One on One with Daryn Kagan
Laurie Wing
May 02, 2007
Daryn A. Kagan is the creator and host of DarynKagan.com. Before launching her Web site, Kagan was the host of the CNN news show CNN Live Today. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, she was an employee of CNN from 1994-2006.
On August 3, 2006, Kagan told her colleagues at CNN that she would be leaving the network and would launch her Web site DarynKagan.com on November 13, 2006.
Kagan sees her story as one of "reinvention," and gives speeches around the country on that topic. Laurie Wing interviews Daryn Kagan:
LW: What inspired you to create www.DarynKagan.com? You have such a positive
outlook on life. Was that as a result of your upbringing or your experiences being a news anchor for CNN?
DK: I really don’t think my positive outlook is a result of my upbringing or my years spent at CNN. I believe it's a choice. We each have a point of view of the world and we collect stories to support that idea. Some people choose to think the world is out to get them, or that people are bad. I made a conscious choice to believe the world is a good place, and I choose to collect stories that support that idea. It’s amazing when you choose to see the world that way, what shows up! So, my business of collecting positive stories is just an extension of my personal choice.
LW: I understand you were on the air live during the September 11th terrorist attacks. Describe that experience and how that affected you.
DK: Yes, I was. My then co-anchor, Leon Harris, and I took over the anchor desk for our regular morning shift just after the first plane hit the World Trade Center. At the time we took over, the prevailing belief was this was just a small plane that lost its way. As we watched that second plane careen into the WTC, it became clear it was something much bigger. In some ways, in the moment, it wasn’t that different than any other major breaking news day. When you’re a morning anchor at CNN, you show up each day ready to handle whatever comes through the door.
It’s like being an emergency room doctor. You show up with your set up skills and, although you have no idea what the shift will bring, you're ready for anything. One personal note to that day, that I haven’t really shared before—my younger sister had recently moved to New York City and was living pretty close to WTC area. So, my brain was split in two: half mastering this huge breaking news story; and the other half, frantically emailing and doing whatever I could to make sure she was okay. She made contact before I got off the air. That was a huge relief.
LW: You covered a lot of sporting events during your career. Growing up, did you or your family have a strong interest in sports, were you involved in sports or was it something that came with the job? Where did you grow up?
DK: Yes, I grew up around sports. My father is a major sports fan and he would take us to a lot of sporting events: Lakers games, USC football, LA Rams (back when they played at the Coliseum,) and UCLA track meets. Also, since my older brother was athletic, I just wanted to keep up with the boys. Playtime meant boogie boarding at the beach in Santa Monica, or heading up to Big Bear and Mammoth to go skiing. At Beverly Hills High School, I participated in volleyball, track, and cross country.
I was a successful Junior Varsity athlete, and that set me up for a lifetime of enjoying sports and physical fitness. I’m still a runner and I do about 24 miles a week. It’s all an extension of the running techniques I learned from my high school coach, Chuck Kloes. When I come home to visit Los Angeles, I still go back and run our old training routes!
LW: What was your most memorable interview or news coverage during your news anchor career?
DK: That's probably the toughest question of all. My 12+ years at CNN were an absolute dream. How can you choose the most important memory between covering war, or the red carpet of the Oscars, or traveling through Africa for two weeks with Bono and U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill? That doesn’t include the 3+ years of reporting on sports—Superbowl, NBA, college football, international figure skating.
LW: What is a typical day for Daryn Kagan?
DK: I still keep the early morning hours that I did when I was anchoring for CNN. I like to have the new content loaded on DarynKagan.com by 6am. After that, it’s a matter of shuffling all my new “hats.” I’m the talent, the production crew, the assignment editor, and the CEO of this new company. So the day just flies by as I write stories, gather new ideas, interview inspiring, amazing people, talk to different technology partners, and run as fast as I can—having a kickass time the whole way!
LW: What has been one of the more memorable www.DarynKagan.com stories to date?
DK: It's like having to pick a favorite child. Yikes! I like the stories that show my visitors ways to look at the world differently. “Inside Out” stories are of people who have had seemingly bad things happen to them, yet they turn those experiences “inside out” to transform their lives and the world around them. “End of the Rainbow” stories acknowledge that bad things do happen in the world. Things like war, natural disasters, and disease. But out of that those situations always arise stories of heroes and ordinary people who do extraordinary things.
