could I possibly have in common with
Bill Gates Queen Elizabeth Steve Jobs
and Richard Branson any ideas it’s not
their paycheck and it’s not their bank
balance I wish it had been and what on
earth do they have in common with the
founders of organizations that we all
live for whatsapp Facebook Disney Dell
and Fermi Chanel which I wish this was
but it’s not any ideas
well we’re part of a club of people that
either didn’t graduate high school or
didn’t graduate college and I’m so proud
to be part of that exclusive club it
taught me so much about never giving up
so which way do these people look at the
glass how do you look at the glass is it
half-full or half-empty how did these
three iconic people in history look at
the glass they were all born into
extreme poverty and have gone down for
generations as some of the most iconic
people who have touched millions and
millions around the world mother Teresa
Nelson Mandela and Gandhi I have to
believe they led their life not looking
down but looking up saying this
challenge is my opportunity to go out
there to touch people and make a
difference I am NOT giving up I am
looking at that glass half-full well
guess what I look the glass half full
how else could I end up have ended up at
working at companies including ABC Yahoo
NBC and CBS well as any good storyteller
will tell you you have to believe in
fairy tales and guess what I do it’s the
fairy tale princess
Princess Diana so I’m from California
my mother’s English and she came up with
this great idea of shipping me off to
boarding school when I was ten years old
so I left the sunny climates of San
Francisco and the beautiful Golden Gate
Bridge and
in a British boarding school surrounded
by rain sheep and too many fields that I
cared to count it was not a terrific
time I have to say anyway
soon it was half term and I was shipped
off to my grandmother in London and what
did she have planned nothing fun but a
trip to the hair salon I thought oh my
goodness
I’d rather stayed with those sheep back
in school anyway we walked into the hair
salon and the only other people there
was one other woman there and she had
things in her hair I had never seen
before
before tin foil and the girl was young
and she was laughing and I was
fascinated it was more interesting than
seeing my grandmother with rollers under
the dryer all of a sudden somebody came
in to talk to this woman with the foil
in her hair with a big bag from Harrods
I’m like finally I hope my grandmother’s
gonna take me to Harrods after this
miserable hair salon experience anyway
out comes this blue skirt and a blue
jacket and this woman with the foil is
still laughing showing people my grandma
has said come here come here do you know
who that is I said why would I know who
that is
I want to know what’s in her hair she
says to me that’s Lady Diana Spencer
it’s Prince Charles’s girlfriend oh say
so I mean I’m from California I want to
know like who’s the latest movie star in
Hollywood I wasn’t really that
interested in the British royal family
excuse me your majesty the next day I
was being shipped back to my boarding
school and there was a Charing Cross
station The Evening Standard and the
front page was Prince Charles is engaged
to Lady Diana Spencer and that woman
would the fall in her hair was getting
her colour done blondes have more fun
and the blue suit was her engagement
suit on the stairs of Buckingham Palace
I was hooked I couldn’t believe it all
of a sudden I was obsessed at age 11
with reading everything and anything
about Diana I didn’t care about my
schoolwork I threw it all out of the
window but I had to read everything
every newspaper every publication I
asked for magazines from around the
world
and all of a sudden my curiosity about
life politics geography was my calling
which was just as well because one day
my mother got a call to say please come
down your daughter’s not doing so great
my mother’s like what have you done I
said well I don’t know I mean and I
really was working hard I was making
great C’s I always thought I was going
to get the grade a there like hello but
you know your daughter’s never going to
make it so please don’t waste our time
and your money and please take her from
here I was like Alleluia I’m done with
the rain I want to go back to California
and I want to be a journalist my dad
pushed and pushed and pushed and I
finally got into a college called
Pepperdine University which by the way I
got a degree and a suntan it’s based in
Malibu California so it could have been
worse
I worked really really hard I followed
my passion for journalism and when I
graduated I came back to London and in
the spirit of never giving up I called
every single bureau chief of every
network ABC NBC and CBS until the bureau
chief of ABC News said to me you are so
annoying will you just go away and I’ll
give you a job come and serve coffee I’m
like great I’m there three days later I
got sent to Berlin it was the night the
Berlin Wall fell that started an
incredible journey for me I’ve covered
so many stories the collapse of
communism the release of Nelson Mandela
some tragic events including 9/11
historical events including the
inauguration of the first
african-american president of the United
States and I’ve been to many
destinations more than one time for good
