In the first episode of this three-part series, Oprah welcomes Grammy award-winning singer, Fantasia, to talk about her feature film debut as 'Celie' in the reimagination of the classic film, The Color Purple. In this emotional conversation, Fantasia shares the personal inspiration behind her portrayal and how her character empowered her to heal her own past trauma. Oprah and Fantasia celebrate the sisterhood of the women at the heart of the story and the new dimension to Shug and Celie's...

An especially powerful presentation, Oprah sits down with Tony and two-time Emmy winner Courtney B. Vance and Dr. Robin Smith, a renowned psychologist, for a crucial discussion that asks the question, “How do we begin to uplift and empower Black men in a world that refuses to see their humanity?” As co-authors of the book The Invisible Ache: Black Men Identifying Their Pain and Reclaiming their Power, Vance and Smith put a spotlight on the critical issue of mental health among Black men in...

Oprah talks to New York Times best-selling author, world-renowned clinical psychologist and Super Soul favorite, Dr. Shefali, about her new book, The Parenting Map: Step-by-Step Solutions to Consciously Create the Ultimate Parent-Child Relationship. Dr. Shefali shares a revolutionary new parenting method that she believes will empower children while transforming parents. She explains how parents can disrupt dysfunctional inherited patterns and replace them with authentic connection to honor...

In this intimate special, Oprah welcomes filmmaker, diplomat and philanthropist Nicole Avant. Oprah and Avant reminisce about her childhood, dotted with visits from luminaries like Sidney Poitier, Muhammed Ali, Whitney Houston and Bill Clinton. She also takes Oprah through the terrifying moment when she learned that her beloved mother had been shot in her own home, resulting in a shocking death that rocked both her family and Hollywood. Avant shares insights from her new memoir, Think You’ll...

Original Air Date: April 11, 2018 Oprah sits down with Tim Storey, the acclaimed author, motivational speaker, ordained minister and life adviser, to talk about finding deeper meaning in your life and how to transform a setback into a comeback at any age. Tim has helped guide people, including many celebrities, through some of life's most difficult circumstances, including cancer, drug addiction, depression and divorce. He reveals how to move forward when your situation seems insurmountable....

This is the third and final Build the Life You Want Super Soul Podcast with Oprah and Arthur Brooks, co-authors of the #1 New York Times best-selling book, Build the Life You Want. Together, they talk with readers around the country about the “Friendship Pillar of Happiness” by uncovering the difference between “deal friends” and “real friends.” They discuss the PANAS test which readers can take to find out their personality profiles. Arthur Brooks asks, “Are you a Judge, a Poet, a Mad...

Oprah sits down with two-time National Book Award winning author Jesmyn Ward to talk about her new novel and Oprah’s Book Club 103rd pick Let Us Descend. The narrative is set in the 19th century during the time of slavery. It follows a teenage girl’s journey across the American South. Announced in October on CBS Mornings, Oprah describes Jesmyn’s latest novel as “a vital work for our culture.” In this moving conversation, Oprah and Jesmyn discuss their upbringings in Mississippi, how the loss...

In Episode Two of the Build the Life You Want Super Soul Podcast, Oprah and Arthur C. Brooks, co-authors of the #1 New York Times bestseller “Build the Life You Want,” take questions from readers who are curious how to make their own lives happier with the science-based research and actionable practices from the book. Arthur Brooks explains that living a happier life starts with focusing less on yourself by saying, “Your load is lightened when you’re helping another person. You’re going to...

Original Air Date: May 7, 2018 Thich Nhat Hanh, the Buddhist monk, author and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, sits down with Oprah to discuss his dedication to mindful meditation and his legacy of nonviolent opposition to the Vietnam War. In 1966, the spiritual leader met with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and urged him to publicly denounce the Vietnam War. After the meeting, Dr. King nominated Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize, saying, "His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to...

In Episode One of the Build the Life You Want Super Soul Podcast, Oprah and Arthur Brooks offer listeners a better understanding of the science behind happiness and why Arthur says, “Happiness is not a destination, happiness is a direction.” Together, they take questions from people across the country who have read Build the Life You Want who are curious how to apply topics from the book to their own lives. They discuss the “The Four Pillars of Happiness: Faith, Family, Friends and Work that...

Oprah talks to trauma therapist, minister, and author Dr. Anita Phillips about her New York Times bestselling new book, The Garden Within: Where The War with Your Emotions Ends and Your Most Powerful Life Begins. Dr. Anita explains how embracing our emotions rather than suppressing them is the key to living our most powerful life. Blending faith, the latest discoveries in neurobiology, and her own research, Dr. Anita shows us how to reach a state of emotional well-being. She describes this as...

Global media leader and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey and Harvard professor and New York Times best-selling author Arthur Brooks want you to be happier - so they teamed up to write a book outlining the steps to ‘Build the Life You Want.’ Enjoy this episode of The Happiness Lab from our friends at Pushkin Industries. Over the summer, Dr Laurie Santos readBuild the Life You Want, the Art and Science of Getting Happier and loved it. So, she recorded a conversation with Arthur touching on how his...

