Hello and welcome back Curious! In today’s episode, we are going to fill you with motivation
to fulfill your goals and objectives. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s then take a closer
look at Oprah Winfrey’s step to success. She is one of the most successful presenters
in the United States so how did she build her empire? We all know that in the business
world relationships are essential to climb the ladder of success. So who are Oprah’s
close friends? How much is her mind-blowing empire valued at? What was the defining moment
of her life? Getting to where she is today there were scandals, problems, slander, and
all kinds of speculations that you could think of...but what was the situation that made
this woman unbreakable and become the symbol of struggle and a clear example of will and
power? We’ll give you the answers to all these questions and more but before we continue
don’t forget to turn on the notifications and subscribe to our channel so you don’t
miss any of our future videos.
So Curious, get comfortable, and maybe while you’re at it grab some pen and paper to
write down Winfrey’s secret recipe to rise up the ladder of success both in television
as in the world of business. In the words of Oprah: "I believe luck is preparation meeting
opportunity. If you hadn't been prepared when the opportunity came along, you wouldn't have
been 'lucky. '" Certainly a winning phrase of a woman who was not afraid of success,
and therefore we will give you a brief but interesting excerpt from her rise to fame.
Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29th, 1954, in Kosciusko, a rural town in Mississippi.
Her mother became pregnant at the age of 18 and her childhood was hard and she lived on
her grandmother’s farm for the first year of her life. Her poverty was very serious
and due to their financial situation, her grandmother would make dresses for her out
of potato sacks. It is also worth mentioning that in those days racism was rampant in the
United States.
Because of the color of her skin, her grandmother did not have much faith in Oprah and her future.
In fact, the presenter said that her grandmother thought that she would only work as a housekeeper
for white people. Even her classmates made fun of her at school because of her attire
but she did not want that fate for herself. She had dreams and wanted to carry out a message
of inclusion for all those children who also suffered a situation much similar to hers.
At the age of 9, she was intimately abused by her 19-year-old cousin, who told her to
keep it a secret and to go out and buy ice cream. She kept what happened to herself but
unfortunately, it was not the only abuse she suffered as it wasn’t just her cousin but
also her uncle and a family friend. And he kept all this quiet and then at the age of
14 she became pregnant but after being born the baby passed away. Afterward, her mother
had sent her to her father’s house and after that event, she did not return to her grandmother’s
house.
Her father on the other hand was an extremely disciplined and strict man and it all left
a mark on Oprah since from that moment on her life changed forever. Graduating frmo
school with honors, winning a beauty contest, and even excelling in public speaking, and
thanks to this she won a college scholarship to study communication.
Her career beginnings were as a reporter, and afterward, she started her own show, the
legendary The Oprah Winfrey Show in September 1985, which was shown all over the world,
broadcast to millions upon millions of viewers, and as you know...the rest is history. From
there on her success only grew and although as we have said before, she did not have a
good childhood, she is an example of a person who did not let her past circumstances mark
her life. And this is where the legendary success begins.
Oprah has not only been seen in the world of the small screen but she has also been
involved in the world of cinema. She had made her acting debut in the period drama film
Color Purple, and the film Beloved where she played Sethe. She has also lent her voice
in several children’s movies such as Princess and the Frog and Charlotte’s Web. And where
children are concerned, she is also aware of the suffering that exists in their world
and so this presenter is characterized by her social conscience and for this reason,
she has set up her own charity organization formed in 1998 The Oprah Winfrey Foundation.
