Hoda Kotb Says 'Change Is Good for Kids' as She and Her Daughters Prepare for Move: 'They're Excited' (Exclusive)
"It's still scary when you're in the air and your roots are dangling, but once you get planted in some really rich soil, you're strong again," Kotb tells PEOPLE
Hoda Kotb is opening up about how she and her daughters are feeling as they prepare to move homes.
The Today co-anchor, 59, chatted with PEOPLE ahead of having her 50th guest on her podcast Making Space, sharing how her girls Haley Joy, 7, and Hope Catherine, 4, are preparing for their upcoming move to a new house.
"I think they're feeling good. We haven't done it yet. They're still painting something. So I think when that's done, we'll get in there. I think they're excited," she tells PEOPLE.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The podcast host notes she's been trying to control her emotions around her daughters, as she knows they "take cues" from her.
"I know they take cues from us. It's like if you're scared, if I'm nervous, are they going to be okay? Look, they're going to be fine. Off to a new school, like, what is going to happen? They're going to have a good time."
Kotb goes on to share that she thinks "change is good for kids," because it helps them grow stronger.
"I think change is good for kids. I feel like another thing I learned from the podcast is the more people kind of re-pot, they pick themselves up by their roots and go back to another... They just get stronger," she says. "It's still scary when you're in the air and your roots are dangling, but once you get planted in some really rich soil, you're strong again. So I feel like the more you do, the better you are."
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
The proud mom first announced that her family was moving in a March episode of her podcast. "My kids and I are gearing up to relocate to a new area for a different school, and it got me thinking about my own experiences growing up and how frequently we moved," she said while speaking to her guest, Arthur Brooks.
Reflecting on her own childhood, Kotb revealed to the author that she, too, had experienced frequent moves, which motivated her to impart similar lessons to her children. "I remember when my parents relocated us to Nigeria when I was in fourth grade, it was a shock. The language was unfamiliar, everyone seemed different, and it was a challenging adjustment. And then again in sixth grade," she shared.
"It’s interesting because now, as an adult, the stories I share are about how I persevered or coped. Yet, as I prepare my children, I feel this instinct to shield them from experiences they might actually benefit from," she said.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.