Hoda Kotb reveals what inspired her move to the suburbs (exclusive)

Hoda Kotb starts her next decade in brand new spaces.

The Today The presenter celebrated her 60th birthday on Friday, August 9. But her age is not the only thing that is changing: Back in March, she announced that she and her daughters Haley (7) and Hope (4) would be moving from their New York apartment to a new house in the suburbs.

“We haven’t officially moved in yet,” Kotb tells PEOPLE on Monday, August 12, noting that two weeks of overseas coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics has pushed things back a bit. “I was in Paris and then just came back and took care of my birthday and other things, so that was on the fence. But we’re almost there!”

She further joked that now that the painting is complete, the furniture has slowly been brought in. “They say, ‘You have two sofas, where do you want them?’ And I say, ‘I don’t know, put them anywhere, I’ll get to it later!'”

PEOPLE met Kotb from Today Studios, where NBC’s morning news show hosted a huge party in honor of her birthday.

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Leaving the city and moving to the suburbs was not an easy decision for Kotb, she admits, especially because she has lived in the same apartment since adopting her daughters in 2017 and 2019 respectively. But the move is mostly about opening herself and her daughters up to new things.

“I want my children to feel grass under their feet, play in the yard, ride their bikes down the street and run up and down the stairs,” she says. “I just envision them living in this perfect house in this beautiful little town where I know they can grow up to be beautiful, independent, strong women.”

The timing is particularly good for Kotb as she is currently in a “repotting phase” of her life.

“It’s like my roots need a bigger pot,” she says. “You know when you take a plant out of a pot and its roots are all twisted and cramped? And then you put it in a bigger pot with fresh new soil and it just gets bigger and stronger? That’s the journey I’m on right now. And it’s going to hurt a little bit to leave this pot that’s been so comfortable for so long. But in the end, it’s going to be exactly what we need.”

Turning 60 was a time of reflection for Kotb. And while life has taught her a lot over the years, the lessons she learned as a mother weren’t as profound.

“Being a mother has shown me that anything is possible,” she tells PEOPLE. “I say to (my daughters) … when I look in their eyes, what do I see? And I see endless possibilities with them.”

What exactly did they teach her? “They taught me that I am good enough just the way I am, with all my flaws and everything I bring. They taught me that there is humor in some of the hardest places. And they taught me that I was always good enough to be a mother,” Kotb says. “And now I get to do that for the rest of my life.”

The Today The show airs weekdays starting at 7:00 a.m. ET on NBC.