Adding An Additional Title To My Bio
Well it's official! This week I will be adding an additional title to my bio... TWIN MOM!
As a kid I always dreamed of being a talk show host, yet also had the desire to one day be a mother. I am so thankful we live in a time, where I can do both! Having started my show at 23 years old, I feel most of my viewers have grown up with me. You've seen me through going from online to prime time, getting married, our first Emmy Nomination and now twins! I could not be more thankful for my support group... YOU!
This blog is an exclusive look at my journey to motherhood and the questions I've been asked along the way.
Photo: Andrea Plecko, Chicago Andrea Creative/ Hair: Kristen LaMorte, Robert Jeffrey Salon Wicker Park/ Makeup: Lillian Toma, Starlight.
FAQ-
- Twins, do they run in your family? YES- my maternal grandfather's mother was a twin, my maternal grandmother was a twin and my paternal grandmother had twins. #DESTINED
- Fraternal or Identical? We are having fraternal boy/girl twins
- Biggest Struggle With Pregnancy? The first trimester you just hope and pray all is well. Pregnancy is a true test of faith.
- When did you know you were pregnant? Right before the holidays. We found out with twins, after the New Year.
- City or Burb family? We are staying in the city! Last year we bought a house in Lakeview and decided to plant our roots in the city.
- Twin Names? Boy- David Acheson Heiner III "Acher" and Marlowe McKinley Heiner.
- Maternity Leave? I will be taking a few months off in between seasons.
- Nursery Theme? Noah's Ark "And Two By Two They Came."
- Biggest Craving? Starbucks Bacon Gouda! I've had it every morning for 9 months
- Best Parenting Advice? It will all be okay!
- Mommy Van or SUV? I guess you could say a mix... The Volvo V60, Station Wagon
These last nine months have grown me immensely (In more ways than one LOL) and I look forward to what this week brings. Thank you again for all the encouragement and support. The best is truly yet to come.
To stay up to date with our journey follow us: TWITTER- @WhitneyReynolds/ INSTAGRAM- @Whitney_Reynolds/ FACEBOOK @Whitney Reynolds- The Whitney Reynolds Show on PBS.
Kicking Off Season 6 with Sex Trafficking
It is such an honor to be entering another season. It's hard to believe this is our 6th season on PBS. We start airing here in Chicago, Monday April 25th on Lakeshore PBS at 6:30 PM and in our second market on WQPT, The Quad Cities in June.
Since we launched on PBS back in 2013 we have been a show dedicated to provoking positive change through tough topics. We want to talk about issues that other programs don't talk about or stay away from. The truth is each topic we present is a real issue that you or someone you know has or will go through. Even though it can be tough to hear, we always leave the viewers with hope and solutions.
With that being said, we are kicking off Season 6 with "Sex Trafficking." This topic might seem out there for you, but what would you think if I told you, this could be happening in your own backyard. The truth is- Sex Trafficking is happening everywhere and it's time you know the facts.
Commander William Leen with The Cook County Sheriff's Police Department (picture above) explains the different forms it comes in. He also informs us on how social media is changing the scope of this crime.
Our lineup includes Pilar Dunning with "The Salvation Army's Stop It" Program, Caleb Probst with CAASE and Chris Baker from Ink 180. Every guests has a unique story that I can't wait for you to hear. Sex Trafficking comes in many forms and it's time we know how we can help stop this issue.
If you or someone you know is dealing with this issue CLICK THE CONTACT US PAGE and we will connect you with people to help.
Don't forget to watch EVERY Monday night on Lakeshore PBS at 6:30. Our season includes-
- Sex Trafficking
- Life and Laughter
- Women Entrepreneurs
- Open Adoption
- Coaching Off The Court
- Following You Intuition
Surviving a Hurricane, Cancer and Homelessness
It’s been another incredible week at the Whitney Reynold’s show! On our last show we spoke with some amazing individuals who taught us that you can be the change this world needs if you just step up and try! Don’t forget: If you missed the episode you can catch it again on Sundays at 10:30 AM.
Our first guest on our show Survivor is Jaspen Boothe. She's a woman who, throughout all adversity, has remained strong. She survived Hurricane Katerina along with a vicious bout with cancer. As the creator of The Final Salute she has dedicated her life to helping veterans such as herself to find proper housing and employment after service.
