The Oprah Winfrey Show: The Podcast

Original Air Date 10-28-1999Oprah highlights the importance of friendship in our lives, and dedicates a show to reuniting women with best friends with whom they have lost touch. Friendship expert, sociologist and Friendshifts author Dr. Jan Yager gives reasons why friendships shift and shares advice on rekindling relationships. She also explains how to recognize if a friendship is worth salvaging and why it’s important to understand that the relationship may not be what it was before

Original Air Date: 3-9-1987Oprah talks to moms and dads about the everyday chaos of parenting and sits down with experts who offer real-world strategies to help survive it all—without losing your sanity. From toddler tantrums to mealtime meltdowns, this episode is packed with practical, proven advice to help parents feel more calm and in control. Guests include Brooke Beebe, author of Best Bets for Babies and Tips for Toddlers, who transformed her own parenting struggles into wisdom by connecting with thousands of families and child care experts. Dr. Kevin Leman, author of Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours, introduces his no-nonsense “reality discipline” approach to setting effective boundaries. And Dr. James Comer, a Yale-trained child psychiatrist and Parents Magazine columnist, shares valuable insights drawn from decades of research and hands-on experience.

Original Air Date: 4-25-2007Oprah dedicates a show all about dogs. How to train them, feed them and love them. She introduces her personal dog coach, Tamar Geller, who's revealing a powerful new training method Oprah has been using for over a year and a half — and swears by. Plus, holistic veterinarian Dr. Marty Goldstein, author of The Nature of Animal Healing, joins the conversation to share groundbreaking insights into caring for your pets from the inside out."

From April 9, 1999: Educator, motivational speaker and author of the New York Times best-seller Healing the Shame that Binds You, John Bradshaw counsels three women on how they can let go of the crippling shame they have carried with them for years. He also shares the steps to healing, the difference between healthy and toxic shame, and the importance of embracing the shame you feel. John Bradshaw passed away in 2016 from heart failure.

From January 12, 1999: Jim O’Connor—founder of the Cuss Control Academy and author of Cuss Control—explains why we use profanity, why we shouldn’t swear and which alternate expressions are better to use. Then, life coach and author of Take Yourself to the Top, Laura Berman Fortgang, gives advice on how to live a happier life by giving up some things. She also discusses boundary-setting and offers key questions to ask yourself in order to prioritize what really matters.

Original Air Date: April 4, 2007. Oprah honors extraordinary everyday people who showed incredible courage in moments of crisis. She speaks with Rachel Supplee, who survived a bear attack, and her daughter Daphne, who fought the bear to save her. Alena Yokum recounts being trapped in a sinking car, and Larry Cummins shares how he risked his life to rescue her. Amy Hawkins, who was paralyzed after saving children during a tornado, appears with her husband Jerrod and their sons to share their family's powerful story of resilience. The episode ends with a moving surprise as Oprah reunites the Marines of the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion with their families after seven months in Iraq.

Original Air Date: Initial Airdate: March 30, 2007. In this awe-inspiring episode, Oprah dives into one of her greatest fascinations: Planet Earth, the groundbreaking Discovery Channel nature series that redefined how we see our world. The series explores a different corner of the globe  from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains. Oprah shares how the series forever changed the way she sees nature, and she sits down with its narrator, the talented actress, Sigourney Weaver, for a conversation that’s as eye-opening as the series itself. Together, they reflect on the wonder, wisdom, and jaw-dropping surprises the Earth still holds.

Original Air Date: October 22, 1986 In this compelling episode, Oprah explores the mystery of near-death experiences. Guests who were pronounced clinically dead or endured severe trauma share astonishing stories of what they saw and felt after their hearts stopped. From floating above hospital beds to encountering deceased loved ones, and even experiencing a profound sense of peace and unconditional love, their accounts raise powerful questions about what happens after we die. Joining the conversation are Barbara Harris, Jayne Smith, and Helen Nelson, who describe their journeys beyond the brink—and back.

From October 9, 1998: Motivational speaker and author Gail Blanke discusses her New York Times best-selling book, “In Your Wildest Dreams.” She describes how to find your passion, the importance of defining your own life and why living the life of your dreams is the greatest gift you can give anyone. Gail also coaches audience members on how to design their own dreams.

