Charity talks about beginning her journey as 'The Bachelorette'

NEW YORK -- Charity Lawson is about to take the journey of a lifetime to find the love of her life on "The Bachelorette."

The 27-year-old child and family therapist from Columbus, Georgia is the 20th woman to take on this role.

"I was so, so nervous," she said of her first day as "The Bachelorette." "Ultimately just nerves and excitement were colliding."

Twenty-five men arrive, along with her brother Nehemiah, for her first night in "Bachelor" mansion.

"I was surprised at how many connections I formed night one," Lawson said.

She said that she has a different perspective on what Zach went through during his season of "The Bachelor" and the tough decisions he had to make.

"I have so much respect for everyone who came before me, this is not an easy journey or easy position to be in," she said.

Helping her along the way, is host Jesse Palmer whom she said gave her valuable advice.

"Jesse is great, I absolutely just adore Jesse and the friendship we have cultivated from just filming and being together," Larson said. "He is someone that just provided me with a lot of affirmation throughout the season which was just very encouraging."

Don't miss the season 20 premiere of "The Bachelorette" at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. You can watch episodes on demand and on Hulu the day following episodes' premieres.