hala. she's come here to spend the day and hang out with me. tonight we're going to have a big birthday celebration. hey, erwin. >> hello. >> i love about hoda, she calls her brother and sister both erwin. >> that's what they call me too. >> erwin was a cartoon character. that was the geeky person. we started off calling each other when we were little kids and it's continued. >> hoda will answer her phone and go hey, erwin. she's talking to hala in dubai. exactly. we're going to have fun today. it's -- now we have to every wednesday hear your words of wisdom. is this like a continuing thing? >> i don't know. let's play the music. i think you're going to love this one. >> this is good. >> if there are no dogs in heaven then when i die, i want to go where they went. >> well good news, there will be dogs in heaven. it's scripture. there are animals in heaven. you have a nice surprise today. >> they're asking me to give away some of my favorite things to the people on the plaza. i was giving away the beautiful cds. handing them out to the people in the crowd guess who showed up? >> jesse mueller who won the tony. >> plays carol king. >> so nice of her. >> she was in the crowd with the peeps and -- >> she's got two shows to do today. >> she's very busy. >> you've done so much for the musical. it's a wonderful show. >> i just went to them. they think i'm a stalker. >> you went that much but talked about it and your enthusiasm grew each time you saw it. >> yeah. i'm so excited i got an album to play on my phonograph or whatever you call it, record player. >> wow. do you have a record player? that's going to be a collector's item. we're having a lot of fun. people are learning a lot about being 50 this week. >> they are? >> more than they want to know. >> yes. >> i was walking past the stairs if you go to the drug store the first lubricant might not be the one you need. i'm going ah! >> things important to know. so "us" magazine has come up with its sexiest man edition, country music edition. the cover boy. >> is your fav. >> blake shelton. hats off. >> not going to get too many people disagreeing. >> he's on the cover. >> you know why, it's the whole package as they say. not just he's a sexy looking man and he is and a large man and tall, it's his personality, that smile, it's the aw shucks. >> something about guys -- >> charm about him. >> real guys. i think of like -- you may not agree. i think of blake shelton and vince vaughn, like sort of big men who are all boy and not -- >> got just the right amount of dirt on them. to quote a friend. >> some other people who made it, jake owen made the list under their -- >> he's adorable. >> yeah. >> and dierks bentley. >> love him. >> florida georgia line. what i love about the "us weekly" thing, you read it and here's the pages and then go here and there happens to be a rip out poster like tiger beat. isn't that crazy? >> that's fun. >> i know which side you're going to use. we love keith urban. a poster you can hang up over your bed or ceiling. >> you and blake, you can look up at him. hey. >> look at this one. this is your dream guy. >> i think tim mcgraw is so sexy. >> brad paisley. >> one of my first interviews ever when i was on another network, a gazillion years with his father it tug mcgraw. >> you're kidding. >> yeah. he was a great baseball player and a sweet man. >> wow. >> you didn't know that. you're always finding out things. >> i am. >> what else is going on? >> "vanity fair" has come out with the best dressed list. everyone looks forward to this. an international list. ceos. >> often don't know many of the people named. >> here are a few you do know. lupita nyong'o, been a fashion icon since she splashed on the scene a year or so ago. >> only disappointed a couple times and i think the first one on the left was one for me. >> i know. >> she's fantastic. >> she's unique. she has her own style. cate blanchett. >> you like your style. >> i don't always love everything she chooses but the way she carries herself, i haven't seen anything like it since princess grace of monaco. she is movie star, old-time glamour. look at that middle one. >> i love that. >> never gets better. >> how she stands. >> first of all, she doesn't have to hold her stomach in because she doesn't have a stomach. she has one that works. and then -- but her natural posture. >> her carriage is like that. i strive to work. ever done that where you try to work on posture. you take a yoga class they tell you to line it up and sit upright and you don't realize how squished down you are. >> the way we normally sit here is like this. conscious of it we would be like this. see how much better you look. takes too much energy. >> okay. so pharrell is on the list. >> this i think was a -- i love him, he's adorable. >> but look at his fashion choices. he wears the high water jeans. >> yes. >> the hat. >> yeah. >> the variety of hats which those have become iconic. >> he is iconic but best dressed, it only looks good on