The Power of Kindness: NewsNation’s Markie Martin Shares Her Story

It's your superpower.

You talk how normal people talk, use phrases that you and your family say at home.

And so they've been big encouragers of me just being me.

Yeah.

Style is more than just the clothes you wear.

It's the essence of who you are and it's in everything you do.

Discover it here and unleash your style beyond what you wear.

Welcome back to another episode of Haus of Style.

I'm your host, Grant Alexander, and I'm glad you're here with us today because we've got a good one.

Our guest is the dynamic and engaging anchor of News Nation's Morning in America.

Her journey is one of those stories of how life can surprise you in the best ways and an example of how style goes well beyond what you wear.

Before we dive into today's exciting episode, I just want to take a moment for some quick housekeeping.

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Now let's get into why we're here.

I am so excited to introduce our guest, Marky Martin.

From starting out as a pre med student to becoming one of the most energetic and engaging morning show anchors out there, her path to success is as inspiring as it is fun to watch.

And I would know because I watch News Nation and Morning in America every single day.

So Markie's got great style and not only in how she presents the news, but in how she connects with people.

So whether or not it's through the TV or in person, her energy, warmth and sense of humor are infectious.

So we'll explore how her incredible journey and how she found her calling, the twists and the turns along the way, and how her personal style both on and off camera, reflects who she is.

Trust me, you're going to love getting to know her as much as her viewers do every morning.

So without further ado, let's welcome Marky Martin to the show.

Thank you so much for being here.

I'm so excited to be here.

It's good to see you.

I'm so honored that you chose me for your style podcast.

You know, when there's a few things.

I love News Nation.

That's not a joke.

I've been watching News Nation for two years now.

I literally watch it every single day.

I have all the recordings going.

Morning in America being your favorite, obviously.

Yeah, it's the only thing I watch in the morning, is definitely my favorite in the morning.

And there was one episode, probably a year and a half, two years ago, when you admitted on national television that your favorite song was Pony.

I was like, oh, my gosh, I have to meet her.

This is a girl after my own heart.

I have to meet her.

Because, like, yeah, basic things like that.

I did do that.

You did.

And, like, that's awesome.

And I don't think a lot of people, especially on the news, on national news, do things like that.

So the personality was something that I thought was awesome.

So I had to get.

Had to get to know you, how to have you on here.

Well, thank you for having me.

Yeah.

The pony story is incredible.

It is actually one of my favorite.

It was actually.

I told the DJ at our wedding, I said, you gotta do me one favor.

Sometime in the night, surprise me with it.

But start playing pony, and we're just gonna see what happens.

We're gonna lose our marbles.

And so anyway, I love it.

It gets me pumped up.

But yes, I admit, I think viewers like that, though, admitting human moments.

It's like I said that on an air and how many people at home, yourself included, went, oh, my gosh, I love Pony.

Me too.

Like, you know, she's not just a robot on air.

She's not.

She has emotions and likes and, you know, just like we do at home.

So, yeah, I think that I love.

Sharing moments like that with folks.

One of the things that makes people special, especially on air, because it is so easy to just, you know, read the script, do what you're supposed to do, and call it a day.

But people don't remember everything that you're talking about.

People remember the way you make them feel 100%.

And like I said when you said that.

And so right away, that made me more interested to continue listening.

Yeah.

And so that's.

I think that's something that's really special.

And it's a unique piece of style.

And people don't often think about style in that manner.

Style is often like clothes or how a room looks and interior design.

So I want to get into kind of how you develop some of that style.

So let's talk kind of early career, how you got into this.

You started off in school as pre Med.

What made you realize that that wasn't it and that journalism was your calling?

So I went to school.

My dad's a doctor.

So almost my whole childhood, I thought, you know, I'm gonna go to college and I think I'll be pre med.

And I went to the University of Richmond and got there, signed up for all of my, you know, collegiate chem courses.

Organic chemistry.

Organic chemistry and that.

Organic chemistry, man.

Oh, yeah.

I didn't make it through.

Didn't make it through.

I.

I cannot do this for the next 15 years of my life.

It's just not my calling.

And then I was like, well, where do I want to pivot from here?

And then I went to political science.

I was like, well, maybe that's my calling.

That didn't make me happy either.

And then I was like, you know what?

I'm really good at writing, and I'm really good with people.

And my whole childhood growing up, other kids were watching cartoons and I was watching the news.

I watched the news and the Food Network.

Those were my two go to's and my, you know, like, I remember my grandmother spending the night at her house when she was like, you know, we could watch Saturday morning cartoons.

And I was like, no, turn on Pioneer woman.

Yeah, we got pioneer.

I got Ina garden to watch.

Oh, my gosh, Barefoot contest.

So anyway, I was like, maybe journalism, but I didn't know any journalists growing up.

I didn't know anybody in the TV industry.

So it kind of seemed like this glamorous, couldn't be reached kind of career.

I was like, well, let me just try some of the classes.

And I fell in love with it.

The assignments made sense.

The teachers inspired me.

You know, they poured into me in a way that other teachers hadn't before.

I wanted to stay.

I wanted to be the one that, like, got there early to class and then left last.

And it was actually an internship at the CBS station in Richmond that was part of my journalism.

Journalism curriculum was, go do an internship for a semester.

And I knew in that first week that it was an itch I had to scratch.

That's awesome.

Yeah, I.

When you find that thing for.

I actually have a fairly similar story.

And I, you know, I don't talk about it too often, but I went to school for communication, I like to say, because I still communicate with people.

I'm using my degree, but I went to school for communication and I left and I was a consultant doing communication and change management consulting for a few years.

And when I was in school, I actually Was pre dental when I freshman and half a sophomore year.

And then I took organic chemistry and that was it.

Did you and man, that was it.

Our stories parallel there.

Yeah.

And you know, I like the idea of communicating because I like talking and I like people.

When I got out of school and was a consultant, I enjoyed kind of the game of corporate life.

But when I moved into the city across the hall from a clothing designer and he introduced me to this world of fashion, I'm like, wait, you can have a career, something else besides, you know, these corporate jobs.

Yeah.

And like, that's when it fell in place for me and I couldn't get enough.

And that's.

It's exactly like you realize, and you're like, this is all I want.

And you want to soak it all in and learn from everybody.

