2013 Honoree

Robin Meade

Anchor, Morning Express on HLN

“Speak up. Be relentless. Do what you love. Show up with joy in your heart and a smile on your face. Appreciate the lesson in the struggle. Take stock of your abilities, and be grateful for them. Be your own ideal, not someone else’s prescription of perfection. Oh, and eat dessert first.”

What city best describes your personality?

Maybe I should go with where I’ve lived for 12 years, and that would be Atlanta. I recently read an article that said Atlanta defied stereotypes about its Southern location and didn’t carry a distinct reputation that pigeon-holed it into being this or that. Yeah, that’s pretty much me: hard to put a finger on. Hard to place in one category. I grew up in the Midwest, but love the weather of the South. I anchor the news, but I’ve put out two country albums. I take my job seriously, but I don¹t take myself seriously. I’m the preacher’s daughter who can curse like a sailor. I can be a real peach, yet steamroll you if you’re not as passionate about a project as I am. I speak to millions on camera for a living, yet I struggled through panic attacks. I deal in information, but despise gossip. I suffer from the “I hope you like me” disease, yet can shut someone out of my life so fast their head spins. I like Coke zero, but will start a dinner with the cheesecake first for the appetizer. Ha! Yeah, that’s me: hard to define, hard to associate with, just one of a kind. And like the article I read…that’s a pretty good description of Atlanta where most people seem to be from somewhere else. It’s a place where people seem to bring what they have been with them, while leaving themselves open to what they will become. Yeah, I like that. In fact, that makes a good song concept. LOL.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever ignored, and the worst advice you’ve ever taken?

I ignored the advice to learn to swim, and boy do I regret it! I have recently learned a few beginner strokes, but it ain’t pretty. The worst advice I have ever taken was to put Sun-In on my hair in high school! Ever notice the color of a traffic cone? That summer between eighth and ninth grade, I sported a hue of brass that doesn’t occur in nature except with the help of Sun-In.

What is your best read? What book would you want to be a character in?

I adore reading and re-reading Dr. Wayne Dyer’s “The Power of Intention.” I had dog-eared my own copy so much, I was happy to get a newer, full-color edition. Hays House puts out the book.

How do you define power? Do you enjoy it? How do you live with your success?

Power is being able to do, get, and be what your heart desires. It’s also having the ability to make sure others can achieve their heart’s desire. Power is being able to change a person’s outlook whether about herself or about her situation. Power is expanding your sphere of influence every day, week, and year so that you are constantly evolving outward, increasing that sphere. We all want our sphere of influence to grow so that we can impact people, make a mark, and influence lives for the better.

When do we stop asking questions about gender equality? When will it be Power People instead of Power Women? Is gender more important than politics?

Without a specific reference in the question, I’ll answer this way: I feel it’s more powerful to state the obvious and stand as an example of what is already obvious, that it is to ask questions.

What do you think of social media?

I love it! I love the immediate gratification of seeing people’s replies, reactions, feelings, and opinions. I reluctantly started doing social media a few years ago, but now I’m hooked. However, the downside is: I’m the person who can suddenly fall into a black hole of time…tweeting, instagraming, and texting until my bum is numb.

What’s one place you’ve always wanted to visit on your travels?

Can you believe I have yet to go to St. Lucia? It has the beautiful combination of sea, sand, mountains, and foliage. I’m most intrigued by two things: The World Heritage site of the Pitons (two mountains jutting up from the sea), and Jade Mountain resort where the fourth wall of every suite is missing, so there is nothing–not even glass–between you and the view.

When sending a child out to see the world for the first time, where would you send them?

Do you mean a small child? Do you mean on world travels? Do you just mean from your house alone for the first time…like to the library? Leave it to me, the reporter, to ask for clarification.

What advice would you give to a young woman starting out?

Speak up. Be relentless. Do what you love. Show up with joy in your heart and a smile on your face. Appreciate the lesson in the struggle. Take stock of your abilities, and be grateful for them. Be your own ideal, not someone else’s prescription of perfection. Oh, and eat dessert first.