times and bad times outside Westminster
Abbey for the funeral of Princess Diana
outside Westminster Abbey for the
wedding of her son Prince William I’ve
covered a few too many Wars my time in
West Bank and Gaza has had an enormous
impact
me oh there we are
I’ve met a lot of people along the way I
thought I’d share a few of them with you
because listen none of these people were
born knowing what they were doing but
they ended up becoming people because
they didn’t give up on what they wanted
to do
I met Yasser Arafat more times than I
could even count a lot of heads of state
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia this was
shortly after 9/11 and Jeddah King
Abdullah of Jordan
Queen Noor this was shortly after King
Hussein died and a lot of US presidents
President Clinton President Bush and
then a couple of movie stars which I’ve
always found a challenge but I thought
I’d tell you a few little anecdotes
about them Barbra Streisand calling my
Edit room to say Niccolo which picture
do you think I look the best in she just
got married and I was like Barbra
Streisand is calling me to say hey which
is my best wedding photo Eric Clapton
and Al Pacino
Al Pacino is really interesting I mean
here’s a man who’s in The Godfather and
he’s calling me at home on a Sunday
night saying I am too nervous to do my
interview tomorrow
I’m like didn’t you play on you in The
Godfather why are you calling me at
Sunday at 7 I’m ordering Chinese food
this is gonna be fine but I want all
these people that I’ve referenced so far
they weren’t born being successful and
I’m sure the majority of them never
thought that they could do it but they
did and they didn’t give up in
competitive fields they made it I have
so much a nice success to somebody I’m
proud to call my friend her name is
Katie Couric she’s an American
journalist in fact we’re outside
Westminster Abbey I think that was for
William’s wedding but I honestly don’t
remember
Katie taught me a lot about compassion
and also not giving up she lost her
husband at age 42 leaving her with two
young children but rather than look at
the glass half-empty
she looked at it as half-full she said I
lost my husband to colon cancer within
nine months but I’m not going to let the
agony
of what I’ve gone through and the lack
of understanding about this most cruel
disease go unnoticed she followed she
founded an organization to scold stand
up to cancer it’s raised hundreds of
millions of dollars it has Nobel
laureates on its board and it’s made a
huge impact in the advancement of cancer
care and treatment
I was now sort of nearing about eighteen
or twenty years in the business and I
just thought you know what I’ve got to
do better I want to give back and now I
want to help people that are less
fortunate so I got really into
philanthropy a passion that I love
transitioning out of journalism into
philanthropy was a huge challenge I made
a lot of mistakes on the way and I’m so
glad I made mistakes I’m so glad it was
difficult for me because to all of you
challenges only make us stronger don’t
be scared to make a mistake if you make
a mistake it’s okay we’re all human I
ended up doing some really rewarding
work representing women in countries
war-torn countries for the opportunity
for a microfinance loan I will never
forget the joy on women in Liberia when
we gave them wheelbarrows to carry their
crops rather than on their backs I’ll
never forget teaching women in Tanzania
about land rights I was fortunate enough
to represent and work with Prince
Charles on his organization for
empowerment in Afghanistan so during my
times of challenges there’s a quote that
I often read to myself if you can’t fly
then run if you cannot run then walk if
you can’t walk then crawl but whatever
you do you must keep moving forward I
don’t think anyone epitomizes the moving
forward spirit more than my old-time
hero she’s the youngest Nobel laureate
in the history of the Peace Prize and
out of everybody that I’ve met and I get
always asked who’s your favorite person
who’s the most interesting it’s a 15
year old girl who’s got shot only
because she wanted the right to an
education not only did she get shot and
fight for her life she fought for her
life with compassion she got her
education and she looked at that glass
half-full when she could have given up
and she said I’m gonna go out and make a
difference
her name is Malala and I always get
emotional talking about her because she
really is the epitome of seeing the
glass half-full in pink my favorite
color so what I want to say to all of
you is never judge a book by its cover
we all struggle we all wish that we
could have something or be something
that maybe we’re not life is full of
peaks and valleys but climb that
mountain no matter how tough it is
please don’t give up take that next step
because it when you reach that peak it’s
so worth it and please do it kindly do
it with compassion please look at
everybody that you meet every opinion
counts just because somebody has a big
title it doesn’t mean it’s the best
opinion be humble be kind build a team
we’re all in life together and in
closing I’d like to pull another quote
that I think I hope you will remember
tonight you must be the change you wish
to see in the world please don’t give up life is worth it thank you