Yeah.

Actually another fun story if I can share.

In childhood, I went to public schools in Oklahoma.

And when I got to high school, there was a course that they newly offered called CNN Cougar News Network.

That was our mascot was the Cougar.

And I was like, oh my gosh, I have to do that.

And my dad hates when I tell this story.

But he was like, no, like, we can't do that as one of your electives.

Like, we gotta do.

Let's do leadership.

Let's do, you know, of course, anything else.

But we need some resume builders.

And I was like, I think.

But I think that's it, you know, but like, dad, I think.

And I didn't take the class, but I'd watch the broadcast that the students put together.

It played every Friday before we let out of school.

And I was like, man, I am so envious.

And my dad is the best and the champion of all champions.

I'll throw that out there.

But at the time, he was like, no, let's do something.

Let's do something different.

And now I rub it in his face all the time.

I'm like, you didn't let me do it then, but look at me now, dad.

Yeah, there you go.

I love that.

That's awesome.

So some early indic caters that I was interested in this path, but when you don't know somebody walking in those shoes, you're like, well, how would I ever even break into that industry to begin with?

Oh, yeah.

I mean, when I told my family and my parents that I was leaving, I had an awesome job at 23, when I was leaving that to run this guy's custom menswear business, I think everybody was like, excuse me.

Yeah.

And you Know, they're just trying to protect you.

I, you know, people fear.

It's not known, but it's definitely.

Look at us now.

That's awesome.

Do you think?

So tell me about when you first started being on camera.

Did you feel like you came right into your style and you, you know.

No.

Knew how to connect with people?

How did you get to.

Because when you.

When I think anybody that watches you will feel a connection.

And I think that's.

There's so much talent it takes to get there.

But I don't think it's all learned talent.

Some of it is just innate ability to.

It's your style of being able to connect and relate to people.

So how did that develop?

It's a really good question, I think, for everybody in this industry.

When you first start out at that first small market, I was at K10 News in Denison, Texas.

And to watch yourself in those early days when you're living in it in real time to watch back, the report you did from that night, you know, is like nails on a chalkboard.

And you're listening to yourself for the first time ever, your voice, you're like, who is that?

That's not how I felt when I was out there.

Why am I hearing and seeing something totally different?

And I look back now and that was.

Gosh, what year was that?

2013 is when I first started.

And I seem like a shell of myself.

You know, I feel you look back and I was filling the cookie cutter role that I thought was expected of a reporter in the field in this industry.

I started as weekend anchor and then weekday reporter, and I don't even.

I don't look like myself.

I don't sound like myself.

But that's part of the process.

And every person in this industry has been there before, so it took time to develop.

I mean, it's an ever changing craft that you're constantly working on.

And I am a warm person.

I'm a very.

I pride myself in being a very kind person.

How are checking in on others and pouring into others and uplifting in as positive way as I can.

But it also takes time to bring that out of yourself on camera and share that fully with the world, if you will.

Yeah.

Was there a moment that you remember where you're like, oh, I think I can do this my own way?

Or did that develop over time?

Or was there a moment where you're like, I nailed this.

This is how I want to be moving forward?

No, it wasn't a moment.

It's kind of like an Amalgam of all the little moments that you work on and how you prep for interviews or stories, and you're like, okay, I want to hit these notes with people.

And it's just you build that over time.

And one of the best pieces of advice I was ever given in the industry was one of my old co anchors, actually, Steve Botari, when we worked in Oklahoma City together, and he said, you know, watch a bunch of different people, people on networks that you like, you don't like, but cherry pick, you know, from different people.

Oh, I like this from her.

Yeah.

And I really admire this from him.

And don't you.

Don't you like the way that they made that guest feel on camera there?

That I like that.

And take that.

All those different aspects from different talent, make it your own and then add your own pizzazz to it.

So part of it's also a study.

Right.

Just like any other.

Right.

Business.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's kind of what I talk to people about with their style.

And from a clothing aspect, it's.

You just look at what you like.

Because most people don't know where to start, even in their own wardrobes.

Right.

And with everything, they already own half of it still with tags on it.

Yeah.

People don't really know where to start.

And I usually just say, who's somebody that their style inspires you or that you like and it resonates with you.

Right.

Start there, and then it makes it a lot easier to pick and choose what you like from them.

That's kind of.

At first, when I started getting into style, it was in custom menswear, so it was suits and ties and pocket squares and, you know, dress, really dressing up all the time.

But then I started, like, I really found my style was a lot more badass and a little more casual than that.

And I started finding people that wore a ton of jewelry.

And jewelry became a huge thing for me.

And it just evolves over time.

You broke out of your cookie cutter.

Yes, exactly.

Yes.

And it definitely takes time.

But I always.

I think that just by taking action and looking at, you know, somebody else getting a bit of inspiration is a great starting point.

So when you.

When you are connecting every morning, what are you thinking?

What's going through your head?

What are you trying to get across?

I think it depends on what the segment is.

The morning in America is three hours, which is.

I think about this every day.

It's crazy.

One that's got to be exhausting.

And I mean, how do you do three hours with that?

Yeah, I Honestly, I don't know.

Like, I just have survived.

The three hours is.

It's amazing.

I've.

I love the show.

I love the team.

But with it being three hours, you touch on a little bit of everything, right?

It's not like we have 60 minutes and you get to kind of cherry pick exactly just, you know, one topic or these two guests.

Let's go to, like, three hours.

I average about 15 live guests a day, and so it's a little bit of everything.

You hit a lot of different notes, and going into each segment, you just kind of think about, okay, what are the human moments that I want to have here?

How is the audience at home thinking about this story?

What are questions that your everyday viewer?

Like, if my mom were here right now, just having a normal conversation with this guest, what is she wanting to know?

You know, instead of, like, the perfect, what should a news anchor ask?

It's like, no, what are.

No, what are people thinking at home?

And so I think about that.

I also think about, again, priding myself on being kind.

I always want a guest to be, like, to leave and say, you know what?

I was kind of nervous about doing live tv.

She made that really easy.

She treated me with respect.

It was.

I would do that again, and I'd love to, you know, meet her in person and have a real conversation in person, because so much of it is on zoom and virtual.

So those are kind of the.

I want people to feel warm and welcomed.