From September 15, 1998: Life coach and author Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott discusses her #1 New York Times best-seller, If Life Is a Game, These are the Rules. She coaches the audience through what she calls the 10 rules for being human. Dr. Carter-Scott details the importance of the lessons life presents to us, and explains why life will continue to repeat those teachings until they’re learned. Dr. Carter-Scott also talks about why she believes we are in control of our life’s outcome.

From October 6, 1999: Teacher, speaker and author of Codes of Love Mark Bryan discusses how to deal with conflicts within the family. He also shares what he calls the “moment of truth” exercise, how to look at the past with a new perspective and coaches two families through the four steps to reconciliation: Remember, Reflect, Reframe, and Reconnect.  

From April 27, 1999: Oprah dedicates a show to women who have a hard time expressing their true feelings when in difficult situations and conversations. Assertiveness coach, Jan Ferris, shares the importance of boundary setting and tips for learning how to say, “No.” New York Times Business Bestselling authors of Difficult Conversations, Doug Stone and Sheila Heen, discuss why some conversations are more difficult than others, teach what they call the doubling technique and give advice for tough scenarios.

From April 3, 1998: Oprah talks to people who have survived terrible tragedies. Dr. Paul Stoltz, keynote speaker and #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Adversity Quotient discusses how to turn obstacles into opportunities and how adversity leads to strength. Dr. Stoltz also explains what he calls the “constructive blame zone.” Holocaust survivor, psychologist and author Dr. Edith Eva Eger shares her traumatic experiences at the Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp and explains how to overcome anything through the power of your mind. 

From September 11, 1996: Oprah and Bob Greene, exercise physiologist and personal trainer, discuss their No. 1 New York Times best seller, Make the Connection, a book that outlines 10 steps to change your life, lose weight and keep it off. Oprah shares insights from her own weight loss journey, including how to gain discipline and will power, and why it’s important to care about yourself daily. She also talks to people who have successfully lost weight.

From October 10, 1995: Author and science journalist Dr. Daniel Goleman discusses his New York Times best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence. He explains how to handle our anger, how controlling impulses affect our lives and how we can increase our EQ at any point in our lives. Also, Dr. Martin Seligman—psychologist, educator and author of The Optimistic Child—explains the three aspects of optimism, how optimism increases emotional intelligence, and the correlation between pessimism and depression. 

From March 6, 1990: Oprah and Dr. Paul Pearsall, neuropsychologist and author of the New York Times best-seller, The Power of the Family, take the audience through a ‘rituals test’ to assess their family health. Dr. Pearsall discusses why families are failing, the importance of developing the “us” quotient and how just 15 minutes of spending time together as a family unit can make a difference. Dr. Paul Pearsall passed away in 2007.

From October 17, 1988: Do we have the ability to think ourselves well? A panel of doctors and patients debate mind over body cures and share their personal stories of healing through medical and non-medical means. Guests include Dr. Bernie Siegel, pediatric surgeon and author of New York Times #1 Bestseller, Love, Medicine and Miracles; Dr. Sherwin Nuland, author of Doctors: The Biography of Medicine and Orthodox Rabbi Benjamin Blech. Dr. Sherwin Nuland passed away in 2014 from prostate cancer.

From October 15, 2008: Oprah takes her audience through a test to determine if they are rude. Professor at John Hopkins University and author of Choosing Civility: Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct, P.M. Forni, discusses the principles of respectful people, the difference between being rude and mean and explains why our quality of life depends on the quality of our relationships. Steve Dublanica, author of the New York Times bestseller, Waiter Rant, shares restaurant etiquette that most people don’t know. P.M. Forni passed away in 2018.

From October 12, 1998: Television personality, author and former psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw helps guests dealing with devastating loss. JoAnn Compton Powell shares that she has been unable to move forward after the death of her daughter, Laurie, over a decade ago. Dr. Phil shares his five coping skills for grief, causing JoAnn to have one of the deepest aha! moments in Oprah show history. Oprah and Dr. Phil also speaks to Brian Janette, who stopped taking care of himself after losing his mother.

From March 28, 1989: Oprah talks to adults who share stories of the emotional abuse they suffered as children and how it still affects them today. Psychotherapist and author of How to Raise Your Self-Esteem, Dr. Nathaniel Branden explains the difference between conscious living and unconscious living, and how making small changes to be more conscious in your life can improve your self-esteem. He also explains why some people are able to transcend abusive circumstances when others cannot. Dr. Branden passed away in 2014 at age 84 from complications with Parkinson’s disease.