Soledad O’Brien: ‘I Can Change the Life of a Young Woman’ (VIDEO)

Soledad O'Brien — Fri, 31 May 2013 13:45:25 +0000

Soledad O’Brien is making a difference in the lives of young women.

Through the Soledad O’Brien and Brad Raymond Foundation, founded by O’Brien and her husband, the couple is helping young women realize their dream of going to – and finishing – college.

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“We invest in young women and help them get over obstacles and into opportunity by supporting their path to college,” O’Brien, the former CNN Starting Point anchor and founder of Starfish Media Group, told genConnect. Watch Soledad O’Brien talk to genConnect about how Hurricane Katrina inspired this foundation, and how they are helping young women all over the country:

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“It was really about understanding that, as much as I cover disasters” as a journalist, or heartbreaking stories about societal problems for TV documentaries, O’Brien said, “I can’t change those outcomes but I can change the outcomes for some who are specifically involved. I can change the life of a young woman who is trying to get to college.”

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Soledad O’Brien: Keeping Work, Home Separate Is ‘Insanity’ (VIDEO)

Soledad O'Brien — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:30:37 +0000

CNN anchor, reporter and mom of four Soledad O’Brien knows the work-family juggling act well, but she doesn’t think of it as a balancing act, per se. ”I think it’s a mistake to think about your life in terms of balance,” she said. “It’s not possible to do all the things you want to accomplish and think of it in terms of balance. So I look at my life in terms of ‘what do I want to achieve?’ ‘What do I want to get to at the end?’ … and if I can squeeze them all in, I would be happy.”

Watch O’Brien talk about why we should think about work-family balance differently:

Soledad O’Brien

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O’Brien also is involved in philanthropy. Her Soledad O’Brien and Brad Raymond Foundation provides mentoring to young women and opportunities to college and succeed.

“It’s impossible to fit all of that in 24 hours,” she says. “Some of the time you’re focused on work – if you’re covering a tsunami or you’re covering an earthquake or there’s a big story or anelection. Some of the time you’re dealing with kids … and sometimes I’m focused on what I’m doing with the foundation and making sure they’re supported. But it’s never a balance. It’s more like energy here, energy here, then energy here. Then I surround myself with people who are very supportive.”

And to those who think you can only do “home” stuff at home and “work” stuff at home, she says, “that’s insanity.”

WATCH: Anne-Marie Slaughter – Why Women Still Can’t Have it All

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Soledad O’Brien: ‘I Can Change the Life of a Young Woman’ (VIDEO)

Soledad O’Brien: Keeping Work, Home Separate Is ‘Insanity’ (VIDEO)