Celebrity Chef Cat Cora Shares How She Fights Stress and Stays Joyful as a Busy Mom of 6 (EXCLUSIVE)
Since she was a little girl growing up in a Greek household in Jackson, Mississippi, Cat Cora was always surrounded by strong women and delicious food.
Now, Cora is a world-renowned chef, author, restaurateur, TV personality and health expert who has been captivating audiences since she made her TV debut in 1999 as cohost of the Food Network’s Melting Pot. She then used her knowledge and knack for creating delicious meals to host My Country, My Kitchen: Greece, and she's proud to say that she holds a series of “firsts” for women in the culinary industry, including being the first female Iron Chef on the Food Network’s hit show Iron Chef America.
On top of all those achievements, Cora is also a hardworking mom of six boys. The accomplished chef, who appears on the cover of our new issue (click through to buy a copy!) maintains a joyful attitude inside and outside of the kitchen. Here, Cora sat down with Woman's World for an intimate Q&A — see what she has to say about being a mom, bouncing back from stress, prioritizing self-care and more.
Woman’s World (WW): You have quite the accomplished resume – which achievement brings you the most pride?
Cat Cora: Number one for me is being a mother. I always wanted to be a mother since I was a little girl, and having six teenage boys is a huge honor for me.
The tipping point in my career was becoming an Iron Chef. As an Iron Chef, I was able to inspire so many women and young girls, and that has been one of the things I’ve been most proud of. I worked tirelessly, was at the top of my class and was able to inspire others, which has been a highlight of my career.
@catcora/Instagram
WW: What difficulties have you had to overcome in your professional or personal life?
Cat Cora: Being able to come in and break down barriers in the culinary field for women was definitely not easy. But more recently my personal life has been a roller coaster. The last big challenge was having to go back and get custody of my sons from my ex. That was also heartbreaking. But thank God I was capable of doing that.
For women who think they can’t overcome a challenge — you can do anything. I represented myself; I went and did the work. It was a bittersweet challenge one year ago last July. But the boys are thriving and we’re doing a lot of healing. I was so overwhelmed, and it was so challenging but necessary.
WW: Where do you get your self-confidence and drive?
Cat Cora: I was raised in a feminine household in Jackson, Mississippi. My dad was also a feminist. My mom was an air force brat and lived all over the world. When I was in high school, she went back to school and got a doctorate in nursing at a time when that just wasn’t done very often.
My grandmother was also a very strong role model who told me to know my value, to know my worth. And that really helped me. Some of the different challenges gave me a fire that I was going to be the best that I could be. I was going to go out there and follow my dreams. It’s about not letting yourself stop short and continuing to follow through with those dreams.
I always tell my kids to think as big as you possibly can and then go from there. Don’t sell yourself short. Just keep going and see how far you can get.
@catcora/Instagram
WW: How do you overcome stressful moments?
Cat Cora: We all handle stress differently. I look at it as a learning and teaching moment for my kids and their growth, so I try to look at everything — even when I’m going through the worst moments in my life — and look at what is positive, what can I find from this, how can I grow from his, how can I get this behind me and move forward with a new day.
I do pray a lot and it really gets me through some hard times. I’ve always been an eternal optimist. My mom and family were always telling me to pull yourself up, today’s a new day. That’s what I say in my kitchen — every day is a new day.
WW: What are some of your preferred self-care strategies?
Cat Cora: For me, exercise is number one. I do a lot of meditation too. I’ve been into health and wellness since I was 18 years old. Meditation is a form of mental exercise, and I try to do between 10 and 20 minutes a day.
I love Deepak Chopra and the way he leads meditation. I do his meditations online. I just love his voice. But there are so many different, wonderful meditations out there. For physical movement, I do a little of everything in exercise. Whether it’s cycling or getting on the elliptical, walking or going to CrossFit class, yoga class or even doing yoga at home.
You don’t have to sign up for classes that are expensive; there are so many classes on the internet that you can do right in your own living room. Staying moving and active has helped me with my mental health; it’s helped me shoulder the challenges that come at me every single day.
@catcora/Instagram
Another thing I do to relax is read. I’ve always been a voracious reader, especially of random thrillers. It’s so mindless for me. I love James Patterson books. My mother-in-law is also a voracious reader so she always gives me her hand-me-down books.
WW: Do you have other creative outlets?
Cat Cora: I love to paint. Sometimes it takes me six months to finish a painting. I’ve probably painted 15 to 20 really great paintings. Right now, I’m working on a very, very large painting using oils. I don’t sell them. It’s just so satisfying to me. It’s a wonderful creative outlet. My paintings are very different and if I have an inspiration, I either start sketching it first or writing about it and then I get my paints out and it takes me wherever. It’s a beautiful path because I get lost in it and it takes me away from the challenges of life, which can be savage.
@catcora/Instagram
WW: What excites you most about the years ahead?
Cat Cora: Continuing to follow my dreams and be behind the camera a lot more. Being able to still do what I love to do. Having all my children in college, being successful and happy. And having some time to age gracefully.
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