Instagram @katiecouric and katiecouric.com.

This episode was produced by Kit Hoover and Harper McDonald. Our Technical Producer is Christian Brown, and this episode was edited by Christian Brown. Business Development by Casey Ladd.

--

To learn more about our sponsors:

Blue Delta Jeans

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BUBS Naturals

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LOHLA Sport

Look sharp on and off the golf course in LOHLA Sport. European design for the American Sporting Lifestyle. lohlasport.com (https://lohlasport.com/)  code: COOP20 for 20% off.


Follow The Coop with Kit on Instagram @thecoopwithkithoover


Show Notes Transcript

In today’s sunny episode of The Coop, Kit Hoover brings in none other than Katie Couric for a chat bubbling with laughter and sage advice. Whether she’s discussing the rose and thorns in her career, navigating widowhood, or how she’s shaping the future of women's health with her current projects, Katie is a vibrant force of nature.

Katie's career rose from morning cheer on the 'Today Show' to making history as the first female anchor of the 'CBS Evening News' and then stirring up (and walking away from) daytime TV with her own talk show. She didn't just stay in the headlines; she rewrote them by channeling her personal battles with cancer into a powerhouse advocacy for early colon and breast cancer screenings. Katie has taught us everything about how to turn pain into purpose.

And because no visit to The Coop is complete without some spice, we dive into Katie’s love life pre-Molner (her current hubby) and the lessons learned from dating in her 50s. 

This episode is a treasure trove of inspiration and giggles. Tune in and get ready to be inspired, educated, and, as always, left wanting just a little more Katie.




Follow us on social media @thecoopwithkithoover (  / thecoopwithkithoover  )  for behind the scenes content, teasers and updates.

Keep up with Katie Couric on Instagram @katiecouric and katiecouric.com.

This episode was produced by Kit Hoover and Harper McDonald. Our Technical Producer is Christian Brown, and this episode was edited by Christian Brown. Business Development by Casey Ladd.

--

To learn more about our sponsors:

Blue Delta Jeans

Custom fit jeans for you. Use Blue Delta’s easy measurement process and get in the best jeans you’ve ever owned.  bluedeltajeans.com (https://www.bluedeltajeans.com/)  code: COOP20 for 20% off.

BUBS Naturals

Start you day with all the amazing BUBS Naturals products for added focus and stamina. Living Better Longer. bubsnaturals.com  (https://www.bubsnaturals.com/) code: COOP20 for 20% off.

LOHLA Sport

Look sharp on and off the golf course in LOHLA Sport. European design for the American Sporting Lifestyle. lohlasport.com (https://lohlasport.com/)  code: COOP20 for 20% off.


Follow The Coop with Kit on Instagram @thecoopwithkithoover


This transcript was generated automatically and reviewed by Harper McDonald. Its accuracy may vary. 

Kit Hoover:

Hey, my chickens, Kit Hoover here. And just a real quick thank you for loving the Coop. I've heard from so many of you that you're learning and laughing right along with me, and you keep coming back for every episode, and this means the absolute world to me. So stay tuned, there's so much more Coop to come.

Kit Hoover:

Welcome to the Coop with Kit. My name is Kit Hoover and I have been lucky enough in my 30 years in this business to interview some of the most iconic badass women out there. We all know that girlfriends give the best advice, and they're all coming to the Coop. We're talking career, marriage, kids, sex, aging, all of it. I truly believe we are just hitting our stride. All right, my chickens, let's get into it.

Today in the Coop we have the one and only Katie Couric. From lighting up the screen as a local reporter in Virginia to becoming a household name on the Today Show, nobody connects better with viewers. We get into how she has navigated the ups and downs and firsts in her career, dating in her fifties, and of course finding love again with Molner. She's also faced an enormous amount of loss and grief in her life, and now uses her platform, and her colon, and her breast to spark meaningful real conversations and save countless lives. Katie has done it all, and only in Katie's way, with honesty, wit and that twinkle in her eye. Nobody is more vibrant than my friend Katie Couric.

Okay, are we recording?

Katie, you are the GOAT.

Katie Couric:

I'm always thrilled to see your cute face, even though you're a Tar Heel.

