Oprah Winfrey

Hailed as the “Queen of All Media,” Oprah Winfrey is the wealthiest Black person of the 20th century.

With stakes in TV, cooking and meals, and education, Oprah Winfrey is among the most powerful women in the world. Here’s how the superstar got her start.

Oprah’s start was a far cry from the glamorous life she enjoys today: She was born in rural Mississippi to a single teenage mother who often struggled to make ends meet.

Despite difficulty at home, Oprah did well in school, using it as a refuge from her disastrous home life. More interestingly, Oprah showed an interest in public speaking, even as a young girl. She’d mock-interview her dolls, and church friends nicknamed her ‘The Preacher,’ an early nod to her budding speaking talents.

Her mother worked long hours for little pay, leaving young Oprah to fend for herself with the abusive family members who watched her. Influenced by those she was surrounded by, she was a troublemaker. Oprah spent a brief stint in juvenile detention growing up. At 14, she was sexually assaulted and became pregnant. Unfortunately, the baby died in infancy.

“You get to know who you really are in a crisis,” she says today. As an adolescent, however, Oprah knew that, without intervention, she’d end up just like her mother. She was determined not to let that happen.

This time defined her perspective in two key ways: inspiration and vulnerability. Today, Oprah looks back at the little girl she once was, a reminder of what her life would be. She told the NYT, “I saw her in the mirror this morning.” She uses that image to push herself to continue working hard amidst crisis.

More so than many, she takes her future and, later, her career into her own hands. Oprah’s vulnerability, a key skill as a talk show host, stems from this time. Her guests understand that whatever they’ve been through, she’s been through worse.

Like Ravikant, who came from similar beginnings, Oprah threw herself into her work, pushing herself in school and earning a scholarship to college.

Oprah’s ‘big break’ came at 17 when she won a beauty contest in Nashville. The local fire station offered to honor her, and she read the news as a joke. As soon as executives heard her speak, they offered her a job as a co-anchor.

After college, she became a newscaster, the first black woman to do it. For the next few years, she hopped from job to job, always receiving the same criticism: Emotion. She couldn’t distance herself from her stories, often crying while reporting on sad events.

Oprah has “come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint.” Hers was vulnerability and emotional connection, which lent well to work as a show host, not a newscaster.

Recognizing her potential, Oprah started her own talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, in 1984. During that time, she appeared in The Color Purple and earned herself an Oscar, boosting her fame.

Success breeds more success, and Oprah, eager to capitalize on her laurels, went national with her show. Throughout the 1980s, she developed her characteristic style: She spoke with guests intimately and confessionally, similar to the tabloid magazines that were still in their infancy at the time.

Oprah’s unique focus on mindfulness, positivity, and self-improvement catapulted her personal brand. As TV columnist Howard Rosenberg said, Oprah’s “big, brassy, loud, aggressive, hyper, laughable, lovable, soulful, tender, low-down, earthy, and hungry” defined her work. Her former weakness—emotional attachment—became her key strength.

In the 1990s, Oprah continued cultivating her vulnerability, opening up about her troubles with guests on her show. Her message resonated with women, and viewers felt like Oprah was a friend, not a celebrity.

Revealing interviews and famous guests like Michael Jackson, Kanye West, David Letterman, and, most recently, Megan Markle and Prince Harry contributed to her success. It is a privilege to be interviewed by Oprah.

Despite national acclaim, Oprah wasn’t ready to give up in the early 2000s. She co-founded all well-established and received media companies, including Oxygen, OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), and Harpo Productions.

Oprah says, “The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be.” Today, she’s been featured on nearly all major news platforms, including 60 Minutes.

She invests her 3 billion dollar net worth into philanthropic projects, even starting her own school, and owns over ten companies.

Here’s what we can learn from Oprah about manifestation, vulnerability, and trust.

Lessons

Success breeds more success—leverage your credits into greater opportunities. Oprah’s career rests on building blocks: Time and again, the star assesses her present and leverages her credits into greater opportunities. She did this when she landed her first hit TV show and then used her fame as a renowned host to fuel her further opportunities, like becoming an author. Oprah employs this tactic most prominently through partial ownership. Others looking to learn from Oprah can leverage success in one industry or area and invest profits into other ventures. This tool is the reason for Oprah’s multi-billion dollar net worth and keeps her diversified. Furthermore, Oprah’s name extends far beyond TV and media: Today, she owns all or part of some of the most prominent companies in modern culture, including Harpo Inc., which owns the Dr. Oz show, Weight Watchers, and Oatly. Oprah has built a robust portfolio of companies and ventures and a strong reputation as a speaker, interviewer, media personality, businesswoman, philanthropist, and political activist. In other words, she leverages success into each venture to build credibility and breeds diversification and continued relevance.