Original Air Date: December 25, 2019 Oprah talks about the many ways animals teach and inspire us. Oprah shares the lessons she's learned from her own dogs and from other animals featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah says one of her greatest teachers was her beloved dog, Sophie. Oprah was also inspired by one of her most memorable guests, Faith, the dog who overcame severe deformities to learn to walk on two legs. "If that little dog can do that, what can you do?" Oprah asks. Oprah also...

Original Air Date: May 6, 2020 Oprah Winfrey talks with Dr. Alan Lightman, an MIT professor of humanities, physicist and best-selling author. Dr. Lightman is one of the rare scientists who also embraces spirituality after having a transcendent experience while on a boat on the ocean. He discusses why he believes the COVID-19 pandemic offered us an opportunity to lead a less hurried life. He shares why stillness is so important to our daily lives and explains how our country now has a...

Original Air Date: March 28th, 2018 Oprah sits down with the Rev. Ed Bacon, a retired priest from the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and the author of the book "8 Habits of Love." Saying that we often obscure our ability to identify grace in our lives, the Rev. Bacon reveals how to recognize grace in your life, especially during the toughest times. He tells Oprah that people operate from a place of either fear or love when it comes to their relationship with God and explains why he...

Original Air Date: January 20th, 2021 Job loss, addiction, a breakup, the death of a loved one, illness… these are the kinds of struggles that have the potential to break us wide open. Oprah says that before you ask the question, “Why me?” realize that nothing is happening out of order. Your life is always speaking to you. When that wake-up call comes, understand that it’s your life trying to push you in another direction onto the next leg of your journey. Don’t resist. Instead let the truth...

Original Air Date: April 30th, 2018 Former professional basketball player Jay Williams opens up to Oprah about his near-fatal, career-ending motorcycle crash, his regrets and how he's learned to fulfill his destiny despite those who say he threw it all away. Jay was poised to become one of the biggest superstars in the NBA until his devastating accident brought it all to a heartbreaking halt. After Jay's big mistake cost him his career, his dreams and nearly his life, he began to refocus his...

Original Air Date: December 27th, 2017 He’s the creator of some of the most groundbreaking shows in television history. Legendary producer, writer and director Norman Lear talks about changing the landscape of TV, his life as a spiritual seeker and his political activism. Norman shares behind-the-scenes stories from his socially conscious shows “All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times.” Norman explains why he believes there may be no greater unifying spiritual expression than...

Original Air Date: August 1st, 2018 Oprah sits down with contemporary thought leader and spiritual teacher Panache Desai, who discusses the transformative power of energy, offering step-by-step advice on how we can change our lives by shifting our energy. Panache reveals what he believes are the keys to overcoming anger, rage, fear and insecurity. The young luminary shares his best advice for how we can achieve what he describes as our "infinite potential," the key to unlocking who we are and...

Original Air Date: November 7th, 2018 New York Times best-selling author, public speaker and writing teacher Anne Lamott discusses what she says are the three types of prayers that can help anyone through challenging times. Anne says it's easy to thank God when life is going well, but when times get tough, she says feelings of anger or complete silence can also act as prayer. Anne believes as long you’re telling the truth of your heart, prayer can take on many forms. Anne talks about her book...

Original Air Date: November 12th, 2018 Dr. BJ Miller is a hospice and palliative care specialist who treats patients with life-altering and terminal illnesses at the University of California in San Francisco. Dr. Miller shares his revelations about a subject that is often taboo in our culture: the experience of death. He describes the moment after a person's death and explains why it is both sacred and unknowable. While a sophomore in college, Dr. Miller suffered a devastating electrical...

Original Air Date: August 15th, 2018 Author and psychic Ainslie MacLeod says your soul may hold the secrets to your path in life. Ainslie came to this conclusion more than a decade ago after a great epiphany took him from successful illustrator to renowned psychic and investigator of the soul. He believes that each person's soul holds a life plan that was created before that person was born. In his book, "The Instruction: Living the Life Your Soul Intended," Ainslie explains how you can...

Original Air Date: November 1, 2017 In 1994, iconic actress and author Ali MacGraw left Los Angeles and moved to Santa Fe to live her spiritual journey more fully. In a frank conversation, Ali discusses what she's come to know about aging with grace, shares the real-life lessons in love she learned from her marriages to legendary actor Steve McQueen and famed film producer Robert Evans and opens up about how sobriety allowed her to feel more connected to her soul. Want more podcasts from...

Original Air Date: October 3rd, 2018 Hip-hop legend, Grammy winner, TV and film star, devoted husband and father, LL Cool J has accomplished it all. Nevertheless, it's easy to see a scenario where it never would have happened. As a kid growing up in Queens, LL almost lost his mother and grandfather when they were shot by his father during a fit of rage. Incredibly, once his father turned his life around, LL's mother grew to forgive him and allowed him back into LL's life. LL says this...

Original Air Date: April 8th, 2020 As a part of “Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus,” Oscar-, Grammy-, Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning rapper, actor, writer, philanthropist and activist Common talks in front of a live audience in Denver. In a spoken essay from his New York Times best-selling memoir, Let Love Have the Last Word, Common shares his journey in discovering love, where he failed in love, and the three components that helped him discover self-love. He punctuates his talk with...