him. >> it does. when other people try it. >> pretty -- >> neil patrick harris was chosen. he says -- he always looks put together and great. >> his most important thing to him is his underwear. >> more important than any outer wear he wears. >> sets the tone for the rest of the day. >> great piece of video, military dad wanted to help his future son-in-law propose, so he wanted to make sure the proposal was absolutely perfect so take a look at what happened. >> is it true you love my daughter? >> yes, sir. >> is it your intention and desire to marry my daughter? >> yes, sir. >> you must promise me, commit to me, that you will love my daughter, honor her, respect her, support her. can you do this? >> yes, sir. >> courtney walker, front and center. do you have something you would like to say to my daughter? >> yes, sir. >> please carry on. >> the ring guy. >> wow. [ applause ] >> so many things about that. i love -- we love -- >> i always miss my daddy but when you see something like that, daddy so in love with his daughter, so sweet. >> what i love about her too. when he held out the ring she didn't look at it. she grabbed him. >> her dad retired three days after that, he served 24 years. >> that was beautiful. >> all right. so here's a question for you. do you think kids today are what we're calling generation greed? they have this new poll out in the uk and they talked about kids ages 5 to 10 and they were asked to finish this sentence. when i grow up, blank. >> blank. >> the number one answer was, when i grow up -- >> number three. >> from number three. number three was, when i grow up i want to be a police officer. >> yeah. noble. >> number two, when i grow up i want to be famous. >> not so much. >> number one. when i grow up, i want to be rich. that's what they said. >> that's really, really -- bodes badly for the future f that's what kids that age want. that to me is an exact -- >> i didn't know you were thinking about money when you were 5. >> i wasn't. you weren't. that's a generational thing about reality television. >> i hear the famous -- >> i'm surprised they didn't say -- they didn't say celebrity. >> whenever people -- when i ask kids a lot, sometimes you speak at schools and stuff, the idea of being famous is so exciting because now anybody without skills can be famous. >> just get on the right show, kind of like right here, and then -- >> yeah. >> speaking for myself. >> talent has nothing to do with it. thanks for lumping me in with that. >> didn't mean to include you. >> you are an award-winning egyptian journalist. >> there was a day. >> want to sing our song? how does it go? i forget already. ♪ lou manfredini he's got a name that rimes with linguine ♪ >> all right. we're going to have lou on. coming by. we want you to send your questions in, all the home repair questions. go to our page, which one? oh, yeah. >> klgandhoda.com. >> hit the connect button. >> no, that's the one. connect. >> hit connect. >> all right. do you want to write a book? we're going to take you inside the world of self publishing. i'm doing that right now. >> yes, you are. >> are you a helicopter parent or do you take a hands off approach? we'll meet some folks who take parenting literally to the extreme. plus our expert weighs in on what's right for you right after this. energy! energy, energy, energy. it's inside of all of us. even gary here. [applause] berocca has guarana and caffeine to support mental sharpness. oh yeah! early morning meeting? no problem. [applause] plus, berocca has b-vitamins to support physical energy. some assembly required? awww. cherished memory. [awwwwww] i'm bringing down the house! [applause. laughs] two things. one package. beroccaaaaaaaa! >> parents marissa silver and shira adler and scout masterson. >> oh, my god, i'm in shock. >> they all welcomed the cameras in their home and might regret it pretty soon. >> we're going to talk to you. over on the sidelines taking notes is psychologist, which we'll need after this, dale atkins who will weigh in later. >> lucky for you she's a lovely lady. >> what were you doing? >> first of all, say something nice to her. i love your dress. >> i love your dress. >> okay. >> now we're done. tell us what -- tell us about your style of parenting. it seems from that tiny clip we saw to be harsh and cruel. >> well, i am the push parent and i wear the banner proudly. >> yeah. >> life is hard. i want him to be a boy who's going to turn into a great man. >> but you don't think that's possible being a little gentler about it? >> can he be a boy a little longer. >> seems your trouble has problems with this. >> high muss band is 6'7" and my son is tall. a lot of the 7-year-olds think he's 5. i sometimes push him harder so he can compete with the older kids. >> why are you trying to beat him at the race. what are you doing? >> teach him a lesson. he can't always win. >> i agree. the concept you're not going to always win but i think down the road you might be very sorry that it was you