Manifestation and affirmations have credibility. Oprah says, “Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe.” The idea that we ‘become what we believe’ or manifestation is nothing new, but Oprah leverages it to shape her success. Though she hails from humble beginnings, Oprah harnessed manifestation’s power, believing she could succeed. She also created her own vision boards, using them as a visual tool to help guide her toward the life she dreamed about. She begins with the present, examining what’s going on around her. Then, she imagines where she’d like to be and plans to make that a reality. Far from woo-woo, Oprah’s reliance on manifestation begins with self-reflection and self-responsibility. She says, “You are responsible for your life. You can’t keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction.” Instead of giving another person responsibility for her success, Oprah takes matters into her own hands, using a DIY approach to business and success. This is one of the most important tools in her toolbox—manifestation is a key reason behind Oprah’s journey to becoming the first Black female billionaire in history.

Vulnerability is a powerful USP. How was Oprah able to create such compelling, confessional TV content? The answer is “Oprahfication,” a concept so powerful it’s published in the dictionary. Oprah didn’t invent interviews and talk show television—just injected them with empathy and vulnerability. More so than many other TV personalities, Oprah remains highly vulnerable with her guests, confessing details about her weight loss issues, tumultuous love life, and sexual abuse with even her most accomplished guests. Her confessional approach creates vulnerability and trust; her guests feel like they’re speaking to an old friend or therapist, easily divulging the truth. Oprah “makes people care because she cares” and changed the face of talk shows as we know them. Before Oprah, politicians and newscasters remained diplomatic and reserved. Following her radical approach to vulnerability and authenticity, professionals speaking on TV are more likely to emote as a “nod to the cult of confession that Oprah helped create.” Not only is vulnerability a tool, but a USP. Without it, it’s unlikely Oprah would’ve spearheaded some of the most crucial interviews in popular culture. In other words, vulnerability is among the reasons celebrities request an interview with her.

Diversify and research your community to create trust. Oprah says, “Surround yourself only with people who will take you higher.” While this is a powerful lesson I discussed in depth in the Martha Stewart and Anna Wintour profiles, Oprah harnesses this skill differently. Beyond networking, Oprah invests in her community through thorough research, trying to understand others as much as possible. One of her former employees said, “Oprah spends a disproportionate amount of her time gathering information from communities of people outside of her core and then she shares that information within her community.” More so than many, Oprah believes trust is built through vulnerability and understanding. She’s relentlessly vulnerable with her audience, but before meeting them, she thoroughly researches the groups and individuals she’s meeting, examining the effect of different age groups, social classes, ethnicities, education levels, careers, etc. She uses the insights gleaned to inform her conversations and philanthropic work with these groups. In today’s multicultural society, this practice is critical: Diverse groups of people are needed to solve difficult problems, and varying perspectives often lead to disagreements. Oprah bridges this gap, cultivating a more robust perspective and trust.

Take more risks. Oprah lives by the quote, “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” In this case, ‘asking’ means a few things—one of these is taking greater risks. Risk-taking is among the most important takeaways from Oprah’s record-breaking career. There’s a reason why she’s the first in so many fields; there were multiple reasons why others before her didn’t take the jump. Knowing this, Oprah took key risks, like leaving her steady job as an anchor to take on her own show. While there was a high degree of uncertainty in this endeavor, she knows this: Without risk, there’s little capacity for reward. Taking risks emboldens individual, increasing their capacity for risk moving forward. Furthermore, without risks, success is unlikely. Risk yields the growth mindset necessary to solve tangible problems and improves our response to failure. Risk-taking begins with self-understanding and confidence. Oprah says, “Well, you have to believe that you’re worth the risk. If it doesn’t work, you lose, but if you actually, really believe that it’s going to work, you win big.” In other words, the risk should be weighed with reward and self-understanding. Strong upside and competence are key to taking calculated risks with a strong upside.

Failure primes success. Oprah says, “You get to know who you really are in a crisis.” What she means by this is failure—or crisis—brings clarity and self-reflection. Both of these skills are crucial in any setting, but for Oprah, they breed a strong awareness of her personal competencies, laying the foundation for her greater successes. Oprah had a tumultuous childhood and upbringing, which laid the backdrop for her to grow and change. During this time, she took a long look in the mirror and decided to change her life for the better, just as Naval did. Like Naval, Oprah has faced many other failures in her career: She was constantly told she was too emotional and vulnerable to be a news anchor. Oprah maintained that “there was no such thing as failure” and decided that while her strong mind to vulnerability wasn’t suited for anchoring, it would be perfect in a talk-show setting. In this way, Oprah learned to harness failures and differing skill sets, leveraging her strengths while acknowledging her personal weaknesses. Failure is inevitable, but self-reflection is needed to unlock the insights it brings. Oprah harnessed self-reflection constantly, developing a growth mindset that yielded much of her success.

Oprah Quotes

On a personal calling: “I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you. ”

On getting what you want: “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.”

