65. Bianna Golodryga, CBS News Correspondent & CNN Contributor
“The stories you tell can change the world.” —Bianna Golodryga
Bianna Golodryga is a CBS News correspondent and a contributor at CNN. She’s the former weekend anchor of Good Morning America, and worked at Yahoo News alongside Katie Couric. Bianna was born in the former Soviet Union and moved to the United States with her parents — and only $150 in their pockets — when she was 18 months old. On this episode, Bianna talks about growing up Russian in Texas (her classmates called her a “Commie Spy,” and she was the only Jewish kid in her entire school), and talks about the decisions that motivated her to move to New York City to pursue a career in finance and, eventually, on television. Bianna has interviewed the world’s top personalities, politicians, and celebrities, from Katy Perry and Reese Witherspoon to Bill Clinton and Borat. (Right before she sat down to record this episode with me, Bianna was interviewing Oprah alongside Gayle King.) Bianna was also the first journalist to interview and talk to the father of the Boston Marathon bombers, and was actually the one to tell him that his sons were the ones behind the bombings. It’s one of many crazy stories Bianna — who is also a mom, a step-mom, and, of course, a runner — shares on this episode, which is a must-listen for anyone who wants to be involved in any aspect of the news or television industry.
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What you’ll get in this episode:
What it was like growing up as a Russian Jewish immigrant in Texas (1:30) How Bianna worked her way from Wall Street to network TV (4:30) The skills Bianna says you need to get a job in television today (10:35) What it was like interviewing Oprah (12:30) How Bianna became an anchor on Good Morning America (17:30) Why Bianna decided to leave GMA for Yahoo News (20:15) What Bianna says is the greatest lesson she learned from working with Katie Couric (26:50) Bianna’s take on being a woman in media right now, and what it’s like covering stories like the Women’s March, the #metoo movement, and Harvey Weinstein-style scandals (30:00) Bianna reflects on the most life-changing — and most challenging — interviews of her career so far (34:00) What Bianna wishes everyone understood about consuming news (44:45) What it’s like being a Russian journalist in today’s crazy news world (48:15) The very cute and high-profile place Bianna met her husband (50:30) How Bianna got into running (52:00) How Bianna manages two demanding jobs, two young kids, and taking care of herself (57:00)What we mention on this episode:
High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Bianna Golodryga interviews Warren Buffet
Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign
New York Times The Daily podcast
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