The Oprah Podcast

Harpo

The Oprah Podcast is home to all-new conversations featuring Oprah Winfrey and today’s foremost thought leaders, global newsmakers, best-selling authors, visionaries and cultural changemakers. Exploring timely themes, including happiness, resilience, consciousness and connection, the weekly series aims to help listeners on their journey to lead their best life. Oprah talks to people about what matters most to them in this moment. She also features conversations with authors chosen for The Oprah Book Club.

  1. 14 hr ago

    She Lost Her Mother at Age 11 and Taught Oprah a Lesson She Never Forgot

    One of her guests Oprah has never forgotten was an 11-year-old girl named Kate who had recently lost her mother to cancer. In a conversation that touched millions Kate shared one of the many memories she treasured most was a special night when she and her mom sat together eating a bowl of Cheerios. It was a poignant reminder that the moments that matter most are not always the grand vacations, expensive gifts or elaborate celebrations, instead it can be simply time spent together. Oprah shares how over the years she often thinks about her conversation with Kate and the impact it had on her own life and her viewers’ lives. Now, Kate returns to The Oprah Podcast as a mother of two herself reflecting on how losing her mom at such a young age shaped the woman she became, the parent she strives to be and the ways she continues to carry her mother’s love forward. 00:00:00 - Welcome to a The Oprah Winfrey Show throwback 00:02:00 - Kate and Zach just lost their mom 00:08:30 - Kate and Zach as teenagers 00:10:15 - Kate shares signs from her mother 00:12:39 - Kate at 29 00:14:20 - Kate on getting help and getting sober 00:17:00 - Kate with Oprah now 00:18:24 - Zach and Kate’s relationship now Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    30 min
  2. 30 Jun

    Mara Brock Akil’s New Novel About Betrayal, Shame & Redemption with Oprah

    Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Oprah?sub_confirmation=1 Mara Brock Akil is one of the most influential storytellers of our time. Best known for iconic television series like Girlfriends, Being Mary Jane and the newest Netflix hit Forever, she continues to capture relatable stories that celebrate women's lives. Now, she's bringing her storytelling to the page with her debut novel, The Revelation of Dionne Daphne. The story follows Dionne Daphne, a successful beauty editor whose carefully curated life begins to unravel after a devastating revelation from her former boyfriend forces her to confront painful truths buried deep in her past. In this conversation with Oprah, Mara dives into the themes woven throughout the novel like overcoming shame, confronting childhood wounds and how returning to the places that broke us can sometimes create a new path forward. She also opens up about why this story was deeply personal and why it's the one she needed to tell now. Plus we hear from readers, including Oprah's daughter-girl Thando, who couldn't put the book down and others who found themselves in the story. BUY THE BOOK! The Revelation of Dionne Daphne https://www.amazon.com/dp/059359777X?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback 00:00:00 - Welcome Mara Brock Akil, author of The Revelation of Dionne Daphne 00:04:30 - From TV writing to novel 00:05:48 - Mara on who this book is for 00:06:30 - Characters and plot 00:11:20 - Healing through writing 00:12:20 - Confronting abuse 00:18:00 - Mara on coping with her own abuse 00:20:50 - Thando’s reaction 00:24:50 - What we misunderstand about trust 00:30:45 - Message to women who are still silent 00:36:40 - Dionne’s partner 00:39:00 - The power of storytelling Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    49 min
  3. 23 Jun

    Domestic Violence Crisis Now Impacts 1 in 2 Women, with Oprah and author Rachel Louise Snyder

