Tracy Kornet's Blog

 Homecoming 2012-2013 with my youngest son, Luke I've been in social media hiding for 3 weeks now, fearing my blabber-mouth tendencies would totally screw things up. Can't share everything for another day or two, but I can share this: A miraculous set of events has just occured in the life of my youngest son. It was March 13th when I blogged about the ongoing arguments in the Kornet house as to whether a prestigious, name-brand university is worth the money, should Luke be accepted. We believed we had found an ideal solution, thanks to some generous academic scholarships SMU awarded my future engineer. We were thrilled to know Luke would stay close to home in an esteemed, private institution with an excellent engineering school--and a Division One basketball program to boot. We were all at peace, believing this was a wonderful win-win. And then everything changed. We made a call t...

I just returned from a barely-24-hour-work trip to New Orleans. Our actual location was about an hour north of the city, so we got to sample the cuisine of a couple of fabulous places off the beaten path. The food was so delicious, and so rich, I haven't been able to eat since! But it did spur me on to exercise. Specifically, as soon as we wrapped shooting, I threw my workout clothes back on, scarfed down a couple of beignets with my photographer, then jogged through the French Quarter to burn some of it off before we caught our plane! I tell Gina about here in our latest edition of The Real Botox Diaries--along with an unusual massage I wasn't expecting. Plus, Gina shares her tips for going barefaced. By the way, if you're trying to plan your next vacation, I highly recommend New Orleans. Trust me, you WILL have stories to tell when you get back!

Thought I should follow up to my last blog entry regarding the woman for whom I've been trying find services and housing in Fort Worth. Your comments were so insightful, I thought posting them here might help someone else. But before I do that, I must share a few life lessons I've learned through this situation: First and foremost, it finally clicked in my pea brain that sometimes truly helping someone may require giving them tools and resources--and then stepping back, allowing them to use those aids. Otherwise, we can end up hurting the very people we're trying to help. Second, I learned how truly difficult it is to find affordable housing, especially if one has bad credit--even when she has a full-time job. What a struggle. It was incredibly disheartening to me, and I had access to  excellent contacts and a car! Third, and I learned this years ago from a counselor, just because someone calls you on the phone, ...

For the last two weeks my poor producer who sits behind me has been forced to listen to my dozens of daily conversations with a viewer in need of help. Rarely do I feel comfortable stepping out to aid total strangers. I'm not an idiot and don't want to be killed! But this particular viewer is a 54-year-old single female, working as a hostess in a local restaurant. She told me two weeks ago that she is essentially on the verge of homelessness. I remember my mother at that age. I could not turn my back on this woman. I have called, emailed, Facebooked, and tweeted every person, pastor, and charity contact I know from several states, asking for any leads on a low-rent apartment. So far, only two options have revealed themselves. This woman in need moved in with the first. And she has not stopped complaining ever since. The locks, the air, the temperature, the neighborhood, the bus route. It's all...

Coach Coale, my Nicole, & the fab Whitney Hand-Jones It's March Madness, and this Sooner mom is hitting the road, baby. The University of Oklahoma Women's Basketball team plays Saturday at 11am North Texas time. I can honestly say I've never been so excited to spend a few cold and dreary vacation days in Columbus, Ohio! I've gotta tell you, I'm getting quite a kick out of my husband's enthusiasm through this tournament process. During the NCAA selection show Monday night, he was eagerly anticipating each bracket, his blood pressure rising with every pairing announced.  He gave me the play-by-play on my cell phone, as I drove home from work. "I can't believe how excited I'm getting," he laughed. "It's like I'm going through it all over again."  Since the man (a former Vanderbilt University & NBA basketball player-turned-high-school-basketball coach) attended every OU home game this season, I knew we ...

My Daughter & I: Top-down Drive to Dallas This weekend felt like Christmas. It's actually been that long since I had all three kids under my roof at the same time. I was not expecting it to feel so different, so full, and so fun. The reunion began Friday night after the 10pm news, when I picked up Luke at DFW from his school mission trip to El Salvador. Nicole was unexpectedly granted two days off from practice, so she arrived around midnight Friday. The next afternoon John drove in from Arkansas for a week of spring break. For the first time in months, the driveway filled with the sounds of basketballs dribbling and kids laughing again. The behemoth Armada was packed again for Sunday mass, followed by our regular post-church lunch at Chipotle. Hoops in the Driveway And by Sunday night, Mama Korn got to sip wine in the driveway, the dog in tow, while watching the kids move from basketball to football to skate...

I met Susan Kane at a power breakfast, organized by our mutual colleague and corporate strategist  Tony Jeary . Within three minutes the editor-in-chief of  Success magazine and I were talking careers, kids, college, and the importance of connecting with girlfriends. A few months after that, we met for coffee with the goal of getting together every few weeks. This afternoon Kane joined me for a live interview on CBS11 News at 4pm to share her perspective on work/life balance, including how to become a successful leader while nurturing a successful family. Check it out here--and please check back for more "Lessons to Success" with this wife, mother, rockstar writer, and boss...whom I'm happy to also call friend.