Podcast Summary: Making Space with Hoda Kotb

Episode: Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt on Parenting with Purpose and Finding Calm in Chaos
Host: Hoda Kotb
Guest: Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt
Date: December 31, 2025

Main Theme

This episode explores the power of purposeful parenting, finding peace amidst chaos, and the importance of resilience and compassion. Hoda Kotb and Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt discuss family dynamics, lessons from Katherine’s upbringing, her relationship with animals (especially horses), how motherhood has shifted her perspective, and the ways both challenge and calm are present in daily life. The conversation moves fluidly from practical parenting techniques to deeper reflections on loss, faith, and self-care.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Navigating Motherhood, Travel, and Letting Go

[02:27–04:02]

• Katherine shares her first trip away from her daughters (with her infant son Ford) and the detailed preparations she made for their care, stressing the importance of planning and honesty with children.
• Quote:

  “I left Chris with like a manual.” – Katherine [03:39]
  “Every single day is planned out. I have little pieces of mail that arrive every single day. I mean, I went full on preparation.” – Katherine [03:51]

2. The Role of Being the Oldest Child

[04:02–07:14]

• Katherine embraces her oldest sibling status, enjoying responsibility and control rather than finding it burdensome.
• She discusses strict family expectations: chores, responsibility for belongings, and her father's unique discipline methods — “our belongings went into the fire” if left out [06:43].
• She notes she never rebelled in the classic sense but channeled any need for independence into activities like spending time at the barn.

3. The Calming Presence of Animals and the Barn

[07:59–13:47]

• Katherine reveals that animals, especially horses, have always been a source of calm and peace for her, shaping her resilience and capacity to self-soothe.
• Discusses being teased for being a “horse girl” and how the barn was her sanctuary from high school drama and family upheavals.
• Quote:

  “Being in their presence gives you this calm and peace that most of us can’t find anywhere else.” – Katherine [08:15]

4. Parenting through Fear and Encouraging Bravery

[10:30–15:51]

• Katherine’s new book “Cat and Brandy” is rooted in her real-life experience of falling off a horse and how her mother balanced encouraging courage and empathizing with fear.
• The interview delves into how she approaches her daughters’ setbacks, allowing room for emotions yet gently encouraging them to face fears.
• Quote:

  “We together had this ability to work through our fears alongside one another and overcome them. And that’s really why I wrote the book.” – Katherine [12:42]

5. Grief and Loss

[13:47–14:55]

• Losing her horse Brandy was one of Katherine's most profound losses, which she describes as a “traumatizing experience.” She reflects on the unique support and understanding from her mother during that grief.
• Quote:

  “When she passed away … I still look back. I’m 35 about to be 36. And it was definitely the most traumatizing experience of my life.” – Katherine [13:50]

6. Parenting Philosophy: Inheriting and Updating Traditions

[16:07–21:26]

• Katherine discusses nighttime worries, often centered on whether she handled parenting moments well.
• She values the magical environment her parents created. She aims to emulate openness about emotions, acknowledging that her parents’ generation lacked some of today’s emotional vocabulary.
• She and her husband, Chris Pratt, navigate blending their backgrounds through ongoing couples therapy and premarital counseling, focusing on communication and unified parenting philosophies.
• Quote:

  “My mom was ahead of the game with how she talked very openly with us kids about our feelings and also really talked openly with us about repair.” – Katherine [18:05]

7. Instilling Grit, Chores, and Consequences

[19:12–20:54]

• Katherine details age-appropriate chores for her daughters and the importance of linking actions with consequences to foster grit.

8. Relationship, Faith, and Connection

[21:26–28:56]

• Katherine and Chris’s shared faith grounds their marriage and daily life; they pray together at meals and maintain spiritual rituals inherited from childhood.
• Describes the lively, eclectic, and emotion-filled Sunday dinners at her mother Maria Shriver’s home, where world leaders, neighbors, and friends all gather.
• Quotes:

  “Every morning I wake up and I pray right away. Like I thank God for allowing me to wake up.” – Katherine [25:38]
  “It could be a world leader … it could be our neighbor… you never know.” – Katherine [27:13]

9. Family History, Rawness, and Healing

[29:02–31:52]

• The publication of Maria Shriver’s poetry was a transformative and emotional experience for Katherine, shining a light on the depth of her mother’s private struggles and healing process.
• Quote:

