Extras From Eden
Allow natural beauty to shine:
“I’ve realized I have too much to do without taking time for makeup and hair. It’s boring to see people who look alike all the time. If you allow your natural beauty to come through, you look unique. Plus, when I do put on a little makeup, it’s special.”
Use authority effectively:
“I am respectful to colleagues, so they are respectful to me. If you stay calm, things get done faster. Because I don’t raise my voice all the time, when I do, people take notice.”
Save, live within your means, and be thankful:
"Despite the recession, my family has a roof over our heads, my husband and I currently have jobs, and we've socked away a little money in the event that things take a turn for the worse. We generally don't live beyond our means, and we never have."
Express Yourself
September 2009
Eden Pontz
Executive Producer
CNN New York
Where does a busy executive let loose? The Internet. Meet Eden Pontz — Executive Producer of CNN's New York bureau — and blogging mommy.
On the NYC Moms Blog, women enter the world of Eden as she dishes out humorous anecdotes, sentimental memories, and other motherhood musings. The blog is not only fun for readers, it serves as Eden's creative outlet. "It's a good way for me to work things out that I'm doing wrong in my life and realize I'm not perfect, but other women out there relate to me."
Before you hear the news on television, the reporters' scripts must pass through Eden. "I remember being nervous, worried that the reporters wouldn't like my suggestions and changes." Now she's comfortable with the authority of her job, realizing that holding back criticism means the best possible work won't be produced in the long run.
Eden seems to have mastered authority, wisely choosing her battles at both work and at home. Writing about squabbling with her daughter to brush her teeth, she concluded the blog titled "Love and Toothpaste" with an unforgettable truth: "When you love someone, sometimes you have to retreat in order to advance." Beautiful words remind us that even mothers must surrender a battle or two to successfully parent a child.
In times of heavy breaking news, Eden may work 16-hour days, six days a week. "I get about 600 emails a day," she laughs. This extremely demanding schedule might scare off some women, but it does not intimidate Eden. "When news breaks there's an adrenaline rush. You become completely entwined in what you're doing... if you love what you do, your days fly by."
How does she keep her energy up through it all? "People are amazed I don't drink coffee. Instead, I like to carry around a cup of ice." Eden has genetics to thank for her stamina, as well as caffeine from the occasional chocolate-fix. In her spare time she tries out new recipes from her ever-expanding cookbook collection. Most importantly, she laughs at herself on a regular basis.
Eden's sense of humor shines through in her blog, and is a quality she's always used to her advantage. Eden moonlighted as an improvisational comedian for nine years while living in Los Angeles and London. "I even laugh out loud at work. If I don't take myself too seriously I will stay grounded... good improv comedy forces you to give up control, and you can apply this in your job."
Reported by Tyler Mitter