that was doing the racing and being the one. you don't want him to turn on you. >> on you. >> right. >> you want to be the nurturer as well and maybe perhaps will stop coming to you for nurturing. >> i can be both. >> do we see that also in the show? >> you know what, i love my son if you watch the show. >> you have to have balance. >> move down the line. >> what is your problem? what do you do to your children? >> what's your style of parenting? >> i think that parenting being the hardest job on the planet and the one we are least prepared, inherently there is a problem right there. >> yeah. >> when my children were born i realized that everything that my mother had taught me i used as a foundation wasn't enough because my children were so out of the box and i realized. >> so unique? they're different? nobody -- >> i think that every child is incredibly unique. i don't believe in calling them special needs. i think every child has special needs. disabled. >> i have two children. and when i -- when they were born, especially pregnant with my son, i was a single mother, struggling, already trying to figure out how am i going to raise healthy, resilient children. >> what are you doing differently if? i have a mindful integrated approach to mind, body, spirit, wellness. i believe in using anything and everything that can be out there that might help them be as expansive as the people they are clearly meant to be. >> we want to get scout in. we're running out of time. scout, you have a child. >> yes. >> adopted child. >> a daughter, yep. >> a daughter. and you guys baby -- i guess is that how you would -- >> don't baby all the time. >> what does that mean? >> we waited a long time to adopt her and when we finally she was welcomed into our lives we were so excited and so full of love we don't want to spend time away. we don't want to be away from her. >> you're a more helicopter parent? >> we're a modern family. we do a lot of things to make one great life. and one of those things is spending a lot of time with our child. >> what do you think about putting all this -- everyone is going to criticize you? >> putting your stuff out there. >> yeah. >> are you worried? >> we -- we think of it as we're showing people that families are all different. we think people will relate to us. some won't. and we also can inspire people. >> okay. good. >> well, dale's going to joins us. >> great. >> and we're going to talk a little bit more. if you want to check out "extreme guide to parenting". >> getting a lot of buzz. >> thursdays on bravo. >> she's in the house and going to share her feelings after this, dale atkins. >> try to survive our game of who knew, because it's going to get wild. >> not the way you hope. >> oh, bummer. cleaning the home. it often means heavy duty cleaning with bleach. but lysol power & free can change the way you clean. it cleans even better than bleach with its hydrogen peroxide formula, and it kills 99.9% of germs without the harshness. a powerful clean, that's family friendly that's what we call healthing. lysol power & free. start healthing. for healthy floors, try lysol clean & fresh. the only cleaner approved to kill germs, even when diluted. the only cleaner approved to kill germs, even when diluted. jim's hair is perfect. so's his serve. but like up to 90% of us, jim falls short in getting important nutrients from food alone. jim, here's $2 off one a day multivitamins to get key nutrients you may need. go to oneaday.com for savings. we're back with more on bravo's show "extreme guide to parenting" and time for our expert to weigh in. >> before we went to the break we met parents. psychologist dale atkins listening in on what they had to say and here to help you find the right styling of parenting for your kids. >> hello. >> events causing controversy already. i can see why. want to go down the three. >> let's talk about marissa. she's pushing her son. tell us from your perspective watching what happened what do you think? >> i think one thing is very, very clear, you really want him to achieve and i think that's very obvious. i think one of the things, and you mentioned it very aptly i thought, you know, he also has to want to come to you for nurturing and has to know he's going to be good enough and wonderful enough, even if he isn't the best, doesn't succeed, and i just personally think emotions are just emotions. we shouldn't really judge them. if he's going to cry he's going to cry. if he's going to laugh he's going to laugh. whatever his emotional life is needs to be okay with his parents. we are -- people our kid comes to us to find out who they are, if we're not letting them know they're perfect as they are, they're going to wonder what are they going to have to do to be good enough. everything is balance. you spend a lot of time and you love him and he loves you. we have to refined them they are wonderful as they are. >> wonderful but not perfect. >> nobody is perfect. >> just said that. we have to remind