  “It was, you know, as her daughter, very eye opening, admirable, heartbreaking, of course, at times, and very raw.” – Katherine [30:38]

10. Difficult Conversations with Children

[31:52–37:12]

• Hoda and Katherine share their approaches to explaining challenging topics—adoption, loss of pets, death—to their young children.
• Katherine takes cues from her children’s questions and uses imagination to help them process concepts like death.
• Quote:

  “It led to this cool, long, really interesting conversation about what they thought he was doing … they used their imagination to really create a world where Cinco passing away was like this beautiful, amazing and exciting world.” – Katherine [36:04]

11. Mental Health, Self-Care, and Making Space

[39:08–41:47]

• Katherine shares her daily mental health routines:
  • Transcendental Meditation (TM)
  • Weekly therapy sessions
  • Prioritizing time for herself and with her husband
  • Mindful movement—walks in nature, horseback riding
  • Self-compassion: “Be gentle with yourself. Give yourself grace. You’re doing great.” – Repeating her mother’s advice [41:09]
• Quote:

  “That practice [TM] for me … has changed me in so many different ways that I would say to anybody who's questioning it, it's an amazing thing to have in your life.” – Katherine [39:23]

12. Katherine’s Ideal Day

[41:48–43:20]

• An ideal day would begin early, spent outdoors at the barn, surrounded by family, friends, and animals.
• The barn is a sacred place, central to Katherine’s sense of peace and grounding throughout her life milestones.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Every single day is planned out. I have little pieces of mail that arrive every single day. I mean, I went full on preparation.” – Katherine [03:51]
• “Being in their presence gives you this calm and peace that most of us can’t find anywhere else.” – Katherine [08:15]
• “We together had this ability to work through our fears alongside one another and overcome them. And that’s really why I wrote the book.” – Katherine [12:42]
• “When she passed away … I still look back. I’m 35 about to be 36. And it was definitely the most traumatizing experience of my life.” – Katherine [13:50]
• “My mom was ahead of the game with how she talked very openly with us kids about our feelings and also really talked openly with us about repair.” – Katherine [18:05]
• “Every morning I wake up and I pray right away. Like I thank God for allowing me to wake up.” – Katherine [25:38]
• “It was, you know, as her daughter, very eye opening, admirable, heartbreaking, of course, at times, and very raw.” – Katherine [30:38]
• “Be gentle with yourself. Give yourself grace. You’re doing great.” – Katherine [41:09]

Section Timestamps

• Introduction & Theme Setting: [01:08–02:27]
• Leaving Kids & Family Roles: [02:27–04:02]
• Oldest Child Dynamics: [04:02–07:14]
• Animals & Calm: [07:59–13:47]
• Book: Cat and Brandy & Parenting Fear: [10:30–15:51]
• Loss & Grief: [13:47–14:55]
• Parenting Reflections & Traditions: [16:07–21:26]
• Faith, Family Meals, Connection: [25:24–28:56]
• Mother’s Poetry & Family History: [29:02–31:52]
• Difficult Conversations with Kids: [31:52–37:12]
• Mental Health & Self-Care: [39:08–41:47]
• Ideal Day & Closing: [41:48–43:20]

Memorable Moments

• Katherine’s deep preparation for her first trip away without her daughters, creating daily surprises and leaving a “manual” for their care.
• Honest conversation about strict childhood chores and the impact of parental discipline.
• The healing, grounding impact of time with animals and at the barn—threaded throughout her life, writing, and now her parenting.
• The grief of losing beloved animals, and how she navigates explaining grief and death to her children.
• Navigating different backgrounds in marriage and parenting styles through therapy and open conversation.

Takeaways

Listeners will come away with:

• Practical and heartfelt strategies for intentional, present parenting.
• Insights on balancing encouraging grit with compassion.
• Tools for addressing loss and big feelings with children.
• The reassurance that even those who appear composed and successful wrestle with doubt and grief.
• Inspiration to create their own “space” for calm, connection, and self-compassion in daily life.

Recommended: Katherine’s new children’s book, Cat and Brandy.

Overall Tone: Warm, honest, gently humorous, and deeply compassionate—reflecting both Hoda and Katherine’s approachable and thoughtful styles.