    When Oprah first addressed the topic of domestic violence back in 1986, one out of four women in the United States was impacted by domestic violence. Today, that number has escalated to one out of two women who will experience sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. In this episode Oprah talks with journalist, writer and professor Rachel Louise Snyder. She is the author of the award-winning bestseller, No Visible Bruises, where she explores the domestic violence epidemic and how to combat it. She explains why domestic violence is becoming more prevalent, why a better term for it is “intimate partner terrorism,” the signs to look out for and what steps women can take to protect themselves and their families. Oprah and Rachel are joined by Susan, a former Oprah Show guest, who endured 17 years of physical and emotional abuse by her former husband - some of which her husband forced her then 13-year-old son to record on video. Also, in the fatal Ohio home invasion that grabbed headlines, the sister and brother-in-law of married couple Spencer and Monique Tepe join to talk about how Monique had experienced years of threatening behavior and emotional abuse from her surgeon ex-husband before he killed them both in their home in December 2025. BUY THE BOOK! https://www.amazon.com/No-Visible-Bruises-Domestic-Violence/ 00:00:00 - Welcome Rachel Louise Snyder, author of “No Visible Bruises” 00:03:40 - Types of domestic violence 00:06:45 - Domestic violence vs. intimate terrorism 00:12:20 - The question: Why do you stay 00:14:57 - Seeing the signs 00:17:33 - Last act before homicide 00:19:00 - Rachel’s observation of abusive men 00:20:30 - Violence and addiction 00:24:24 - Susan’s story from The Oprah Winfrey Show 00:28:20 - Survivor Susan joins 00:35:20 - Susan’s son Dazmann joins 00:42:00 - Susan’s message to other women 00:43:10 - A DV tragedy rocked couple’s life 00:49:45 - What couple wants others to know 00:51:10 - Rachel’s personal connection to DV NEED HELP? If you or someone you know needs support, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available for anonymous, confidential help 24/7. Call 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) or visit the website below. https://www.thehotline.org/ Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 2min
  4. 16 Jun

    Sophie Chen Keller: "Little Wonder" | Oprah's Book Club

    Oprah’s Book Club 124th selection is Little Wonder by author Sophie Chen Keller. Oprah and Sophie sit down with an enthusiastic audience of readers to discuss Sophie's childhood spent both in the USA and China and how that experience impacted her writing. She also shares how becoming a mother for the first time was the inspiration for Little Wonder. The story is about a profound bond of love that connects a mother, Song, to her son, named River. A cataclysmic roller coaster of events is set in motion when Song loses hold of River’s hand in the teeming crowds at a Beijing train station. Throughout this story of love, perseverance and hope mother and son desperately seek to find their way back to each other. Readers share that the climactic end had them in tears. Audience members also share the passages that moved them the most and ask questions of Sophie. BUY THE BOOK! https://www.amazon.com/Little-Wonder-Novel-Thousand-Voices/dp/B0G5X5Z5R9 00:00:00 - Welcome Sophie Chen Keller, author of “Little Wonder” 00:06:05 - Writing ‘Little Wonder’ 00:09:40 - How Sophie found her title 00:12:32 - Her writing process 00:14:05 - Characters and plot 00:16:10 - Writing from a boy’s perspective 00:18:00 - Sophie’s love of piano 00:19:00 - The bumpy road to ‘Little Wonder’ 00:23:50 - Why the novel was set in 2016 00:25:45 - Rewriting the book 3-4 times 00:29:50 - Motherhood in the novel 00:32:30 - Class in the novel 00:35:00 - Purpose and motherhood 00:37:50 - How Sophie relates to music 00:41:00 - Song’s grief 00:43:20 - Tchaikovsky and the story 00:45:30 - How Sophie knew the ending Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: Instagram Facebook TikTok Listen to the full podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts #oprahsbookclub Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    53 min
  5. 9 Jun

