I grew up a fat kid in a small town in Minnesota who was a tomboy and happened to play a mean violin. My goal was to be a famous concert artist some day.

I've learned that sometimes when people don't like what you have to say, and don't want to debate you on ideas, it's just easier to call you a dumb blonde from Fox News.

What drives me nuts is that we have these serial sexual predators, who hired back women whose careers were ruined by men who harassed or assaulted them and they're high profile people, and the next day the media is talking about who's going to rehire them. I'm like, Who cares? Why would they be hirable again? I mean, I'm all for comebacks, but what about the women? Shouldn't we be going back to them first? They had the American dream taken away from them.

When people watch me on TV they see part of my life. I wanted to let them know the real me behind the scenes. The child who was a concert violinist from the age of six. The young woman who took on the challenge to compete in the Miss America pageant. The television journalist for twenty-five years. The mother of two who, just like most women, struggles to balance work and family.

I'm not superwoman. It's impossible to do everything 100 percent all of the time. And suggesting that women should be able to do it only puts more pressure on them.

Trust is the most important aspect of being a journalist. If people don't trust or find you relatable - you will not have success.

Miss America gets a lot of flak, but the reality is that it is uplifting and aspirational - 50% percent of my points were based on talent.