Hoda Kotb is making space to process her feelings.
The Today alum shared how her motherhood journey with kidsHaley, 9, and Hope, 7, has evolved ever since adopting an unconventional method recommended by her therapist on how to navigate emotionally-charged situations.
“He said, ‘This week, everything that goes wrong is your fault and say that to yourself,'” Kotb recounted on the Sept. 23 episode of her Making Space podcast, explaining that the approach was to ensure that she was “not coming in hot.”
And the 62-year-old soon found herself putting the technique to use when her oldest left home without telling the babysitter.
“One of my daughters leaves on her bike and goes to the ice cream truck and just rides home by herself,” she continued. “The babysitter’s calling me, ‘I don’t know where she is.'”
Though Kotb—who co-parents her daughters with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman—initially arrived home “mad” at Haley, she took a beat to regain her composure. As the mom of two put it, “Before I turn the knob, I go, ‘This was all my fault.'”
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Hoda Kotb Reunites With Ex Joel Schiffman in Rare Family Photos With Daughters
And rather than immediately confronting Haley, Kotb simply sent her child up to bed after dinner.
“I get upstairs afterwards and I go, ‘Honey, do you know why you’re up here early?’” she recalled asking Haley. “‘You rode your bike off.'”
Kotb said Haley went on to tearfully confide in her that she had ran off because she was missing a friend.
“When she stopped crying,” Kotb continued, “I said, ‘OK, I get it. I understand that you miss your friend and I know that’s hard. But we never ride away by ourselves again.'”
And by “lowering the temperature” of the situation at the start and giving time for both her and Haley to process their emotions, the former morning show host said she was able to discipline her child while also getting to “the nut of why she rode off.”
“No one was crying and screaming,” Kotb explained. “It reminded me to take the sting out of what I’m doing.”
For a closer look at Kotb’s life as a mom, read on.
InstagramBack to SchoolHoda Kotb reunited with her ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman to send their daughters Haley and Hope off to school in September 2026.Instagram/Hoda KotbSchool Drop OffKotb celebrated her first free morning after leaving Today in 2025 by personally dropping off her kids at school.Instagram/Hoda KotbMommy Duty”School drop!!! Let’s goooo!” the longtime NBC anchor captioned her Jan. 13, 2025 Instagram.Instagram/Hoda KotbHalloween 2024After announcing she was leaving Today, Kotb celebrated her first Halloween in the New York suburbs with her kids.Instagram/Hoda KotbCheer-WorthyHaley and Hope matched in cheerleader costumes.InstagramMother’s Day SurpriseKotb got emotional as Haley and Hope surprised her with an early Mother’s Day gift.InstagramBirthday CelebrationsKotb was surrounded by love during her birthday in 2021, celebrating the milestone with Schiffman, their kids, her siblings Hala and Adel, nieces Hannah and Ella as well as mom Sami.IQueens of HalloweenAnother Halloween in the books! Kotb and her first daughter spent spooky season together as their Sesame Street alter egos.Family ForeverKotb spendt time with her own mom (and Haley’s grandma!) in this cute group shot on Halloween 2019.Party TimeThe journalist shared this pic of her and Haley at a Sesame Street party in October 2019.Suns Out, Funs OutKotb and Haley splashed around the beach in August 2019.Gift for MamaHaley looked cute as a button celebrating her mom’s 55th birthday.InstagramSweet Sister”Look who is feeding Hope!” Kotb wrote on her Instagram in May 2019, showing off Haley feeding her newborn Hope.InstagramFriends for LifeKotb’s longtime friend and former co-host Kathie Lee Gifford met Hope in early May 2019 and they were all smiles all day.InstagramA Full HouseIn April 2019, Kotb shared a photo of her full family for the first time on Instagram, writing, “This is us xo.”InstagramWelcome Hope Catherine!It’s a girl! Hoda introduced Hope to the world after surprising her Today show family on-air revealing that she had secretly adopted her second child.InstagramBirthday GirlOn Valentine’s Day, the TV host celebrated Haley’s second birthday and shared on Instagram how she felt, saying, “So much love today.”InstagramHo Ho HomeThe beaming TV personality spent Christmas with her mother, sister and daughter Haley.InstagramQueen BeesHaley celebrated her second Halloween by twinning with her mom in matching bee costumes.InstagramApple of Her EyeIn August of 2018, Kotb and Haley spent an autumn day together picking apples.InstagramSplashing Around”I can’t believe I get to do this .. #grateful” Kotb wrote on her 54th birthday.InstagramProud MamaOn Mother’s Day, Kotb posed with Haley she sported a cute tee with the word “mama.”InstagramMother’s Day Duo”Pre dawn photo shoots in bed are a blast,” gushed the happy mom in a cute Insta selfie early on Mother’s Day.InstagramSixtieth SurpriseOn March 2018, the Oklahoma-native celebrated partner Schiffman’s 60th birthday with their baby girl and a homemade cake.InstagramPost-Olympic Bliss”Home!!!!!” announced the TV host on Instagram after spending two weeks covering the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.InstagramPre-Olympics ShenanigansThe day before arriving in Pyeongchang for the 2018 Winter Olympics, the TV personality had some fun with her little sweetheart and her USA beanie.InstagramFootball’s Cutest FanGooo Saints! Kotb and her little sport’s fan cheered on the New Orleans Saints in their game against the Minnesota Vikings in January 2018.InstagramChristmas Stripe Stars”Santa we are ready!!!” the journalist wrote on this Christmas selfie with her mom, Schiffman and her little angel.InstagramTurkey TimeIn November 2017, Hoda posed with Schiffman and her baby girl for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.photos
View More Photos From Hoda Kotb’s Sweetest Moments With Her Kids
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