My Interview with Oprah

I’ve long been a fan of Oprah Winfrey’s unique talents. Through her keen observations of the human condition, the strength of her conviction, and her effectiveness as a communicator, Oprah has positively impacted the lives of millions of people around the world.

Additionally, having successfully navigated the transition from the Oprah Winfrey Show (one of the most successful television shows in the history of the medium), to running her own cable network, and eventually generating tens of millions of followers through social media, Oprah could lead a master class on modern business leadership.

As a result, when I was invited to the premiere of her new series, “Belief,” I didn’t hesitate. While watching the pilot, I was struck by the power of the message that certain beliefs, e.g. the enduring power of love, kindness, and tolerance, are universal regardless of race, religion, or creed. The other thing that became readily apparent was how reminiscent the show was of the extraordinarily well-received “Planet Earth” series in terms of the visual ethos and scope.

The analogy was so clear that when Oprah asked me for my initial impressions of the show, I remarked that it felt like “Planet Earth meets spirituality.” Upon hearing that, Oprah let out one of her trademark exclamations and said, “That’s what we were going for!”  It turned out that Planet Earth had made an indelible impression on Oprah, and she had wanted to do the same for the concept of belief globally.

I recently had the chance to interview Oprah about why this series was so important to her. We also covered some of the most meaningful and consistent themes throughout her career, e.g. the power of intention, using her platform to amplify only positive messages, how she was able to successfully transition from one platform to another, and the power of “a-ha” moments and the joy she takes in sharing those with her audience.

Interviewing one of the world’s greatest interviewers could have been a daunting task. However, Oprah couldn’t have been more open and gracious. We were originally scheduled to tape for 20 minutes, but it ended up lasting roughly 45 minutes, so we decided to share the interview in three parts.  Here’s the first segment, in which Oprah talks about her early career objectives, her evolution in terms of recognizing the power of TV as a platform, and using that platform to only amplify the messages she believes are most valuable.

I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.  “Belief” debuts on OWN this Sunday, October 18.