As 2020 caused immense grief for many all over the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss of Broadway star Nick Cordero in July took the spotlight as his wife Amanda Kloots did her best to radiate positivity through his tragic battle with the virus.
Following the loss of her husband, who was 41, Kloots, 38, a fitness instructor, has taken on a new role as a co-host on CBS’ The Talk while navigating life as mom to Elvis, the 1-year-old son she shares with the late Cordero.
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Kloots, who just partnered with Visible, a prepaid small mobile carrier owned by Verizon, caught up with Travel + Leisure about her new hosting gig, life as a new Californian single mom, and the greatest trip she ever took with Cordero.
Travel + Leisure: First of all, tell us about your new job with The Talk?
Amanda Kloots: “I left the set when I co-hosted back in October and I thought, ‘If I could have this job, I’d be the luckiest girl in the entire world.’ I feel like I won the job lottery! The other women are so welcoming and have so much to say. I’ve already learned so much just being here for a month from them.”
Is there a particular guest you’ve been starstruck by?
“I think I had the biggest girl crush when Tom Selleck was our guest. I couldn’t get it together! He’s so iconic and I’ve been such a fan of his since I was a little girl. My husband got to do episodes of Blue Bloods [with him] so there was a strong connection there. It was such an honor to do that.”
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How are you managing to balance this new workload on top of your fitness classes and taking care of Elvis?
“It is a daily struggle I will say. I really try to just make sure that I stick to a schedule as much as possible so I can fit everything in. After I put Elvis to bed, those are kind of my hours to check my emails and get some work done before I go to bed, which lately has been 9 p.m.! I can’t keep my eyes open!”
Clearly, fitness is a huge part of your life but how does it help your mental health?
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“Honestly, fitness for me has always been more about mental health than physical health. I smile every time I’m working out because I am so happy to be moving my body simply because I can. It’s an instant anxiety reducer. I don’t know what I would be able to do without being able to move. It’s something I make a point in doing every day.”
Your brand really took off during the pandemic because you made a strong digital pivot. Can you tell us about that journey?
“We were in New York and I had been teaching live classes for three years and I had always wanted to do a subscription series on my website but I just never thought it was good enough. I was just putting this perfection label on it. Then [when the pandemic hit] I just thought, ‘no, it doesn’t need to be perfect.'”
“What the world needs is to be together and come together as a community. We need to just put up content that everyone can share so that everyone can grow and use what they have right now. It was a huge lesson for me; don’t let perfection stop you from doing something you want to do. Get it out there!”
You probably aren’t traveling too much right now, but when you can again, where would you like to go?
“I have to say one of the greatest things I’ve loved about living in California [where The Talk is filmed] is you can drive an hour and be in a really great, cool new place. So despite not being able to travel, I have loved exploring my new state. We’ve been driving down the coast and seeing Southern California and visiting Palm Springs. I really was excited to partner with Visible because they make it so easy and affordable to have phone service wherever you are, even if I’m driving through Laurel Canyon. You have service everywhere!”
“Sometimes we really take for granted where we live and think for travel we have to get on a plane but you don’t. Explore your state and see what is just an hour or two away from you. But when I can travel I would love to go visit my sister in Paris and I would love to go to Hawaii.”
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Was there a great hotel or resort you stayed at during one of your recent California excursions?
“I did a fantastic staycation at the Malibu Calamigos Ranch. It was just wonderful. A 45 minute drive and I felt like I was living in a treehouse for the weekend off the ocean. Just a great way to reset and spend time with Elvis. Then one day we met my brother in San Luis Obispo and just spent the whole day at The Madonna Inn. We’ve been having a good time exploring Cali.”
Do you have a plane or car trip uniform?
“I am in my Aviator Nation sweatsuit and try to be as comfy as possible. For some reason, I think if you have a sweatsuit that matches you look chic. It’s an ensemble!”
Do you have any plane hacks for when we do travel regularly again? Any small exercises you do on a long flight?
“I always wear compression tights because I have bad circulation, especially when I fly. I try to sit up as much as possible to lengthen and do shoulder rolls, stretch my arms, and really just keep my core moving. Those long flights you can get cramped up and you never want to land feeling ‘blah’ so anything you can do is great.”
What is the best trip you took in the last few years?
“My honeymoon with Nick was wonderful. We started off in Italy, in Capri, and then flew to South Africa and then from there went to a safari in Tanzania. We really did it right! We spoiled ourselves rotten with travel. Thank God that we did.
“What’s so important about travel is that when you have the time to do it, do it. You never know if you’re going to get that time back. When I look back at that trip I’m so grateful that we had that amount of time and we were just like, ‘we’re gonna make this happen and do it because we can right now.’ That’s such a great lesson to learn in life. Travel. Don’t put it off until next summer because you might not be able to.”
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