Hoda Kotb knows a thing or two about juggling multiple roles, but one stands above the rest: mom.
The Today With Hoda and Jenna co-host recently reflected on her journey to motherhood after adopting daughter Haley, 5, in 2017, and daughter Hope, 3, in 2019. And the journalist, who shares her daughters with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, is still realizing how impactful the decision to start a family would be.
"Sometimes, you know something is right but it's going to take you out of your comfort zone," Hoda exclusively told E! News. "I think I felt like that when I was adopting my girls."
She added, "I knew that it was the right thing, but I also knew that it was going to be the biggest life-changer ever." As she explained, making the decision was something she felt in her heart.
"Sometimes when you put your head on your pillow, you know," she continued. "Even if you have some doubts, you know that that's the right path. I think because that's where growth happens, out of your comfort zone."
"We can sit here and be cozy here forever," she continued. "And not explore and think that we had a great life. But really, we're just stuck in this little area."
As Hoda noted, the idea of expansion applies to more than just her family, but to life overall.
"I think there's something about expanding because I feel like the heart's ability to expand is beyond what we can even imagine," she shared. "There's room—there's room in yours, for probably countless more people and countless more things, so I feel like once you step out of it, your heart goes, ‘Oh cool, I've been waiting for this.' And it just gets bigger and bigger, so I think for me, it was probably that."
With that said, it's clear Hoda's heart continues to grow every day at the thought of deciding to step outside her personal comfort zone: "Because I knew it was a big life-changer, yet it was not a risk at all."
(E! and Today are part of the NBCUniversal family).