And so, yeah, that's kind of top of mind for me.

Have you ever thought of kindness as part of your style?

A thousand percent, yeah.

A thousand percent.

I think it's a tough industry where you don't always see that side in folks.

And I think about the people that I love watching, and it's like, most of the time, the common denominator is that, man, do they seem normal and do they seem kind and genuine?

And I always say one of the best compliments is, you know, if somebody sees you.

Like, when I worked in Oklahoma City, people would come up all the time in the grocery store and give me a hug, you know, oh, my gosh, I watch you every morning, you know, and to me, who we've never met, and I've made you feel comfortable enough to where you can come up and give me a hug and say, I spend every morning with you.

I think there's no greater compliment.

Forget the.

You're a perfect reader.

You're a perfect interviewer.

No, you made me feel welcome.

I could listen to you.

It wasn't as divisive as some of the other, you know, networks that I watch.

Yeah.

I think that's the best compliment.

And, yes, it's very much part of me and my brand.

Yeah.

I love that.

I talk about kindness regularly on the podcast, and it being arguably one of the most important things that you can do, not only to be more successful, but to just live a happier, more fulfilling life.

Yes.

Kindness gets you so many places.

It gets you into so many doors, and it makes everybody.

It makes everything more fun.

Like, doesn't it take so much more energy to be negative and not pour into folks and not ask, how are you doing?

You know?

Yeah.

I can't imagine.

I can't imagine getting through life any other way.

Yeah.

And I.

So I also love the point of thinking about what the listener wants to hear.

And, you know, I think that's one thing for designers.

And when I first started designing, I designed things in a way that were exactly what I wanted them to be.

But when you start thinking about doing a bigger brand and going for a mass audience, you have to think about those other things.

And it's a balance for both of them, because you want to get your style across, but you also want everybody to adopt that.

So it's definitely got to be a big part of it.

And I will say, you know, News Nation is a startup.

You know, we started this in Covid, and my bosses have been incredible, and especially in this role here, they're like, take chances, talk how normal people and everyday Americans are talking at home.

You know, I'm from Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma.

I say y'all.

You know, there are a lot of local places that you would work or I'm sure maybe even other networks who would say, let's get.

Let's get rid of the y'all, you know?

Yeah.

And my bosses here have been like, it's your superpower.

You talk how normal people talk.

Use phrases that you and your family say at home.

And so they've been big encouragers of me just being me.

Yeah.

And not needing to fill who they think I should be or who people want.

You know, that's awesome.

Because the people around you, so they support me in a.

That's fantastic way.

That's awesome.

And you definitely shout out to News Nation for getting this across, not just with Morning in America, but across.

Since I watch all the shows.

Like, super fan.

Yeah, Definitely a super fan.

They get that across in all the shows.

Yeah.

I think the only time where I was like, come on, News Nation.

That's not on Brand was.

I was probably.

I mean, it could have been five, six months ago now.

Cuomo, one night, he was like, oh, I hate wearing the tie and jacket.

And he's like, but they're forcing me to.

I was like, come on, News Nation.

Don'T force him into that.

I missed that.

But that was it.

So News Nation overall, I think that's.

Why I like the no tie, the no jacket.

No tie.

Yeah.

And it's.

Banfield wears jeans.

You know, she's got her sneakers on.

Yeah.

I think it's part of the appeal.

It's part of the appeal being normal people.

Especially if you are saying that you are different than all the other networks.

If you are focused on independent or focus on the real people, the real Americans that are listening.

You should be real.

Like yesterday, this is a real conversation.

My big boss called me.

He was like, show today was excellent, Excellent.

Loved it.

He goes, crack more jokes.

You know, that was a real conversation I just had with my big boss yesterday.

And I was like, you got it.

You don't have.

Don't have to ask me twice.

But those are the kinds of conversations we're trying to just connect with everyday Americans.

And people at home are tired of the, you know, the anchor hands right here and the rigid.

No, they want to have a conversation, especially morning news.

Morning news is a very intimate industry, if you will.

I don't know if you've ever thought about it in that way, but often we're the first voices that you hear in the morning when you're in bed with a loved one.

You're getting the kids ready for school.

Some people who live alone, I'm the only voice, you know, they hear in the morning.

It's a very intimate thing.

So to talk like we're just, you know, at the breakfast table in the morning, having a conversation goes a really long way.

Yeah.

The intimacy is a great point.

The other part is high energy.

Like, you have to have the energy and the passion to get people excited to listen.

So that's a tough balance, and that's.

Hard to sustain sometimes for three hours.

Oh, that's incredible.

And also, I don't think people realize you're not waking up at 4:30, rolling out of bed, coming to the studio, you're up early, your schedule's not normal.

How do you kind of balance that different schedule and.

Or take us through a day and take, you know, viewers and listeners through a day of what that's like.

It's hard.

I've made it work.

And I'm kind of used to it.

I've done morning news for, you know, gosh, seven ish years out of my career.

So I'm somewhat used to it.

But now I'm a new mom and so every day my alarm goes off at 1:45 in the morning and I'm at work by about 2:15.

Honestly, I just roll out of bed, throw on sweatpants and I get here, spend about three hours studying for the show leading up to 5am on air from 5 to 8 and then team has kind of a post show.

What went right?

What went wrong, what are we doing tomorrow?

And then I leave for my day and have a few hours of me time time with my daughter and her.

Name is Parsons and she's beautiful.

And follow Markie on socials because she posts adorable photos.

And I think one of the things that's really also cool about Markie is her family is super important.

And you get that through the socials and the stories, the posts.

They're really cute.

So much good food involved, so much happy.

Home is my happy place.

Cooking and entertaining for friends and family.

Thank you.

My daughter's five months, just got her first two teeth and so it's just, it's flying.

Oh yeah.

And it's the wildest ride I've ever been on in my lifetime.

Oh, it's nuts.

She's been a joy.

But I have a few hours with her.

Then at about 3:30 in the afternoon, my executive producer calls me with the next day.

Okay, these are the guests that we officially have booked.

This is what we're gonna talk to them about.

We kind of riff back and forth of, you know, how we kind of want the flow of the show to go and what we want to get out of all the guests, what they have to say.

And so I'll spend a couple hours at night studying for the next day in between bath time and rocking and dinner.

