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OPRAH WINFREY: The Life Lessons That Changed Everything artwork

OPRAH WINFREY: The Life Lessons That Changed Everything

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

September 16, 2026

In a rare and deeply personal conversation, Jay sits down with Oprah Winfrey to reflect on the defining moments, hard-earned lessons, and extraordinary journey that shaped her life.

Speakers Jay Shetty, Oprah Winfrey

TopicsMental HealthHealth & FitnessBusiness

Jay Shetty (0:00)

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Oprah Winfrey (2:19)

You're one of those people.

I would just love to sit down at a dinner and just. Are you kidding me? I'm not kidding you.

Jay Shetty (2:29)

Can we please do that?

Oprah Winfrey (2:31)

Well, we can actually do it. We're going to do it. I'll give you the list too. Who else is there? You know who else should be there?

Jay Shetty (2:36)

Please.

Oprah Winfrey (2:36)

Chris Jenner should be there.

Jay Shetty (2:37)

I love Chris.

Oprah Winfrey (2:38)

Ellen should be there because we were just talking about you. This wonderful guy, Alan Levi, who's written this wonderful book called The Old Golden should be there. I mean, anyway, we'll talk about this. We'll talk about this, okay?

Jay Shetty (2:48)

Hey, it's Jay. I don't know what your day's been like, but I was just thinking about you for a minute. I hope you're being a little patient with yourself because you deserve it. Yeah, I'll talk to you soon.

Oprah Winfrey, welcome to On Purpose.

Oprah Winfrey (3:15)

I am so excited to be able to have this conversation with you.

Jay Shetty (3:20)

Oprah, I have to say to you, and I say this to you when I see you, I said this to you when we had few interactions during the pandemic. Digitally, this show On Purpose exists because of your inspiration. Thank you for that. So much of what I do is inspired by you, empowered by you, the incredible work that you did, the conversations that you continue to have, the eager ear that you have to continue to listen, to learn, to grow.

I feel extremely humble today that you came and trusted me and my platform, that you've given me the opportunity to have this conversation with you. Well, thank you. I am in complete awe of you online, offline, behind the scenes for the last few decades of my life. And so, this is the greatest gift you could have ever given me. And knowing that I get to have dinner with you is just blowing my mind right now.

Oprah Winfrey (4:08)

We're going to do it.

Jay Shetty (4:09)

Everyone in the world knows Oprah Winfrey. Everyone in the world knows all the incredible things you've done. But when I think about you, I think about it before the TV show, before the production company, before the success, and there's a little girl in Mississippi. And I wanted to ask you, what's a childhood memory that you have that you feel you hold on to the most after all these years?

Oprah Winfrey (4:33)

That's so interesting to ask because I just was looking at a picture of myself before I came here that sits on my desk, my little eight-year-old self with the braids. And I think, wow, that girl could not have imagined this life. That my dreams were not big enough to hold what has actually happened to me. I had no idea that the world could be this vast, this big with this many possibilities. The memory that I hold on to is one I often share when speaking to people who are interested in manifesting or not sure about manifesting for themselves. It's being four between four and five years old on the back porch with my grandmother hanging clothes out on a line.

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