As the owner of a lifestyle PR firm and 30+ year veteran in the industry, I have done a fair share of TV interviews. It is never what you expect. That is what we tell our clients. And then we prepare for all the possibilities.

We train our clients to become media darlings, someone media love working with and consumers love seeing and hearing. So when I was asked to be appear on the Today show, I turned straight to our resident media training expert, Walter Sperr, for a refresher. Mr. Sperr has media trained celebrities, talk show hosts, politicians and athletes, as well as all of our clients and anyone we arrange to be interviewed on their behalf. According to him, the best spokespersons are those who can answer any question posed to them while getting their agenda across.

You can’t do an interview without an agenda. My interview was about happiness. Quite frankly, I didn’t really have an agenda, I just have a personal interest in achieving happiness. So much so, that I attended a lecture by Dr. Catherine Sanderson on the Science of Happiness at One Day University and that is why the producer turned to me for the segment.

What message did I want to get across? Walter helped me determine the purpose of the interview and got me to focus on the key message points. Once I did, I felt prepared to answer any question. I started to think about how I was going to look and feel my best for the show.

My first phone call was to Plaza Athenee to book a facial because I hear they get the best result without any injections, lasers or surgery! Jessica Bonnetain, a Valmont ambassador and aesthetician at Hotel Plaza Athenee in NYC gave me the ultimate facial—Precieux L’Elixir des Glaciers. It really lives up to its reputation and she suggests doing it once a month. The secret to the radiance and luminosity is a combination of the Valmont’s products. My facial started with a cleanse of chamomile to calm the skin; a toner of calendula to soften the skin; an algae exfoliant and a massage of the décolleté with butterfly movement followed by a mask of medical grade collagen. After that Sérum Precieux; Votre Visage and Vos Yeux eye cream were applied for a finishing anti-aging lift.

My next call was to Sarma Melngailis, the owner of Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck. “What could I be putting into my body that would make me glow,” I asked. Sarma immediately sent me a recipe for her Chia Pudding breakfast. Chia is super food and this is a fuel-filled light and low-calorie breakfast designed to keep you full and energized. It worked! It was simple to make and tasted great. I’ve been eating it every day since. It consists of ¼ cup chia powder and ¾ cup of almond milk (or any milk substitute), stirred until it thickens. You can add a pinch of salt and sweetener. Sarma suggested adding gogi berries, raw cacao nibs and some banana slices. I follow it up with herbal “Relaxation” tea from Pukka – the UK’s most popular herbal tea that just made its way over to the U.S.

The morning of the segment I felt incredibly prepared and happy. I rarely wear makeup but with HD I was hoping the experts would add theatrical touches that would show up on the small screen. According to Today’s makeup artist, Bradford Knight, “You don’t need makeup if you have good skin. Your glow comes from your skin care and nutrition, not your make up.” He gave me some touch ups and sent me out onto the set.

In my quest for happiness and health, being on the Today made me realize I’m already on my way.

Nancy Trent is a writer and speaker, a lifelong health advocate, a globe-trotting trend watcher and the founder and president of Trent & Company, a New York-based marketing communications firm. Trent & Company grew out of Nancy’s personal commitment to helping people live longer and healthier lives. A former journalist for New York magazine, Nancy has written seven books on healthy lifestyles, serves on the editorial boards of several magazines and travels around the world speaking at conferences and trade shows on trends in the marketplace. She is a recognized expert in PR with more than 30 years of experience creating and managing highly successful campaigns. Nancy can be reached at (212) 966-0024 or through e-mail at nancy@trentandcompany.com. You may also visit www.trentandcompany.com.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine Online, Aug. 20, 2013