How mothers can empower their daughters
In her nearly 20 years at the network, former CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler oversaw more than 200 programs and developed blockbuster franchises, making CBS America's most-watched network.
But last year, Tassler stepped down to pursue other creative projects, the first of which hit bookstores this week. In her new book, "What I Told My Daughter," Tassler details the important roles mothers play in empowering their daughters.
Tassler was inspired to write the book by no other than her own 13-year-old daughter, after she lost a club volleyball tournament.
"She turned and came running over to me and I thought in that moment I had to say something," Tassler told "CBS This Morning" Wednesday. "I said, 'You know what, you were consistent, your team could depend on you, you were there when they needed you.' And her face lit up and I knew in that moment, I had validated how she felt about herself and I knew our relationship was going to change."
Tassler was inspired to gather more advice for empowering girls through the experiences of other mothers and leading women in the world, including Laura Bush, Brooke Shields, Mia Hamm and Madeleine Albright.
Tassler also interviewed "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell who discussed how to channel her daughter's "confident or authoritative behaviors" when she acts like a "little CEO" towards a positive direction such as developing executive leadership skills.
In her interviews, Tassler discovered a common theme.
"I realized that we as mothers, I think we have been over-hyphenated to death. You're a soccer mom, a working mom, a tiger mom, a stay-at-home mom ... and the reality is, we're all just mothers ..." Tassler said. "We're all united in wanting the best possible futures for our daughters and having that freedom of choice, having gender equality was a common theme throughout many of these essays."
Tassler highlighted the importance of "showing" this gender balance to girls by action, as Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg did with her children by "letting them observe that both parents shared family and home responsibilities."
She also gave a personal example with her young son. When he told her during a car ride that "boys are better than girls," she pulled the car aside and told him, "No, they're not better -- they're different, but they're equal."
"And I think the key was to not only pulling the car over, but turning the engine off. I think that really shocked him in that moment," Tassler said.
Tassler also shared an example of former first lady Laura Bush, who took her daughters along when she traveled to Africa so they could personally witness the ravages of the AIDS epidemic.
"Involving your daughter in your life, bringing them into your world was really important," Tassler said.