Chart-topping rapper Big Sean has spent nearly 15 years in the spotlight, but his path to success wasn’t always easy. The Detroit native joins Hoda Kotb to reflect on his evolving relationship with fame, from believing he was destined for stardom at a young age to how he views notoriety today. In this revealing conversation from April 2025, he also shares lessons from his new book, Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace, a guide he follows to be the best version of himself every day.

Bestselling author, acclaimed public speaker, and Harvard Business School professor Arthur C. Brooks joins Hoda Kotb for an inspiring conversation on the science and practice of happiness. They discuss how to cultivate joy in everyday life, get unstuck during challenging times, and why happiness is not a final destination but a direction you can intentionally choose. In this conversation from March 2024, Brooks draws from his years of research into what makes life meaningful, insights that also shape his new book, The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life, out this week.

Sportscaster Erin Andrews is in the busiest and best season of her life. She joins Hoda Kotb to talk about her career, her health journey and becoming a new mom.

Goldie Hawn is a Hollywood legend. And while she never set out to be a movie star, the Academy Award winning actress, producer and director has had a career spanning more than five decades, with iconic roles in films like “Overboard”, “Private Benjamin” and “The First Wives Club”. And while she is beloved for her work on-screen, she is also making an impact off-screen, with her charity MindUp, created with a mission to promote mental health and fitness for children. Goldie sat down with Hoda Kotb to talk about her accidental rise to fame, her famous family and where she finds her purpose.

Suleika Jaouad is a New York Times-bestselling author and journalist. When Jaouad was just 22-years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia, sidelining her dream of becoming a foreign correspondent. Instead, she chronicled her cancer battle in the New York Times column "Life, Interrupted", and went on to write a best-selling memoir. Jaouad opened up to Hoda about her journaling practice, which inspired her latest book "The Book of Alchemy: Creative Prompts for an Inspired Life."

Martha Beck is a best-selling author, life coach, and speaker and expert in coping with anxiety. Despite decades of sociology research and coaching, Beck says she'd struggled with anxiety her entire life. She says we live in a global anxiety spiral, and turned to neuroscience to understand why, and how to move past it. Through her research, Beck found that anxiety shuts down the brain's curiosity and creativity, and tapping into them can be life-changing. She opened up to Hoda about her book, "Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life's Purpose", and shares strategies to change the way they think and live.

Joanna Gaines is the co-founder and designer behind the iconic Magnolia brand. She and her husband Chip made a name for themselves flipping homes in Waco, Texas and gained popularity thanks to their HGTV shows and own network. Gaines opened up to Hoda about imposter syndrome, being a working mom, and how she stays connected with her husband through it all.

Miami Heat forward Kevin Love is a five-time NBA All-Star and advocate for mental health. He opened up about the recent, devastating loss of his father, former NBA player Stan Love, and that viral post-game hug with former teammate, Tristan Thompson. He also speaks to Hoda about his anxiety and his non profit, the Kevin Love Fund.

Tom Llamas is the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News. He got his start in news at just 15 years old as an intern for Telemundo in Miami. After 30 years in the news industry, he says raising his hand for opportunities helped get him to the anchor chair. Llamas is the son of Cuban immigrants, who fled the country when they were young. Growing up in a Cuban American community, Llamas says his family didn't shy away from discussing politics and current events. He opened up to Hoda about his upbringing, his love for storytelling, and the responsibility of anchoring an iconic broadcast.

Sahil Bloom is an author, businessman, and investor. He had a successful career in finance before a conversation with a friend changed his life forever, forcing him to rediscover the meaning of true prosperity. In his book "The 5 Types of Wealth", he writes that a fulfilling life is built around five kinds of wealth: time, social, mental, physical, and financial. He opened up to Hoda about taking a leap and discovering whats on the other side.

In this special episode of Making Space, Hoda sits down with former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern. During this inspiring and thoughtful conversation, Ardern touches on the significance of becoming the country’s youngest Prime Minister in 150 years, plus her reaction to the surprising news she was pregnant just six days after being elected. Ardern also speaks about her unwavering commitment to kindness while also taking swift action on major policies during her five and a half years in office.

Dan Harris is an author, podcast host, and journalist. Harris worked for ABC News for more than 21 years and currently hosts the 10% Happier Podcast. His journey of self-discovery began in 2004, after suffering a panic attack while live on-air. In the aftermath of that episode, he turned to meditation to confront his drug use, his effort to cope with covering the post-9/11 war zones across the middle east. Harris opened up to Hoda on the power of meditation, self-improvement, and how to quiet your mind in a chaotic world.

Sara Blakely is the founder of Spanx and Sneex and opens up about believing in her products and trusting her gut. She created her revolutionary brand after identifying a problem in her wardrobe: what undergarments could she wear with white pants? Blakely's answer to that question started a shapewear revolution. She used the money she earned selling fax machines to launch her products, which soon started flying off the shelves of department stores and became a wardrobe staple for millions. She sold her majority stake in Spanx in 2021 after more than twenty years at the helm. Blakely opened up to Hoda on her journey to success, embracing failure, and trusting her intuition.

Dr. Judith Joseph is a New York-based psychiatrist, studying happiness. Throughout her life, she's been a high-achiever, graduating from medical school at Columbia and opening her own clinical research institute. She now says she was "pathologically productive" to try to mask feelings of inadequacy. Through her research, and her own experience, Dr. Joseph identified what she refers to as "high-functioning depression". On the outside, she had it all, but she was wrestling with fatigue, poor concentration, and restlessness. In her new book “High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy”, she shares what she's learned with Hoda.

Businesswoman and entrepreneur Emma Grede has launched some of the biggest brands in fashion. Known as the powerhouse behind companies like Skims and Good American, Grede says she takes issue with the phrase "self-made". Raised by a single mom in East London, Grede worked her way up through the fashion world, but she says her partners and mentors helped get her to where she is today. She opened up to Hoda about her childhood, and balancing motherhood with her career.

Suzy Welch is an award-winning professor, best-selling author, and entrepreneur. She teaches “Becoming You: Crafting the Authentic Life You Want and Need" at NYU Stern School of Business, and helps people discover their purpose by understanding their values. Welch also believes that happiness is not an end goal, but an outcome of a meaningful and productive life. She talked to Hoda about how to understand your values, and what she's learned from the death of her late husband, Jack Welch. Her latest book, Becoming You, comes out May 6th.

Dwyane Wade is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. The thirteen-time all-star player won three championships during his time in the league. In the six years since his retirement, he's focused on his family and philanthropy, working with the Wade Family Foundation to support communities in need. Wade opened up to Hoda on how he fell in love with basketball, his decision to retire, and his battle with cancer.

Big Sean has been topping the charts for nearly fifteen years. The Detroit-born rapper says he knew from an early age that he would make it, even when his peers said his dream was impossible. In addition to his award-winning music career, he released a book this year called Go Higher: Five Practices for Purpose, Success, and Inner Peace. He opened up to Hoda on his struggle with fame, and why he's not afraid of losing it.

Actresses Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler have spent decades in the spotlight, with iconic roles on "Married With Children" and "The Sopranos". They've taken on a different role in recent years as the public faces of multiple sclerosis. Sigler was diagnosed when she was just 20 years old, but didn't publicly share her diagnosis until 2016. Applegate received her diagnosis less than four years ago. The two opened up to Hoda about the pain and triumph that has bonded them.