About
Joan Lunden
Joan Lunden is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, television host, and motivational speaker who has been a trusted voice in American homes for more than fifty years. For nearly two decades, she greeted viewers each morning on Good Morning America, becoming the longest-running female host in the history of early morning television.
Throughout her career, Lunden has championed issues related to health, caregiving, and aging. She hosts the PBS television series Second Opinion with Joan Lunden and the Washington Post podcast Caring for Tomorrow, which explores the future of healthcare. Lunden is a spokesperson for Longevity Life+, a precision care program focused on genomics and disease prevention, and she also serves as an ambassador for the Poynter Institute’s MediaWise for Seniors initiative. Lunden has also served as a visiting professor at Lehigh University’s College of Health, where she taught Population Health and the Media.
In June 2014, Lunden was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. Ever the optimist, she turned her diagnosis into a mission to help others, becoming a powerful advocate for breast cancer awareness, testifying before the Food and Drug Administration in support of mandatory mammogram reporting, and before the Connecticut State Legislature on breast exam insurance coverage. She chronicled her cancer journey in her book, Had I Known: A Memoir of Survival.
As a member of the sandwich generation, Lunden is a mother of seven and, like many boomers, she has balanced a demanding career while also caring for an aging parent. This experience fueled her passion for advocating for seniors. In 2020, Lunden testified before the Congressional House Ways and Means Committee in support of expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act to include senior caregiving needs.
One of the most visible women in America, Lunden has graced the cover of over sixty magazines and eleven book covers.
A multiple New York Times best-selling author, her most recent book, Joan: Life Beyond the Script, offers her most personal and revealing work to date. In it, Joan shares the untold stories behind her groundbreaking career, the realities of being one of the first women to break through the glass ceiling in television news, the challenges of balancing ambition with motherhood, and the lessons she’s learned through reinvention, advocacy, and perseverance. The book has been praised for its honesty, humor, and heartfelt reflection, giving audiences an even deeper appreciation for the woman behind the public persona.
Lunden has served as a national spokesperson for numerous organizations, including the American Heart Association, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the American Lung Association, the American Red Cross, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Colon Cancer Alliance. She continues to connect with audiences daily through her social media platforms and her website, JoanLunden.com.
Joan Lunden remains one of America’s most recognized and trusted public figures, inspiring generations with her warmth, resilience, and authenticity.
Lunden’s books include: Joan: Life Beyond the Script / Why Did I Come into This Room: A Candid Conversation About Aging / Had I Known: A Memoir of Survival / Chicken Soup for the Soul: Family Caregiving / Growing Up Healthy: Protecting Your Child from Diseases Now Through Adulthood / Wake-Up Calls; Making the Most Out of Every Day / A Bend in the Road is Not the End of the Road; 10 Positive Principles for Dealing with Change / Joan Lunden’s Healthy Living; A practical, inspirational guide to creating balance in your life / Joan Lunden’s Healthy Cooking / and Good Morning, I’m Joan Lunden.