Kit Hoover:

I'll take it. Okay, we've got to talk about your career because Katie, I tell you, every time I see you, you are the reason I got into this business. You were the first woman that I saw that encapsulated everything that I wanted to be. I mean, I fell in love when you were Peter Pan flying over the plaza, and then literally six minutes earlier, your interviewing a Head of State.

Katie Couric:

Right. That makes me really proud because I love you and we've always had this instant connection because I think we're kind of similar in our personalities, we're both kind of diminutive, and I think that's one of the reasons we are called perky, which honestly the word bugs the shit out of me, Kit.

Kit Hoover:

Bugs the F out of me.

Katie Couric:

I think because it's sort of patronizing. It's dogged me, because I think for some media writers and people, it's sort of a subtle put down, and I think it connotes a certain vacuousness, if that's the word, and that vapidity, if that's the word. It negates the fact that you're intelligent, and that you work really hard, and that you're well-prepared. And I think for women especially, for a long time, it was very difficult for people to see that we're multidimensional, and as Walt Whitman says, we contain multitudes.

Kit Hoover:

I feel like we're still fighting that narrative, but you have certainly been able to navigate it. If you had to pick the rose and thorn of your career, what would it be?

Katie Couric:

Oh, that's pretty easy. I think the rose is probably the Today Show because I think I was tailor-made for that show given I have a fun-loving personality, but actually Bette Midler in Beaches says I'm deep, I'm very deep. I don't mean to sound like that, but I actually am a serious person and I care a lot about what's going on in the world, and I like to unravel complicated issues. I would say the rose also is what I'm doing now, which we'll get to in a minute.

I think the thorn might be CBS. I guess it's a toss-up between CBS and my talk show. I was talking to a friend about my talk show today. I really love the people who worked on the show. They worked so hard. I was so grateful. But I just think the Venn diagram of what works in daytime and the kinds of things that I gravitate toward, there just wasn't enough of an overlap. A daytime audience really wants fun for the most part, but I couldn't really cover big news events in the way that I would've wanted. I did some of that, but in retrospect, I just don't think it was necessarily what an afternoon daytime audience was wanting. You would think, given my more outgoing side, that I would be perfect, that would be a perfect fit for me, but I think it didn't satisfy this other side of me.

Kit Hoover:

Was there ever a point, Katie, where you thought about quitting the business altogether?

Katie Couric:

No, I mean, I just love it. I love the essence of what I do and what we do. I love learning something new every day, I love preparing for interviews because I feel like I'm cramming and learning so much, I love having to be quick on my feet, I like listening to people who are really smart and interesting. I'm such a people person, as cliche as that sounds, and I get energy from other people. I hope that doesn't mean I'm an energy vampire or sucker or whatever they call it.

Well, listen, the landscape has changed so much, Kit. I joined the Today Show and that was before Smartphones. I think for me, I love doing stories, talking about stories. I have ideas, I'm working on some documentaries. I have a scripted show that's in the works. I love just putting out content that I think is elevating, and can help people understand something, and make people feel something, and make them understand something kind of along with me.

I think that's one of the reasons people have gravitated to the style of reporting that I do where I'm not trying to show off with my questions, I'm not trying to show how smart I am. I'm trying to channel a reasonably intelligent person and what they would want to know and understand, and how they would want to challenge somebody who might be making a statement that could be misconstrued or misinterpreted. There's just so much information coming at us so fast and furiously. I think it's really hard to make sense of this very complicated world, and people are getting affirmation not information because they're creating their own ecosystem where they're hearing what they want to hear and not necessarily being challenged, and it's a really, really difficult time to be a journalist.

Kit Hoover:

And speaking of news.... I don't want to Sarah Palin you, but where do you get your news?

Katie Couric:

Honestly, I don't watch as much television as I used to. I read a lot. I read a ton on my phone. I get newsletters, obviously ours, but I also love the New York Times newsletter, the Wall Street Journal newsletter. I look at Apple News a lot, and I peruse Instagram, and I'm constantly reading articles, and it's terrible because sometimes if you read your articles in bed, that's an hour or so where you're in bed reading stuff. John thinks I'm addicted to my phone, and I am, but it's often because I'm reading articles. I'm reading articles in the Atlantic, and I get the Economist because I'm interested in hearing a less nationalistic point of view. I like the idea of getting a different perspective. I read Axios, Politico. We still get a print copy of New York Times because I like to see the layout and what was important. But I think because of technology, a lot of times I read the New York Times more for perspective, but I read my phone more for news.

