Get to Know Hannah Storm

THE PERFECT STORM
Hannah Storm is a force of nature. The accomplished author (her second book, Notre Dame Inspirations, comes out
September 5), award-winning anchor of CBS News' “The Early Show” and proud mother of three has her priorities in
order and her life's passion in play. So whether it's heads of state or heads of lettuce, Hannah Storm weathers her
busy life as a newsworthy woman by making family number one in her time slot.

Here the inspiring Hannah Storm talks to THE FAMILY GROOVE about anchoring her life as a homemaker and
newsmaker.

THE FAMILY GROOVE: Good morning, Hannah.
Hannah Storm: Good morning. Sorry for the delay. I had to watch Will Ferrell on Regis. Will is on the show tomorrow.

TFG: No worries. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to talk to us. Hannah Storm
Let's start with the basics: How old are your children?
HS: 9, 7, 5. Three girls. It's fun.

TFG: What are three adjectives that describe being a mom?
HS: Fulfilling, challenging, life-changing.

TFG: What are three adjectives that describe being a working mom?
HS: I sort of have an issue with the delineation between mom and working mom. Whether you're a non-working mom or a working mom, I don't think those are the appropriate groups to lump mothers into. There are working mothers who are workaholics and don't spend time with their children. For them, work takes priority over their families. But there are also working mothers who make their children a priority and have their work lives fit into their family lives. Conversely, there are stay-at-home moms who are very engaged in their children's lives and hands-on raise their children. There are also stay-at-home moms who are never with their children because they are always engaged in their own activities and interests, be it charity work or playing tennis or socializing or shopping. I don't buy into the whole working mother verses non-working mother. I think it's mothers who prioritize themselves or something else above their children and mothers who prioritize their children and their marriages above all else. I'm not passing judgment on what mothers are right or wrong. I'm just think that those are more descriptive categories.

TFG: What are your goals as a mother?
HS: My primary goal is to have children who are self-confident. It so important, especially for girls. I think that's the gift that my parents gave me: that confidence to follow whatever my dream was. When I was coming out college and decided I wanted to be a sportscaster, I made an unbelievable non-traditional choice. There were no women doing that at the time. In the beginning, I had a very difficult time getting jobs. However, I ended up having a real ground breaking career. I'm very proud of it. But I could never have forged ahead if my parents didn't instill in me —and they say that these qualities are instilled at a very young age, and I believe it— a sense of confidence, well-being, self-worth and the faith in myself to follow my dreams. My goals are to give my daughters the understanding that they have special talents, that they're loved and to foster their desire to be good people who affect the world in positive ways. Everyday I think about who I want my children to be when they leave me and are out in the world.

TFG: What are your goals as a newswoman?
HS: To be fair and to be someone that is a good role model. I live my life in an ethical way and have a very old-fashioned, hard-work mentality. That's how I've been able to be successful. I really roll my sleeves up and do my homework. I don't get overly involved in self-promotion. I could be out there promoting myself all the time and doing lots of extraneous things, but I always feel that to have true success you have to have a lot of substance. You have to perform. The bottom line is that I have to do my best. That's sort of an old-fashioned way of thinking, but it's about hard work. I am always looking to get better. I take constructive criticism well and I know everyday that I did something that can be done better tomorrow. That's what makes my job so exciting and challenging. It's kind of like golf—it's something that you can never conquer. You can only push yourself to get better at it. My goals would be to improve, to be the kind of person who people can use as a positive example of a mother, of someone who works hard and tries to achieve her dreams.

I want to be challenged intellectually also. I never want to be in a job that would allow me to coast. I never just want to show up. I'm not that kind of person. I'd almost rather not do it then. I like when I have challenging interviews or big assignments, not in terms of air time, but in terms of the challenge. When you work hard on them and you pull them off, then you have a feeling of accomplishment. I get a big kick out that.

TFG: What are your goals as a wife?
HS: To make my marriage the foundation of my family, which it really is. The relationship between my husband and I is the basis from which everything else flows. I always think of a marriage like a garden that needs tending. My goals are to never take my marriage for granted or to stop communicating in any way. My husband travels a lot and I have a crazy schedule, but we really make an effort to be together, spend time together, talk about everything. Even in our social life, I don't bring a lot of other people into play. We're not constantly socializing. We really pick our spots. I see people who grow apart just from lack of being together—talking and hanging out together—and I don't ever want my life to get to the point where my marriage suffers. It won't because I make choices every day to that effect.

TFG: Is there a creed or motto that gets you through the day?
HS: Something that I think about a lot? I don't know. I always say a prayer before I go on air—just something very simple, but it helps me. I just try to do my best, whatever it is. Whether it's being a mother or being on air. I'm not one of the mothers who believes that you can just be good enough.

I always feel like it's not enough to have someone else do my work for me. I come in and I write my own questions on a lot of my segments. I also don't want someone else raising my kids. I don't like getting by doing the minimum. I'm just not that kind of person. I don't feel like I can shelter my kids and feed them and let them know they're loved and send them on their way. I like to sink my teeth in, I like to be engaged with my kids.