And you're asking Parsons the questions?

I'm asking Parsons the questions and pretending that she's my guest.

But I put her down, I rock her.

She goes to sleep about 5:30 and I go straight from her crib to my crib to my bed and I go to sleep by about 6:00.

And then my husband is just.

Is a saint and during the week he takes all the overnight feedings and wakings with her because I can't be exhausted here on camera.

Is it hard on the.

So it's a blessing.

Do you have a.

We'll call it a normal schedule on the weekends.

And does that throw you off for the week?

Weekend is not normal.

I try to have maybe one night of the weekend with either friends or date night with my husband, where you eat at a normal time and you watch a movie, you know, but most of the time I hit a wall at about 7:00 on the weekends.

I'd say 7 or 8.

I just.

I mean, I crash head on into that wall.

And he's like, okay, it's time to call it a day.

And so, no, not normal.

But I try to get in some socializing because that doesn't really exist during the week at all.

So, I mean, with your schedule.

So I have a more.

My sleep schedule is very.

Not normal for anyone.

But from a socializing perspective, I should have a fairly normal schedule.

It is so hard with a normal schedule and being a parent to make plans with people, make plans with friends.

Like, how do you balance that aspect of it?

Especially because I know you've got to want to be spending most of the time with Martians right now.

Balance is such a.

Balance is so elusive, you know, And I'm learning that now, especially being a mom.

It's just like some days you have, you know, this as a dad, some days you have it and some days you don't.

And I think it's kind of almost futile to every day think it's got to look the same or, you know, I'm going to have 50% me time, 50% everything else, like it just doesn't exist.

And so for me, it's like I kind of lay out my map of all the things that make me feel balanced.

The working out, you know, being here at work, which is also an escape right now.

You and I were just talking about this this morning.

Cooking, family time, you know, quiet times on weekends.

If I get a little bit of everything during my full week, that's my kind of balance, you know, Every day is different.

No two days are the same.

And so with scheduling things with friends and I don't know, I don't know that I've really mastered that yet.

You kind of make plans far out.

And then a lot of Fridays, I get off air and I'm like, y'all, y'all, your girl is too tired for this tonight.

And my friends, our friends who are close, they get it.

I can send a text in a second and say, guys, I just.

I just can't tonight.

And they're like, great.

Yeah, we haven't been up since 1:30.

We don't know what that's like, you know, so friends and family understand.

I think that's always been, especially the last four or five years in particular, the mark of who's not just a friend, but your real friend.

That get it.

They don't give you crap for bailing.

They know you'll get to them and that you love them and that, you know, like, you want to hang out.

Sometimes you just can't.

Yeah.

And especially in this job.

My husband and I don't even get to have dinner during the week.

So my weekends are sacred.

And to spend time outside of just my immediate family circle is.

I gotta really, really want to spend time because it's like, I haven't seen Chris since last Sunday, really, you know, And I haven't gotten special time with my daughter all week long.

And so weekends are sacred.

So making plans, we try to leave it open.

Unless there's something we're really, really excited for, people we're really excited for.

Yeah.

Has being a mom changed your style?

Both kind of in what you do?

Has it changed on air that you've noticed?

Has anybody said anything.

Talk to me about that.

My style, I will say stories involving children that are sad in any way, shape or form now hits me different.

The other part, I'm a crier.

I've always cried on tv.

I don't mind being one of those that has, like, a real.

And the other day we played a video.

I've introduced a new segment every day called Dose of Happy.

Cause I'm done with the, you know, serious sad all day long.

Like, we got to have a moment of levity.

So I have this new segment called Dose of Happy every day.

And the other day, my producer, she was like, I've got a great dose of happy.

There's this little boy filming his mom dancing.

But she had put the camera back on him.

Did you see that on Social?

And he's just looking at her with these eyes of wonder.

And they were playing Landslide, you know, And I couldn't get through the read, you know, and so I've always been a crier, but with children now, man, it just.

It tugs at my heartstrings.

And I look at other people's children differently because I know what it takes.

I know what they're going through.

So I'd say anything children related now hits me in a different way.

And I feel like, especially as she continues to get older and we go through more experiences together, I'll have a different lens.

And I think it makes me more relatable to a lot of our viewers who tune in.

Definitely yeah, the level of patience and understanding.

I think that's one of the things that I took away, as you know, when I became a dad was just, you have to be so patient with your kids, and then you just become more understanding all around you.

Like, when I'm on a plane and I hear kids screaming, I'll ask if they need help, if there's anything I can do, and I'll just smile because I know what's going on.

Because you've been there.

You know exactly what that's like.

It's empathy, and it's just understanding.

Like, we're all in this.

We all feel the same things.

And I think that's.

And that's why I was curious if it's impacted, you know, what you are doing on air.

And I think it definitely is.

No matter how small or how big.

I think that's really cool.

You know, I tried to bring being a dad into my style all the time, whether it's talking about it.

I have this necklace that I wear all the time that says dad.

Oh, that's special.

So it's dad, and it's D Space.

A space.

D.

And the space represents everything.

I don't know as a father and everything that I'm trying to fill in along the way.

Oh, my gosh.

And I actually.

Wow.

This was a great segue.

How profound is that?

That couldn't have went better, because I actually have a mom necklace.

No, you do not.

And it's the same thing.

And I wanted to get you this because this is one of my favorite pieces that I wear every single day, and I wear it every single day.

And when you mentioned the bracelets and wearing the bracelets to give you something for that mom, I was like, the reason I did this, I was like, I need something that looks nice and also, you know, represents, has meaning.

Exactly.

I will cherish this forever.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, I do.

I wear these bangles.

We have some mom friends in Dallas who are girl moms and grand moms, and they wear these.

They got me my own, and it just makes me feel.

It makes me think of Parsons, for sure.

It's happy.

Yeah, it's happy.

It's happy.

Thank you so much.

Of course.

For thinking of me.

Gosh, of course.

So let's talk about styles.

And we talked a little bit of jewelry, and often we're not talking about clothes, but I think in particular, a TV personality.

Personal style from a clothing perspective is also really important.

How do you.

You know, how do you balance dressing for Yourself on camera.

Is it, you know, is there a different on air marquee versus off duty marquee?

Talk to me about your style.

Yeah, it's an interesting question.