Kit Hoover:

I love that you still get a newspaper though, because I still get the Times. I just like to hold a newspaper. I like to fold it, I like to feel it. Everybody makes fun of me. I get it. I still use mail, I get stamps, I still go to the bank. I am that dorky girl. Katie, what time do you wake up in the morning and what time do you go to bed? I was asking you the day in the life of Katie Couric, because you seem to be tireless.

Katie Couric:

I'm not tireless, but thank you for saying that. I probably wake up around 7:00 or 7:30. I do Pilates three times a week. I am trying to do more cardio. And I'm 67, Kit, and I do have to make more of a concerted effort to take care of myself, stretch more, and do more exercise and eat right. I'm a terribly undisciplined person, actually, and-

Kit Hoover:

What? You're one of the most disciplined when I think of your life and your career.

Katie Couric:

No, no, I'm not. I'm a workaholic, but I'm not necessarily disciplined.

Kit Hoover:

Well, you might be a workaholic, Katie, but you have made room for love. I want to dive into Molner right now.

Katie Couric:

Okay.

Kit Hoover:

What was it like to date-

Katie Couric:

Still love that.

Kit Hoover:

What was it like to date all those frogs before you met Molner? You had a wide strike zone. During that time, what did you learn about yourself?

Katie Couric:

I had a number of relationships and I feel like they all got me to where I was supposed to be.

Kit Hoover:

A hundred percent.

Katie Couric:

And I actually look back and I see why I was involved in each of them. I think one of the things I learned is I have a very hard time ending things, and I think some of it is... My friend Donna, she used to say I had delayed grief. You know, after you lose someone and it's so shocking and traumatizing, I think I had a hard time ending relationships that I knew weren't right, and I wish I had done that sooner. Having said that, I feel like if I had, who knows, I wouldn't have met John. Always feel like Jerry Bradshaw when I call him John.

Kit Hoover:

Mr. Big, baby.

Katie Couric:

And so I did learn that I need somebody who's really emotionally healthy, and I mean, some of my bows like when I had a much younger boyfriend, I think I just was rebelling against being the good girl my whole life and I wanted to be a little scandalous. I also was having a really difficult time in my job, and I think I just wanted something that was fun, and I don't want to say frivolous because the relationship was meaningful, but just kind of fun, and do something that no one would ever expect me to do.

Kit Hoover:

Well, you know I love scandalous Katie. What did your family think about all of this?

Katie Couric:

I do think for me, because I came from such a loving family and really a healthy upbringing, I think... I mean, I'm sure my girls could tell you all my neuroses. I'm not perfect, but I do come from a strong emotional base and I always think, "oh, everyone comes from this strong, loving family." You come from a strong loving family.

Kit Hoover:

I hit the jackpot. And now at 53, I reflect so much back on the gift that I was given. But can we go back to dating, Katie? Because I know our listeners would love your advice on dating in their fifties. What can you share?

Katie Couric:

I think it's really important to get out there and have a good attitude about it. You have to just really get out there. Never have dinner, because then you're stuck. If you just meet for a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, so you have limited time, and if you really like that person, I still think you should just have a glass of wine or a drink and let them make an effort. I'm sort of a proponent of a slow burn a little bit, and really getting to know someone. And I was treating finding a partner like getting a job. And I tried to make it fun and interesting, and that's not to say that I wasn't disappointed at times, but I really tried to have a good attitude about it. I think what's frustrating for a lot of women in their fifties is men who want to date women 20 years younger than they are, 30 years younger than they are.

Kit Hoover:

Womp womp. Yep.

Katie Couric:

That bums me out. But honestly, you don't want to be with those men.

Kit Hoover:

No.

Katie Couric:

You want to be with someone who's got a lot of substance and you don't want to be with players. You want to be with really solid, great people. Listen, when I met John, he had a 27-year-old girlfriend. Gross, right?

Kit Hoover:

Blegh.

