JOAN LUNDEN: MASTER CHANGE AGENT

By Jackie Pantaliano

Quality, heart and class. If an opportunity doesn’t possess these attributes, it won’t pass muster with Joan Lunden. No coincidence there, since this energetic and radiant 57-year-old embodies the very same traits.

As the 17-year anchor of Good Morning America, Lunden was named “Television’s Favorite Morning Anchor” by an Entertainment Weekly viewer poll. And perhaps even more impressive she’s the record-holder for the longest-running morning news host ever.

In the decade since leaving GMA in 1997, Lunden has repeatedly reinvented herself personally and professionally and shows no signs of slowing down.

“I’m all about reinvention,” says Lunden, who adds that “change is inevitable, particularly for women. You need to play the hand you’re dealt while planning ahead for obvious life changes such as your children leaving for college.” According to Lunden, “this transition is when you should follow a new path and seek your passion. Too many women are unnecessarily blindsided by the empty nest.”

Lunden speaks from experience, having ended a 14-year marriage to Michael Krauss in 1992. The couple’s three daughters: Jamie, Lindsay and Sarah, are now 26, 24 and 18, respectively. Then, no longer in the career role that defined her, and a newly single mom, Lunden forged ahead.

She subsequently produced and hosted several TV specials. (Her coverage of the Armed Forces earned her the Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the highest civilian honor). She also took this time to write “A Bend in the Road is Not the End of the Road” and “Wake Up Calls: Making the Most Out of Every Day (Regardless of What Life Throws You). “

In 2000, the same year she wrote “Wake Up Calls,” Lunden married Jeff Konigsberg, a never-married owner of children’s summer camps. Noting that Konigsberg is ten years her junior, Lunden jokes that at age 29 she married a 39-year-old (her first husband) and at 49, she married a 39-year-old! For Lunden and increasingly more couples, the older woman/younger man scenario makes sense since women not only outlive men, but typically peak later sexually. In 2003, the couple welcomed twins Max and Katie into their lives. The twins were delivered by surrogate mom Deborah Bolig, who has children of her own, and remains a positive presence in the Lunden-Konigsberg family. In fact, all went so well, that Bolig was again a surrogate for the birth of Kimberly and Jack in 2005, making then 54-year-old Lunden the mother of 7.

Lunden says her stamina comes from working out, eating healthy and seeking help. “You have to prioritize, understanding you really can’t do it all,” she explains. “Women who work outside the home still do far too many household chores. We’re natural caretakers, but we’ve got to let up on housework, or we’ll become crabby lunatics who don’t want sex and are filled with resentments. We have to help our family members embrace responsibilities, or hire help,” she advises.

One of Lunden’s largest concerns regarding overburdened women is our health. “While we’d never dream of missing a child’s routine doctor appointments, we regularly miss ours,” she says. “Our health is the only way to control our destiny. We need to put ourselves first, not last. When afraid of bad news we also tend to go into denial about seeing doctors.” Lunden additionally sees fear impacting women from making other decisions, admitting that she stayed in her own first marriage too long. “Fear holds us back from making changes--until we reach a crisis.”

One of Lunden’s own crises came during a GMA show displaying an American Heart Association quiz which Lunden failed. Almost 39, she was determined to become healthy by 40 to be around for her family. She hired experts to help her revamp, by going to the gym, playing more and eating better. Lunden encourages women to “recruit a friend, see your doctor, hire a career coach. Women’s organizations and online sources are abundant, including business incubators to help women start new ventures.” Through her TV specials, speaking appearances, books, and even a summer camp for women, Lunden sees herself as a motivational catalyst to “kick women in the tush!”

Last summer, as part of her “kick-butt” mission, Lunden launched Camp Reveille in Maine which will be repeated this August (www.campreveille.com). “It’s not a spa or boot camp, but a life wake-up call.” While certain group activities are required, there are numerous choices, including simply relaxing. Last summer, 108 women between ages 29 and 75 played archery, made jewelry, held campfires, told ghost-stories, ran relay races, heard inspiring speakers, took tai chi, yoga, power walks, a scenic cruise and more. Others challenged themselves on a climbing wall.

Through her camp and other ventures, Lunden advises women to “take risks. If you want to learn how to play, find out how to put yourself on the playing field. Take an active role.”