Tracy Kornet's Blog

Kudos to the college student who just met me here at work to learn about my job. This junior journalism major already has a leg up. She sought me out, scheduled time with me--yes, the day after Christmas--and showed up. Kids, if you want to make it in this business (or most careers for that matter) that kind of initiative speaks volumes.  My son suggested I write a blog detailing how I got into television news. Let  me warn you, it was quite a circuitous route. My road is not for everybody. But I do believe the advice I learned along the way is. So, John, here goes. I like to say my career began in 5 th grade. I sang a song while my dad accompanied me on piano for the school talent show. I tied for first place. The grand prize was a trip to McDonalds. Not only did I finally get my own fries and a chocolate shake, but the experience  planted in my 10-year-old brain ...

My girlfriend just posted a blog that truly takes guts. Gina Miller , the long-time sports anchor/reporter-turned-social media guru, has long touted the fact she does NOT feel guilty being a working mother.  The prolific blogger and entrepreneur even changed careers recently and is probably putting in more hours than ever, building her new business. She says she STILL doesn’t feel guilty while raising her darling daughter, Jordan. Not a bit. Jordan & Gina, "That Sports Girl" Let me tell you, I have never lived guilt-free. Not a day in my life. But I tell you what, I am starting to now. My three children are now in college. One is about to graduate in May and begin his own career.   I truly miss the activity and purpose they brought to my life when they lived at home full time. And I now find myself struggling to fill my spare hours with meaningful tasks and goals.    Tracy, Luke & Nicole Kornet I just returned from v...

A colleague just told me she was chosen to give a TED talk . I almost flipped my lid. What an honor. I love those things and try to listen to one of the educational, inspirational 20-minute lectures every day-- if I can remember to log on. In fact, I’m listening to one now by psychotherapist Meg Jay . She is debunking the myth of what Americans claim is the “changing timetable of adulthood” and how we have trivialized our 20s. She says research shows  the stakes are high if you wait until your 30s to plan your career or start a family.   *80% of life’s most defining moments take place by age 35 *8 of 10 major decisions and ah-ha moments will have happened by mid-30s *Female fertility peaks at age 28 *The first 10 years of your career have an exponential impact on the amount of money you’ll ever make I’ve been seriously beating myself up lately, wishing I still had the joy and energy of my children at home instead of being an empty nester in my e...

Why I feel the need to blog about something bigger than the 5 for $5 Chobani yogurts at Sprouts yesterday, I do not know. Colleagues advise all the time, "Just BLOG. People will read anything!" I think anyone taking time to read this thing deserves a little more than that. So today I'm forcing myself to not only write about the mundane, but also what typically inspires a Tracy blog: travel, kids, girlfriends, or a fabulous book I'm learning from. Last weekend I got a healthy dose of all four when I took a day off to visit my youngest son in Nashville. Hanging in the hotel room with my Luke Not because Luke misses me, but because I totally miss him and the energy that swirls around his bright eyes and bushy eyebrows (off of which I trimmed a good 5 pounds, I might add. For grooming reasons alone, I must pay that boy regular visits!). The kid amazes me. First, he gave me his ENTIRE Saturday, an extremely generous act, considering most college...

Tammy & I taping our vlog in the CBS11 lobby What do you get when you put two chatty blondes together in front of an ipad and hit record? As CBS11 traffic reporter Tammy Dombeck and I have proven, you get one hot mess of unscripted girl-talk. The two of us truly enjoy working together and are similar what-you-see-on-tv-is-what-you-get-in- real-life kind of girls. So we started video blogging after our 4pm news hour on CBS11. The vlog is posted on our station website and mentioned a time or two during the newscast. Much to our surprise, “Tracy & Tammy’s 4 O’Clock Follo” appears to be a hit! The content is sparked by a few of the news stories that elicit the most comments & quips from our peanut gallery, a.k.a. our studio floor crew.  (One of these days, you WILL meet Johnny Prompter.) We plan to have guests have join us down the road in case one of us is on vacation or if the fabulous  @ThatSportsGirl , Gina Miller, is in the buildin...

