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Sam Armytage at the Logies with colleagues and the Sunrise Cash Cow. Picture: Instagram Source: Instagram
Not happy, Sam! 0:38
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Sunrise presenter David Koch doesn't like it when Sam Armytage expresses surprise that the doctor that took a selfie of Joan Rivers was a woman.
- news.com.au
- 18 Sep 2014
- Entertainment
AS CO-HOST of Channel Seven’s top-rating breakfast show Sunrise, Sam Armytage has garnered celeb status.
Never one to hold back, the journalist and TV host has decided to let readers in on what she’s learned about how to be successful in all areas of life — while still remaining her down-to-earth self.
Sam’s journey to the famed morning TV couch hasn’t always been easy, but she’s been determined to turn very negative into a positive.
Writing a book has always been on Sam Armytage’s bucket list. Source: News Limited
In her first book, aptly titled Shine, 37-year-old Sam reveals for the first time how she’s managed to keep her eye on the prize — both in work and in life.
Sam looks at Shine as a “conversation about dealing with everything life throws at you” and details things she “wishes she had known when she was younger”.
The TV host also hopes the book will ‘start you thinking, planning and realising your gifts.’
“My most important message is to learn to love yourself and love your life, because you only get one and it’s a TOO DAMN SHORT.”
While the road has sometimes been rocky, Sam has kept her feet on the ground and her chin up high.
Campaigning for the freedom of jailed journalist Peter Greste. Source: Supplied
Learning how to wiggle with Redfoo and Kochie on the set of sunrise. Source: Supplied
Sam’s chapters include setting goals, loving your body, keeping fit & eating healthy, having an open mind, being organised, living with flair, rising above negativity, being a woman of substance, the importance of family and being the leading lady in the movie of your life.
She also addresses the challenges she’s faced as a woman in the television industry.
“It reflects on some of the challenges I’ve faced breaking through the glass ceiling,” she said.
“I’ve always been conscious I keeping my feet on the ground while retaining the values my parents instilled in me.”
Here are some of life’s lessons ... according to Sam.
ON AMBITION:
“When you’re setting goals for yourself, don’t hold back, be ambitious. My name is often prefixed with the words ‘ambitious’ in newspaper and magazine articles in a negative sense. The really baffling thing is I’ve found these articles mostly written by women. I find this really hurtful as I’ve never once seen a young(ish) male journalist being described as ambitious. Believe me, they all are.”
ON RISING ABOVE IT ALL:
“It’s a difficult lesson to learn, being the ‘bigger’ person. It’s meant to be so rewarding, but often it doesn’t feel like that. This was the number one belief drummed into me in my childhood. Ultimately I know this is the best way to deal with negative situations.
“My sixteen year old self is still there just below the surface. Every time someone says something mean, every time another woman is nasty towards me, every time someone’s copies me, follows me, annoys me, I try to rise above it.
“Rising above it is the healthiest thing to do, it’s also the most stylish.”
A selfie with the Sunrise Cash Cow. Picture: Instagram Source: Instagram
ON STAYING COOL:
“Be happy for others when good things happen in their lives. There a so many jealous people out there. Be the one who is not.
“Let people be. Live and let live.
“Do something nice for someone and don’t expect anything in return. Try not to play tit-for tat.
“Walk away from conflict. This doesn’t mean you’re weak or scared, it means the situation isn’t worth your important energy.
“Don’t take criticism personally. Think of it as commentary. (I get a lot of this!) and you can’t control what other people say about you.
“Occasionally admit you’re wrong even she you think you are right.”
As host of Bringing Sexy Back Source: Supplied
ON HEALTHY SLEEP:
“I am not, by nature, a morning person. As a youngster, I was impossible in the mornings. I loved to sleep; I could easily stay in bed til 10am. In my twenties there was even a time when I fought my alarm clock at 7am, when I was reporting and had to be in the newsroom by 9am. Imagine the luxury! Now my alarm goes off at 3.40am and I can get an enormous amount done before Sunrise starts at 6am.’
ON TV AT HOME:
“I admit I have a TV in my bedroom, but I only really have. It on to watch 7.30 on the ABC while I’m getting ready for bed. Then I turn it off and read. I find reading the best way to send myself off to sleep and it’s also really calming for the mind.”
ON WINE:
“One final word on alcohol: if you’re not in a good place, if you’re unhappy or feeling blue, be kind to yourself and stay away from the grog for a few days. With today’s busy lifestyles and stress loads it very rarely brings out the best in us and it will only exacerbate any sad feelings.”
On set with David Koch. Source: Supplied
Hard at work. Pic: Instagram Source: Instagram
ON CIGGIES:
“After dreaming about a glass of wine, I now find myself thinking about cigarettes. I am ashamed to admit I, Sam Armytage, am a reformed smoker. My first cigarette was when I was aged about eleven. I stole it from dad’s packet and snuck out behind the pine trees, where dad’s sheepdogs lived in their kennels. They watched, heads cocked to the side, looking at me like I was mad. And I proved then right as I choked and retched, only getting through about a quarter of it.”
ON HER BUCKET LIST:
• Write a book (tick!)
• Ride a horse through the Patagonia Mountains
• Write an article for Vanity Fair magazine
• Do a flat-footed downward dog at yoga (almost there!)
• Help young Australian women find their power and manage their body issues
• Own my dream house in the country, by a lake.
Sam Armytage and Michael Pell at Woolloomooloo Wharf. Source: News Limited
ON FASHION
“In this busy life, simplicity is key. In clothing, home declaration, makeup application and friendships and even hair and body maintenance. Try to choose the best clothes you can afford.
“Aim to be elegant, not too trendy (I realise by using the word trendy it makes me not so trendy). If you love being ‘on trend’, but seasonally at shops like Zara, Witchery and Top Shop where clothes are much cheaper. Save your money for the classics.”
NASTY PEOPLE: WHY THEY DO IT?
“It pays to keep in mind what drives nasty and unkind people, then you can walk away from them and, most importantly, not let their words or actions sting. There are a lot of quotes and saying that I keep in mind in these situations. One of them is ‘be kind to unkind people — THEY need it the most.’ I really believe this. Negative, nasty behaviours usually come from a negative place within.”
NEVER STOP TAKING CHANCES:
“Put yourself in a position where you might fail. When Channel Seven bosses offered me the hosting position on Sunrise in 2013, it was a big gamble. They knew it, and I knew it. There would be a lot of attention, and I was warned I may have to toughen up a bit. I did and it turned out to be a wonderful and successful transition.”
ON MEN:
“My grandmother once told me to watch a man and how he handles three important things. His reaction to these will tell you everything you need to know about him.
1. A rainy day.
2. Tangled Christmas lights.
3. Lost luggage.”
Shine will be officially unveiled on Friday at Sydney’s Otto is available at book stores from Monday.
Follow Melissa on Twitter and Instagram at @melissahoyer