Katie Couric:

And he was maybe 48. Eww. And anyway-

Kit Hoover:

We'll give him a hall pass. He didn't know you yet.

Katie Couric:

And by the way, I'm sure she was great, and this is no slam on her at all, but I was like, "wow, this guy will stop dating a 27-year-old to basically date a 55-year-old," at the time. And we got married when I was 57. I'm six years older than he is.

Kit Hoover:

And you wanted to get married again.

Katie Couric:

I really loved being married. I like having a partner. I like the comfort of just, on a Saturday night watching a movie at home and eating a pizza and just... I'm not a very solitary person, honestly. And I like company, I like being with someone, and John is so funny and so fun. Of course we don't get along a hundred percent of the time, and we both have strong personalities, and I want things my way and he wants things his way and we have to compromise, and neither of us is very conciliatory. It's really important to have at least one person be conciliatory. Jay was very conciliatory, and I'm kind of a powder, so it's important, and now I've tried to be more conciliatory. You just cannot have two stubborn people or you'll never make up. You'll just be stewing all the time, right?

Kit Hoover:

Well, it's working. Following you. If you're not skiing with him... I'm in love with his mom and dad... You are playing pickle ball, or you're at the beach, or you're at a new restaurant, or y'all are cooking a new recipe, and it just is really, really inspiring. I feel like you guys haven't even hit your stride.

Katie Couric:

He's so funny, and I think the role of humor in a relationship is so critical. He is just funny, and I'm a little funny, but he's really funny. And so we have a good time together. He's a little needy, he will tell you himself, and I'm like, "ugh, you're so needy, Molner." But on reflection, it's nice to have somebody who's a little needy. That means they love you and want to be with you. And I think you can be with someone who's so independent that they really don't need you, so you want to have a little of that happening in the relationship.

Kit Hoover:

And now a word from our sponsors.

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And now back to the Coop.

And Katie, did you always want to be a mom?

Katie Couric:

Not initially. When I started my career and I was very ambitious and very driven, I didn't want to get too attached. I had a boyfriend in every city I lived in, and sounds like [inaudible 00:18:48], but then I knew that they weren't going to be permanent because I honestly did not want to be held back by a relationship. I didn't want to compromise. I wanted to have the flexibility to move around and take different jobs. So I wasn't sure. And then I started seeing those T-shirts that said things like, "oh my God, I forgot to have children." And I often tell the story of seeing Cassie Mackin, who was this beautiful willowy reporter. She was originally... I think she was the print reporter for the Baltimore Sun and later covered Capitol Hill for ABC, and she died of cancer. I remember she had never married, all her pallbearers were people like Peter Jennings, and people with whom she had worked.

And I remember distinctly thinking to myself, "oh, I want to make sure I make time for a family, too." So when I got to be 30 or so, I said, "okay, I really would like to find someone so I too can have a family," especially because I come from a very close family with a really healthy relationship, an incredibly loving relationship with my parents, but not too loving because that can be super creepy. I always say to people, Kit, when they're looking for a guy, make sure he's got a good relationship with his mother, that he loves her, but not too much.

Kit Hoover:

How would your daughters describe you as a mom?

Katie Couric:

That's a really good question. I hope they'd say I was a good mom. I think I was probably a bit unconventional because I had this demanding job, and very public facing. It must've been weird for them when they were little and people would come up to me and say hi. Back then it was more of an autograph instead of a selfie, right? Ellie is extremely private as a result. Carrie a little less so, but I think they would say I was a fun mom. I think they would say I was an attentive mom despite the fact I worked a lot. And gosh, I'm going to ask them when we're done with this podcast.

Kit Hoover:

How has your relationship with them evolved over the years? Do you talk to them every day?

Katie Couric:

I would say I talk to them a lot. I do try to balance the roots and wings thing. I try to give them independence. Ellie especially worries about me, she's just a worrier. Carrie never calls me back or texts me back. I'm kidding.

Kit Hoover:

I love it. Yes.

