Nancy O’Dell Hopes to Set An Example For Ashby
 Ben Dome/Pacific Coast News |
When Nancy O’Dell headed back to her co-hosting responsibilities on Access Hollywood after a three-month maternity leave, she did so with her daughter Ashby Grace in mind. “I’ve always wanted Ashby to have an example of a working mom,” she tells Working Mother.
And Nancy did just that, often bringing along baby girl for the ride. In fact, she notes, the mother-daughter duo have never been separated for more than three days — turning Ashby into quite the worldly traveler! “She starts taking off her shoes and putting [them in] the bin to place on the security belt,” Nancy laughs.
Last year, when she approached her husband Keith Zubchevich about taking her career in a new direction, she was told to follow her heart. With her family in mind, she realized it was time to search for greener pastures.
“[He said,] ‘You need to live in the moment — regardless of whatever decision you make,’” she recalls. “Otherwise you’re not enjoying anything you do and you’re always worrying about what you didn’t do.’”
Publicly announcing her exit from Access Hollywood in December after a 13-year run with the show, Nancy calls the move the “toughest decision” she has had to make. “I had been at the show since day one and it was time to graduate,” she explains.
As she considers future endeavors in TV and entertainment journalism — and manages her new outdoor furniture line, appropriately titled Red Carpet by Nancy O’Dell — the hands-on mom is soaking up time with her “hilarious” 2 ½-year-old as she relives her childhood vicariously through Ashby.
“Everything is fun again — the Disney princess movies and all,” she notes.
Click below to read about Ashby’s relationship with her brothers and Nancy’s with her own mom.
And when it comes to Ashby’s budding personality, Nancy says her girl knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to share it with the world — or in her case, her two brothers Tyler, 14, and Carson, 10!
“She’s very independent — she’ll say to her older brothers: ‘Tyler, don’t look at me’ and turn over and say, ‘Carson, don’t speak to me!’”
Open about her relationship with her late mother — who suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease — Nancy is determined to share the same close-knit bond with her own daughter. “I’ve never felt a time in my life where I didn’t think she would be there for me, or doubt that she loved me,” Nancy reveals.
As a result, if forced to choose between her family and her career, Ashby is first and foremost — always.
“If you need to give up anything, it needs to be the other stuff because jobs will come and go, but your family will always be there. Just make sure that’s always your priority and everything else will fall in place.”
Source: Working Mother
– Anya