LW: I understand you are involved with a documentary. What is it about, and what inspired you to get involved with the project?
DK: The film is called, “Breaking The Curse,” and it's a great example of a DarynKagan.com "Inside Out" story. It’s about the fascinating journey of an American housewife, and how she became involved in changing the lives and fates of thousands of leprosy-afflicted people in India. Her trek begins as she tries to make sense of her own personal tragedy -- the death of her daughter. Along the way she partnered with a grown daughter of a former Indian president.
Viewers will be intrigued and amazed by these two women and their friendship: An American and an Indian; a suburban housewife and an Indian elite; a Christian and a Hindu. What they’ve been able to accomplish in India is even more amazing. It's a hopeful story that truly shows the world what's possible. Expect to see “Breaking the Curse” on PBS stations across the country later this year.
LW: You have reinvented yourself from a traditional national news anchor seen around the world to an entrepreneur who presents news stories that inspire. Can you describe the experience, and do you have plans to take www.DarynKagan.com and your positive news stories beyond the Internet?
DK: This is been one of the most important parts of my journey — reinvention. Along the way, I began to realize this is the universal part of my story. Most people will never be a network news anchor or launch their own website, but many will face a time when they need to reinvent themselves.
It might be a stay-at-home mom whose kids grow up. It might be because of a layoff or a divorce. But as some point, I think women especially, will face this challenge. I came to see that this is the moment that it either beats you or presents you with an unbelievable opportunity. Again, it’s a choice. As I go around the country to speak, and as I work on a series of books, this is the journey and inspiration that I want to share. DarynKagan.com is the website, it's the home base. I’m also developing a series of books, lectures, and possible radio and television programs. The theme of DarynKagan.com is, “Show The World What’s Possible!”
We are living in such an incredible time in media and technology history. I'm often asked, “How do you make money on a website?” The answer is, I don’t own a website, I own a media company. Whether it is a traditional newspaper, magazine, or television company, they all have the same mission as I do: get your content on as many platforms as possible.
The amazing thing about this place in time is that an individual like me, can produce and own her own content and put it out there like a big time corporation.
On August 3, 2006, Kagan told her colleagues at CNN that she would be leaving the network and would launch her Web site DarynKagan.com on November 13, 2006.
Kagan sees her story as one of "reinvention," and gives speeches around the country on that topic. Laurie Wing interviews Daryn Kagan:
LW: What inspired you to create www.DarynKagan.com? You have such a positive
outlook on life. Was that as a result of your upbringing or your experiences being a news anchor for CNN?
DK: I really don’t think my positive outlook is a result of my upbringing or my years spent at CNN. I believe it's a choice. We each have a point of view of the world and we collect stories to support that idea. Some people choose to think the world is out to get them, or that people are bad. I made a conscious choice to believe the world is a good place, and I choose to collect stories that support that idea. It’s amazing when you choose to see the world that way, what shows up! So, my business of collecting positive stories is just an extension of my personal choice.
LW: I understand you were on the air live during the September 11th terrorist attacks. Describe that experience and how that affected you.
DK: Yes, I was. My then co-anchor, Leon Harris, and I took over the anchor desk for our regular morning shift just after the first plane hit the World Trade Center. At the time we took over, the prevailing belief was this was just a small plane that lost its way. As we watched that second plane careen into the WTC, it became clear it was something much bigger. In some ways, in the moment, it wasn’t that different than any other major breaking news day. When you’re a morning anchor at CNN, you show up each day ready to handle whatever comes through the door.
It’s like being an emergency room doctor. You show up with your set up skills and, although you have no idea what the shift will bring, you're ready for anything. One personal note to that day, that I haven’t really shared before—my younger sister had recently moved to New York City and was living pretty close to WTC area. So, my brain was split in two: half mastering this huge breaking news story; and the other half, frantically emailing and doing whatever I could to make sure she was okay. She made contact before I got off the air. That was a huge relief.
LW: You covered a lot of sporting events during your career. Growing up, did you or your family have a strong interest in sports, were you involved in sports or was it something that came with the job? Where did you grow up?
