Carrie Ann Inaba Says Life Has ‘Drastically Changed’ Since Joining ‘The Talk’

After joining The Talk, Carrie Ann Inaba has taken on a demanding, yet rewarding, new way of life.

Talking to PopCulture.com, Inaba opened up about how everything from her day-to-day life to the way she views herself changed after CBS announced in December she would be taking on co-hosting the hit series full-time.

While the Dancing With the Stars judge is certainly no stranger to live television and had guest hosted The Talk before, taking over for Julie Chen meant a major change in the way she lives her life.

“My life has drastically changed,” she explained to PopCulture, adding that while DWTS is “intense,” it films at most two seasons a year.

“It’s weird now to have to work all the time,” she admitted. “It’s really a new adjustment for me.”

Coming together with fellow panelists Sharon Osbourne, Eve, Sara Gilbert and Sheryl Underwood has also been wildly influential for Inaba.

She told PopCulture, “The sort of way I look at my own self-worth has changed and grown from being on this panel. These women have a lot of self-respect.”

“When you are considered an equal to four women you think that way of, it was a shift in the way I view myself,” Inaba continued. “That has elevated the way I view myself, because now I’m one of them.”

Coming in as a full-time co-host to The View, Inaba explained that the women were nothing but supportive as she prepared for the task ahead—with their advice being more along the lines of “Be you, be great.”

Watching Gilbert in her role has been especially transformational for Inaba: “I watch her and she’s so present all the time. I’ve actually learned quite a few things about myself and the world.”

Taking all of this on at the same time is no easy task, and one Inaba admits she wouldn’t have been able to tackle six years ago, when she had yet to be diagnosed and treated for her Iron Deficiency Anemia.

“I was really in the state of intense—intense doesn’t even cover it—fatigue and brain fog,” she told PopCulture.

Going from a life as a professional dancer, active in things like yoga and kickboxing to spending most of her time in bed, Inaba suspected there was something wrong with her, confirmed when her doctor ran a number of panels on her bloodwork.

“Then I was upset, because it’s actually quite common,” she said. “The diagnosis changed my life.”

Since being diagnosed, Inaba joked she’s been on her “little high horse” telling people to also get tested, which is why she’s partnering with Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.’s Get Iron Informed campaign.

“It is something im passionate about, because it is something that can be managed really effectively,” she said. “You have to be very proactive with your health, and we’re putting the power back with the people.”

The Talk airs weekdays at 2 p.m. ET on CBS.

Photo credit: CBS