Savannah Guthrie is one busy woman.

She's most well-known for co-hosting the Today show, but she's also the author of two children's books — one of which is being turned into a Netflix series. If that wasn't enough, the mom-of-two just published another title, this time going even deeper with fans as she discusses her faith and how it influences her everyday life.

In Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere, Savannah uses a collection of personal essays to offer up a "spiritual manual" for readers to help guide them when they are feeling alone, frustrated or in need of some direction — regardless of where they are on their journey. From sharing anecdotes about her childhood to depicting vulnerable moments she has had as an adult, Savannah opens up about how during some of the hardest times in her life, she leaned on her faith to help her through.

But it's not just about leaning in when things are rough, she also wants to let her followers know how even in the quieter moments of life, there's always a place for faith.

Good Housekeeping had the opportunity to speak with Savannah about Mostly What God Does, where she discussed the personal nature of the project, motherhood and the hopes she has for readers as they delve into the book.

On writing a much more personal book after having coauthored two children's books:

It's exciting, terrifying and exhilarating. It's the most vulnerable thing I have ever done. But faith is at the core or what drives me and animates me and interests me. I'm nervous about it because it is really personal. When you write something like this, you hope that what you're writing is coming across in the way you hope it would, and that people will be touched by it. Plus, there's a lot about growing up and my life.

On the challenges of writing about faith and religion:

My first thought was, What business do I have writing about these topics? I didn't go to seminary. I'm not a theologian. But what I am is a fellow traveler. I'm just another person trying to walk this journey, and that's the perspective I bring. It's like I say at the beginning of the book. Let's hold hands and do this together.

Mostly What God Does

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My second thought was, How can I write a book about faith and not ask some of the hardest questions that are out there? Like, why does suffering exist? Why is there injustice? Why do we live in a world that's full of sadness and pain? Those were the hardest chapters to write. And spoiler alert, there's no answer! I did not answer the greatest and most daunting questions of the universe! But I felt it was important to talk through how we deal with spirituality in our community.

At the same time, it's not a book to try to persuade or proselytize. It's a book about a connection to God that obviously comes from a Christian point of view. That is my faith. But I hope that it's just sharing some aspects of spirituality that are universal and appealing to people of all kinds of faith, or even no faith at all.

savannah guthrie with her husband and children
Courtesy of Savannah Guthrie.

On how Savannah's faith relates to her parenting and influences her as a mother:

Everything flows through my faith. I'm not saying that makes me a pious and perfect person. It doesn't. And it's not like, "Oh, please, God, make them eat their broccoli more." What it means is, it's God I lean on when I have a problem at work or when I'm home with my kids, or for whatever it is. That's my core, my foundation, my comfort.

My sister, Annie, has the best line in the book when describing our family growing up. She said, "God was the sixth member of our family." So I'm trying to carry that on, you know, in my own family and in my own life.

Parenthood is such a profound spiritual experience. To me, it is the closest we could ever come to understanding the unconditional love God feels toward us. As parents, we love our kids and enjoy them and are crushed by their disappointments. When they do wrong, we don't change how we feel about them. And the same can be said for God's relationship with us.

On having her Today co-star Hoda Kotb by her side while writing the book:

Hoda’s the greatest cheerleader to have on your side. She’s been such an encourager since I even mentioned that I might do it. She’s like, "Oh, you’re doing it. You have to do it." She’s read quite a bit of it.

In the moments when I was wavering, "Oh, why am I doing this? It’s stupid," she just always told me, "No, you have to do this. You’re doing this. You’re going to do this."

It’s such a lucky situation, because you work with someone and to love them so much — we really have each other’s backs. I mean, that’s such a joy, especially when you’re getting up in the middle of the night to work. We’re so similar in so many ways. We became moms late in life, you know? Now, we’re doing these crazy hours.

On what Savannah hopes her fans take away from reading the book:

I just hope that for them, they feel connected to God. That’s really all I want to do. It’s uncomfortable to tell some of these personal stories … it’s not where I choose to be. But for me, it’s all in service of trying to put context to this walk with God. And that doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in real life.

The least I can do is try to share how I experienced it, hoping that [the book] resonates for other people’s lives. It’s less about what they learned about me. It’s more just about how they connect and what they realize about themselves. And most importantly, what they realize about God and their connection and the possibility of a relationship with God.

On the lessons Savannah learned while writing the book:

I've always told people that if they want something interesting to happen, they have to step out of their comfort zone, and that's what I did with this book. The theme of the book is "Mostly what God does is love you," and I tried to look at my life, especially when things didn't go perfectly, with that perspective. You don't arrive at a destination. The path is the destination.

Mostly What God Does is on sale now.

This story originally appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of Good Housekeeping. Subscribe to Good Housekeeping here.