But at the same time, I'm the boss. They don't control our life at home. Our family unit is the most important thing. My husband and I control the household. I don't think I'm one extreme or the other. I'm not the kind of person who ignores her kids and I'm not the kind of person who lets her kids run the show. I think there's a healthy balance.

4 boxes Everyday I make choices. I get tons of invitations to parties, premieres, charity events, black tie things. Frankly with every single invitation, every single opportunity, including this interview, that comes my way, I will only do it if I don't think it will take excessive time away from the family. It's got to be important. What's great about that is that it helps you prioritize your life. In my business, you could spend all day making yourself a star, making yourself look better, promoting yourself, lunches, dinners. I just don't do that. I try not to neglect myself, but at the same time, I figure that I'd rather be home being a mom. It just goes by so fast.

TFG: It sounds like you run your life like a well-run business. You have these checks and balances, ways of thinking and four or five priorities that you mark everything against. It's admirable that you have the discipline and the confidence and the love for yourself and your family to make sure that everything measures up to your goals.
HS: Well, you have to—otherwise, you'll constantly be conflicted. I'm not the kind of person who's going to come to work and feel guilty because I'm not at home. I go to work and know that I made a bunch of choices to make my work day as reasonable as possible. I'm in this job because it works for my family. I left sports because it got to the point where I was going to have to travel on weekends. There was absolutely no way that I was going to travel on weekends when my kids were young. I wanted to stop traveling as much as possible—period. So I looked at jobs that were specifically in the early morning time frame. I didn't even consider anything else. I would not do it. I wanted to be home when they got home from school. I actually, on a practical level, looked at my family's schedule and said here's what I can do and be comfortable with it. The only time I'm not at home is the one hour in the morning when everyone's rushing off to school. But I still have packed all the backpacks and made the lists. I know exactly what's going on, who's going where. I have a daily calendar that I fill out the night before, so everyone knows what's going on. Being organized helps. Having your priorities and laying them out verses sitting around waffling about things everyday is important. You can drive yourself and everyone around you nuts if you're not certain of your choices.

TFG: What's inspiring you this fall?
HS: Well, this fall I have a book coming out, so that's really exciting.

TFG: Oh, that's so exciting. Tell us about it.
HS: It's called Notre Dame Inspirations. Notre Dame was my college. It's so funny that you asked who's inspiring me because that's what the whole book is about. A while back, I had picked up an alumni magazine and there was a funny trivia question about all the different people who had gone there. You had to match them up with their jobs. I saw all these very interesting people who had achieved a lot, like Regis Philbin, Phil Donahue, Joe Montana. These are people that I've always admired. I started to think about what is was that made these people great. Was it a common experience? Was it something that happened to them in college that propelled them on to successful careers? Those four years are such important years in people's lives.

So I eventually turned my inspiration into a very cool book about some successful doctors, politicians, athletes and journalists alumni of Notre Dame. It's a book of people who I find very inspirational. I get to interview politicians and movie stars and athletes and chefs—people who have gotten to these elite levels. I look at what made them reach that level? What's their back story? How did they get there?

Regis' story is one of my favorites. He's all about never giving up. You're going to have set backs in your life, but you have to forge ahead. Joe Montana often talks about how people would say he has this uncanny knack for finding his fourth or fifth receiver. To which, he would always say that it wasn't a knack, he just studied the play book more than anybody else.

This fall, we'll go back as a family. I am going to take my daughters to a football game. I am so inspired by these alumni, many of whom are well into their 70s and 80s. I have this renewed appreciation for where I went to school. That's what I am very excited about this fall.

TFG: There's definitely a fervor and a spirit that is unique unto Notre Dame. It's renowned.
HS: There's a lot of school spirit that derives from the football team, but there's also that underpinning of Catholicism—it's a Catholic liberal arts university—of spirituality. Spirituality and school spirit is a cool combination. Notre Dame is a force in terms of placing things in the context of a moral discussion. One of their big focuses is science and technology, but they bring it into a discussion about morality, too. They also push world religions, bringing about that interfaith dialogue that has to happen for the survival of the future of our world. Notre Dame has a purpose and a valuable place in what's happening in the world today. I think they've managed to stay current, it's not elitist, either intellectually or religiously. They are very inclusive. Notre Dame wants to be engaged with the world. Life requires a lot from us. It takes a lot to be good people, to raise good people, t be good husbands, wives, mothers and fathers. A spiritual base for your life, is a big help.

There's a culture of service there, too. When I decided to go into TV, I had a talk with a Notre Dame priest. My brother was off saving the world and working with war refugees in Asia and I wondered how I was going to do any good for the world, for mankind, in a positive way. The priest assured me that I would have a great platform to set an example, to work with charities. He told me that I was going to help. His words really made a difference to me. Before you asked me what my goals are and I guess one of them is to be a positive force in the world, to everyday make a difference in someone's life. Notre Dame fosters a mentality of thinking outside of yourself. It's very strengthening.

TFG: What is the secret to your success?
HS: Balance. I'm happy. I am pretty fulfilled personally and challenged in both work and at home. Balance is key.

Hannah's book drops September 5. To get in on her inspiration, go to www.amazon.com.

Join us next month when Hannah talks news, naps, nutrition, and, of course, how she gets her groove on. Stay tuned.