our children they're perfect. >> they are perfect as they are in our imperfection we are just good enough. we are fine, particularly in the eyes of our parent. >> what about her point, she wants to raise a kid -- >> a tough kid. >> who's strong and not one who cries at every turn and every -- >> how old is he? >> he's 5. >> oh. >> yeah. >> there is a lot of bullying but we don't want to raise bullies. we want to raise kids, i believe, who understand that when someone bullies it's their problem, not our problem. and we have to make them strong enough, how to deal with it, but we don't have to toughen up so that they are unable to respond to others who are also in need and who also have emotional responses. so we are physical beings and emotional and spirit actual beings and our parenting has to reflect that. >> what we didn't get to in the early part, you have two children, one of your children feels the other one is getting much more attention. you're dealing with two kids. quickly, tell us how you deal with that. >> i will say thankfully if anyone has more than one child you pray that they're both not in crisis at the same time. meaning that all children are going to have moments where one has greater needs and the other one has greater needs. >> how do you deal with it? >> as best as you can to find the balance and eek out enough time so both find equally loved. >> particularly when children have extra needs or special needs, then very often that's kind of the identified child and the parents are focused on that child and all the money, the attention, the tutoring, all that goes there. those other kids become invisible and they need to be attended to, they need to have special time. it won't be the same minute for minute but they need to have very special time. >> we have to get to scout one last time. >> scout, i know you waited forever for this wonderful little simone and she's precious and it's fantastic. one of the things that i would suggest you try and do is understand that she is not an extension of you. you are going to have god willing lots of time together. let her have other experiences without you and let her develop her own inner life. and then she'll be her own person. >> very good. >> yes. >> we'll be back right after this. play "who knew." ♪ when he first joined the army, i was very nervous. ♪ we didn't know what they would have him doing. ♪ but, bobby always had a plan. ♪ [ male announcer ] with unmatched training in over 150 careers beyond the battlefield, there are over 150 surprising ways to become army strong. talk to your son or daughter about opportunities in the army. talk to your son or daughter that's notthat's dirt r carpet, creeping in. send it running with resolve high traffic foam. its foam power removes three times more dirt than vacuuming alone. all while neutralizing pet odors. don't just vacuum clean . resolve clean. ugh. heartburn. did someone say burn? 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(sneezes) uh, oh! mucinex allergy. it's non-drowsy. it helps stop mucus that causes runny nose... ...and relieves your worst allergy symptoms for 24 hours. save up to nine dollars on mucinex allergy. so factors like diet can negatively impact good bacteria? even if you're healthy and active. phillips digestive health support is a duo-probiotic that helps supplement good bacteria found in two parts of your digestive tract. i'm doubly impressed! phillips' digestive health. a daily probiotic. we're back with more of "today" on wines day wednesday. ready to play our week trivia day. summer is about being in the great outdoors. we're about to help you hone your survival skills with wild questions. kathie lee is right across the street at the nbc experience store ready to hand out 100 bucks to anybody who gets the questions right. to those who don't they get one of her coveted cds. here to help me out is survival expert and host of "fat guys in the wood" his name is creek stewart. "fat guys in the wood." i have to google that. let's go across the street to kathie lee. >> he doesn't look fat. all right. this gentleman from youngstown, ohio. what should you do if you see a bear, turn away and run in the opposite direction, back away calmly, offer it a glass of wine, what, or wave your hands wildly? >> b. >> back away calmly. good going, buddy. >> the answer is right. so that's what you should do if you're face to face. >> that's right. bears are naturally afraid of humans in general, but they really like their personal space. the one thing you don't want to do is run from a bear because it will insight its natural chase instincts and that's never good. >> you shouldn't just stand there and hope he goes away? >> no. you know, you want to put distance between you and the bear and nice, slowly, and calmly. >> creek, i got it. back across to kathie lee. >> lovely lady from west port, connecticut. according to international whistle code what does three whistle blasts symbolize? where are you, i'm here, i