School pictures have always cracked me up. Especially my son Luke's. And especially in middle school, when his picture was snapped right after P.E. class, his unkempt hair caked with sweat.  In high school Luke refused to take senior pictures like the rest of the boys and girls, whose parents paid a fancy photographer to capture their kid in "candid photos," posing against brick walls and rusted out pick-up trucks. In fact, all I have is the picture marked "PROOF" in his cap and gown.  My boy Luke as an official Vanderbilt Commodore So when Luke texted us his most recent official photo, his first as a Vanderbilt Commodore basketball player, I was over the moon. There stood my little boy, hair actually in place, stretched so tall, his head was cut off on my phone. I absolutely ADORE this picture. I love his sweet baby face looking all serious, perched atop his 6'11" frame. I love that he's wearing the wrong number on...

For almost 7 years Lisa and I would meet for coffee a couple of times a month near my Chandler, Arizona home. We connect at the heart level and continue to help each other grow in our professional lives, something that makes our friendship unique. So when Lisa invited me to Willow Creek Association's Global Leadership Summit , hosted by the Mesa church her husband pastors, I was all in. For two full days last week, we listened to a dozen different lectures on life, learning, relationships, and how it all affects leadership. I had eagerly anticipated Dr.Brene Brown's topic "Daring Greatly" and was not disappointed when this woman, made world famous after her Ted Talk went viral , spoke about "The 3 Irreducible Needs of People." I was delighted by the content and delivery of one Patrick Lencioni, who nailed his topic, "How to Lose Your Best People." And I marveled at celebrity speakers General Colin Powell and Mark Burnett, executi...

The brain research we report preaches it all the time: Use it or lose it. Not only have I been absolutely bored lately, but I've been feeling dumb. Like my once relatively sharp brain has turned to pudding. See, I can't even come up with a creative or witty metaphor! So yesterday I pulled into the place with the cure for stupid. I visited my neighborhood library. I admit it. I looked like a grandma. A crazy grandma. I actually walked the library aisles audibly muttering: "Tracy, what's speaking to you right now? What do you need to read?" I grabbed only the titles that made my heart flutter. Didn't want to overthink it. Six books and two books-on-tape later, I drove straight home, showered, put on my PJ's, and spent the evening rebuilding my diminishing brain cells. The library is serious brain crack. For the first time in months, I woke up today early and energized. I poured my first...

I've been taught my whole life that feeling peace is the one sign you're on the right track--whether at work, in your relationships, or even while choosing the destination of your next vacation. Peace is the supernatural signal you're walking in God's light. Following His path. I realize this may not be everyone's definition. But for this girl who was raised by a tambourine-playing, Bible-reading, Spirit-filled mother who planned our summer vacations with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker at Heritage U.S.A. and led her four children in praise and worship songs while driving from Florida to North Carolina in a Toyota hatchback with a twin mattress in the back--feeling at peace is the only way I want to live.  They keep getting taller! If you've read this blog or know me at all, these last few years with my pre-college kids have been exceptionally difficult for me. John, Nicole, and Luke have filled my life w...

It sucks to have someone steal from you. It hurts even worse when it's a co-worker. And it's doubly painful when it follows a few hours on a natural high. Yesterday, after filling on the 10pm news, I saw that someone had stolen the gift a friend sent me in honor of my son's high school graduation. I had left the large, rectangular gift box on my desk, covered in my typical piles of paperwork, notes, and scripts, trusting I had no reason to doubt the wonderful people with whom I work. But alas, someone swiped it. I've been broken-hearted ever since. Could barely sleep last night. Felt depressed from the moment I woke up. Have felt bummed out all day. I'm trying to shake my sheer disappointment in mankind. And I'm even more afraid of what I'll find when I go through the last few days of security surveillance tape. I hope the suspect is not a good friend of mine. That will really hurt. I am especially sad that this desktop robbery ...