Bill Gates Queen Elizabeth Steve Jobs
and Richard Branson any ideas it’s not
their paycheck and it’s not their bank
balance I wish it had been and what on
earth do they have in common with the
founders of organizations that we all
live for whatsapp Facebook Disney Dell
and Fermi Chanel which I wish this was
but it’s not any ideas
well we’re part of a club of people that
either didn’t graduate high school or
didn’t graduate college and I’m so proud
to be part of that exclusive club it
taught me so much about never giving up
so which way do these people look at the
glass how do you look at the glass is it
half-full or half-empty how did these
three iconic people in history look at
the glass they were all born into
extreme poverty and have gone down for
generations as some of the most iconic
people who have touched millions and
millions around the world mother Teresa
Nelson Mandela and Gandhi I have to
believe they led their life not looking
down but looking up saying this
challenge is my opportunity to go out
there to touch people and make a
difference I am NOT giving up I am
looking at that glass half-full well
guess what I look the glass half full
how else could I end up have ended up at
working at companies including ABC Yahoo
NBC and CBS well as any good storyteller
will tell you you have to believe in
fairy tales and guess what I do it’s the
fairy tale princess
Princess Diana so I’m from California
my mother’s English and she came up with
this great idea of shipping me off to
boarding school when I was ten years old
so I left the sunny climates of San
Francisco and the beautiful Golden Gate
Bridge and
in a British boarding school surrounded
by rain sheep and too many fields that I
cared to count it was not a terrific
time I have to say anyway
soon it was half term and I was shipped
off to my grandmother in London and what
did she have planned nothing fun but a
trip to the hair salon I thought oh my
goodness
I’d rather stayed with those sheep back
in school anyway we walked into the hair
salon and the only other people there
was one other woman there and she had
things in her hair I had never seen
before
before tin foil and the girl was young
and she was laughing and I was
fascinated it was more interesting than
seeing my grandmother with rollers under
the dryer all of a sudden somebody came
in to talk to this woman with the foil
in her hair with a big bag from Harrods
I’m like finally I hope my grandmother’s
gonna take me to Harrods after this
miserable hair salon experience anyway
out comes this blue skirt and a blue
jacket and this woman with the foil is
still laughing showing people my grandma
has said come here come here do you know
who that is I said why would I know who
that is
I want to know what’s in her hair she
says to me that’s Lady Diana Spencer
it’s Prince Charles’s girlfriend oh say
so I mean I’m from California I want to
know like who’s the latest movie star in
Hollywood I wasn’t really that
interested in the British royal family
excuse me your majesty the next day I
was being shipped back to my boarding
school and there was a Charing Cross
station The Evening Standard and the
front page was Prince Charles is engaged
to Lady Diana Spencer and that woman
would the fall in her hair was getting
her colour done blondes have more fun
and the blue suit was her engagement
suit on the stairs of Buckingham Palace
I was hooked I couldn’t believe it all
of a sudden I was obsessed at age 11
with reading everything and anything
about Diana I didn’t care about my
schoolwork I threw it all out of the
window but I had to read everything
every newspaper every publication I
asked for magazines from around the
world
and all of a sudden my curiosity about
life politics geography was my calling
which was just as well because one day
my mother got a call to say please come
down your daughter’s not doing so great
my mother’s like what have you done I
said well I don’t know I mean and I
really was working hard I was making
great C’s I always thought I was going
to get the grade a there like hello but
you know your daughter’s never going to
make it so please don’t waste our time
and your money and please take her from
here I was like Alleluia I’m done with
the rain I want to go back to California
and I want to be a journalist my dad
pushed and pushed and pushed and I
finally got into a college called
Pepperdine University which by the way I
got a degree and a suntan it’s based in
Malibu California so it could have been
worse
I worked really really hard I followed
my passion for journalism and when I
graduated I came back to London and in
the spirit of never giving up I called
every single bureau chief of every
network ABC NBC and CBS until the bureau
chief of ABC News said to me you are so
annoying will you just go away and I’ll
give you a job come and serve coffee I’m
like great I’m there three days later I
got sent to Berlin it was the night the
Berlin Wall fell that started an
incredible journey for me I’ve covered
so many stories the collapse of
communism the release of Nelson Mandela
some tragic events including 9/11
historical events including the
inauguration of the first
african-american president of the United
States and I’ve been to many
destinations more than one time for good
times and bad times outside Westminster
