by Ginger Zee
Starting that day, we rehearsed four to seven hours every single day. The physical work for DWTS is intense, but the mental work was even tougher. With the new baby at home, I went back to work one week before the premiere of DWTS. The plan was for me to fly to Los Angeles late on Saturdays so I could be with the baby as much as possible. Then I’d do camera blocking and prep on Sunday, do the show Monday, and fly back Tuesday morning to make it back for GMA and World News Wednesday through Friday. The schedule was intense. I would do GMA, rehearse with Val, do World News, get a few hours of sleep, and do it all over again. Any free moment I had was spent with Adrian and Ben, and as wild as it sounds, I feel like this unchained schedule was great for me. I was forced to do something I had never been able to do in my life: live in the moment. I became extremely focused and present in my own life. When I was with the baby, I never picked up the phone to text or e-mail. When I was with Val, I was taking in every ounce of instruction and advice he had for me. This focus spilled over to my husband and my “day job” as well, and as crazy as that period of life was, it was equally as exhilarating. I have learned in life that being busy is all relative. For me, it’s just what you bring to your schedule, your choices, and your life that makes the difference.
Val is a great friend to this day. What most people see on TV is a hot guy with his shirt off, but I am here to tell you he is ferociously talented well beyond his dancing ability. He is a poet, a rapper, a violinist, and a creative force who loves inspiring young people and giving back to the community. As awesome as he is, he has a distinct style of teaching that I am not sure I could have handled at any other point in my life.
Val and I were always buddies off the dance floor, but the moment I stepped on that floor I had to be ready to work. I am obsessed with commitment, so our dynamic was harmonious. If you are lucky enough to get Val as your partner, you better know how to take criticism and not break under pressure. Using the tools Dr. Wilson taught me, I would block any emotion I thought he felt and stay in my own lane doing the best I possibly could. At a certain point, Val asked why I didn’t react when he was coaching strictly. I told him about the relationships I had been in, the tools I had learned, and the beauty of timing. Had I done this show five years before, I would not have been able to handle Val. First of all, I probably would have flirted with him. Second, I would have broken down into a puddly mess of low self-esteem any time he critiqued me.
Whenever Val and I were about to step out on the dance floor, he would take my hand and say, “When are you ever going to get to do this? Look at this ballroom. Hundreds of people will be filling this room tonight to watch you. Millions will be watching at home. So few people get the chance to do this—don’t take it for granted and don’t forget to be grateful. Dance with gratitude.”
Val did this on our first show and I had an epiphany. Gratitude was the simple word for what had changed in my life. It’s the feeling I got when Adrian was born. The feeling I have for Dickhead despite how he hurt us; the feeling I have for my fruit-chucking mom; the feeling I have for Valerie, Sheree, and all the mean viewers over the years. The overwhelming feeling I have for my husband, Ben. But most importantly, I am grateful for myself, and I am proud of all that I have gone through and of the woman I have become. I am grateful for life and want to pass it on.
And that’s the point, I guess. Being grateful for it all, good and bad, because it got me to where I am now. It’s not the annoying hashtag #blessed, either. It’s authentic, deep, from my toenails to the top of my head; gratitude for all the unbelievable experiences I’ve had in my life so far. I can’t put into words how grateful I am for Dr. Wilson and his brilliance in finally breaking my decades-long self-hate and depression. He freed me from my own mental prison, and every day the sun looks brighter, thanks to him.
Brad thought I should call this book For All the Girls Who Dream, You’ll Find Yourself in You.
And isn’t that the truth? From my little-Dutch-boy haircut to the rock-and-roll hair fiasco in Chicago, at every job I get, they always want to put their mark on me—change my hair or clothing to make me what they think I should be. I always go along with it because that is part of the gig, but within a year, I always come back to the same cut and color, the same style of clothing. I come back to me. It’s strange that hair has been a metaphor for life here, but there it is.
I know life isn’t always going to be this bright and shiny, because I have seen the other side. But now I have the tools to deal with whatever life brings me. I will never allow myself to be mistreated again. I will bask in this sunshine and never let go of my stormy days. I am a natural disaster, and that’s okay. And if you are too, congratulations. You can be a natural disaster, but you must do it responsibly. The impulsiveness, the messiness, the constant yearning for bigger and better; those can be good qualities. Embrace them, and treat others with respect, but above all, respect yourself. Saying yes is almost always the right move, but knowing your value and knowing when to say no can take a natural disaster to the next level. Much like the storms I cover, those natural disasters have purpose, and eventually gratitude can be found within each. Now I know how to be a natural disaster with gratitude.