 Nicole & dad heading to dinner I believe I have an answer to the enigmatic question plaguing me of late, "What is the meaning of life?" Before I share my answer, I must share some of the beautiful, brilliant reflections you posted on Facebook: The goal is to love as many people as possible before you die. No matter what. Love God, love people. Life is the greatest gift there is.. because with it comes love, laughter, friends, family, challenges, peaks, valleys, mistakes, forgiveness and everything in between. Life should never be taken for granted and should always be lived to the fullest!! I think the meaning is the actual search for the meaning. Live each day with your eyes WIDE OPEN and take in every inch & second, knowing that anything that happens, at any moment, could change your life, so you'd better be present...don't waste time doing anything that doesn't fill you up inside...experience new things, meet new people. Did you n...

It is time to reveal the results of  "Whose Body Is Better" experiment my weather guy and I began in January. If you missed it, CBS11's Jeff Jamison started the Insanity workout, while I embarked on a Pilates journey at S2S Functional Performance , a small rehab and exercise studio near my home in Argyle, Texas. I was not going for weight loss or inches. I was simply hoping to FEEL GOOD again. My whole life I've exercised regularly, even more so these last 3 years. But last fall I fell off my wedge shoes and broke my foot, which caused me to change my gait, which led to shooting pain in my legs and the pads of my feet. Every exercise I tried hurt. Which made me cut way back. And when I don't exercise, I don't feel good, my hormones go awry, and my confidence is shot. Not a good combination for a wife and mother of three who makes her living doing live tele...

I'm sitting at my kitchen computer, while my youngest son types his graduation speech behind me. In 48 hours Luke will finish high school; 30 hours after that, we will move him to college. At that point all three of my kids will have officially launched, and I will be left to ponder the meaning of life without them part of my daily routine, my life focus, and my main motivation to work and breathe. So I've tried to get a head start in the pondering department. Yesterday I asked the question "What is the meaning of life?" on Facebook and Twitter, hoping to spark a future blog. The responses have been beautiful, moving, stunning, and thought-provoking. I honestly don't know where to begin now, as I've been inspired to think more profoundly about life, motherhood, marriage, God--and where my impending stage of life fits in to all of it. It's been a difficult year, adjusting to my kids growing up and out. But life must go on. And I must find a new ...

I haven't enjoyed the reaction to a story like this since  my feature on the  55-year-old grandmother trying out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders! And the topic couldn't be more different. Brett Metzler, future priest The strong response this time is to the story of Brett Metzler, a 20-year-old, former Athlete of the Year at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, who left Texas A&M after his freshman year to join the priesthood--and how the number of young men joining the priesthood is WAY up across the country. The story is the most shared on our station website with 6,000 likes so far. And yesterday I received an email from a Mrs. Judith Verrier in the archdiocese of Washington, confirming the same thing is happening there: Dear Ms. Kornet, Thank you sincerely for your recent article on seminarians and the priesthood, which casts a positive light on all that is good about the Catholic priesthood.  I can ...

Blabbermouth Tracy wanted to wait for her boy to break the news first. So pardon the delay of this follow-up to Monday's blog about my son's whirlwind college basketball recruiting experience. Luke announced the big news last night: he committed to play basketball at Vanderbilt University! It's an extraordinary choice for many, many reasons. Not only is Vandy an exceptional school academically and athletically (and in the SEC!), but it's one my family happens to know exceptionally well. My husband Frank played at Vanderbilt from 1985-1989 on one of its most successful teams in the history of the school. His Milwaukee Bucks jersey hangs in the Vanderbilt Hall of Fame. And even I have a small basketball connection, dancing on the Vanderbilt Basketball Pom Pon squad from1986-1987. We have attended many games through the years at Memorial Gym, and almost always stop in Nashville on our regular drives between Te...

 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, ...