SANTEE, Calif. — Former Chopper 8 reporter Jo Eager is releasing a new book about her life and making healthy choices.
In this Zevely Zone, I caught up with my former colleague turned author. One of many things I love about Jo is that she's always been an open book.
We go way back at CBS 8, so when she called me with big news about a book release, I was there knocking on her door. "This is the Jo Eager show," I said. She responded, "Where should we begin?" asked Jo with a big smile.
How about her first book? "Healthy by Choice Not by Chance. Physically, Mentally, Spiritually," said Jo while showing me her book that she will soon release. For 15 years, Jo was our Chopper 8 reporter. She was our eye in the sky reporting on breaking news such as wildfires and car accidents.
"The last thing I covered was a little brush fire that started a whole car lot on fire," said Jo.
Jo has always had a nose for news. "I was in Berlin for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989," said Jo. "It was the most amazing historical event I lived through. I loved it."
Every chapter in her book teaches another life lesson. For example, Chapter 7: Mindset has Everything to do with it. "That is the chapter that goes into the rattlesnake," said Jo.
In 2008, Jo was bitten by a rattlesnake while hiking and spent 15 days in the hospital. Ten years after that attack, I took Jo on that same hike to face her snake fear and now she's pushing her own positivity. "Yes, exactly and keeping our mind positive because sometimes it is easy to go down a path in our heads that is not positive," said Jo.
On page 46, Jo recalls her helicopter crash landing. "The summer of 2019 is forever burned in my brain literally," read Jo. She and her pilot's terrifying moment was caught on camera.
"It happened in an instant," said Jo. As she was rushed to safety, Jo remembers thinking she wasn't ready to die and would use that scary experience to live. "Fear can hold us back a lot of the time," said Jo.
According to Jo's book, so can negativity. "I mean if you wake up in the morning and think some negative thought that is not going to be a very good way to start your day," said Jo. Instead, she suggests beginning each day with gratitude.
"Thank you for another day, I have a nice comfy bed, I have a roof over my head I got a nice dog," said Jo who is 'eager' to give you a mile-high attitude boost. I joked, "You should write a book!" She laughed and said, "I know, ha, ha, ha."
Jo is holding a book signing event at Warwick's Bookstore in La Jolla. The event takes place from Noon to 2pm at 7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla, on Sunday September 17. For more information about Healthy by Choice Not by Chance. Physically, Mentally, Spiritually click here.