Personal Growth,
Spiritual Awakening

"Orpah"  was born in Mississippi on January 29, 1954. Her Biblical name did not last as it was too difficult to pronounce. Before many months had passed she was "Oprah" and her childhood of disruption and instability had begun. From her Grandmothers farm to her mothers ghetto house, where she was sexually abused . Then to her Fathers home briefly and back to her mothers - she finally settled, at 12,  under the strict eye of her Father in Nashville and began to turn her life around. 
Linked through the gorgeous picture below Oprah tells her own story. 

On September 17, 1996, Oprah launched a television BOOK CLUB and announced “The Deep End of the Ocean” by Jacquelyn Mitchard as her first selection. Oprah’s Book Club quickly became a hugely influential force in the publishing world, with the popular TV host’s endorsement capable of catapulting a previously little-known book onto best-seller lists. In 2012 she relaunched the platform incorporating social media platforms Twitter and Facebook. Find Orpah's own titles linked below.

1971Oprah attended East Nashville High School. Oprah’s accomplishments with the school speech team landed her a full scholarship to Tennessee State University. She also won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. During school, she was hired at a local black radio station, WVOL, to do the news part time.

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August 14, 1978 Oprah became the youngest news anchor and first black female news anchor.
Oprah stated that Hattie Mae, her grandmother, encouraged her career. She was supportive when Oprah became WJZ’s new co-host of several local talk shows.

1978 Oprah told her mother about the abuse. Oprah’s mother called her a liar.

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1983 Winfrey moved to Chicago to host a low rated morning talk show, Oprah relocated to Chicago. AM Chicago soon became the highest rated Chicago talk show. She was convinced by Roger Ebert to sign a deal for syndication.

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1984 Ebert’s television show, At The Movies, was renamed THE OPRAH WINFEY SHOW. The show doubled Phil Donahue’s audience and replaced him as the number one talk show host.

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1985 Nominated for an Academy Award, Oprah starred in The Color Purple. She won best supporting actress and went on to star in many more films.

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1990 Sometime in the mid 1990’s, Oprah adopted a format that focused less on tabloids and more on significant topics. Spirituality, meditation, celebrity interviews on social issues, and medical information were her new topics.

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1993 Oprah interviewed Michael Jackson.
A rare interview with the King of Pop took place during prime time. It became the third most watched interview ever.

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2002 The launch OPRAH MAGAZINE, the most successful startup magazine in the industry. It has been a best seller since 2006.

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2004 Oprah became the first African American woman among the 50 most generous people. She has given over $400 million to educational causes and more than 400 scholarships.

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January 15, 2008 The Discovery Health channel was turned into OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The channel was delayed, launching in 2011.

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2013 Oprah donated $12 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and was awarded the presidential medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

Today Oprah lives on “The Promised Land,” her 42 acre estate in Montecito, California. Her land has ocean and mountain views. She also owns a home in New Jersey, an apartment in Chicago, and an estate in Florida, as well as a ski home in Colorado and properties in Maui and Hawaii. She continues to be successful with the media and in her philanthropic endeavours.

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In 1971, Winfrey entered Tennessee State University. She began working in radio and television broadcasting in Nashville. 

In 1976, she moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she hosted the TV chat show People Are Talking. The show became a hit and Oprah stayed with it for eight years.

She was recruited by a Chicago TV station to host her own morning show, A.M. Chicago.

Her major competitor in the time slot was Phil Donahue. Within several months, Winfrey's open, warm-hearted personal style had won her 100,000 more viewers than Donahue and had taken her show from last place to first in the ratings. 

In the video linked to the picture a you ng Oprah talks candidly about her life and career

On 16 October 2011 Oprah began SuperSoul Sundays : the most meaningful conversations between Oprah and some of today's most-admired thought-leaders. Visionaries like Tony Robbins, Arianna Huffington, and Shonda Rhimes share their lessons in finding purpose through mindfulness and intention. World renowned authors and teachers like Eckhart Tolle, Thich Nhat Hahn, Marianne Williamson and Wayne Dyer, explain our complex relationship with the ego and the healing powers of love and connection; and award-winning and bestselling writers like Cheryl Strayed, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Elizabeth Lesser explore the beauty of forgiveness and spirituality. Find all the episodes linked below

Oprah's Master Class tells the stories you've never heard from the people you thought you knew best. Handpicked by Oprah Winfrey for their unique impact on the world, true modern masters from Academy Award-winning actors, to Grammy-winning musicians, to ground-breaking athletes, share the greatest lessons they've learned along the way. In an intimate setting, they share their successes, their failures, their triumphs, disappointments and heartbreaks.
Oprah's Master Class offers an unprecedented first-person insight into the brilliant minds of the famous people we love, respect and admire.