BROOKE BALDWIN

Seriously, how many places on this planet exist in which you get to say to your boss, 'Sorry, but I'm leaving to climb a mountain, and I won't have Wi-Fi or cell service for a week.'

People are full of great advice... Professors, parents, friends mean well... But in the end, the person driving this thing called life is you. Listen to you. Spend time being alone. Learn your worth. Dream. And never forget where you came from.

When I'm covering a story, it's not just about gathering facts, but it's gathering the human element as well.

Having covered the crazy campaign of 2016 and seeing a lot of young women showing up, I just had this ah-ha moment. I went to my bosses and said, 'Guys, I want to make women my priority.'

I knew the second I slipped on my dress that it was the one. I felt sexy, not super bride-y, and just entirely me.

In life, it's amazing how often people will say yes. You just have to ask.

Yes, I'm grateful for technology. But I'm also happy for the off switch.

I think viewers know CNN delivers time and time again on the most important stories.

I graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with degrees in journalism and Spanish in 2001 and landed my first on-air job in Charlottesville, Va.

It's not always easy, but I love my job.

What does 'home' really mean? Is it merely geography, where you were born? Could it include straddling two continents and cultures? Or perhaps it's a place with a spiritual magnetism - a feeling toward a culture or people - that's tough to put into words?

When President Ashraf Ghani gave his 2014 inaugural speech at the presidential palace, he choked up thanking his wife for her support and announced that she would take on a public role. That a male leader in Afghanistan would thank his spouse - let alone go on to promote her work and appear with her publicly - made news around the world.

I actually love being a little older and doing this wedding thing. At 38, I know what I like and what I don't.

I know we journalists have a reputation for being cynics. We do. It's our job to question - everything.

I've covered tornadoes and other natural disasters. I wasn't on the ground for Katrina. But as our helicopter descended toward Mexico Beach, I just saw an entire town gone. Leveled, with the exception of a condo still standing here and there.

All I know is what I do each and every day and what we do here at CNN, which is all about the facts, asking tough questions, challenging leaders and our own leadership in this country.

I'd definitely have some butterflies if the day ever came when I'd get to sit down with Oprah.

I tend to gravitate toward gender- and race-related stories.

What surprised me the most? Christina Hagan, the millennial Congressional candidate and ardent Trump supporter. I walked into her living room in rural Ohio one summer weekend with an open mind, and I'm grateful she offered the same in return.

With hard work and some good help, I eventually landed an exclusive interview with Auma Obama, President Obama's half-sister.

I dedicated my first 'American Woman' series to my mother. She and millions in her generation felt they couldn't use their voices, but they taught their daughters they must use theirs.

One of my early heroes was Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.

My 'something borrowed' was a stunning pair of vintage diamond drop earrings from my friend Afshin at Estate Diamond Jewelry in N.Y.C. My 'something blue' was my tanzanite right hand ring that I bought for myself in Tanzania after climbing Mt Kilimanjaro.

I'm fortunate enough to get hair and makeup every day because of what I do, but it's the same, consistent look. Great for TV, not so fun for a wedding!

Reporting makes you a better anchor and vice versa.