When I came to the Food Network, I didn't want to do a cooking show. I told Kathleen Finch for nine months I didn't want to do a cooking show, I wanted to do a home-and-garden show.

I didn’t even cry, I was stunned. You know, and that’s just how fast life turns. It turns on a dime.

When I'm really stressed out, I go to church. I light candles and sit and pray. And I'll ask myself, What's the lesson? Why am I going through this? There's got to be a reason I'm here. What am I supposed to learn?

My audience knows me, and I wear beautiful clothes as a badge of honor. They remember where I came from.

I had to be frugal, thoughtful, resourceful. I didn't have anyone to tell me, 'You can't.' When you're young, you think you can do anything, and that was really a gift. That's why I can never understand someone telling me 'no' today. 'No' just isn't an option.

I'm the only girl on The Food Network who grills - I have two bestselling grilling books. I try to really focus on what men and women can do outside together out on the grill. I think it's really fun to have men and women out there together, having fun, working and enjoying themselves.

My secret to survival has been embracing life's challenges and not letting them dictate my frame of mind or determine my fate... Learning to stand strong in the face of challenge and adversity is the only way to get through the tough times.