DALLAS — When Good Morning America's Robin Roberts walks into a room to conduct an interview, she sends a clear message.
"Every time I sit down with somebody and every time I do a piece, I'm hoping that it will cause a reaction that leads to action," she told WFAA during a recent visit to Dallas.
The co-anchor of America's top-rated morning show for nearly 20 years was the keynote speaker at the Junior League of Dallas Milestones Luncheon on April 5 at the Omni Dallas Hotel. During her address to the crowd, the award-winning co-anchor revealed that she accepted the invitation because of the JLD's strong reputation of volunteerism and community impact, and because of how the organization creates incredible women leaders -- like her late mother, Lucimarian Roberts.
"My dear mother -- that's why I'm so happy to be here in Dallas with this organization," Roberts said. "Because they're here creating people like my mom, strong women who are going to go out and are going to contribute. And my mama -- whew! -- I think about her every day. I'm very grateful for the lessons she taught me."
Watch Cynthia Izaguirre's full interview with Robin Roberts here:
The best-selling author brought her mother's message of "service to others" to a packed house of supporters for her talk to the Junior League of Dallas.
Celebrating women is Roberts' passion. So, naturally, the former college basketball star and ESPN anchor said she's been thrilled by the current frenzy over women's basketball, fueled in part by Caitlin Clark, the 22-year-old phenom recently drafted No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever. For Roberts, celebrating powerhouse athletes like Clark is a slam dunk.
"When I'm in the studio at GMA, the guys on the crew -- real blue-collar guys -- they're talking about women's hoops," Roberts said. "That's never happened before! Just the excitement that she has brought -- but not only Caitlin. I'm glad that she's respectful of those who came before her who laid the groundwork for her."
Likewise, Roberts said she is grateful for those who laid the groundwork for her to have a bachelorette party on Good Morning America last fall with her now-wife Amber Laign.
"It was a party that we would have thrown for Lara Spencer or George [Stephanopoulos] or Michael [Strahan] -- there was no difference to it," Roberts said. "It was just like two people who are celebrating love, and I'm so grateful for that."
Roberts is also grateful for the journey that has gotten her to this point in life -- even the hardships. She credits her family, friends, colleagues and viewers for helping her overcome breast cancer and a rare, often fatal blood disease called myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS.
"I just try to make my mess my message," Roberts said. "Because we all go through loss of some sort. That's not the tragedy. It's if we don't take time to understand. Why was this placed in my path? What am I supposed to learn? And, more importantly, what am I supposed to share with others, in case they're going to walk a similar path?"
Roberts said her mom taught her an important lesson about gratitude. In an emotional moment, she recalled a story about when her mother was writing the acknowledgments section of her book, and she had a lot of people to thank.
"She was dictating to me her list of thank you's at the end, and she's just going on, and I think she even thanked the postman," Roberts said. "And I said, 'Really, mama? The postman?' And she said, 'You cannot put a limit on gratitude.'"
Early on in her career, Roberts says she was given bad advice: She was told not to talk about her wonderful upbringing because it might make others upset about their own situation. She decided not to follow that advice. Instead, she's focused on encouraging others to create the families they always wanted.
Ultimately, Roberts said it's important to remember that everybody's got something difficult that they're facing. But, she said, you can also choose to be the one to plant the seed of change.
Asked if there's anything else she'd tell those people, she had a clear and direct message.
Said Roberts: "That they're worthy."