need food or i need help. >> i need help. >> wow. smart group today. >> what? okay. i need help. i have no idea. >> wow. i'm impressed. >> yeah. >> that's right. it's i need help. one whistle blast is where are you, and two is come here. whistles are an awesome survival rescue tool. >> always carry one with you when you're out there. >> should be a part of every survival kit. >> good to know. >> this guy is from pittsburgh, pennsylvania. in a survival scenario, a woman's bra -- not that you would know -- makes a suitable what? sling shot, wine glass, again with the wine, a breathing mask, or a climbing harness. i guess depending on what size. >> i'll go with c, breathing mask. >> wow. >> oh, my gosh. >> how did you discover this? >> these guys are great. >> yeah. >> yeah. he's right. c, breathing mask. in a situation where there's toxic ash or debris, believe it or not the cup of a bra fits perfectly over your mouth and can filter out some of that toxic debris. so breathing mask. >> good to know, creek. back across to kathie lee. >> from melbourne, florida. you have pressure on you now. which wild flower bloom is not edible, dandelion, violet, buttercup or daisy. >> a violet? >> no. say that again. >> i said yeah, i get the cd. >> nobody ever says that. it's so weird. okay. the correct answer is c, buttercup. >> that's right. although it sounds edible it is poisonous but dandelion, violets and daisies are edible. you can eat them raw in salads. >> stay away from buttercup. >> time for one more. >> this lady from illinois. in which of the following ways would you not use pantyhose in a survival situation? to catch fish, to make a bandage, to create a climbing rope, to discourage tick bites? >> letter c. >> oh, my gosh. >> wow. >> i got to tell you, very smart outdoorsy crowd. don't we? >> i want to survive with these people. correct answer there. >> create a climbing rope. they're not strong enough for climbing. they're perfect for a dip net, fishing net, help wrap bandages. that's a big thing with survival, multifunctional uses of everyday products you might have on you or in your purse or in your car. >> okay. creek, thank you so much. we appreciate you being here. >> pleasure. >> look forward to the show. "fat guys in the woods" premiers sunday, august 10th on the weather channel. want to live on the wild side, reinvent yourself, get ready for people over 50. you will meet a woman who did just that. plus, the stars of "franklin & bash," mark-paul are with us and breckin. that's not wear on your carpet, that's dirt creeping in. send it running with resolve high traffic foam. its foam power removes three times more dirt than vacuuming alone. all while neutralizing pet odors. don't just vacuum clean . resolve clean. yyyup. with xfinity internet soyour family can use all their devices at once. works anywhere in the house. even in the garage. max what's going on? we're doing a tech startup. we're going public! [cheering] the fastest in-home wifi for your entire family. only from xfinity. i love that mark-paul gosselaar and breckin meyer made a name for themselves in the '90s when they played zach morris in the hit tv series "saved by the bell" which ran for four seasons. >> breckin's break through role when he played the cool teen dude travis in "clueless". now they're a fun pair of budding lawyers who cannot keep their hand office each other. >> weird. >> take a look. >> horatio burton, antiquities, this is thornton melon. former professor. >> not a professor. >> thinking about getting into it. >> not thinking about it because he's donor. >> you guys aren't on the list maybe you can try "franklin & bash." >> hey, you've heard of us. >> what a great chemistry you guys have on and off camera. >> we worked on it for many, many years. >> how long have you guys known each other? >> four. >> they didn't know before they started, just like you -- just like us. love is love. >> we base the show on you guys. >> did you know how magical it was off the bat? you don't click with everybody even when you're a good actor and they're a good actor. >> wine helps. >> uh-huh. >> doesn't drink and doesn't drink. but i have to. look at this. >> it helps to drink. >> did you think we would be talking about season four? when this thing began? >> you always hope you're going to. i don't think you go into a show wishing i just want one season. >> hope this fails. >> sometimes you do actually. this is one we knew we had a good thing and wanted it to go well. >> i'm looking in the monitor, you're a good looking guy. >> thank you. >> i didn't think so for four years. cling. >> anywho. we're back. >> it's not the writing, just the two of you and the good looks of the two of you, the success. >> hopefully a lot of the writing and we don't bump into the furniture for the most part. >> you are growing, the show is building. tell us for folks who haven't tuned in -- >> like a short joke, you said we're growing. someone -- someone stunted. >> i'm not growing