I think the success of a talk show depends on how true it is to the personality of the person hosting it. The shows I really admire, like 'Oprah' and 'Ellen,' are distinctively like their hosts, so I think my show will be successful only if we try to stay consistent to my own sense of myself.

She subsequently earned a scholarship to Indiana University where Jane Pauley was involved in the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. After leaving The Today Show Pauley hosted Real Life with Jane Pauley and served as deputy anchor for NBC Nightly News. In 2009 Pauley joined the Board of Directors of The Mind Trust an Indianapolis-based non-profit organization that supports education innovation and reform.

She is best known for her 13-year tenure on NBC's Today program followed by 12 years as co-host of Dateline NBC and for her public acknowledgements of her struggle with bipolar disorder.