This week, Richard Tedlow and I turn our attention to Oprah Winfrey, the Queen of All Media.  We trace her remarkable life story, from the abused child of an unwed teen mother to the first African-American woman to become a self-made billionaire, who has often been named the most influential woman in the world.  We examine the source of her charisma, her ability to make meaning out of suffering, and ponder how she has been able to stay relatable to her audience despite her incredible success.

Notes:

1) During this episode, we discuss the challenges that Oprah faced in her lifetime, including sexual abuse, racism (including racial slurs), and the death of her infant son. If you listen to these episodes with your children, or if these topics would cause you emotional pain, you might want to skip over this episode.

2) Due to user error on my part, the audio for my portion of the conversation is not as crisp as usual (Zoom recorded using my laptop's onboard microphone, instead of the fancy condenser microphone that I typically use) but I deemed it "listenable," and rather than subject Richard to a re-recording, opted to publish it as is.

Links:

Here is Oprah as a young anchorwoman (afro and all): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9aqfUhACCU

Here is a behind-the-scenes look at Oprah's first talk show, People Are Talking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dv7RGIWUxE

And here is a 30-second commercial for People Are Talking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qy62A4m6gQ

Finally, here is Oprah talking about that 67 pounds of fat in a wagon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoVmIyzNn-8