    The Dark Side of AI Chatbots: Warning Signs, Risks, and Reality

    Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the world as it evolves daily while offering limitless potential. Millions of Americans now turn to chatbots for guidance on finances, work and even relationships from life coaches to therapists and also companionship. But alongside their usefulness come serious risks that are often underestimated. In this conversation Oprah joins experts, families and a live audience to explore the potential hidden dangers of engaging with AI chatbots. Oprah speaks with the parents of a 14-year-old boy who died by suicide after his troubling interactions with a chatbot. We hear from UCSF psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Sakata, about the rise in reports of “AI-induced psychosis,” the potential negative mental health consequences of chatbot use and warning signs that a chatbot relationship has gone from helpful to harmful. Executive Director at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Helen Toner, offers insight into how AI chatbots are developed to have human-like interactions, AI sycophancy and what people can do to hold AI companies accountable. We also hear from people who experienced devastating consequences from their use of AI chatbots from quitting a job, isolating from loved ones to becoming convinced they needed to warn the government of impending doom. This is a candid, eye-opening conversation about the risk of AI chatbots for parents and families navigating this new technology. 00:00:00 - Oprah introduces the dangers of AI 00:04:20 - Megan joins to talk about her son 00:09:10 - Discovering her son’s chatbot conversations after death 00:11:30 - Protecting children 00:12:30 - Warning signs 00:18:00 - Chatbots inappropriate relationships with kids 00:19:00 - What parents should know 00:21:50 - Defining AI psychosis 00:25:00 - AI and human-like interactions 00:28:00 - Chatbots sycophantic nature 00:30:40 - Hannah shares her AI chatbot experience 00:35:00 - Dangers of long interactions with chatbots 00:36:30 - When Hannah’s mom was concerned 00:38:20 - Hannah getting back to herself 00:39:00 - Withdrawal from chatbots 00:40:20 - Hannah now 00:42:15 - Red flags of AI psychosis 00:45:00 - The lure of the chatbot 00:46:50 - Allan shares his AI psychosis 00:52:30 - Help from the Human Line project 00:54:00 - Human connection is the cure 00:55:00 - What we can do The Human Line Project https://www.thehumanlineproject.org/ Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 7min
  6. 2 Jun

    Mega-Bestselling Author Kathryn Stockett on Finding Her Voice Again After ‘The Help’

    Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Oprah?sub_confirmation=1 New York Times best-selling author Kathryn Stockett talks with Oprah about her long-awaited novel The Calamity Club. She reveals how daunting it was to write a second novel in the wake of the success and the criticism of her smash debut hit The Help. The book sold over fifteen million copies, rose to number one and was on the best-seller list for more than two years. In 2011 it became a hit movie garnering four Oscar nominations and an Oscar win for Octavia Spencer as Best Supporting Actress. In The Calamity Club Kathryn shifts her perspective and writes a coming-of-age story set in the Depression era South about its two main characters Birdie and Meg. Kathryn explains how the cast of characters live inside her and yearn for expression through her written word. She shares her desire to tackle shocking challenges that women faced during that time. She says eventually the story evolved into an adventure about a group of bold, unbreakable women who overcome incredible hardships to reclaim their lives. The camaraderie, courage, resilience and the love between these characters will have you crying one page and laughing out loud the next. Three readers zoom in from their homes with questions for Kathryn about the book. BUY THE BOOK! 'Calamity Club' https://www.amazon.com/Calamity-Club-Novel-Kathryn-Stockett/dp/1954118813 Chapters: 00:00:00 - Welcome Kathryn Stockett, author of ‘Calamity Club’  00:02:58 - 17 years between books  00:05:00 - Kathryn on the criticism of ‘The Help’  00:06:03 - How it changed her writing 00:08:15 - Getting fired by her publisher 00:09:30 - Characters and plot of ‘Calamity Club’ 00:12:20 - How Kathryn found her characters 00:13:40 - Reactions to ‘Calamity Club’ 00:17:20 - Will there be a sequel? 00:20:43 - How will ‘Calamity Club’ be received?  00:25:17 - Women in the 20s 00:27:10 - Theme of found family  00:28:02 - What she wants readers to take away  00:31:55 - Advice to young women 00:35:35 - Kathryn’s favorite character 00:37:00 - Writing this story kept her sane  00:38:08 - Finishing the book Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min
  7. 26 May