Abbey for the funeral of Princess Diana
outside Westminster Abbey for the
wedding of her son Prince William I’ve
covered a few too many Wars my time in
West Bank and Gaza has had an enormous
impact
me oh there we are
I’ve met a lot of people along the way I
thought I’d share a few of them with you
because listen none of these people were
born knowing what they were doing but
they ended up becoming people because
they didn’t give up on what they wanted
to do
I met Yasser Arafat more times than I
could even count a lot of heads of state
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia this was
shortly after 9/11 and Jeddah King
Abdullah of Jordan
Queen Noor this was shortly after King
Hussein died and a lot of US presidents
President Clinton President Bush and
then a couple of movie stars which I’ve
always found a challenge but I thought
I’d tell you a few little anecdotes
about them Barbra Streisand calling my
Edit room to say Niccolo which picture
do you think I look the best in she just
got married and I was like Barbra
Streisand is calling me to say hey which
is my best wedding photo Eric Clapton
and Al Pacino
Al Pacino is really interesting I mean
here’s a man who’s in The Godfather and
he’s calling me at home on a Sunday
night saying I am too nervous to do my
interview tomorrow
I’m like didn’t you play on you in The
Godfather why are you calling me at
Sunday at 7 I’m ordering Chinese food
this is gonna be fine but I want all
these people that I’ve referenced so far
they weren’t born being successful and
I’m sure the majority of them never
thought that they could do it but they
did and they didn’t give up in
competitive fields they made it I have
so much a nice success to somebody I’m
proud to call my friend her name is
Katie Couric she’s an American
journalist in fact we’re outside
Westminster Abbey I think that was for
William’s wedding but I honestly don’t
remember
Katie taught me a lot about compassion
and also not giving up she lost her
husband at age 42 leaving her with two
young children but rather than look at
the glass half-empty
she looked at it as half-full she said I
lost my husband to colon cancer within
nine months but I’m not going to let the
agony
of what I’ve gone through and the lack
of understanding about this most cruel
disease go unnoticed she followed she
founded an organization to scold stand
up to cancer it’s raised hundreds of
millions of dollars it has Nobel
laureates on its board and it’s made a
huge impact in the advancement of cancer
care and treatment
I was now sort of nearing about eighteen
or twenty years in the business and I
just thought you know what I’ve got to
do better I want to give back and now I
want to help people that are less
fortunate so I got really into
philanthropy a passion that I love
transitioning out of journalism into
philanthropy was a huge challenge I made
a lot of mistakes on the way and I’m so
glad I made mistakes I’m so glad it was
difficult for me because to all of you
challenges only make us stronger don’t
be scared to make a mistake if you make
a mistake it’s okay we’re all human I
ended up doing some really rewarding
work representing women in countries
war-torn countries for the opportunity
for a microfinance loan I will never
forget the joy on women in Liberia when
we gave them wheelbarrows to carry their
crops rather than on their backs I’ll
never forget teaching women in Tanzania
about land rights I was fortunate enough
to represent and work with Prince
Charles on his organization for
empowerment in Afghanistan so during my
times of challenges there’s a quote that
I often read to myself if you can’t fly
then run if you cannot run then walk if
you can’t walk then crawl but whatever
you do you must keep moving forward I
don’t think anyone epitomizes the moving
forward spirit more than my old-time
hero she’s the youngest Nobel laureate
in the history of the Peace Prize and
out of everybody that I’ve met and I get
always asked who’s your favorite person
who’s the most interesting it’s a 15
year old girl who’s got shot only
because she wanted the right to an
education not only did she get shot and
fight for her life she fought for her
life with compassion she got her
education and she looked at that glass
half-full when she could have given up
and she said I’m gonna go out and make a
difference
her name is Malala and I always get
emotional talking about her because she
really is the epitome of seeing the
glass half-full in pink my favorite
color so what I want to say to all of
you is never judge a book by its cover
we all struggle we all wish that we
could have something or be something
that maybe we’re not life is full of
peaks and valleys but climb that
mountain no matter how tough it is
please don’t give up take that next step
because it when you reach that peak it’s
so worth it and please do it kindly do
it with compassion please look at
everybody that you meet every opinion
counts just because somebody has a big
title it doesn’t mean it’s the best
opinion be humble be kind build a team
we’re all in life together and in
closing I’d like to pull another quote
that I think I hope you will remember
tonight you must be the change you wish
to see in the world please don’t give up life is worth it thank you
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