Hoda Kotb Opens Up About What She Misses Most After Leaving “Today ”(Exclusive)

It’s been 5 months since Hoda Kotb walked distant from 1 of nan astir coveted spots successful broadcasting, as co-anchor of nan Today show. In that clip she’s been settling into a caller life, relishing nan magnitude of clip she has for her daughters Haley, 8, and Hope, 6.

She's besides making plans for nan future, pinch a caller wellness company, Joy 101, complete pinch an app, unrecorded events and a subscription newsletter that will each halfway astir themes of joy, mindfulness, meditation and wellness.

“When personification erases your schedule and says, ‘Okay, present you go. Have fun,’ you’re sitting location going, ‘Oh my gosh, what americium I expected to beryllium doing correct now?’” Kotb, 60, tells PEOPLE successful this week's screen story.

“On nan very first day, I was scribbling successful my diary and emotion a small off. There was a big, huge, afloat satellite and it was truthful agleam successful my office, it was for illustration a ray was on. I still retrieve looking up and Haley scampered down nan stairs and jumped successful my lap. She looked and maine and she goes, ‘You really are here.’ It was really, really beautiful.”

But she admits she does miss her aged life.

"I do. I conscionable had java pinch Savannah [Guthrie] a small much than a week agone and we sat crossed from each different and, successful that 1 hour, we laughed, we cried, we held hands. She shared each this individual worldly and I did too. And she asked me, ‘Tell maine what it’s for illustration connected nan different side,’” Kotb recalls. “And I said, ‘I’ll show you what I miss: I miss this.’ I miss stepping successful a room and having an instant regular relationship that you don’t person to put connected a calendar."

She adds, "I saw Savannah and Jenna [Bush Hager] each day, without fail, and we shared our lives. It’s truthful funny. It’s not nan activity portion of it, but I miss that a lot. It’s for illustration an quiet abstraction for me.”

That emotion is mutual. “I’ve missed her giggle truthful much,” says Guthrie. “She could really locomotion successful a room, giggle, and everything successful nan world conscionable fades away.”

To publication much astir Hoda Kotb's life aft Today, prime up nan newest rumor of PEOPLE connected stands now.

Kotb's been into nan metropolis and backmost astatine her aged Rockefeller Center stomping crushed a fewer times since leaving Today, arsenic she hosts her podcast Making Space from nan Today offices.

On May 28, she went connected Today to beforehand her caller institution — and stuck astir arsenic Bush Hager's surprise impermanent big for nan 10 o'clock hour arsenic well.

Never miss a communicative — motion up for PEOPLE's free regular newsletter to enactment up-to-date connected nan champion of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from personage news to compelling quality liking stories. 

“Every clip I locomotion in, I consciousness lukewarm and fuzzy,” says Kotb. “It’s not for illustration erstwhile you break up pinch personification you’re like, ‘Oh God, location he is!’ I don’t consciousness that. I want to spot everybody. And look, nan pictures are now Craig [Melvin] and Savannah. I for illustration looking astatine them. I'm not like, 'Well that was quick!'"