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| Archives February 3, 2008 www.webdigestweekly.com |
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| In the world of news and journalism, Deborah Norville is an iconic figure who is much loved and much respected. She’s been around for a long time and she’s seen one dream after another come true. This is a woman who has triumphed over adversity to become one of the best known personalities in the business. Everyone loves her. She has a forthright honesty about her work that both captivates and holds her viewers enthralled. To say that Deborah Norville is a success is a huge under - statement. She is a phenomenon. Deborah and I are from the same hometown. We both grew up in Dalton, Georgia, and we know a lot of the same people. In Dalton, Deborah is a role model and she’s someone who has inspired me as a writer. She’s a bestselling author, with the titles Back on Track: How To Straighten Out Your Life When It Throws You A Curve and Thank You Power to her credit. For the past thirteen years she’s been the host of Inside Edition. Before that her credits included stints on CBS and, of course, NBC’s Today. With such a stellar resume, Deborah continues to grow and climb to new peaks with each goal she sets for herself. I was delighted when she accepted my invitation to be in our Spotlight and I am very proud to present her here. |
| WDW |
| Deborah Norville The Scoop |
| JC Parrish |
| career to this point. Like so many others, I’ve admired her and been inspired by her for a long, long time. It’s a great pleasure to see someone ascend to the heights that she’s achieved and it’s an even bigger honor when there’s a connection of sorts with these special people. Everyone in Dalton is in awe of her. She’s been entertaining us, and the world, for years and to know that she’s going strong, planning for the future, and sharing her insights with books like Thank You Power is just amazing. I am so pleased that she spent a while chatting with me here, giving me the scoop so to speak. Deborah Norville is a hero to many. She’s a lady with much to give the world, and the world loves her for it. Deborah’s Websites: www.dnorville.com & www.thankyoupower.net |
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| DN: I'll say...which is why we are 'talking' via email! As I answer your questions, I am on a plane back from the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Earlier this week, I was in Seattle for a speech and some book-related things and I was SUPPOSED to be in Los Angeles at the beginning of the week, but (happily for me!) the Golden Globes were cancelled, so I got to skip THAT trip! JCP: Lets talk about your book, Thank You Power. What motivated you to write this book? DN: A hunch, really. I'd always felt like my life went better when I focused on what was working, but I'm enough of a cynic (because of what I do as a journalist) that I figure it went better because I WANTED it to go better. I was curious to see if anyone reputable out there had actually studied to see if anyone had quantified if there were measurable benefits that come from counting one's blessings. Turns out there had been...and it turns out the benefits were astounding. JCP: How is Thank You Power being received? DN: I am simply knocked out by the reception and have said it may be the most important thing I've done in 30 years as a reporter. There is a fundamental truth that is a part of Thank You Power and it's a truth that people want to hear. The mainstream press were incredibly quick to sign on and talk about the book, bloggers have picked up on the title and for someone who almost didn't go into the journalism business because I was intimidated by writing -- it even made the New York Times Bestseller List. THAT was really big, to me. JCP: Your message in Thank You Power is so inspiring. How do you relate to the impact that it has on your readers? DN: It's not how I relate to the impact ... but just the impact in general. There is the man in Baltimore who told me he feels "euphoric" about his life now that he's put into practice some of the Thank You Power principles. There's the man in Minnesota who thanked me for giving serious attention to the principles of gratitude. There's the lady who wants to use the book as the basis for a Bible study. And I am still speechless about the woman in New York who told me "this book changed my life." JCP: Being from the same hometown, I have to tell you that you are seen as very much a role model here. How does that make you feel? DN: I think it's great. That one can grow up in Dalton, Georgia ... attend the public high school and the state university and end up in a career where one day you might be interviewing a movie star on the red carpet and the next, talking to a candidate for president is pretty cool. No one would have been able to suggest that to any of my friends, or me, growing up -- and yet, that's what happened. What that underscores to me is simply this: we are limited ONLY by the boundaries we place upon ourselves. I come from a family where the motto -- unspoken, but understood -- was, "you are limited only by your capacity for hard work." Well, I guess I've got a pretty good capacity for hard work, so maybe that's why I've been able to take on so much and sometimes succeed at a few of the things I have taken on. JCP: Lets talk a little about Inside Edition. Are you still enjoying the show? DN: It will be 13 years that I have been on the program come March and to be truthful, some days, it's just a job like everyone else's. But the fun days are when the news is breaking and the facts are flying and there is this wonderful frenzy about trying to get the show on the air. THOSE are the fun days -- and they happen often enough! I very much like the variety of the program. We have a nugget or two of celebrity news, keep you up to date on what's happening right now with politics, usually have at least one 'human interest' story most of us can relate to -- and great investigative pieces that keep the bad guys honest. The mix really works for me. JCP: You really turned that program into a first rate news show. I can imagine you must be very proud of that accomplishment. DN: When I came on board, it was "beach blanket bingo" with lots of bikini clad girls. That format worked back in the late 80's but had clearly run its course and having a new anchor with a solid network news background helped Inside Edition more quickly shed that old image. This month we are celebrating our 20th anniversary on the air -- so we must be doing something right! JCP: What is your idea of a great assignment? DN: ?? JCP: What future plans do you have for the show? DN: ??? JCP: (Laughing) Where do you see yourself five years from now? DN: I gave up trying to answer that question a long time ago. My philosophy has always been to 'live life on the balls of your feet.' Just as in tennis, you'll be ready to hit the ball if you're not flatfooted. In life, if you stay ready for anything, chances are you'll be able to handle it -- whether it's a challenge or a great opportunity. Too many of us PLAN our lives to the 'nth' degree and consequently are so focused on those plans we have inadvertently put blinders on. We miss the great opportunities that were just outside our vision. |
| All photos used are courtesy of Deborah Norville, except where indicated. |
| DN: Married -- just celebrated our 20th anniversary. JCP: How many children do you have? DN: Three. JCP: Who are your heroes? DN: My mom. She had a career and then had a family and still had a demanding work life, working with my dad on the family business. Yet she still taught me to sew and knit. I don't know how she did it. DN: Sewing is both my passion and my therapy (see my website www. dnorville.com to see how it was also my ticket out of Dalton!) These days the sewing is of the home decor mode, though this summer I taught my little girl to sew and last week she made her first pair of pajama bottoms. I am thrilled to see that pass to the next generation. I enjoy gardening, though not weeding. I enjoy cooking and have pared the recipe collection down to the favorites. I also am getting totally into web design and am ramping up the dnorville.com site and the thankyoupower.net sites...with more content I generate myself. JCP: Favorite food? DN: Junk food: potato chips and milk. Meal: juicy steak. JCP: Favorite place? DN: St. Bart’s. JCP: Favorite movie? DN: Gone With The Wind. JCP: What advice or wisdom have you learned that you can share here? DN: It's more than I can share here ... it was enough to fill a book. Two of 'em actually: Back on Track: How To Straighten Out Your Life When It Throws You A Curve and Thank You Power. JCP: What are you most proud of? DN: That professionally speaking, I am still here. The business tried to toss me out a few years ago and it didn't succeed. Personally, that despite my crazy career, I have an awesome husband and a solid marriage and three kids who know right from wrong, who know they are loved beyond calculation and who will grow up to be credits to THEIR family name. I am proud I have done so for the name NORVILLE. JCP: Deborah, thank you so much for this wonderful interview. DN: You are welcome! |
