If you Google me, you'll find plenty of 'dumb blonde' references - even though I graduated with honors from Stanford and studied at Oxford University. I don't let it bother 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.

When people watch me on TV, they see part of my life. I wanted to let them know the real me behind the scenes. The child who was a concert violinist from the age of six. The young woman who took on the challenge to compete in the Miss America pageant. The television journalist for twenty-five years.

When people don't want to debate you on the smart issues of the day, it's just a lot easier to call you a dumb blonde from Fox.

Life is about compromise - in relationships and at work.

The political scenario has gotten so divisive - not only in Washington, D.C., but across the country, too.

After I won Miss America, I called my dad, who had four kids in college, to say he no longer had to pay for Stanford.

Sexual harassment can really affect you for a long time, and I want more women to come forward.

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.

I cling to the hope that with more and more women in the workplace, we can teach younger generations to be respectful and also encourage young women to speak up when they've experienced abuse.