anymore, okay. thank you very much. >> sensitive topic. let's move on. >> my voice is the same. but now i have to shave and i have hair in places i didn't think i would. >> of all the things about this man, what would you want if of his if you could have it. >> hello. >> not a thing. >> this is a tornado of pain. i wouldn't want anything to do with that. >> what would you want of us? >> what wouldn't he? look at this. are you kidding? it's a grab bag. >> well said. well said. >> a grab bag. >> let's play a game, shall we? >> this is a swag bag. >> play a game. >> give you that bag. >> ready, go. >> we're playing games. on one side the answer is "saved by the bell," and the other "clueless." these are lines from the show. get ready. tardiness is not something you do on your own. >> "clueless." >> what do you say? >> for you guys. why do we have them? >> i know. >> what's the answer? "clueless," good. >> she is clueless. >> yeah. >> the next one, you know i finally found out the best thing about high school once you graduate, you don't have to come back. okay. good. i mean standing in line for 40 minutes is hardly effective. i doubt i've worked off calories with a stick of care-free gum. >> i think you got them all right. >> learned something. >> you sold the show. >> congratulations. you're adorable. >> the game of clue. >> wow. >> and a bell. >> actually works. >> it's a bell, "saved by the bell," and "clueless." >> "franklin & bash" comes back when? >> wednesday. >> august 13th. >> we got it. >> reds, rieslings and roses a day in hoda's life. the wines to stock up on before summer comes to an end. >> the woman who turned self-publishing into a career offers advice about getting your book started. >> after this. cleaning the home. it often means heavy duty cleaning with bleach. but lysol power & free can change the way you clean. it cleans even better than bleach with its hydrogen peroxide formula, and it kills 99.9% of germs without the harshness. a powerful clean, that's family friendly that's what we call healthing. lysol power & free. start healthing. for healthy floors, try lysol clean & fresh. the only cleaner approved to kill germs, even when diluted. energy! energy, energy, energy. it's inside of all of us. even gary here. [applause] berocca has guarana and caffeine to support mental sharpness. oh yeah! early morning meeting? no problem. [applause] plus, berocca has b-vitamins to support ysical energy. some assembly required? awww. cherished memory. [awwwwww] i'm bringing down the house! [applause. laughs] two things. one package. beroccaaaaaaaa! we're back with more of this is 50 series. the last of the boomers turning the big 5-0. >> we collaborated with the folks to find 50 inspiring women who reinvented themselves after they turned 50 like kentucky native donna mcdonald. >> after suffering a heart-breaking loss donna decided to pursue her life-long passion. here's her story. >> for 18 years, i worked in the tech industry with three beautiful kids and a loving man in my life, i was successful and happy. when my company downsized i was offered a deal. at 51, i mustard up the coverage to leave my job not knowing what the future would bring. secretly i thought, now i can write. i can finally use my creativity and follow my dream of becoming an author. but just a few months later, i ended up facing a nightmare. my 30-year-old daughter leslie was diagnosed with stage four melanoma, but not the typical kind. the diagnosis was shocking because the cancer was found inside her. even worse, leslie was pregnant and had to deliver the baby early. the next year, was filled with cancer treatments living in hospitals. i put my goal of writing fiction aside and spent all my time praying for a miracle. one year later, leslie died. for two months after she passed, i sat in my living room staring at the walls, numb to the pain of losing my child. eventually, my younger daughter jennifer tried to cheer me up by suggesting i read the novel "eat pray love" and as cliche as it sounds i was inspired. i sat down at my computer, determined to write. two and a half weeks later, i finished my book at age 52. when my first two novels were rejected by traditional publishers, i learned to self-publish my book. sure, i knew there was a possibility that my story with characters over 50 might not sell, but i always believed my fellow baby boomers would love them. now, 27 books later, this is the best job i've ever had. i've learned whatever that passion is that's living inside of you, just do it. it really is never too late. >> that's fantastic. >> how inspiring is donna mcdonald. she's here with long-time book publicist claire mckinney who has advice on how you can help out if you want to be writers. boy, talk about the darkest days, right. pursuing something like this must have seemed so daunting. everybody wants to be a writer. people say it all the time. very few people wind up the way you do. >> well, daunting, yes. it was daunting and it was a tremendous