Among the awards Oprah has won are several Emmys for best talk show and she was the first
black woman to be ranked as one of the billionaires in America first appearing on the list in
2003 and her name continues to appear on the list to this day as her net worth only surely
grows. And of course, we cannot leave you without mentioning the message that she had
given at the Golden Globes that had everyone talking about her. The speech was with regards
to the Me Too movement and the harassment that many had experienced in the entertainment
industry. The words that many had found to be profound and ones that resonated with many
were: “Speaking Your Truth Is the Most Powerful Tool We All Have”
But the important question is, is the truth really Oprah’s most powerful tool? Well
Curious, have you heard the secret to success? Allegedly great figures worldwide, such as
Larry King, Will Smith, and of course Oprah as well, have dedicated themselves to the
law of attraction, and positive thinking, which is one of the foundations of this secret
of success. And speaking of Larry King, why not find out more about the successes of the
late journalist by checking out our previous video by clicking on the link above. But for
now, stay with us to learn more about Oprah.
But success also goes hand in hand with having relationships and that’s what happened to
Oprah as she got to rub elbows with the elite of American society and not just in the U.S
but even in the British royal family and yes, we’re talking about her friendship with
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, as well as Meghan’s mom. Among her other friends are
The Obamas, Gayle King, Tyler Perry, with whom she even shares a business together.
In addition to her friend’s list, there are also those long-lasting ones such as her
close relations with Deepak Chopra whom she considers her mentor, Maya Angelou, Ava Duvernay.
In addition, there is also actress Julia Roberts, and of course, Beyonce, plus the famous Dr.
Phil and we could dedicate a whole separate video to this friends list since thanks to
her career and trajectory she has had many friendships that had also brought in many
benefits such as the explosive interview she did with Meghan and Harry which allegedly
was a non-profit one? Well, not for them at least as all profits went to the TV network
and of course to Oprah!
Though here remember we mentioned Oprah’s success and that she is a fan of the secret
but not so secret key to success? Well, it is time to get into how the law of attraction
that she used from her early success was evident going into the 2000s. With her undisputed
and continued success in the 21st century, Oprah the protagonist of this episode became
a multi-millionaire.
She produced a Broadway musical version of the movie The Color Purple. She had created
the website Oprah.com in addition to all this. She also devised a plan to launch a 24-hour
on-air channel called Oprah Radio on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. In addition to all of
the above, she continued to host her talk show until 2011. After she created OWN which
stands for Oprah Winfrey Network, of which she is the executive director.
Of course, all of the above has impacted her bank account immensely but that’s not all!
In 2015 she brought a 10% equity stake in Weight Watchers International and became a
spokesperson for the famed subscription-based weight loss program.
In addition to being a philanthropist, she has also been a potential political advocate
for many years. This included Oprah campaigning for one of her aforementioned friends, the
former president of the United States, longer Barack Obama, who in turn later awarded Winfrey
with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013.
In 2018, she had received the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award where, in her acceptance
speech she talked about the aggression she experienced in show business. All this success
is solely the result of Winfrey’s hard work, resilience, and a business-savvy attitude,
which has led her to achieve this undisputed success in multiple industries, which in turn
had made her one of the richest, self-made billionaires in America. Not forgetting to
mention the variety of books that she has written. In 1996, she launched her famous
book club on The Angel Network. I 1998, she co-founded Oxygen Media, a women-only programming
company. As if all this wasn’t enough, she also created her magazine, “The Oprah Magazine”,
which launched in 2000. Today, she is one of the richest and most powerful personalities
in show business, valued at around $2.5 billion.
Although it seems that Oprah has decided to do new projects, including her show with Prince
Harry about mental health, something that has had the dynamic trio of Oprah, Meghan,
and Harry very busy with regards to working on it. Even Forbes magazine has appreciated
the success this woman has made and even went as far as to call Ellen the new Oprah, but
what do you think about that Curious? Since she has now canceled her daytime show, it
looks like Forbes might be looking for someone else to call the new Oprah. Who do you think
that should be? Also since we are speaking of Ellen, why not check out our previous video
to find out how that presenter had come to where she is today by checking out our previous
video by clicking on the link above.
So Curious, we’re beginning to think that this secret key to success really works! And
what about you? Do you think Oprah really is a person who deserves the success she has
had throughout her life? Has she taken advantage of the privileged friendships she enjoys?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and as always don’t forget to like,
share and subscribe to our channel. Until next time!