Katie Couric:

But a lot of times she doesn't. So Carrie, if you're listening to this, text your mother. But I think we have a really nice, healthy relationship. I mean, we're three girls, pretty strong-willed women, and so we fight occasionally, especially Carrie and I, I think maybe because we're so alike. We get along really well and really enjoy each other. And also, I was 40 when Jay got sick. I wonder if we would've had more children. Ellie and Carrie are four and a half years apart. I kind of wish that maybe I had three instead of two, but I just feel very, very blessed and very lucky.

Kit Hoover:

You have been so blessed, but when I think about your life, you've also had to face and navigate so much grief. How have you learned to process all of that?

Katie Couric:

It's so hard to put into words what those experiences are like. I think because I had two little kids when Jay died, I didn't have much choice. I had to soldier on, and I didn't want to destroy two lives or even four lives because Jay had died. I think I'm a naturally optimistic person who's always been kind of hardwired for happiness. Jay used to say I was born on a sunny day, which I thought was such a sweet thing to say. And I think I've realized in my life that we're all terminal. We're all going to face sorrow and loss, but we have to make the most of the time we have, and to spend too much of it just in a state of despair, you have to get on with your life because every day that's full of sadness is a day less that you can kind of be a joyful person.

So yes, I lost Jay, and then my sister died of pancreatic cancer just as she was really on a trajectory to become a pretty important state politician. Everyone said she would be the first female governor of Virginia. I lost my parents, but my dad was 90 and my mom was 91. I was so, so lucky. But if you love your mom and dad, it always feels too soon. We have to enjoy this time on their behalf, but it just sucks, honestly, that they're not here. But this is life. "In every life, a little rain must fall," my mom used to say, and I think you hold these people in your heart, but then I made room for someone else when I married John.

And if it had happened to me, I would want Jay to have done the same thing. I wouldn't want him to be lonely and miserable. Someone was describing it as you lose a limb, and then you get a prosthetic on your limb and you just keep going, but maybe you limp a little, right? And someone else described it as putting a stone in your pocket. It's always there, but as time goes on, you notice it less. It feels less heavy.

Kit Hoover:

Well, Katie, I feel like through everything, you're still light. And the one word for me when I think about you is vibrant. And the work that you have done around screenings for colon and breast cancer, it's simply unmatched. There was a video, you were in the doctor's office with your caboose covered up, and it was so wonderful that it made me not scared... I'm not good with doctors... And that's why I got my colonoscopy.

Katie Couric:

I've really tried to make it a sustained effort, Kit. I don't think it's like one of those one and done things. Ryan Reynolds did a colonoscopy, I don't know if you saw it.

Kit Hoover:

I saw it.

Katie Couric:

He did it on social media with, I guess his friend, and I wrote him, I said, "Ryan, you're my hero. Thank you for doing this." And he wrote, "oh my God, of course. It all started because of you. Can you even fathom how many lives you've saved? Probably tens of thousands, for real. And I had the best nap of my entire life. I almost wish I could hire my own personal anesthesiologist." And I wrote him and I said, "ha ha ha, I hear you, that propofol is good shit, so to speak. I've got a million of them, LOL." Anyway, how cute is he? And as Ryan Reynolds says, it was the best nap he ever had.

Kit Hoover:

He's so cute. I love that story. And also, Katie, you've been such an advocate for breast cancer.

Katie Couric:

I'm really trying to actually increase awareness. Kit, 42% of women 40 and over have dense breasts, and dense breasts, it makes it harder to determine on a mammogram if you have an abnormality, because the density is white, the abnormality is white. As my breast radiologist says, "it's like looking for a snowball against a field of snow." So, women need to advocate for themselves. Now people have to be informed if they have dense breasts, but also what that means, so they may need additional screening. I'm hoping to get a law passed that women with dense breasts... I'm working with a couple of people on Capitol Hill and John says, "who do you think you are, Nancy Pelosi?" And I'm like, "well, yes. Yes, I do."

Kit Hoover:

So Nance, tell us what you're doing.

Katie Couric:

We're trying to get companies to cover additional screening for women with dense breasts, because too often those tumors or abnormalities can be missed by simply getting a mammogram. But understanding your risk and understanding your breast density, your family history, and making sure you do get mammograms, and letting your technician know that your breasts are dense, that's an important step. But we need to get it covered, and people shouldn't have to be fighting for early detection of breast cancer.