So, as you see, I'm in my signature all black.

This is.

If I could wear all black every day.

I always say Morticia Addams is my spirit animal.

I don't know, it makes me feel empowered.

It makes me feel, bam.

But so much that you wear on the news and what does look great, especially for morning news when you're trying to be happy and cheery, is a pop of color.

You know, a pastel, a pink, a blue looks amazing on camera.

There's no denying it.

But it's not my taste in real life.

Like, you should come see my closet sometime.

I'd love to have you over.

It's.

I am neutral Nelly.

It is black.

It's white, you know, caramels.

And so I have to kind of step out of that.

And we work with a great team who helps me with some of the colorful decisions because innately, it's not where I go.

But yeah, so much of what you wear on air is not.

I would never show up to a dinner party in a sheath dress that was bright yellow.

You know, it's just.

It's just not me.

But I will recognize that it looks great on air.

So some days I get to like this.

I wore today on air.

This feels very much me.

So some days it's a total win.

Oh, I'm my most authentic self today in everything I'm saying and wearing.

And then the next day, the dress might not match, but that's okay.

It looks great.

And so do you think I'll move on?

Do you think during your call with the EP and Big Boss, do you think Big Boss is gonna say, you know what?

I felt that confidence today.

You can wear all black every day.

We're putting it out there for you.

Yeah, I know.

You know, I don't know how that would go.

I'm not sure.

Maybe one of these days I'll make the request.

But not quite there yet.

I mean, I'm very, very slowly.

So I'm playing a very long game.

I'm eventually gonna get a 30 minute lifestyle show on News Nation on the way.

I just need, like a weekend.

Yes.

Like, little plug.

All I want.

I'll put in a good word.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I'm, you know, be friends with everybody at Morning in America, News Nation.

We'll get there eventually.

Like Cuomo.

I'll help you.

You know, Pick different.

Why not, right?

Yeah, hit me up.

Shoot your shot.

Yeah, shoot your shot.

So many people, like, that's one of my big pieces of style.

I always say, try.

I always say ask.

Because if someone says no, you're in the same exact place as you are right now.

That's how I got into the business, actually, was I graduated, and my first job was not in news.

And I found myself in a job in D.C.

that I just did not love.

It didn't bring me joy.

I clocked in, I clocked out, and I'm like, man, what am I doing?

And I thought, well, I went to school for journalism.

That's what I ended up getting my degree in from Richmond.

And I was like, you know, I grew up watching K10 in.

You know, when I was growing up in Ada, Oklahoma, I was like, why don't I just reach out to them?

And I got online first.

There were no job openings.

And to your point, I was like, so what if they say no?

You know?

And so I emailed directly the news director and the general manager of the station.

I said, my name's Marky.

I grew up watching you.

I know you don't have any job openings right now, but if you ever do in the future, please keep me in mind.

I'm from ada.

Would be an honor to work there.

I got an email that afternoon saying, hey, we actually don't have anything posted, but we're about to have an opening in about three weeks.

Like, could you come?

Interview.

That's amazing.

I was there for an interview about like, a week and a half later.

I was hired on the spot to be.

And doubled down on it because in front of the news director, he was like, well, we have one position coming open for a weekend anchor, and we have a different position coming over for a weekday reporter.

And I said, I want them both.

I want them both.

I'm like, you know, I was like, 20.

What was I, 24 at the time?

I was like, where is this gumption coming from?

Like, it just.

It took over.

I said, I can make both of them work.

And he was like, well, the weekend anchor is here, the weekday reporter.

We need, you know, an hour and a half away in your hometown.

I said, I'll do that during the week, and I'll come back here on the weekend.

And he hired me on the spot.

That's amazing.

And I almost.

Yeah.

And I tell people all the time, because so often we're told, go through the proper channels, send in your resume, tape to the HR department, and then no, you know, for me, it was.

I went straight to the source.

If you've got anything, great.

If not, keep me in mind.

And that was my.

My way in.

That's awesome.

Even if they didn't have something, they will absolutely remember you for reaching out.

As long as you do it with kindness.

Yeah, exactly.

That's awesome.

I think, especially when we think of entrepreneurs, people that have great ideas and want to be an entrepreneur, so many get scared and don't do it.

So, you know, hearing that, sometimes all it takes is one quick message, and boom, you're here because of that.

One quick message and a moment of believing in yourself.

Yeah.

And.

Yeah, taking advantage of it.

What do you do in your spare time?

Your hobbies, outside interests?

Because I know there seem to be a lot of them.

Yoga, Right.

You have your pilot's license.

I do have my pilot's license.

How did.

How do you have time for any and all of these things?

And, like, how do you let them develop and.

And kind of give you a break from the grind of everything?

I've tried to dip my toes into a lot of different hobbies.

My dad got me hooked on flying.

I will admit, having a baby, being pregnant for nine months.

Haven't gotten to fly in a while, so I need to dust my wings back off.

But I've tried a little bit of everything cooking is.

I mean, like I was telling you earlier, watch the Food Network from when I was growing up.

You know who I would like fangirl over?

We.

We have guests all the time on the show, and I'm like, the person I would fangirl over is Ina Garden.

Oh, my gosh.

I would just.

I also grew up watching, like, Food Network, and, yeah, my friends know I love to cook, and I'm good at it.

And most people ask where I learn.

I started watching food network at 12, and I still watch Food Network in.

A time when they actually taught you how to cook things.

Now it's so many competitions, like, how fast can you make a baked Alaska?

12 minutes.

It's like.

Well, I didn't learn anything from that, but I loved cooking.

I learned so much just watching that network growing up.

I love cooking for friends.

I love having family over.

I love long walks with my husband.

I do yoga.

I'm very into working out.

Health and wellness have always been very important to me.

I love reading.

I'm an avid reader, and it's just about.

I think the most challenging thing is just finding the time to fit in a little bit of everything.

Now you kind of have to pick and choose.

As a parent who has a full time job and an abnormal schedule, pick and choose.

But yeah, those are kind of my happy places.

What are you reading right now?

Right now I'm reading Ina Garden's memoir, but also at the same time.

Table for Two by Amor Toles.

Have you read anything by Gentleman in Moscow?

Lincoln Highway, Rules of Civility.

He's just one of my absolute favorites.