Survival expert and professional stunt person, Ky Furneaux, will be telling us all about her thrilling career of performing stunts and may even give us some useful survival tips! Ky has appeared in over 80 films and tv productions including: The Avengers, Thor, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Talk about girl power! This survivor found her passions after almost completely loosing her mobility due to an injury she sustained from a horrible car crash. After a year of intense physical therapy she was back up and moving better than ever. She decided nothing was going to keep her from doing what she loved.
For all of you Survivor fans Ethan Zohn will be joining us! This man was the winner of the Survivor: Africa season. He’s also been seen on Survivor: All-stars and The Amazing Race. Ethan was previously a professional American soccer player and used his prize money to cofound an incredible charity called Grassroot Soccer. This charity uses soccer to educate and mobilize communities in order to fight the spread of HIV. Not only did Ethan survive in the wilderness he is also a cancer survivor! His story is one you won’t want to miss.
See you this Monday for a powerful episode filled with amazing stories of survival and inspirational guests!
My Move To Weeknights
I am thrilled to announce we are moving to weeknights across Chicagoland! Starting April 6th our show is moving to Monday's at 6:30 PM CST on Lakeshore Public Television. (Comcast 239, RCN 4, Dish/Direct/AT&T 56).
This move comes with mixed emotions because my show has always played on the weekends. When we switched channels from NBC to PBS back in 2012 we became dedicated to tough topics. I decided to use our platform to shine light on subjects that sometimes get lost. Having a serious show air on Saturday afternoons was tough and we are extremely excited for our new night and time. The lineup on PBS that surrounds our show is amazing and we are thrilled to reach more viewers this season.
The switch to Monday nights did not happen overnight (No pun intended lol) in fact, it took some serious meetings and loyal viewers to make this change. I want to encourage you to have patience with your dreams yet work towards the end goal daily. Stepping out of your comfort zone is hard, but standing on this side of things, it is totally worth it.
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for believing in and watching our show. I want to thank Chicagoland by throwing a launch party! Tickets are free but there's limited space. Email tickets@thewhitneyreynoldsshow.com for a fun night of: show watching, food and drinks! Our friends from Action Booth will be taking pictures and my first magazine cover will be revealed. If you live in The Quad Cities (our 2nd market/ WQPT) you also are invited so RSVP & COME!
Remember to set your DVR before the party and get ready for a fabulous season of fresh topics!
Coming up this season: Veterans, Be The Change, Puppy Mills, Survivor, Fears and A Life Story: The Holocaust.
Excited to be back in your living rooms next month!
Xx -Whitney
Hipster Gone Glam
Ready.... SET... go! Our new set is officially in.
Since we started the show we've had several sets come and go, but this year (2014) we are finally doing a custom design "Whitney Style!" My goal with this project was to have an updated look and add a warm feel to our set.
My husband and I did a project last fall that was the inspiration behind our new studio design. We decided to put wood paneling on an accent wall in our home. This wall is now the first thing everyone notices when they come in to visit and a favorite talking point when people describe our homestead. I wanted to to take this "wood wall" idea into the studio, but this was a much bigger task than our home project so I needed to bring in the experts.
Home project: We used laminate flooring, nails and trim to create this wood wall look.
We found RX Made a Chicago nonprofit for this project. Their mission is to create more local jobs, source materials from local businesses, and support the local art and design community. They are truly amazing at what they do and I am proud to be working with them. Each project they create or help with, has a custom feel and edgy look. They are featured on a WGN segment once a week and also have been in several national magazines.
When I met with the team at RX Made they walked me through a few easy steps we would need to do:
- Look around and see what you really like.
- Send us pictures of your ideas.
- Give us 2 weeks to create it.
- Come to the shop, to fire the first nail!
All of those steps especially the last one helped me feel that this project really is an extension of the show. Just as we work hard on having great guests come on each week, our set should be fabulous too! Once we completed everything above we called our friends at STI Movers to help us get the "wood wall creation" from the city to our studio in Evanston, ECTV.
In recent fashion article my personal style has been in called "hipster gone glam." I wanted to carry out my fashion look onto our set and that's when I found Modern Classics Furniture. So we had rustic from the walls (hipster feel)... but now it was time for the glam! We ordered 3 white leather chairs and 2 swanky metal side tables. Who could ask for more?
Our new furniture from Modern Classics.
We get the furniture in later this week and start shooting the next. I am proud to say we finally look very 2014! We will have pictures of the final product soon.