#atozchallenge – Oprah Winfrey Inspires Me

When I first learned about Oprah Winfrey, she was just another talk show host that my mother watched. I wasn’t into talk shows during this time as they were all so sensationalized. I didn’t like the exploitative nature of most of them. And then Oprah did something that was unheard of during that time, she stopped doing sensationalized and turned to inspiring, motivational talk show hosting. She captured my attention and held it for years on her talk show and still holds my attention with programs on her own network. To me, she is one of the most inspiring and spiritual celebrities that I know. She has helped so many people with stories on rape, domestic violence, and spiritual topics. Her book club inspired me to begin reading again after years of not reading. I’ve probably read about 30 different books that she picked as Books of the Month on her show. One of the most motivational aspects of Oprah was how she struggled with her weight for years and did so publicly. As one who has always had weight issues, it was great to see someone so famous struggling too. Her friendship with Gayle King has always inspired me. To be that close to someone for so long just amazes me. Here are a few of my favorite Oprah quotes:

And here are a few of my favorite interviews that she has done over the years courtesy of Youtube:

Interesting facts: Born in rural poverty, and raised by a mother dependent on government welfare payments in a poor urban neighborhood, Winfrey became a millionaire at the age of 32 when her talk show received national syndication. In 2013, Oprah was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (source)

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Thank you for joining me for the A-to-Z Challenge. If you’d like to see who else is participating, check them out here.

Each day, I will be posting about People Who Inspire Me.