Lauren Sánchez Recalls 'Incredible Advice' Barbara Walters Gave Her After She Auditioned for “The View”

"They were replacing Debbie Matenopoulos at the time," said the philanthropist and former journalist, who ultimately didn't get the job

Lauren Sánchez is reflecting on a valuable piece of advice she got early on in her career that has stayed with her.

In a Sept. 13 episode of The View, the Emmy-winning former news anchor and author — who just released her first children’s book, The Fly Who Flew to Space — opened up about her experience auditioning for a spot on the show.

"I’m a little nervous,” she immediately confessed. “I have to tell you, it's so funny, my hand was shaking back there, and my sister looked at me, and she goes, ‘You’re not auditioning this time; you’re a guest.’ ”

Joy Behar quickly clarified for viewers that Sánchez, 54, “auditioned for this show twice, and the powers that be decided, 'No, you’re not getting the job,' ” adding, “But look at you now, I don’t think that you needed the job!"

Sánchez, who spent nearly two decades as an on-air news anchor and entertainment journalist, then began recalling what happened. "The first time I did it, I think it was like 20 something years ago," she says. "They were replacing Debbie Matenopoulos at the time. And I auditioned, it was so much fun.”

Matenopoulos left the show in 1999.

Related: Lauren Sánchez Opens Up About Low-Key Home Life with Fiancé Jeff Bezos — and What They're Binge Watching (Exclusive)

She went on to say how the show made her “dress a little more conservative” and “pulled [her] hair back.” But after the show, she said Barbara Walters pulled her aside and said: “'What are you doing?’ ”

“And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ " she continued. "And she’s like, ‘If you’re going to go down, go down as yourself. Because if you don’t go down as yourself, you’re going to beat yourself up twice.’ ”

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“It was incredible advice,” Sánchez said, before sharing that Behar, 81, had also been a source of support for her.

“I was having a tough time, I was stressed out," she said. "And you walked past me and were like, ‘Keep your chin up, kid.’ ”

Related: Lauren Sánchez Shares Personal Story That Helped Inspire New Children’s Book: ‘The Journey Wasn’t Easy’ (Exclusive)

Sánchez’s stop by The View coincided with the release of her children's book, which follows the adventure of a fly named Flynn who accidentally gets stuck in the cockpit of a rocket that heads into space.

She previously told PEOPLE that the story was inspired by a very memorable helicopter ride with her kids.

“I was flying with my kids and a fly somehow got into the cockpit of the plane," said the helicopter pilot and mom of three. "My kids were like, ‘Oh no, this poor little fly is separated from his family!’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know, she gets to see the world from a completely different perspective.' "

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In celebration of her new book, Jessica Seinfeld hosted a party for Sánchez on Thursday, Sept. 12, where the author had a special conversation with Anderson Cooper.

During the conversation, the author spoke about the community college teacher who helped her overcome her dyslexia.“It just takes one person to change the trajectory of a kid’s life," she said. "Just one person to take an interest in them.”

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