    Oprah and renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel on What We Really Want in a Relationship

    World-renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel returns to The Oprah Podcast to share her brilliant relationship insights with a live audience. Esther has incisive advice for Gen Z women who’ve given up on dating, a mother of five struggling to heal old wounds in her marriage and a single mom who put her dating life on hold to focus on raising her son. Plus, Esther reveals what she learned during her first-ever therapy session between a man and his AI chatbot girlfriend. She also reflects on the 20th anniversary of her groundbreaking book Mating in Captivity — and why, in today’s age of disconnection, its message is more crucial than ever. BUY THE BOOK! The 20th anniversary edition of Mating in Captivity, published by HarperCollins and written by Esther Perel, is available wherever books are sold. https://www.estherperel.com/mating-in-captivity 00:00:00 - Welcome Esther Perel 00:03:00 - Desire in long-term relationships 00:05:12 - Relationships in 2006 vs. 2026 00:08:45 - We’re more connected and less accessible 00:10:32 - 3 most common sex challenges today 00:13:00 - Esther’s dating advice 00:17:30 - One person can’t be everything 00:21:05 - The love myth we learned 00:22:50 - What to look for in a partner 00:25:30 - Relationship ambivalence 00:29:40 - Relationships with chatbots 00:36:36 - Chatbot relationships are here 00:37:57 - When couples therapy took off 00:39:00 - Healing from relationship ruptures 00:42:00 - Importance of repair 00:46:00 - How to date again 00:48:28 - Healing from heartbreak 00:54:50 - How Esther understands people Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 1min
  8. 19 May

    The Co-Founders of Claude AI Tell Oprah About the Impact Artificial Intelligence Has on Your Life

    The siblings and co-founders of Claude AI, the CEO, Dario Amodei, and the President, Daniela Amodei, sit down with Oprah for an in-depth discussion on Artificial Intelligence and its profound impact on all of us. Anthropic is one of the largest tech companies leading AI development including their enormously popular chatbot assistant Claude. Dario and Daniela discuss the ethical responsibility and moral questions that come with creating advanced A.I., their new model Mythos and share their thoughts around government regulation. They talk about the potential risks and benefits of A.I. in everyday lives, the impact on jobs and how it will affect children. The Amodei siblings also explain their headline-making refusal of the Pentagon’s request to remove guardrails from Claude and the behind-the-scenes discussions that helped shape their decision. 00:00:00 - Welcome Daniela and Dario Amodei, founders of Anthropic 00:01:47 - Dario on human extinction 00:04:40 - What is the AI race 00:08:00 - Athropic’s safety concerns 00:09:26 - Why they are a public benefit corporation 00:11:20 - How the siblings formed Anthropic 00:13:00 - Can AI be created responsibly 00:14:12 - Benefits and the harms 00:18:52 - People falling in love with AI 00:20:30 - Claude and underage users 00:22:18 - How Claude does not incentivize users 00:28:33 - Anthropic’s refusal to remove guardrails 00:35:10 - Hard decisions they have had to make 00;38:35 - What regulation should look like 00:40:45 - Should people view AI negatively? 00:43:00 - The AI problem to solve 00:48:20 - Men use AI more than women 00:49:30 - What is Mythos 00:53:20 - Does this keep them up at night? 00:54:15 - What keeps ego in check 00:58:20 - Will they get this right? 00:59:15 - Are there others doing this responsibly? 01:03:25 - What is the meaning of a well-lived life? Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1hr 10min

About

The Oprah Podcast is home to all-new conversations featuring Oprah Winfrey and today’s foremost thought leaders, global newsmakers, best-selling authors, visionaries and cultural changemakers. Exploring timely themes, including happiness, resilience, consciousness and connection, the weekly series aims to help listeners on their journey to lead their best life. Oprah talks to people about what matters most to them in this moment. She also features conversations with authors chosen for The Oprah Book Club.

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