It\u2019s a big year for music icon\u00a0Gloria Estefan<\/a> as she celebrates 50 years of singing professionally.<\/p>\n Whether she was fronting the\u00a0Miami Sound Machine or going solo, over her career Estefan has amassed eight Grammy Awards and has\u00a0record sales exceeding 100 million worldwide. Most recently, she brought her amazing pipes and a lifetime of incredible stories to Kelly Clarkson<\/a>\u2019s talk show stage as the second guest on NBC\u2019s\u00a0four-episode<\/a>\u00a0special,\u00a0Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson<\/a>.<\/p>\n RELATED:\u00a0Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson Episode Schedule: What to Expect Each Week<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n A mother of two, Estefan has been married to fellow performer and entrepreneur\u00a0Emilio Estefan for 47 years, where they\u2019ve built a life and career together side-by-side. Estefan, 67, has endured and overcome huge challenges in her life, like surviving the cervical fracture\u00a0of her spine after a tour bus crash. Through her lyrics and songwriting, she\u2019s been able to channel her experiences to inspire others.<\/p>\n Gloria Estefan raises her arms while performing on stage.<\/p>\n In a 2022 interview with\u00a0Thrive Global<\/a>, Estefan revealed she\u2019s gained a lot of blessings through age, including the confidence of knowing exactly who she is as a person.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t take BS from anybody,\u201d she confirmed. \u201cThe shorter your time gets, the more important it is to spend that time [on] things that really are of value, and for me that\u2019s my family, creating something that\u2019s going to make someone feel better, or to just entertain them for a while\u2026I [can] also focus more on the philanthropic side.”<\/p>\n RELATED:\u00a0Kelly Clarkson & the Jonas Brothers Duetting \u201cYear 3000\u201d Is a Nostalgic Fever Dream<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n She and\u00a0Emilio established the Gloria Estefan Foundation in 1997 to promote “education, health, and cultural development,\u201d which includes spinal cord research, no-kill animal shelter funding, individual hardship grants, and community food drives.<\/p>\n After surviving the tour bus accident that caused\u00a0two titanium rods to be inserted into her back, Estefan underwent a year of intensive physical therapy to fully regain her mobility. The lessons she took away from that experience have since served the performer well.<\/p>\nHow age has refocused Gloria Estefan\u2019s priorities in life<\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
Gloria Estefan on connecting the mind, body, and spirit<\/h2>\n