Hoda Kotb has never been one to shy away from telling her story. The Today show co-anchor invites NBC viewers to share in her most joyful moments, like adopting her daughters Haley Joy (7) and Hope Catherine (5), and watching them grow up. She’s also been open on the air about life’s difficult realities, including her breast cancer diagnosis and mastectomy and split from Joel Schiffman. And when Hoda made the bittersweet decision to leave Today after 26 years at NBC, she shared the news with fans in September ahead of her planned exit in early 2025.

The journalist, who turned 60 in August, cited spending more time with her young daughters as her main reason for leaving, but noted that she’ll remain part of the NBC family. A month after her initial announcement, the Making Space podcast host held a wellness weekend in Austin focused on personal growth. The three-day event ran from October 25-27, where attendees participated in expert-led sessions around mindfulness, meditation and more.

Speaking exclusively to Good Housekeeping on October 28, Hoda shared her own takeaways from the Making Space Wellness Weekend — including how it paved the way for her next chapter.

“I knew after this weekend beyond any doubt at all that this was the field and this was the path for me,” Hoda revealed to Good Housekeeping. “At the end, when it was all said and done, everybody left with this profound change. And I don’t know that I expected that. And it was profound for me too.”

While she hoped the event would be joyful and community-focused, she admitted she was struck by how “it turned into a life-changing experience” for herself and the women who were there. “I think women were seeking permission — permission to want more. Permission to say, ‘I do deserve a life outside of my work and my family. I deserve something that’s for me and not to feel guilty about it,'” Hoda continued.

Practicing mindfulness was something Hoda began in her fifties, when both her co-anchor Jenna Bush Hager and NBC News special anchor Maria Shriver recommended it. “Before I had done it, I think that my life was lacking so many things, and you don’t really know what you’re missing,” she shared. “Every time I was exhausted, I would try to eat salmon and get on the Peloton again thinking I didn’t have enough nutrition. I didn’t feel right. And then you realize, sometimes it’s more than that.”

After doing her first breathwork class, Hoda realized she had more “clarity and energy.” “When I started paying attention, I noticed a shift. I was like, ‘Wow, this feels better. I feel more like me.'” It’s been a process over the last few years, she added, and she viewed it as getting her ready for her sixties.

“It’s just a way of working another part of yourself. We spend so much time worrying about what kind of foundation and what kind of skincare and what kind of hair products and what should I wear, but we don’t spend — or I didn’t spend — any time thinking about the rest of me.”

The clarity she’s gained, both through working on herself and experiencing this weekend alongside 150 participants, helped her identify a larger need that she hopes to address. Hoda plans to keep up with Making Space and hold future wellness weekends that can accommodate more people.

“We all need it. We want to go home and feel really good. And I came home last night and I hugged Haley and I held onto her, I felt her breathing. I was holding her, and I felt so grateful that I spent that time,” Hoda reflected.

“Holding her was obviously my favorite moment, but the fact that I had spent those days working on myself, I felt like I was a better mom than I was three days ago because I’m not carrying around stuff and taking it out accidentally on them. I felt re-energized. You’re doing it for yourself, but ultimately they’re the benefactors. They get a mom who’s more present, more available, less edgy.”

Hoda aims to bring these results to more moms, more women and anyone who can benefit from making space for growth in their lives. With her Today show exit on the horizon, she wants to build her own wellness brand. “I feel like it’s important, and I really want to live in that space,” she revealed.

“I want to create an app and I want to have something that helps that’s affordable and accessible. Because most of this stuff you can do for free. You just need someone to show you how to do it. Let’s make it accessible so you can get whatever you need and have it all in one place. That’s what I’m working toward.”