What Matters with Carla Hall: Refusing to Stay in the Box

"It's your job to be happy, not to be rich." – Carla Hall (quoting her grandmother, Granny Mae)

Chef. TV host. Actor. Author. Now the creator and star of a hit one-woman show. In honor of her appearing as the cover star of the September 4th issue of Woman's World, Carla Hall sits down with Editor-in-Chief Liz Vaccariello to talk about why she refuses to be defined by any one title — and what it took to finally stop shrinking herself for other people.

Carla traces her competitive streak back to accounting exams and marathons, explains how being underestimated as a 44-year-old caterer on Top Chef became one of her superpowers, and breaks down the advice that changed her second act: "become the thing before the opportunity arrives." She opens up about the moment she realized she'd been performing a role other people had written for her, the rule she now lives by — "whoever says yes to me is saying yes to all of this" — and the lesson from her grandmother that still guides every decision. Carla also previews her new cookbook, Carla Bakes, which she calls "crafting with food."

In this episode, Carla opens up about:

• Why she refuses to be just one thing — chef, host, actor, artist — and how that resonates for women reinventing themselves in midlife
• Being underestimated as an "older" contestant on Top Chef, and turning it into fuel
• The advice that changed everything: "becoming the thing before the opportunity arrived"
• The moment she realized she was playing a role other people had written for her
• Her new rule for work: "Whoever says yes to me is saying yes to all of this"
• Granny Mae's advice — "it's your job to be happy, not to be rich" — and what success looks like now
• How she became a cook (long before culinary school) as "The Lunch Lady"
• Carla Bakes, her new cookbook, and why she wants it to feel "like a play date with yourself"
• Her dream job: game show host

Whether you're rebuilding your career, redefining yourself after 50, or just tired of shrinking to fit someone else's expectations, Carla Hall delivers the humor and hard-earned wisdom you need today.

Pick up the September 4th issue of Woman's World magazine on newsstands to see Carla on the cover!

Instagram: @womansworldmag

Let us know what you thought of this episode in the comments.

Like and subscribe to What Matters with Liz on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart or Spotify.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.