Joan Lunden became known not only for delivering the news—serving as the longest-running female host on early morning television—but also for helping reshape outdated workplace culture. On Good Morning America, she gave audiences a rare glimpse into worlds most had never seen, from Navy SEAL training to CIA spy techniques.
Lunden challenged expectations, famously becoming one of the first women to bring her newborn to work so she could continue nursing. Years later, she turned personal experience into public advocacy again, openly sharing her breast cancer diagnosis and documenting her treatment journey. That advocacy expanded as she cared for her aging mother, ultimately testifying before Congress to broaden the Family and Medical Leave Act to include senior care. Her efforts underscored that caregiving isn’t limited to the beginning of life but extends to its later chapters as well.
These moments—and many others—form the heart of her new memoir, Joan: Life Beyond the Script. At the end of several chapters, readers can scan QR codes to watch the original news reports and see the stories come to life.
I DEFINE SUCCESS AS…,
for a woman, it means being able to balance your professional life and your family life. We have to figure out how to balance work and our family life. Otherwise, you’re totally overwhelmed. It’s a tightrope that you have to walk, and each time you fall off one way, you feel guilty.
I FEEL MOST ALIVE WHEN…
I’m taking a challenging adventure, when I’m challenging myself like flying in an F-18 or when I’m jumping out of an airplane.
A SHOW THAT CHANGED MY LIFE WAS…
the morning I had a representative from the American Heart Association on Good Morning America, who brought along a quiz for our viewers to assess their cardiovascular risk, and I realized I was failing the test. I made up my mind that I had to change my life, and I changed my life over the course of the next two years. I got healthy; I got fit. I was a different person at the end of that journey.
I HANDLE NEGATIVITY BY…
I’ve always kind of gone by [listening to] the motto that it’s better to stay even than get even.
ONE THING THAT IS DIFFICULT FOR ME, BUT I ENJOY IS…
slowing down, and I’m finally getting comfortable with it. Took me 75 years to get there.
THE MOST SURPRISING THING ABOUT ME IS…
I have a really good sense of humor. I used to tell a lot of jokes on the set. Not jokes we could tell on the air.
THE BIGGEST RISK I EVER TOOK WAS…
going on stage as a Las Vegas showgirl. I flew in F-18s. I landed on aircraft carriers. I jumped out of airplanes. But the scariest thing I ever did was walk on a Las Vegas stage in a teeny, little skimpy outfit and have to go out there like, “Hey, look at me.”
I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ME FOR…
not only my journalistic integrity, but [also] for my legacy in all my advocacy.
IN 10 YEARS, I HOPE TO…
be able to relax without feeling guilty.
THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE I DO MY BEST THINKING IS…
right here in my home office at my desk.
A HABIT I HAD TO UNLEARN IN ORDER TO GROW WAS…
having to say yes to everything.
WHEN THINGS DON’T GO AS PLANNED, MY FIRST INSTINCT IS TO…
figure out a plan B.
A BELIEF I HOLD TODAY THAT MY YOUNGER SELF WOULDN’T RECOGNIZE IS…
that it’s actually OK if I spend an entire day on a jigsaw puzzle.
IF I COULD GIVE MY PAST SELF ONE PIECE OF ADVICE, IT WOULD BE…
to just relax and not give too much credence to upset, conflict or criticism because it goes away. In five years, it really is not even on your radar.
Featured image courtesy of Joan Lunden
This article was first published in the July/August 2026 issue of SUCCESS Magazine. Get your copy here.
