Sheinelle Jones leads with intention.

The newly-minted Today with Jenna & Sheinelle cohost, 47, was flooded with letters and messages from fans after she lost her husband, Uche Ojeh, to brain cancer at age 45 in May. In this week’s PEOPLE cover story, Jones says she replied to every single one.

She says fans aren’t just signing their names to these cards, “people are writing letters, and I read them a little bit every day, and I send thank you notes to everyone,” says Jones.

“I’ve sent out 1,200 thank you notes already because I feel like if people are going to pour into me and share their stories, then I can try to let them know that I receive it,” she adds. “I see you.”

Jones returned to Today in September, and on Dec. 9, the announcement was made that she would become Jenna Bush Hager’s permanent cohost. Today with Jenna & Sheinelle debuted Jan. 12.

Still, Jones shares that her return to work isn’t without its challenges, especially as someone who has such a public-facing job.

“It’s harder for me now, right? And I feel a responsibility to hold space for what everyone is holding,” she says. “And that can be very hard sometimes. And so I’ll be inside, and I’ll see all those people outside and they’ll have signs, especially now more than ever.”

But Jones is resolute, making a point to interact with everyone who takes the time to come visit the plaza.

“The women who are in the widow club, we hug, and [people say] ‘I lost a sister,’ or ‘I’m also battling cancer.’ The woman I want to be, she wants to go meet them, and she wants to hold space for them and she wants to go outside and she wants to make eye contact with them,” she says.
“So I do it. So I go.”

In sharing her own story, Jones hopes it will resonate with others. She says she knows the difference it makes when audiences share their stories with her.

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“It really does give me strength. I remember when I was running the marathon with real weight on my shoulders, it felt like the cheering would carry me when when my legs were like, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t run anymore.’ And it feels that way now,” she says. “I’m literally carried by support and love. And so even now, with this new chapter beginning and a new show, I feel carried into it and supported. I don’t feel alone.”

For more on Jones, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE on stands Friday.