Jenni Hogan, the adorable anchor from KIRO TV in Seattle, Washington originally hails from Adelaide, Australia.  This Aussie American hasn't lost any of her charming, friendly, loving Australian ways that are so contagious she could make any cynic feel sweet.  Smart, athletic, gorgeous, ambitious, kind, stylish, this girl has it all.   

One of her dreams is to be on "Dancing with the Stars" so fans of Jenni Hogan start sending in the emails to ABC recommending Jenni for the show!

So let's get a feel good fix while we learn more about Jenni in this interview.

Gabrielle Reilly:  So let's get this straight. a girl from the 1996 Olympic Row team decided to retire, so you got an exciting call to join the National Women's 8+ as a junior rower?  As a result you went to Seattle, met your husband, studied economics while living with 10 football players who got in trouble so you went into to media after writing a letter and here you are as the traffic anchor at KIRO TV?  Phew.  (For more detailed information on Jenni check out her About Page http://jennihogan.com/about_me, she has a great story well worth the read.)   Ever wonder what would have happened in your life if that one girl hadn't retired and stayed on the Olympic Women's boat?

Jenni Hogan:  I do wonder about that a lot because that event was a real learning lesson for me. Right before qualifying junior's race, my poor pair partner's knee went out and that was it. My dreams were shattered and it was out of my control. You can't row a two-person boat by yourself no matter how fit you are!  I was about to give up rowing when I got the call to go to Seattle to race. Looking back, that was the moment that changed my life and propelled me on the path I'm on now.  If I didn't get that call, I know I'd be working my way up "somewhere" since competing is in my blood.

Gabrielle Reilly:  What is your favorite part of your job?

Jenni Hogan:  This is easy, it's helping people. Being on TV we have this amazing opportunity to reach out and change people's lives for the better. Viewers invite us into their living rooms and that is such an honor. I don't ever take that for granted and know it is such a gift to be in someone's house every day. It truly is being paid to be a friend. I always ask myself "what can I do to help my friend's day be great"? Sometimes it's that I made them smile before work. Other times it's giving the 10 more minutes at home with loved ones because I tell them a quicker detour to bypass the traffic. Getting paid to help your friends, how can you beat that?  I'm pretty lucky.

Gabrielle Reilly:  How many hours in a day do you typically work?

Jenni Hogan:  I'm at the station for about 8 hours a day but my job is 24/7. My typical day starts with the alarm going off at 2:40am; it's live on air at 4:30am; then after the show I'm researching hot traffic topics, updating the web site, and answering viewer emails. I usually leave before noon each day but once I leave I'm not finished.  I love answering viewer emails on Sunday mornings with my coffee in my pj's; I am constantly on twitter and facebook chatting with people; then if there is an event that will help a great cause then I'm there!  The hardest part of this job is that people get to know me but I really want to get to know them too.  It's so nice to know who is looking back at you with a friendly smile in the mornings. You should see my desk. It's covered with viewer pictures. Why not? They invite me in to their space, so it's only fair to have them in mine. (Here is one of the pictures that made it on my desk http://gangofpeanuts.com/2009/04/howd-you-get-your-start/)

Gabrielle Reilly:  You always look gorgeous, how do you go about choosing the clothes you wear to work?

Jenni Hogan:  Thank you! I looooove fashion so it's pretty perfect that I get to play with different styles on air. I like bold colors, clothes that fit and are feminine and I always look for something a little different. I must admit some of the things I used to love would never make it onto your TV screen. I have a wonderful image consultant who really helped develop my fashion sense. She even came home with me and emptied my closet when I started on KIRO, teaching me how to have an eye for TV friendly clothes that could help make me sparkle. Once you know the rules that define your own style, so much easier to shop.  I have found that my viewers love to help too and they are wonderful consultants.   I created Fashion Fridays http://www.kirotv.com/traffic/18975029/detail.html, where I try an outfit on air that I'm not too sure about and ask viewers to vote if I should keep the outfit or toss it.  One of my future goals is to create a fashion line for working women that's fun, shows our feminine lines, and gets us noticed in the right way. Oh my goodness - that gets me excited just thinking about it.  