amount of work, as kathie lee is finding out with her endeavor, but it was also very rewarding. >> and possible. >> and possible. absolutely possible. >> and as lot of people are watching this and they may have a dream just like her dream, but how do you even start? what's the very first step for someone to take if they're interested in putting a book out? >> well, if you're interested the most important thing is really to have an idea, to feel your idea is something that either you know a lot about if you're writing nonfiction, something you're an expert in, or something that really comes from the heart. you really have to have passion when you're writing. anything that you're writing, but especially fiction what donna is writing. that's the first thing is to have your idea and just start fiddling with it on paper. >> no one edits for you? >> i hire an editor? >> you hire an editor. >> interesting. >> i have editors, i have cover artists, i have -- >> you subcontract everything out except for the actual -- >> yes. >> control it that way. >> people want to make a living can you make a living writing these books? >> yes. >> it's possible to do that, it is possible to do that. i am living proof. >> wow. once you have your book and your stuff together, just finding like selling it, how did you even sell the book? >> well, i was a little leery because i've been turned down by presses and so what i did was i took some inspiration from other people who had gone before me and i put a book up for free at the same time i put up one for sale. the free book led to the second book. >> you already had two. >> i finished, yeah. >> you're not just pretty, you're smart too and resilient in everything. >> very resilient. >> so inspiring. i can't tell you, wow. great to have you on the show. thank you so much. thanks for coming to see us. we really appreciate it. >> find more inspiring stories like this one of men and women of the 50 over 50 list our collaboration with "huffington post" over 50 on klgandhoda.com. >> one last hurrah for summer. >> leslie sbrocco. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪ you still got time to soak up the sunny days of summer at a beachside bash or backyard barbecue. >> looking to quench your summer thirst you know who's here because it's summertime, leslie sbrocco "wine for women." new book coming out too. >> i do, called "100 days, 100 drinks." >> who are you? >> that's what we're going to start doing. >> put on the shades. >> dawn your shades. kick off with bubbles. >> hoda loves her bubbles. >> this is a beautiful wine. in italy they call this the welcome wine. >> okay. >> i'm going to grab this. i gave you the big glass if you notice. >> cute. >> this is the -- spend a little bit of money. about $16. >> i like that. >> beautiful body to it. >> definitely body. notice i put these in white wine glasses. insider trick. the wine stretches out and you get more expression. >> i love it when it stretches out. >> of course you do. >> okay. >> and then if you want to impress for less, these are all under $20. well under. an absolute beauty, here this is an italian wine again. i'm sticking with the italians. >> yeah. >> fresco. >> i've met them. >> his wife said to me one day at dinner, she goes look, it's my husband. i hate him. he's such a pig. i swear. >> he is not. he's a lovely man. >> a lovely man. i died. it was fun. >> i making wine for 700 years. >> that's good. >> nipozzano. >> look at him. he's such a pig. >> now we're going to the beach so you don't have to dawn your visor. >> i will to make you happy. >> i can't. do you want me to try? >> this is a beautiful -- >> it won't fit. it will sit on the top of your head. >> we are doing -- really fun and refreshing wines. you don't have to bring boxed wine. look for a screw cap. turn on and twist off. >> like the screw tops. >> this is the dr. l from germany. >> that's not my thing. >> like sunshine in a glass. >> it's sweet. >> it's beautiful, though. >> very sweet. >> too sweet. >> people love them sweet. >> we all like rose. nothing better than rose. >> this is an interesting color. >> look how red it is. >> it's from 12 bucks a bottle. little power. this is the bikini, come on, you can do this. >> won't have it on long. >> you are so -- >> you would be back to the italian over there. >> he's such a pig. >> okay. >> another rose for you. this is -- >> more of the color we're used to. >> as we're drinking this, because there is a birthday boy that needs to come out. >> come over here, jimmy. >> celebrating a birthday. come here. >> get over here. >> whichine do you want, sweetheart? >> alberto and barbecue. >> beautiful. >> rose. >> this is a beautiful rose. from france. >> what is this? >> focus on the birthday boy, shall we. >> happy. >> shrimp and a little -- >> we have to run, you guys. >> tomorrow, jeff bridges stops by. happ >> i'm here to help. you and i will get through this together. 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