Hoda Kotb 'Always Wanted to Be a Teacher' but Later Realized Her Dream Was Inspired By Her Desire to Be a Mom (Exclusive)

The 'Today' anchor, who is celebrating hosting her 50th guest on her 'Making Space' podcast, opens up to PEOPLE about her career journey

Hoda Kotb's career is something that still surprises her to this day.

The veteran broadcaster has been a part of the NBC family since 1998, beginning as a correspondent for Dateline. She eventually became a permanent fixture on Today. However, she admits to PEOPLE exclusively, "I had no idea that I would wind up here."

"I was driving through Midtown [in New York City]. I think about it often when I go into Rockefeller Center. How did this kid end up here? How did this awkward kid who people couldn't even pronounce my name [get here]? It was very weird all the time," she explains. "I was like, how did I end up here? I think I feel like life is timing and good luck and good people and all those kinds of things, but I'm constantly shocked that of all the people around, I get to occupy one of these seats for a bit. I'm shocked by it."

Her path to becoming a journalist was a "very unlikely" one, says Kotb, who details her previous career aspiration.

Related: Hoda Kotb Explains Why She Doesn't Talk About Dieting with Her Daughters: 'We've Never Said It'

"I said I always wanted to be a teacher, but as I broke that down as I got older, I realized that I'd been saying that most of my life because I always wanted children," she says. "It was kind of the closest to that."

Kotb, who now shares daughters Hope, 4, and Haley, 7, with ex Joel Schiffman, adds, "I think that's where I was on that path, and I realized I was kind of always meant to kind of do what I'm doing now."

Using the platform she's built by connecting with Today viewers weekday mornings, Kotb has continued to expand her broadcasting career with her Making Space podcast. She feels the endeavor is "an extension" of aspirations except "it goes deep," she says, calling that her "favorite place to be."

"I'm looking for people who wanted to better themselves. Sometimes it's through some action, sometimes it's just through their life lessons. But every single person who I interview is kind of a teacher in some way — a wisdom seeker," she shares of the project's goal. "Somebody who's interested in just bettering themselves. Every person I've interviewed, I feel like I've learned a ton of life lessons from."

Kotb counts Shania Twain, Viola Davis and Céline Dion as some of the podcast's all-star guests. For the show's 50th guest, there were several reasons why Grammy-winning country music star Lainey Wilson was the perfect choice.

Related: Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager Wear Coordinating Spring Styles to Celebrate 5 Years of Today's Fourth Hour

"Lainey's one of those people who seems like she's the kind of person who's made it just overnight. But it's really someone who lived in Nashville," Kotb shares. "As you probably know, Nashville's called a 10-year town because you can spend years and don't make it. ... She stayed and she showed that she had what it took. And that's kind of a common thread with most of our guests."

"There's something about her, just that she's really who she is, and that she loves what she does," she continues of Wilson. "In a way, she kind of reminds me a little bit of a young Dolly Parton. She's authentic to her roots through and through, and her authenticity spilled out. So I thought, you know what? She's fun. She's vibrant. She plays music I adore, and I just loved her vibe and I loved her bite more than anything."

Through the making of this podcast, Kotb says she has "learned so much about the power of falling down and getting up."

"I've learned to just feel more comfortable in my own skin, and realized life's about the joy," she adds. "Life's not about that grind. Life's about the interactions. ... I try to see life like that."

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