DK: Yes, I grew up around sports. My father is a major sports fan and he would take us to a lot of sporting events: Lakers games, USC football, LA Rams (back when they played at the Coliseum,) and UCLA track meets. Also, since my older brother was athletic, I just wanted to keep up with the boys. Playtime meant boogie boarding at the beach in Santa Monica, or heading up to Big Bear and Mammoth to go skiing. At Beverly Hills High School, I participated in volleyball, track, and cross country.
I was a successful Junior Varsity athlete, and that set me up for a lifetime of enjoying sports and physical fitness. I’m still a runner and I do about 24 miles a week. It’s all an extension of the running techniques I learned from my high school coach, Chuck Kloes. When I come home to visit Los Angeles, I still go back and run our old training routes!
LW: What was your most memorable interview or news coverage during your news anchor career?
DK: That's probably the toughest question of all. My 12+ years at CNN were an absolute dream. How can you choose the most important memory between covering war, or the red carpet of the Oscars, or traveling through Africa for two weeks with Bono and U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill? That doesn’t include the 3+ years of reporting on sports—Superbowl, NBA, college football, international figure skating.
LW: What is a typical day for Daryn Kagan?
DK: I still keep the early morning hours that I did when I was anchoring for CNN. I like to have the new content loaded on DarynKagan.com by 6am. After that, it’s a matter of shuffling all my new “hats.” I’m the talent, the production crew, the assignment editor, and the CEO of this new company. So the day just flies by as I write stories, gather new ideas, interview inspiring, amazing people, talk to different technology partners, and run as fast as I can—having a kickass time the whole way!
LW: What has been one of the more memorable www.DarynKagan.com stories to date?
DK: It's like having to pick a favorite child. Yikes! I like the stories that show my visitors ways to look at the world differently. “Inside Out” stories are of people who have had seemingly bad things happen to them, yet they turn those experiences “inside out” to transform their lives and the world around them. “End of the Rainbow” stories acknowledge that bad things do happen in the world. Things like war, natural disasters, and disease. But out of that those situations always arise stories of heroes and ordinary people who do extraordinary things.
LW: I understand you are involved with a documentary. What is it about, and what inspired you to get involved with the project?
DK: The film is called, “Breaking The Curse,” and it's a great example of a DarynKagan.com "Inside Out" story. It’s about the fascinating journey of an American housewife, and how she became involved in changing the lives and fates of thousands of leprosy-afflicted people in India. Her trek begins as she tries to make sense of her own personal tragedy -- the death of her daughter. Along the way she partnered with a grown daughter of a former Indian president.
Viewers will be intrigued and amazed by these two women and their friendship: An American and an Indian; a suburban housewife and an Indian elite; a Christian and a Hindu. What they’ve been able to accomplish in India is even more amazing. It's a hopeful story that truly shows the world what's possible. Expect to see “Breaking the Curse” on PBS stations across the country later this year.
LW: You have reinvented yourself from a traditional national news anchor seen around the world to an entrepreneur who presents news stories that inspire. Can you describe the experience, and do you have plans to take www.DarynKagan.com and your positive news stories beyond the Internet?
DK: This is been one of the most important parts of my journey — reinvention. Along the way, I began to realize this is the universal part of my story. Most people will never be a network news anchor or launch their own website, but many will face a time when they need to reinvent themselves.
It might be a stay-at-home mom whose kids grow up. It might be because of a layoff or a divorce. But as some point, I think women especially, will face this challenge. I came to see that this is the moment that it either beats you or presents you with an unbelievable opportunity. Again, it’s a choice. As I go around the country to speak, and as I work on a series of books, this is the journey and inspiration that I want to share. DarynKagan.com is the website, it's the home base. I’m also developing a series of books, lectures, and possible radio and television programs. The theme of DarynKagan.com is, “Show The World What’s Possible!”
We are living in such an incredible time in media and technology history. I'm often asked, “How do you make money on a website?” The answer is, I don’t own a website, I own a media company. Whether it is a traditional newspaper, magazine, or television company, they all have the same mission as I do: get your content on as many platforms as possible.
The amazing thing about this place in time is that an individual like me, can produce and own her own content and put it out there like a big time corporation.
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