2020 MOST ADMIRED WOMAN — MEDIA/SOCIAL MEDIA
Monica Hardin

News anchor, WLKY
Family: Daughters, Faith, 8, and Eden, 6

Although she is still reporting to the studio in person to deliver the news in front of the cameras, WLKY Anchor Monica Hardin appreciates the slower pace of life the pandemic has resulted in. She gets to spend precious time making new memories with her daughters. She loves that there is popsicle juice on her porch and that she and her daughters are taking walks, cooking together, painting, and making forts in the living room.

CHANGES YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE AFTER THE PANDEMIC PASSES?
People’s hours and a change of pace in the American workforce. And, I hope that we will remember the compassion that we felt for others and how we feel now when we come together.

WHAT WAS YOUR INTRODUCTION TO BROADCAST MEDIA?
In high school I was the host for Posted Up, a two-hour weekly radio show for teens, by teens, on WLOU. The job was unpaid, but it was a true learning opportunity.

CURRENT OBSESSION?
Squishmallows, those soft, cuddly stuffed animals. They are our emotional support.

SOMETHING YOUR VIEWERS MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU?
In 2001, when I was 19 years old, I won the Miss Kentucky pageant. For a year I worked as a spokesperson for the pageant.

WHAT WORD WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Resilient.

OLD SCHOOL OR NEW SCHOOL READER?
I don’t have an e-book reader of any kind. I love the smell of books, the feel of the paper, and the sound of pages turning. I keep one in my purse and at work. Books bring me comfort.

WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL VACATION?
I love that whole beach vibe. Good food, a good book, pink lemonade, a bottle of water, someone else to cook, and just time away outdoors.

IF YOU HAD ONE SUPERWOMAN SKILL, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
The ability to teleport. I could go anywhere and take the family along and we wouldn’t need that REAL ID.

A FAVORITE SPOT IN THE AREA?
Mount Saint Francis in Indiana, where I can sit in the church and be still and quiet and settle my spirit. Or I can walk around the lake and sit by the water.

HOBBIES?
I collect rocks. I recently have been finding heart-shaped rocks and felt they were from my mom who died of breast cancer in 2016.

WHAT TRAIT DO YOU LEAST ADMIRE IN YOURSELF?
The people pleaser in me. I’m too concerned about what other people think.

TRAIT YOU LIKE LEAST IN OTHERS?
Bullying.

FAVORITE ASPECT OF BEING A NEWS ANCHOR?
I love the fact that people choose to allow me to come into their homes and that they trust what I’m telling them. I appreciate that I get to give the facts on both sides and the people get to form their own opinions.

THREE THINGS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?
Aveda hand relief cream, a good lip balm, and my Speedy 35 Louis Vuitton purse with a strap that I can wear across my body and remain hands free. It was an extravagant gift from a friend.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM YOUR PARENTS?
To dream and have faith in God.