Career Wisdom from Pioneering Journalist, Barbara Walters

It’s possible that if you’ve grown up getting most of your news via Twitter and TikTok, you might not know about the Emmy award winning broadcast journalist and television host, Barbara Walters. If not, you should.

Walters died last week at the age of 93 after a legendary career that broke barriers and spanned multi-generations. Imagine never seeing a woman in the host or co-anchor seat of a major news network? Or, only seeing men in the interview chair? That was what T.V. news was like before Barbara Walters hit the air. And long before there was Oprah’s Oscar Night Special, there was Barbara’s!

Known for her savvy style and capabilities as an investigative reporter and interviewer, Walters was the first woman to co-host NBC’s, The Today Show and the first to co-anchor a major T.V. network’s evening news. Her list of interviewees included presidents, world leaders, celebrities, murderers, politicians, sports figures, entrepreneurs and business leaders from around the globe. And, when most of her peers were easing into retirement, at age 67, Walters created, produced and starred in The View; still the most watched show on daytime T.V. Walters' rise to fame was hard won. She got major pushback from colleagues who were threatened by having her on air. She also had a diction challenge which some producers thought would distract viewers. But, Walters eventually won over critics and audiences alike with her tenacity and passion for getting the full story. Ultimately, she became an icon not only for aspiring women journalists but for aspiring women in general.

As you ponder the potential for your own career change in 2023, here are a few career-related quotes from Walters:

"The hardest thing you will ever do is trust yourself."

“A job is not a career. I think I started out with a job. It turned into a career and changed my life.”

"Life sometimes brings enormous difficulties and challenges that seem just too hard to bear. But bear them you can, and bear them you will, and your life can have a purpose."

“To feel valued, to know, even if only once in a while, that you can do a job well is an absolutely marvelous feeling."

And what was the best career advice Walters herself ever received when things were challenging. Barbara credited two things. One was the amount of letters she received from women saying they faced similar challenges and encouraging her to keep going and hang in there. The other was a note she got from the famous Western film star John Wayne which said, “don’t let the bastards get you down!”

Still sage advice for anyone facing a career change.