My Childhood Role Model and Fierce Woman - Barbara Walters
It's time to close out my final #fiercewomen Feature of the year. And given we just lost one of my first and foremost role models since I was about 12 years old, I wanted to honor the immense impact Barbara Walters had on me and so many other women.
When I was little, there were not that many strong, outspoken and yet incredibly poised and professional women on TV to model. From the first time I saw her on the screen, I wanted to be just like Barbara Walters.
She was articulate, smart and had a way about her that drew people in vs. putting them off with her direct and uncomfortable questions. You could also tell that she listened closely to the verbal and nonverbal signals of her interviewees, and I think this is what made her great at what she does. She also looked impeccable and had a poise that emitted confidence without being arrogant.
My dream at that awkward age of 12 was to have my own talk show and have the most famous and infamous people on to query while creating real relationships with them. So here is to the incomparable Barbara Walters. An icon and trailblazer for women everywhere who had ups and downs in her career but inevitably landed on her feet every time!