If anyone reading this is struggling with depression, please ask for help. We all have people who love us and we all have the ability to raise our hand and say, “I am not okay.” It may seem like the worst idea right now, but please do it. You are worth it and this moment will pass. Life is bright and so worth living. Whether you just need a friend to talk to or need to check yourself into a hospital to get a fresh start and some serious therapy, there is no harm nor embarrassment in either. There are so many forms of depression so by no means do I think this covers even the start of mental illness, but it is my story and I am lucky to be here to tell it. This story is so difficult to end, because I know it isn’t finished. I have so much more left to become grateful for, and I’m looking forward to it all.
This is the part of the book where I get to thank everyone. Especially the people who have consistently said, “I can’t believe I’m not in your book.”
Thank you to my mom for always letting me tell your stories, knowing that my heart is full of all love and respect for you. My stepdad, Carl, for keeping our family mentally healthy. My dad, and all my sisters and brothers: Sean, Bridget, and Walter Zuidgeest, and Adrianna and Elaina Craft.
Thank you to Wendy Lefkon and Lisa Alden for guiding me through the publishing process.
Thank you Sam Wnek, my producer of four years, friend of six, and best phone-holding, picture-taking meteorologist out there. Thanks to the team I’ve had the honor of working with behind the scenes, too—Max Golembo, Melissa Griffen, Dan Peck, and Dan Manzo.
To my lifelong friends Alysha Kirkwood, Liz Neeley, Kelley Iuele, and Lindsey Savickas, for being the best band of friends ever since we were thirteen, and seeing me through all these messes.
To Cindi Poll, my neighbor and first boss at the country club where I learned how to work harder than I ever imagined. Cindi gave me confidence and opportunity to grow my social skills that have carried me throughout life.
To my many mentors, including James Spann, Colleen Pierson, Peter Chan, Tom Skilling, and John Knox.
To James Goldston, current president of ABC News, thank you for the unbelievable opportunities to travel the world with drones, bringing people to places few have ever seen. So much left to come.
Francesco Bilotto, a friend I met in an odd coincidence on the same day I met Ben. He would from that day on help me turn my sense of design and my physical surroundings from “lesbian dorm room” into “glamorous New York City meteorologist.” He claims that transition is responsible for my husband’s interest in me, because has he says, “No one wants to marry a little piggy.”
Lisa Hayes, Juanita Townsend, and Jamie Salazar, who have been my glam team, keeping me looking sharp even on those mornings I most definitely am not.
My agents Jay Sures, Andrew Lear, Paul Fedorko, and R
ick Ramage.
My coworkers behind the scenes and on the air—Michael Strahan, Amy Robach, George Stephanolous, Lara Spencer, and especially Robin Roberts, who has been a mentor and the most generous coworker and friend.
My son, Adrian, who I guess will someday read this. I want him to know how he changed my life forever in the best possible way.
To my husband’s family—Janis, Mark, Randy, Ernie, Traci, Cameron, Jennifer, and Ella—thank you for accepting me as one of your own.
Most of all, thank you to my husband, Ben Colonomos. I know no other man that could read about his wife’s past, enjoy it, and help her edit it.
Ginger Zee is the chief meteorologist at ABC News. You see her covering the nation’s weather headlines on Good Morning America and across all ABC News broadcasts and digital platforms. She also hosts an ABC News original digital series, Food Forecast, focused on climate and its impact on agriculture.
Ginger has covered almost every major weather event and dozens of historic storms for the past fifteen years—from Hurricane Katrina to Hurricane Sandy; from the Colorado floods and wildfires to the aftermath of tornadoes all over the nation, but most memorably those in Moore and El Reno, Oklahoma; and from blizzards in Boston to record-breaking heat in Death Valley. She not only shares her passion for meteorology but, more important, presents the human side of these storms.
Having storm-chased since college, Ginger has a genuine passion for the atmosphere and a dedication to getting young people interested in science. She lends her voice to Dr. Zephyr Skye, the storm-chasing alien of Disney Junior’s hit show Miles from Tomorrowland. Additionally, Ginger and her husband, Ben Aaron, star in Renovation Realities: Ben and Ginger on DIY Network.
The Emmy Award–winning meteorologist attended Valparaiso University and holds a bachelor of science degree in meteorology. She served as an adjunct professor at her alma mater from 2008 to 2011. Ginger also holds the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist seal from the American Meteorological Society.
She resides in New York City with her husband and son.