On accountability and self-reliance: “If friends disappoint you over and over, that's in large part your own fault. Once someone has shown a tendency to be self-centered, you need to recognize that and take care of yourself; people aren't going to change simply because you want them to.”

On her success: “The reason I've been able to be so financially successful is my focus has never, ever for one minute been money.”

On authenticity: “Live your life in truth. Don't pretend to be someone you're not. You will survive anything if you live your life from the point of view of truth.”

On failure: “Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire.”

On confidence: “Self-esteem comes from being able to define the world in your own terms and refusing to abide by the judgments of others.”

Speeches

• The Queen of Daytime TV—1991 interview.
• 2012 Commencement Address—Winfrey greet graduates.
• Oprah’s Tearful Speech at Power of Women—Winfrey speaks on power and philanthropy.
• Oprah Winfrey Harvard Commencement speech | Harvard Commencement 2013—Winfrey’s Harvard commencement speech.
• Oprah Winfrey on Career, Life, and Leadership—Winfrey speaks to Standford Business school.
• Young Oprah Winfrey interview on her Life and Career (1991)---An early interview.
• WATCH THIS EVERY DAY - Motivational Speech By Oprah Winfrey—Key motivational speech.
• Winfrey’s Podcast appearances—A list of Winfrey’s personal podcasts and interviews.
• Oprah Winfrey's Cecil B. DeMille Award Acceptance Speech - 2018 Golden Globe Awards—Winfrey’s landmark acceptance speech.
• Oprah Winfrey 2018 Commencement Speech: USC Annenberg—Winfrey’s delivers USC commencement address.
• My Success And Spiritual Journey | Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will…—Details Winfrey’s success and her journey.
• Holding Onto History, You Could Lose Your Destiny | Oprah's Lifeclass | Oprah Winfrey Network—Winfrey speaks on legacy.
• Why You Should Put Yourself First | Oprah's Lifeclass | Oprah Winfrey Network—Key advice.

Videos

• The Oprah Effect—CNBC examines Winfrey’s legacy.
• How Oprah Made Her $2.6 Billion Dollar Fortune—Forbes examines Winfrey’s business strategy.
• Oprah: The Billionaire Everywoman—Winfrey’s personal history.
• Oprah Winfrey: Fight for a Better Life—A documentary of Winfrey’s life.
• Oprah Winfrey Documentary: How She Built a Billion-Dollar Media Empire—Details Winfrey’s career.
• How Oprah Became The World's Most Powerful Woman—Bloomberg examines Winfrey’s professional history.
• The Life and Success of Oprah Winfrey—A brief video documentary.
• How Oprah Winfrey Became Famous | SUCCESS STORY of American Media MOGUL—Winfrey’s business success.

Book Recommendations

• Oprah Winfrey Speaks: Insights from the World's Most Influential Voice—Winfrey’s landmark biography.
• Oprah Winfrey: A Twentieth-century Life—A look into Winfrey’s impact on culture.
• Oprah Winfrey : the real story—A comprehensive biography.
• What I Know For Sure—Winfrey's memoir explains key advice.
• Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier—Winfrey and a co-writer explain success.
• Oprah Winfrey: A Biography of a Billionaire Talk Show Host—An extensive biography.

Further Readings

• Oprah Winfrey—An extensive personal and professional profile.
• Oprah's path to power—The Guardian showcases Winfrey’s life timeline.
• WHAT COMPANIES DOES OPRAH OWN?---The scope of Winfrey’s business influence.
• You go, girl–A comprehensive profile.
• TROUBLED GIRL'S EVOLUTION INTO AN OSCAR NOMINEE—NYT examines Winfrey’s career.
• Oprah Gail Winfrey: Star born out of adversity—How the TV personality overcomes challenges.
• Did you know: The Oprah Winfrey Show ran in national syndication for 25 years. She was the richest African-American of the 20th century. Was once the world's only black billionaire and the greatest black philanthropist in U.S. history.---Redditors explain Winfrey’s influence.
• How I gave Oprah her start—Winfrey’s menthor shares her story.
• Oprah Winfrey: Lady with a Calling—An early interview and profile with TIME.
• The Inspiring Journey of Oprah Winfrey: From Struggles to Success–Winfrey’s journey.
• Smithsonian’s ‘Watching Oprah’ a powerful reminder of why we miss her—Winfrey’s cultural legacy.
• The Color Oprah—Winfrey’s brand diversification.
• Oprah Winfrey, Journalist?---Winfrey’s career history.
• The Business of Being Oprah—How Winfrey built her brand.
• Creating The Oprah Effect—How Brands On The Edge Can Change Their Future—Forbes examines Winfrey’s impact on business.
• The Wrath of Oprah—How Winfrey responds to business threats.
• Oprah: ‘You don’t have to like her’---Winfrey’s political influence.
• Oprah Winfrey—Winfrey’s business influence.
• How Oprah Winfrey Built Her Business Empire—An extensive professional history.