So I'm reading Table for Two and it's a collection of short stories that I actually don't ever gravitate to.

I've never picked up a book of short stories and this one, he just knocked it out of the park per usual.

So I'm reading both of those right now.

Are you a reader?

Do you read?

Are you reading anything?

I never ever used to be when younger and now what I read are things.

The things I can get excited about reading are things that are going to help me in my passion.

So whether it's learning how to, I mean so I taught myself how to design websites and to do SEO and I taught originally I taught myself how to design and to sew and to do all of these things.

Those are the things I'll read because it helped me with my passion and get even more passionate about it.

So a lot of like one of my favorite was Atomic Habits.

Oh yes.

That was like, oh my gosh, wait, there are books that could unlock even if you don't take away.

Malcolm Gladwell.

Was it Malcolm Gladwell?

Gladwell's James Clear is Atomic Habits.

Okay.

And like I get the I don't sign up for newsletters.

I'm pretty anti newsletter.

Which is funny because House of Style is going to start sending out a newsletter.

But I subscribe to James Clear every Thursday.

He has this three to one newsletter and it's three quotes from three pieces of advice from him, two quotes from important people and then one question to think about in every single Thursday.

I look forward to getting this into reading it because it's that like extra little bit of motivation.

Entrepreneurship is really hard.

Whether it's starting a podcast or trying to launch, you know, the world's biggest lifestyle brand in House of Style.

It's really hard.

It's a lonely space.

So sometimes all you need is that like one line in a book or a newsletter that gets you there and.

Then that lights your fire.

Exactly.

Totally.

And that's, that's what it is.

And I generally like seen that's what reading does for people.

I also tell a lot of people, you know, younger Folks in the industry will reach out.

You have any advice?

Like, what do you and I.

One of the things I always say is you gotta read more and read a little bit of everything.

But I find, you know, in the chapters of Life, when I've taken a kind of a hiatus from reading for whatever reason, I find I don't have as much to talk about.

You know, like, when you're reading a lot and you're consuming every day from a.

You know, either books that you've been dying to read or just here and there, you know, what's happening in the news, I find myself.

It's easier to connect the dots with people, and you're at a dinner conversation, and conversation just flows because there's more to talk about.

Your vocabulary is richer.

You know, it's just.

It's always one of my biggest pieces of advice to people who are up and coming is read a lot.

And even stuff that you don't think that you're interested in, just because especially in this industry, you never know when you're going to have to pull a little nugget out of absolutely nowhere and start talking about it on air.

Right.

So, yeah, it.

It does a wealth of good.

I think I realized.

I don't know when I realized it, but reading has become more important because I.

I see exactly that.

Like, your ability to pull little tidbits and share them with people is.

It's great in conversation.

Like, it's really important in conversation.

Whether it's podcasts with guests or talking on my own or in business, it's really important to have those experiences and those words when you need them.

And then you say it.

You'll remember the quote and bit.

Yeah.

Bam.

Stop the landing.

Exactly.

Yeah, that's.

And I made it a point.

I think it's really easy as.

As a parent, especially if, you know, my wife's out for dinner or something and I'm watching Aspen and Nora.

Put Nora down.

Aspen isn't like a let's play this fish memory game.

And it's a lot of fun.

You can play that all night.

Yes.

But I have put such an emphasis on reading because I know, like, I wish I was a reader from really young.

So I think that's a great piece of advice.

Yeah.

I'm trying to instill that in my own daughter.

We read every night and I pray that she takes to it like I have.

Yeah.

So I want to talk a little bit about overcoming challenges, whether it's when you first started or trying to.

The path to get to A national show and being an anchor of a national show.

What were some of the challenges that came up and how did you get past them?

Oh, some of the challenges, gosh, I think it's just, you know, earning your stripes along the way takes time.

You know, it takes work day in and day out.

You make big mistakes along the way.

My first live shot ever at K10, I was in the field in Sherman, Texas.

And honestly I don't even remember the story now, but when I tossed back to the news anchor who was also my news director, so boss man, I said, reporting live in the shitty of Sherman, you know, Marky Mark, back to you.

And I was like, oh my gosh, I have been fired, you know, and it was slip of the tongue, obviously.

And my news director, you know, just thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

But on the inside you're like, oh my gosh.

So you have to go to those smaller market to make your mistakes and learn how to do the job and what not to do and, and kind of each step that you make up the ladder, the stakes get a little higher.

So that comes with its own set of pressures.

And sometimes it's easy to succumb to the pressures and the anxiety and oh my gosh, I just stumbled.

And so often it's not about the stumble, it's about how do you pick yourself up in the immediate moment afterwards.

People don't care that you, people don't care that you mess up, but they want to see you recover from it and just either be self deprecating or if it needs an apology, you know, whatever it is.

But they want to see the comeback from the moment.

They don't necessarily care about the mistake itself.

That's the thing.

I was just going to go into a little bit more.

It's.

How do you, I mean, saying shitty of Sherman, shitty of Sherman, that's an easy slip of the tongue.

If you make a mistake on mooring in America, what's your style to like, get back?

It depends what it is.

Like the other day I had just a total like jumbo mumbo of words that came out of my mouth and I just said, you know what, I'm sorry, let me start over.

I haven't had my coffee yet.

You know, and that's my point of.

It's in the immediate aftermath.

Viewers at home are like, hey, me too, we all do that.

You know, she picked herself up, now we're rocking and rolling again.

And they don't think of it.

But when I was younger Man, I'd eat myself alive thinking about, you know, mistakes that I had made.

And now I learned to just.

It's the beautiful thing about news, right?

It's why every day is new is that was an old news cycle.

There have been, you know, 10 other shows since me yesterday morning.

We're not thinking about it anymore.

Each day is a new chance to start over.

Right.

Okay, so speaking of every day being new in news cycles, we're coming up on a very, very important piece of, you know, news cycle.

What is it, I Wonder.

Yeah, in 19 days I heard this thing called an elections happening.

So I have to imagine there's a lot of pressure probably across everybody on News Nation as a whole.

How do you, like, do you feel pressure with an election coming up?

Because, I mean, a lot of eyes are going to be on you probably more than a normal day, normal week, whatever it might be.

How do you deal with that pressure, if you're feeling it at all?