Gabrielle Reilly:  Do you get your hair and makeup done at work or do you do it yourself?

Jenni Hogan:  I get asked this question a lot. I do my own hair and makeup but I have had help establishing my routine. My wonderful hairdresser spent hours and hours training me to do it right. Since I get ready in the early hours of the morning, I am almost on autopilot. He taught me how to curl my hair as I sleep walk to the bathroom in the morning, how to use hot rollers in the car on the way to work, how to do a final tease and poofing (plus a lot of hairspray), all to make me camera ready. He's watching too, so if I do it a little wrong one morning, he'll be calling to give me some friendly advice. The make-up I use is airbrush makeup. It took me forever at the start but now I've got it down to a good rhythm.  If you've never played with it, you should give it a try. It's so much fun to paint on your face.

Gabrielle Reilly:  How did you learn to play piano by ear or by Suzuki method?

Jenni Hogan:  Wow you do your research well! I'm not sure anyone ever asked about this side of my life before. It all started when I was 3 years old. My parents enrolled me in a pilot program to determine if young kids could learn piano. All I remember is -- it was fun hanging out with Mum and Dad and making noises. The first thing I learned was that Re was a mouse that lived in a house between Do and Mi. I stayed in the program for 7 years and continued to play by listening and hearing the notes. It was such a great game.  I would hear the sound and tell the teacher what note it was. It then became a game with my friends.  They'd tell me a song they liked and I'd start playing it. I never realized this was a gift, I just thought I was a bad piano player because I couldn't read music too well.

Gabrielle Reilly:  What do you miss most about home in Australia besides family and friends?

Jenni Hogan:  I miss the sports like Aussie Rules Football, Cricket and Netball. Then there is the casual lingo we use over there. I miss being able to shorten everything and not have people look at me funny. For example, saying breaky for breakfast, chewy for chewing gum and sunnies for sunglasses. I sometimes pop back into Aussie mode on TV if I'm excited.  Just the other day the sun popped up in my shot and I said "Crikey, you'll need your sunnies". My anchor team just started laughing.  Oh, and I do miss the food!!! The meat pies, Cadbury chocolate, wedges with sweet and sour sauce, and my favorite meal of all -- chips and gravy. I have to add in Coopers Pale Ale, too (a beer that's made in Adelaide).

Gabrielle Reilly:  What do you like the most about living in America?

Jenni Hogan:  The power of the American dream. I heard about it growing up but I never realized how inspiring and electrifying it is. You really can set your goals here and no matter how silly or unrealistic it sounds, you can achieve it. What a concept!

Gabrielle Reilly:  What do you like the least about living in America?

Jenni Hogan:  The Aussie way is to be unguarded, to welcome everyone with open arms. When I first arrived in America I would talk to every person that approached me on the streets.  I didn't really have street smarts, after being through some scary experiences I've slowly changed. I still hug people at the grocery store that tell me they watch (I don't think you'll ever shake that out of me) but I am more guarded than I used to be.

Gabrielle Reilly:  Think you will ever live in Australia again?

Jenni Hogan:  My dream is to have one house in Australia and one in the US. I'd love to be bi-continental (is that what you'd call it?). I have Australia in my heart everyday and work as hard as I can to make everyone there proud.

Gabrielle Reilly:  What are your plans for the future?

Jenni Hogan:  To be happy, to start a family with my husband and to pay it forward by helping as many people as I can. As for my career goals, my dad doesn't fly so my ultimate goal in broadcast is to be on a show that he and mum can watch. Right now they get The View, the Today Show, and entertainment shows like Inside Edition.  Maybe the show I'm supposed to work on hasn't even been created yet. People who know my dancing skills would be surprised to know that I'd love love love to be on Dancing with the Stars!  My grandma was an international Ball Room Dancer, she's passed away but each grandchild received one of her competition dresses (though I'm not sure I inherited her rhythm). It would be a dream come true to wear that dress on Dancing with the Stars.  Maybe that's how I can be on TV in Australia -- they get Dancing with the Stars, don't they?