Winfrey rose to prominence with “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which aired from September 1986 to May 2011.
Oprah Winfrey knows her career journey is nothing short of amazing, but she’ll never forget where she came from.
The 70-year-old media head honcho, social pioneer and altruist is overpowered with appreciation for her excursion and the various distinctions she has gotten, including three Brilliant Globes, two early evening Emmy Grants, and 18 Daytime Emmys.
“I sound extremely repetitive,” she shared, “however appreciation truly is my religion.”
Winfrey — who rose to unmistakable quality with “The Oprah Winfrey Show” from September 1986 to May 2011 — talked with Individuals for their 50th commemoration exceptional issue. She attested her long lasting obligation to empowering and inspiring others, saying she would encourage her more youthful self to “Hang tight, young lady. Clutch yourself.”
“The main thing is to stay fixated so regardless of whether you’re on the front of Individuals, your personality isn’t attached to what the other world says it is,” Winfrey proceeded. “Having the option to not get befuddled by what the outside says regarding your inside self is really significant for anyone who will take the acclaim ride.”
She credits her ability to stay grounded throughout her career with her prior work experience, having been in TV since she was 19 after growing up in the church.
Winfrey attributes her exceptional ability to simplify complex thoughts and emotions to her early life experiences.
“Well, when I was a little kid living on a dirt road in Mississippi, I was the one that was always playing the teacher,” said Winfrey. “And if we were playing house, I was the mother. Even if I was the younger girl, I would have to be the mother over everybody else. Some people call that bossy — I just call it, well, I know better, so I should be the one. I would have to say that teaching is my first love.”
Winfrey acknowledges the welcome support of late poetess and author Maya Angelou in her career’s early years, as well as longtime best friend Gayle King and acting legend Sidney Poitier before he passed.
“I’ve never been to a therapist because I had so many on the show, but my real therapy came from downloading whatever was happening in the day with Gayle [King] every night,” said Winfrey. “There wasn’t a day that we missed being on some kind of phone call talking about what had happened in our days. I realized years later, talking to an expert about something else, that that was my therapy, that was my release. It was the way I regulated myself every day.”
As for fears for her 70s, the OWN founder and namesake mentioned her health, noting that she doesn’t live with a fear of death but rather a conscious acknowledgment that it’s possible at any time.
“When I turned 50, Maya Angelou wrote a poem for me,” Winfrey told People. “She says, ‘I have nothing to give you, but my heart and my words,’ and she wrote a poem called ‘Continue.’ One of the most important lines from that poem is, ‘My wish for you is that you continue to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness.’ And that is what I intend to do.”