And how do you kind of strike a balance of kind of easing some of the tension that's out there and like remaining true to yourself but delivering this serious news?

Well, I think, you know, and people ask me that every day, how are y'all covering it differently?

And it's like, we're not really covering it differently.

We treat every day as important, as big as the election is, you know, and with every, whether it is a political panel about politics or if it's a political panel about, you know, something else, war, inflation, the economy, we have two sides to every story.

I try to treat both sides with respect.

My goal, you know, often every time is I hope I logged off that interview and people watching at home said, you know what, she interviewed a Republican and a Democrat and I have no idea what she thinks about it, you know, and I think everyone here, that is our mission.

And so I think to just ask the questions and move on with the show.

We let the viewers decide at home.

You just heard from both sides will let you make up your mind about it.

I don't like the commentary.

I'm not a commentary person and so I keep that to myself and.

But yeah, it's a pressure packed next couple weeks for sure, I would imagine.

So do you think other people find dealing with that pressure difficult?

And if so, I'm kind of thinking like speaking to people out there, coming up in, you know, news and media, how do you, how would you suggest that, you know, go about dealing with those sort of pressures, whether it's an election or, you know, whatever the next big story is that they're covering the.

Days that I do have anxiety about.

Oh, my gosh, I have this big interview coming up where it's a huge day altogether because it's easy to succumb to that and kind of shrink in yourself and be like, my gosh, I'm so nervous.

Like, how's this going to go?

And the unknowns play.

And it's really easy to succumb to that.

And I always just tell myself, you know what, Markie?

No matter how this next interview goes, no matter how the show goes as a whole, I get to go home and play with my daughter at, you know, 8:00 this morning, and I get to see my husband and he.

And I get to cook dinner on Friday.

You know, it's.

I put it into perspective of, you know, no matter how it goes, I have a beautiful family at home who.

That's number one.

And everything else I can deal with, you know, I can pick up the pieces.

And so that's kind of the story that I tell myself on the inside on a nervous day or a big day is, it's all gonna be good, right?

It's gonna be okay.

Yeah.

It's a healthy outlook.

I think it's great to use family, something that you find grounding as part of your style, to deliver and to be more successful in whatever it is that you're doing.

And so that's.

It's always nice to hear, like, using your family as a way to kind of say, it's all going to be okay.

Yeah, they're my anchor.

Yeah.

Yeah.

If you could go back and give your younger self advice, what would it be?

Oh, gosh.

In regards to career.

Yeah.

I'd probably say don't take yourself so seriously.

There are some.

Those first years in this industry where, like I was saying earlier, you think there's a role you need to fill.

You think you have to have, you know, the boxy blazer on that makes you seem older than you are.

You know, it's like, no, you're 22 years old.

You know, you can be 22 years old, you know, but so.

And I would tell myself to just enjoy.

It's all going to be okay.

Be who you are.

I feel like I do a really good job now of sharing myself.

I wish I had started that sooner.

I love that.

And that is what I preach is being yourself.

And I think the moment you get out of school and the moment you get your first job, you should be yourself.

But I'm wondering if it is different in news and media, if you have to.

You know, you talked about earning your stripes.

Is it different?

Do you have to act a little more serious early on, or do you think people would actually prefer more personality when you're younger?

Yeah, I think it depends on the stories that you're covering.

Sure.

Like if your beat is, I'm at the courthouse every day or I'm at the Supreme Court every.

You know.

You know, you have to be more serious.

It's just, I think content dictates tone there for sure.

Also, with social media, who are you online?

Because how people see you online, they have a hard time separating the two.

I see people in this industry all the time where it's like, okay, I see you reporting on this, you know, serious topic, whatever it might be, but I've seen how you spent your weekend, you know, and it's a tricky.

Right.

It's a tricky thing to share because we're in an age where everyone shares everything.

And so I always tell people, too, to be careful with.

With what you share online, because especially in this industry, with eyeballs.

Oh, yeah.

It's hard to unsee some things when you're getting information from.

That is really.

I probably haven't thought about this.

Like, the way they see you online.

They'll think about that while you're on air.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Very interesting.

Yeah, it's a lot of pressure for.

Even more pressure for socials and even.

I mean, just wardrobe.

Right.

I mean, not even behavior that you're sharing, but just wardrobe, too.

It's.

Yeah, it's.

It's a thing that I have been very cognizant of for a long time, how you present yourself online.

Thankfully, I'm kind of like, boring outside of work, so it's like me and my stroller walks and my coffee walks with my husband.

So that didn't really get me into much trouble.

But that is one of my biggest pieces of advice is just be careful.

I mean, and it makes me sound like a mom.

Like, be careful what you put on the Instagrams.

But it's true.

It's hard to separate who you see online from who you see on tv.

That's a great point.

Kind of looking ahead, how do you see your style evolving and where.

I mean, I assume you want to do Morning America for a long time, and you're amazing at it, so you should.

Thank you.

Are there big goals you still have?

I mean, because this is.

This is pretty big.

Yeah, this is.

It's huge.

It's huge.

It's nothing that I ever had on my radar.

Ever, Ever.

I never.

My boss knows this.

He and I have had this conversation.

I've given talks about this.

I never wanted to be in cable news because forever I turned on the TV to all sorts of different networks, and it was screaming and it was yelling, and it's politics, and you didn't let that side talk.

And I was like, man, this is too much.

And so it was never on my radar.

And my agent called me one day.

I had taken a leap of faith from my station in Oklahoma City.

And I was at PH with my dinner one night, and his name's Mort.

My agent, Mort calls, and I'm like, oh, boy.

And my husband goes, answer it right now.

Because we won't get through the rest of this dinner with, you know, without you.

Like, what is it?

An offer?

What's it?

And so I picked up the phone.

He goes, hear me out.

And I go, oh, God.

You know, like, great start, Great start.

And it was this.

And it obviously hadn't come to fruition yet.

And I took that phone call outside of a pho restaurant in Dallas, and I.

Over the phone, I was sold, which surprised me, because I was like, don't shop me out to network.

We're not going to do it local.

I want to be local.

I have a complete adoration for local news.

And I was sold.

And I was in an interview a couple of weeks later, and they were like.

The first one was virtual.

They were like, can we do it over zoom?

And I was like, what's zoom?

Like what?

