There are no guarantees in life, but I believe faith provides all of us with a foundation to live the best lives possible - knowing that there is a higher being who loves us and will never leave us. Through the many struggles in my life, my faith is sometimes the only thing I have to hold onto. God was my only friend.
I'm ready to move on to the next chapter of my life in which I will redouble my efforts to empower women in the workplace.
I believe giving back is one of the greatest life lessons we can teach our children: that the world isn't all about them and that, through our actions, people will really discover what kind of a person we truly are.
My grandfather was the minister at the Lutheran church. My dad owned a car dealership in town. My mom was the consummate volunteer and cheerleader for me.
Maybe it's because I'm short and blond, but people have really underestimated me.
Nothing was ever handed to me. My hope is that when people read my story, it will inspire them to reach for their goals and not give up. The real story is this: if I can do it, you can, too.
To this day, I have an open door policy. I seek out interns and young women and try to help them. Women mentors were important to me, and I want to do that for others.
We need more women in higher roles, because the tone for sexual harassment would no doubt be different.
I wanted to see how much of an insult it was to be called an ignoramus. I didn't know what it meant; I just Googled it.
Holding true to what you believe - even in a big city - is so important.
Once I turned 40, I stopped giving a rip about my detractors, the people who say nasty things. It's more candid and honest than it would have been. I share my failures, which is important.
The minute that you go to arbitration, it's 100% confidential, so nobody ever hears about it.
My career had zero to do with whether or not my husband also worked. It had everything to do with personal identity, personal goals, and making the most of my life.
Sexual harassment can really affect you for a long time, and I want more women to come forward.
I defend CNN! I defend all sorts of people when I think it's wrong.
I think one of the things I've learned is that the tone of an organization is set from the top down. And if you have men running an organization that want to honor women, that's a whole different experience than if they don't.
Arbitration clauses have become prevalent in most corporate agreements or contracts for employees.
I might even pursue a career in politics. If I do, I will have had great practice dealing with the avalanche of daily criticism from working at Fox News and being a former Miss America. I'm ready for anything!
Sometimes when women come forward about sexual harassment, they're seen as a troublemaker.
I took off the makeup and stashed the crown, and now I was just another young woman out in the world. It's almost dizzying how fast the fame goes away - like a stage that turns dark at the end of a performance.