Kit Hoover:

Thank you for that.

Katie Couric:

And now, Olivia Munn has been diagnosed with breast cancer, my friend Hannah Storm just came forward about her breast cancer diagnosis. We all have to really encourage women and we have to fight. Right now, I'm developing a documentary on the disparities in medical research for males versus females. The fact that the government only required women to be involved in clinical trials in 1993, it's outrageous. And there are so many diseases and illnesses that are specific to women that have not gotten enough funding, and it's unconscionable, and it's starting to change, but we want to shine a light on these disparities, and make women mad so they'll demand better.

Kit Hoover:

So Katie, if anybody can get this done, I'm just going to say it, my money and my boobs are on you. All right, we're going to play a little game. It's called Let's Get Random. Aging is what?

Katie Couric:

Challenging but fun.

Kit Hoover:

Fashion trend you wish you left behind.

Katie Couric:

Well, shoulder pads are back now, right? What's old is new. You look like you stepped off the set of dynasty now. Maybe some of the haircuts. Winona Ryder had a little pixie that was kind of spiky, and I learned a very important lesson, Kit. If you don't look like Winona Ryder, don't cut your hair like Winona Ryder. Big mistake. Huge.

Kit Hoover:

Huge. I like your bangs, Katie.

Katie Couric:

It saves a lot of money on Botox.

Kit Hoover:

Right? It's a very youthful look. I love it. They always say you cut bangs when you're going through something. So when I saw them on you, I'm like, maybe this is your new phase.

Katie Couric:

You'll know. I just get bored. I get bored with the same haircut. I'm just like, "ugh. I haven't changed my hair in so long."

Kit Hoover:

The hottest thing that Molner does is...

Katie Couric:

Brings me coffee in the morning.

Kit Hoover:

Ugh. It's my favorite thing. It's the little things I love, Katie. Oh, that's my favorite. I feel foxiest when...

Katie Couric:

When I have a fresh blowout.

Kit Hoover:

Oh, nothing better. Nothing better. I never thought that...

Katie Couric:

I'd be a grandmother.

Kit Hoover:

I knew you were going to say that.

Katie Couric:

No, I think I did think that, I just didn't think it would happen so fast. They do say the days are long, but the years are short. That is so true, and that's why you've got to treasure every second and every day. I'm really excited about this new chapter, but gosh, it does mean that I'm on the back nine, as Molner would say. Although he usually says, "actually Couric, you're kind of on the back four."

Kit Hoover:

No, Molner. Nine. That's when I wanted this podcast to be, Katie, when I started. It was to interview women that I respect and find out how they're navigating the back nine. How does it feel that you're about to be a grandmother?

Katie Couric:

It's really exciting. Initially I was like, "whoa." All sorts of crazy things go through your head. But it's also a new phase in your life, and part of you is like, "oh shit. I'm old enough to be a grandmother."

Kit Hoover:

Katie, one word to describe where you are in your life right now. What would that be?

Katie Couric:

Freaked out is two words.

Kit Hoover:

I'll take it.

Katie Couric:

Thrilled. I'm thrilled. I'm especially thrilled for Ellie and Mark. It's such a wonderful time. I mean, it's an exhausting time, but I always talk about that window where your parents... Well, in my case, your mom and stepfather... Are alive and healthy, and you have kids, and you have that three generational experience. I remember when my kids were little, and my parents were involved in our lives, and Jay was healthy, and we had kids. Any iteration of that combination, I always think, "oh, that's so nice."

Kit Hoover:

It really is. I think it's the secret sauce of life. And what would Jay think about all of this?

Katie Couric:

Oh, he'd be thrilled. These milestones are always a tad bittersweet because they're such huge life experiences, and my heart breaks that Jay couldn't experience them. I think moments when my girls graduate from high school and college, and they both did really well, and Carrie got a big award at Stanford for her thesis, and I know Jay would really cherish. He can't, so it's kind of a reminder that he's not here, but he died when Ellie was six and Carrie was two, so they've obviously lived their lives without him, and I don't think John would ever want to replace Jay, but he is really excited about the babies... The baby.

Kit Hoover:

I was like, wait a minute, breaking news.

