This episode’s vocabulary
Hard-pressed
adj. — having a lot of difficulties doing something, especially because there is not enough time or money.
Icon
noun — a very famous person or thing considered as representing a set of beliefs or a way of life.
Influence
noun — the power to have an effect on people or things, or a person or thing that is able to do this.
Under your belt
idiom — learned or succeeded in, and now a part of your experience.
Self-help
noun — the activity of you yourself providing what you need to help you solve a problem, end a habit, learn a skill, etc.
Authentic
adj. — if something is authentic, it is real, true, or what people say it is.
Empathetic
adj. — having the ability to imagine how someone else feels.
Hardship
noun — (something that causes) difficult or unpleasant conditions of life, or an example of this.
Appeal
noun — the quality in someone or something that makes him, her, or it attractive or interesting.
Philanthropic
adj. — helping poor people, especially by giving them money.
To attribute
verb/usually passive — to say or think that something is the result of a particular thing.
Resilience
noun — the ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened.
Empowerment
noun — the process of gaining freedom and power to do what you want or to control what happens to you.
Questions and answers
Well, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone more successful than Oprah Winfrey, to be honest with you. She is a media and I suppose cultural icon, with a lot of influence and achievements under her belt. It's even more surprising when you consider she didn't always have this amazing life. Actually, I think she had quite a troubled upbringing, if memory serves, so that should be even more inspiring. Like I said, she works in media as a television host and a producer. And I think she was an actress as well. Her most famous role is probably as the host of Oprah, which was a really popular talk show host. At least back in the 90s, and I think in the 2000s. It was on for decades. She highlighted various self-help and social issues and did things like celebrity interviews. I actually watched a few episodes myself when I was younger, and I thought she was really authentic and empathetic as well. And she was pretty open about overcoming personal hardships. So it's no wonder she has like such widespread appeal if she can establish this connection with other people so easily. I don't know much about it. But I'm sure she also does a lot of philanthropic work and has made a huge change in the lives of others. In one like particularly famous episode of her show, she gave everyone a car. And I think that was about 200 people, which isn't an insignificant amount to spend on such things. When it comes to the main reasons for her success. I think it can be attributed to her authenticity, resilience and ability to connect with people. Like I said, it happens on quite a profound level. She seems to become a real symbol of empowerment and inspiration for millions of people around the world. And if she hadn't made that effort, I think that would, well, that would make the world or would have made the world a darker place for many. And surely that has to make it worth something.
And what about your friends? What do they think about this person?
I haven't asked them actually.