“I was told I had less than two years to live if I did not have a successful bone marrow transplant,” Roberts says. “When fear knocks, I answer the door with faith—that this too shall pass and I’m going to get through it.” While research says there’s only a one in four chance a family member is a match, Roberts’ oldest sister, Sally-Ann, was. She donated stem cells from her bone marrow to save her sister’s life. “My siblings and I have always been close, but this brought us even closer as a family,” Roberts says. “My sister said, ‘Not only do I want to do this, I feel I was born to do this.’” The seasoned television host’s outlook on health today is twofold: prioritize herself and advocate for others to better understand their own health journeys—and their ability to help others. “I know firsthand how someone stepping up can save a life,” she says. “We’re very active in advocating for being a donor. And we hope to let people know that they have that capability. [My sister] is the biggest nilly you’d ever meet, but it was a painless process for her to have her stem cells collected.” Their donor experience and desire to spread the word was the inspiration behind Last Chance Transplant, a series on Discovery+ that Roberts executive produces. It follows six patients who are waiting for organ transplants and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center doctors helping to save them. This latest endeavor, Roberts hopes, will educate people on the need for donors—and how simple it is to become one. We spoke with Roberts about the most important advice she’s learned about women’s health, the morning ritual she does before GMA and why she prioritizes sleep over party invites. What’s one thing you’ve learned throughout your treatments and medical journey that you pass along to women often? As women, we have to be our best advocates. I’ve done countless stories on women who knew something wasn’t right, but their doctor dismissed them. We know our bodies. I detected my breast cancer [in 2007] because I regularly did a breast check, and I found my own lump. I’m embarrassed to say that I went to the doctor and didn’t tell him about it (I was changing doctors). But he gave me this basic exam and when he was about to leave the room, I said, “Actually, I found this lump.” He looked at me and said, “Aren’t you in the news business? You just buried the lede. You should have come in saying you had a lump.” And so I’ve learned that women have to be their own advocates. We can’t be afraid to raise our hand and say, “I need help.” As women, we want to be the caretakers. I can’t tell you how many women reach out to me in the throes of having a transplant or cancer, and they’re worried about their loved ones. I say, “What you can do is let them care for you. That’s the biggest gift you can give them. Because I guarantee you, you’ve always been the giver, and they want to do something in return.” What’s an important part of your wellness routine? Be mindful of what you’re saying to yourself. I’ll take pictures with people at the studio, and afterwards, I always say, “Be good to you.” Everything begins with how you speak to yourself. Sometimes we’ll say things about ourselves to ourselves that we would never even utter to a stranger. What you think and say, you can become. And that’s good or bad. How have you learned to manage your time over the years? I’ve learned that “no” is a complete sentence. My dear former colleague Charlie Gibson always told me, “As a morning show anchor, you’re going to be invited to go to everything but be too tired to go to anything.” So, when people invite me to things in the evening, I’m more disciplined now and say no. There are times when it’s really hard. I love college basketball and NCAA March Madness, for instance, but those West Coast games—why do they have to be at 9 p.m.? The joke is that if people see me wearing red in the morning, it means that I stayed up late because it’s hard to look tired wearing red. Did you ever imagine becoming such a role model? It was something I did not seek. I think it’s because I’m approachable, and in some ways my journey and talking about it has been relatable to people who are not a Black gay woman. I’m really thankful that for whatever reason I give people hope. I think I’m a big walking symbol of “this too shall pass,” whatever it is that you’re going through. People have allowed me to grow up in front of their eyes. They’ve mourned the loss of my parents with me, my health, the loss of my hometown that was destroyed by Katrina. Remember that old Charles Barkley commercial where he says, “I ain’t no role model?” Well, some of you are and it shouldn’t be anything that you seek. But if for whatever reason, you are blessed to be put in that position, I look at it as a real privilege and not one to be taken lightly. There’s a lot of responsibility that goes with it. What are some ways you’ve learned to support your mental wellness? I tell people that when you go through a medical crisis, it’s as much mental as it is physical. So about five years ago, I started meditation. I consistently get in 20 minutes in the morning and try to get in a second session later in the day. Sometimes it’s deeper than other times. But my instructor said, “Look at meditation as a pool of water. There’s a shallow end and there’s a deep end. No matter what part of the pool you’re in, you get wet.” It took the pressure off and helped me a great deal. What would you tell your younger self? “You are going to figure it out. And you’re going to be afraid, but don’t let fear keep you from your destiny.” It doesn’t matter how successful someone is, we all have that fear gene. And it doesn’t go away. It’s just recognizing it, dealing with it and staring it in the face. What’s special about your current role? There is something intimate about morning television. There’s something about being in people’s homes, in their lives. It’s exhilarating. What excites me is saying “Good Morning America.” I know that’s corny. But it’s really cool to say, “Good morning” to America and know that you’re starting their day. What’s one thing you do every morning? One thing I do every morning is a message and prayer in the dressing room with my glam fam—my hair and makeup team, stylist and morning producer. It’s really a lot of fun. And every single time before I walk through the GMA studio doors, I blow one kiss to my mom and one kiss to my father in heaven. I blow a kiss up to the skies for both of them. Do you ever get nervous on set? I’m not nervous on set at GMA. Hosting Jeopardy!, now that was last time I was nervous. Boy, I was so nervous about that. But as far as GMA, what excites me is saying “Good Morning America.” It’s exhilarating. I can honestly say, no two days have ever been the same at GMA. Every day is different. The people I work with are the best in the business. We enjoy ourselves. We know that we have the opportunity to make a difference in so many people’s lives. And they see the joy, they see our pain. They see our frustration at times, for various reasons. And they just really feel like we’re a part of the family. And that’s a high compliment. How have your own fears changed throughout the years? When I was younger, my fear was, “Is anybody gonna hire me—a Black woman in the South—to do sports on TV?” I was consumed with being a sports reporter. Now it’s more commonplace to see women and women of color, but back in the day, it wasn’t so much. My fear was not reaching my dream of being a network sports anchor. I had no way of knowing that it would lead to being on the No. 1 morning show, interviewing presidents and queens and all that is now afforded me. I was so fearful that I wasn’t going to get to a certain job. But later, my fear was like, “Am I going to live?” I just chuckle at how fearful I was when I was younger about the smallest things that seemed so big at the time. What did you love most about Turning the Tables, a Disney+ show you hosted, inviting female celebrities into intimate roundtable conversations? It was about listening and giving each other a safe space. And that’s why I felt so free to share some things. Going into it, I was like “Yeah, I’m an open book as it is. There’s nothing left.” But I was surprised at some of the things that I was saying. It was because we had built this really great comfort zone. I cannot tell you the response, especially from women, that I have received since it started streaming. They are crying, laughing and saying, “Thank you. It was just nice to see women talking and lifting each other up and not judging one another.” That’s what our intent was—to show that, on the surface, it may look like we’re different, but when we start sharing our stories, we have more in common than not. So why don’t we focus on those similarities instead of those few differences? Why don’t we build up what we have in common together? Next, 6 Ways to Sleep Better Tonight