Katie Couric:

No, no, no, no, no. Yeah, newsflash.

Kit Hoover:

Katie, what do you want the baby to call you? Do you have a name you're thinking of?

Katie Couric:

Oh my gosh, this has been a subject of much discussion, Kit. I mean, you're not a grandmother yet. Your kids are too young.

Kit Hoover:

No, 22, 21, and 16. But my mom is named Bug and my grandmother's name was Pie. So we're a big fan of that kind of name. So you need a great one, Katie.

Katie Couric:

I do like Bug and I do like Pie, both the name and the pastry. I called my grandmother Nana, my mom's mom. My dad's mom was a little more formal, she was grandmother. And my girls called my mom Granny, which reminds me of the Beverly Hillbillies. I just can't really do that. So initially I was thinking Gigi was kind of cute, but now I think there are so many Gigis out there, and I just don't know yet. And then when I throw out ideas, my friends were like, "oh, that's a terrible name." But I did read an article about how baby boomers, none of them want to be called granny or grandma because, of course, we can't believe we're actually older.

Kit Hoover:

All right, granny. Back to the game though. Next question. Because I know you have a great voice, what is your go-to karaoke song?

Katie Couric:

I'm sorry folks, but I am a Karen Carpenter fan. There's a woman on Instagram who sounds just like Karen Carpenter.

Kit Hoover:

Freaky.

Katie Couric:

It's freaky.

Kit Hoover:

Yes. Have you heard her?

Katie Couric:

That voice. There's such a tone with Karen Carpenter. So much vibrato. <sings> I say goodbye, love. There is no tomorrow for this.

When I was little, I would say to my friends, "hey, hey, I sound just like Karen Carpenter. Listen." And they'd be like, "not really."

Kit Hoover:

I think so. I could see it. Katie, what is in your bedside drawer?

Katie Couric:

I'm not telling, Kit.

Kit Hoover:

Best answer yet. The final question, Katie, that we end the Coop with. What makes you happy?

Katie Couric:

Being with great people, being with happy people, being with people who I know love and care about me not because I was on the Today Show or any of that stuff, but people who I know are genuine friends and who I have a connection with. That makes me happy. I love taking walks and being in nature. I love going to the beach. I love finding a beautiful shell. I love reading a great book. I love having a delicious meal. I really enjoy life. I like learning stuff. I try to really be a participant in life and keep my eyes wide open, and soak everything in that I can. By the way, if I'm getting in a bad mood, I can be a total raving bitch sometimes. But I think for the most part, I'm a very joyful person who looks for joy wherever I am.

Kit Hoover:

Well Katie, thank you so much for coming on The Coop. You truly are pure joy, and you were definitely born on a sunny day. I just love you my friend.

Katie Couric:

Oh my God, I love you, Kit. You're the best. You just exude happiness and joy, and I just love every time I get to see you and spend time with you. So, big kiss. Tell your whole team "thank you."

Kit Hoover:

Bye, Sweets.

Coop Team:

Bye.

Kit Hoover:

Coop, there it is. All right, quick update y'all. Little housekeeping. Ellie had the baby, a baby boy that they named John Albert. He's going to go by Jay, after his grandfather, Katie's late husband. And the big reveal, drum roll, Katie's grandma name is Gogo. Isn't that cute? And the fact that Gogo could rattle off 30 things that make her happy right now, I just find that so inspiring, and I keep using the word vibrant to describe her. She's more curious, engaged, and invigorated than ever. And just between us girls, aren't we dying to know what she really keeps in that bedside drawer?

But as always, Katie leaves us smiling and wanting more.

God, I love my friend. Thanks, Katie.

Thank you for joining us, my Chickens. If you like this episode, please give us a five-star rating, drop in a great review, and tag us at the Coop with Kit Hoover.

As well, you can follow us on social media at the Coop with Kit Hoover for behind-the-scenes content and updates. We will see you next time in the Coop.

And remember, as my mom Bug always says, "life is not a dress rehearsal. Make it count."

Credits: Today's episode was produced by me, Kit Hoover, and Harper McDonald. Our technical producer is Christian Brown. And today's episode was edited by Christian Brown. Business Development by Casey Ladd, and a special thank you to all of our sponsors.

 



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