Skype?

Like, don't we use Skype?

And then a week later, the pandemic hit, and zoom was the way of the world.

So this was never even on my radar, but I believe in the mission so much and being fair, and people don't want to be talked at and told what to think.

And so I believe in it so much that I came here, and it's been the greatest.

It's just been the greatest.

And this is huge.

This stop for me.

Yeah, that's awesome.

And I think that's what resonated so much for me about News Nation was just that it wasn't everybody screaming at each other.

And at least when there are guests that are screaming at each other, I.

Dip out real quick.

I just end it real quick.

Yeah, I don't do the yelling.

But, like, the.

The Cuomo and the Dan Abrams, they have some testy guests fairly often.

I think their way of handling every single side of it is admirable.

And I like it.

That's what keeps me watching.

And that's exactly kind of why I started House of Style.

So we're going to be talking about this more over a handful of episodes.

But the point of House of Style isn't just full stop at a podcast in a blog.

It's we're going to be creating an enormous physical shopping center that has retail and hospitality and entertainment and media and a live podcast.

And there's so many aspects to it I never done before.

Creative Suite.

I can't wait to see it.

Because it won't be an if, it'll be a when.

And the other.

I'm trying to change the way people shop.

We're introducing this thing called looks based shopping.

So instead of when you go online to any department store or store right now, you click these individual products and you see a bunch of ads and they tell you what you should wear.

I am going to flip it and we are going to show fully curated outfits that will be personalized for everyone that comes on.

Cool.

So when you go on, it's going to be different than what Parsons will see when she's older.

And you can click that whole outfit and shop that entire outfit and let people have the choice.

And it was the same thing with the content that we put out there.

Let people have a choice.

And with all those experiences.

I say when I first told my wife about House of Style and our future physical locations that will be called the Style House because I want to be done with fashion houses, we're introducing style houses.

I like it.

When I first told her, she was like, but why would I want to do all those things?

She's like, I don't want to talk to anybody.

She's like, I want to be in, I want to be out.

That's it.

I was like, you can have that experience.

You can have whatever experience you want to have.

And that's, I think, why I like NewsNation so much is you can think whatever you want.

You can hear all sides of it.

You're presented with all the information and you get to pick.

You get to choose.

Yeah.

And every show is a little different.

Every host is a little different here.

I have also a complete adoration for all my colleagues too.

But you watch me in the morning.

I tried to bring the happy some more uplifting stories.

I'm currently working.

You asked me some goals.

I'm currently working on bringing in some more franchise pieces to the show.

I have a new Mama Said so segment where we bring in moms Podcasters, pediatricians, you name it.

To talk about mom stuff.

Cause how many moms at home are like, thank you, me too.

You know, the dose of happy, that kind of thing.

But, you know, and then you watch my colleague Ashley Banfield at night, who's almost all true crime, and the guests that she gets who talks to talk to her about the cases of the day.

I mean, it's just so everybody offer.

Everybody here, everybody has such a different superpower.

Yeah.

And they've really let us kind of foster that and create our shows in the ways that we see best reflect ourselves and.

But everyone is so different and offers something different to the audience.

Yeah.

That's really fun.

Yeah.

How would you define your personal style in three words?

Oh, three words.

I know this is tough.

Only three words.

I feel like I have to, like, explain myself.

Three words.

And then you can explain yourself, like.

Masculine, chic, masculine, and, I don't know, badass.

Can I say badass?

Yes, you can absolutely say badass.

You absolutely can.

My thinking.

And you and I have talked about this.

Any, like, masculine piece is a great blazer or a trouser or a combat boot.

Like, when I walk in, I'm like, I'm the girl, you know?

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

It makes me feel empowered.

So, yeah, I'd probably say that.

Chic.

Chic.

Masculine.

Badass.

Badass.

Yeah.

One word.

Badass.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So then from.

Would you agree?

I don't know.

What do you think?

From afar, how would you.

I think that's a solid.

I think that's really.

I mean, what you see on air, I think is a little different.

I think if you see on Socials, you'd see a little bit more of the badass side because, like, morning and way more casual.

It's not.

I went morning in America isn't badass.

Right.

In a different kind of way.

Yeah.

Complete.

It's a badass show.

Yeah.

There we go.

Maybe casual.

Casual would also be good.

You know, I am kind of outside of here.

I'm a casual athleisure sport.

I'm also sporty.

I don't know.

Three words, Grant.

I know, I know.

Three makes it hard.

Five would be a lot easier.

But that's the whole point of three.

What about.

What is your style in life and beyond clothes?

I would just say kind.

That's the word.

I always.

Boom.

It's kind of one of those things where it's like, everyone says, I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm a kind person.

Awesome.

And I try to show that in every interaction.

And you know who's really good?

My father is just the king of if he is with you, it doesn't matter who you are, you have his full attention.

That's cool.

And I've watched that my whole life.

And it doesn't matter who it is, if I'm with you, I want you to walk away being like, man, she really heard me.

You know, we had a conversation.

She cared.

She asked me how I was doing.

No one else has asked me how I've been doing today, but she did.

You know, I think that because to your point that you made earlier, man, do people not forget the way you made them feel?

And you don't often get second chances to redo it.

I love that.

That's awesome.

Well, that wraps up our incredible conversation with the one and only Marky Martin.

And what an absolute pleasure this was to go into the journey and to be here on the set of the show I get to watch every single morning.

We explored how Markie stays authentic on camera, connects so genuinely with her viewers and maintains that energy even during high pressure times or being a new mom.

Her take on style and the insights on how to use it, how to use kindness, all of that to be more successful, to live a more fulfilling life.

They're a great example of style that goes beyond clothing and how important it is to be kind.

A huge thank you to Marky for sharing your story and wisdom and infectious enthusiasm for all that you do.

Thanks for having me.

It's an honor, everybody.

Please be sure to catch her on News nations morning in America each weekday to experience the greatness that I've been talking about.

And you can and should also follow her on social medias to keep up with the latest adventures and adorable photos of Parsons.

If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to, like, subscribe and share it with your friends and family.

We'd also love to hear your thoughts.

So please rate and review this because this is fun and awesome and we want to keep doing it for a long time.

So thank you very much.

And this is House of Style.

And just remember, style isn't in your wardrobe, it's in.