You Should Have Been There
Alright, let’s get one thing clear from the get-go: If you’re in a particularly cynical place, Oprah’s The Life You Want tour probably wasn’t for you anyway. The event was all about positivity, self-growth, and co-creating your life while listening to the universe. To assist with teaching, Oprah curated a slew of empowering speeches from the likes ofauthor Elizabeth Gilbert, OWN star Iyanla Vanzant, and various multimedia components that promoted causes and projects close to her heart.
During day two, I couldn’t help but notice a recurring theme of faith and fulfilling each individual’s spiritual purpose. Heck, one of the trailblazing speakers, Rob Bell, is an actual pastor who literally delivered a sermon to Key Arena on Saturday. The whole weekend felt like a gigantic church service. (And by the way, in this metaphor Oprah is a prophet, not God). It was after the entire arena meditated together while holding hands that I started to develop my theory: Is Oprah is trying to upgrade her cult following to church status?
Anyway, the weekend was one of the most positive live experiences I have ever been a part of, and here are the best parts:
1. The supersmart wristbands
In her galaxy-themed intro, Oprah compared each of us to a star meant to shine. Then, like magic, our wristbands[1] began to glow brightly in the darkness, a live metaphor for how we individually came there for a collective purpose. Very effective. The scannable wristbands were also linked to email or Facebook in order to easily register guests for contests and later send them event photos.
2. Merch for the intellectual
The O Shop did offer some typical on-tour offerings like t-shirts, totes, and phone cases, but it was nice to see all the featured Oprah-recommended books that related to the tour: Eat, Pray, Love[2], by Elizabeth Gilbert, What I Know For Sure[3], by Oprah Winfrey, and What We Talk About When We Talk About God by Rob Bell, to name a few.
3. You get a workbook, You get a workbook, YOU get a workbook! EVERYBODY GETS A WORKBOOK!
Oprah doesn’t mess around; she treated this tour like a legit classroom where audiences could create a “new vision” and “get clear about their intent.” At the close of the event, she guided the audience through a visualization exercise and then offered an honest-to-god homework assignment: Write down the dream for your life on page 8, and share it on Facebook or Twitter with the #TheLifeIWant[4] hashtag. Because words have power.
4. When Oprah brought these two women on stage
On Saturday Oprah gave shout outs to some people who made noteworthy journeys to the Seattle tourstop, including a very excited mother (big Oprah fan) who was surprised by her daughter with tickets to the show. Besides this hilarious starstuck moment on-stage, the tour offered little in the way of fangirl meltdowns (womp, womp).
5. Oprah stood on stage in stilettos for 2 hours. Straight.
Not only did she remain upright in stilettos for two hours, but she also didn’t take a single water break. Not one. As this was my first IRL Oprah experience, her live speaking skills were even more impressive than I expected.
6. Freebies galore
Just as one would expect, Oprah really was generous in her gifting. Most notable of the freebies was a Teavana[5] Oprah Chai Tea Infuse Inspiration set, which includes loose-leaf chai tea, double-wall glass, and a tea infuser. Oh, and a ticket valued at $599 got you a goodie bag with items like an Olay advanced cleansing system, and a Mophie[6] battery case.
7. Elizabeth Gilbert’s feminist speech
Liz Gilbert spoke (without a teleprompter) to our culture’s broken record of a hero narrative, which excludes women from the role of the hero. With self deprecating humor Gilbert explains the importance of asking where you fit in the world, and if necessary, setting out on a quest to find out. “Don’t do as I did; ask what I asked,” said Gilbert. After all, if you give up on writing your own life story, Julia Roberts will never play you in the movie adaptation.
8. Sweatin’ it out with Soul 15
Photo Courtesy of Harpo Studios, Inc. / George Burns
Stacey Griffith of Soul Cycle[7] NYC lead the entire arena in a 15-minute workout session, proving what just a little exercise can do for your mood and energy level. And yeah, I’m going to agree with what Oprah said: We need a Soul Cycle studio in Seattle. Especially if we get to use these wristbands that change colors in sync with the music.
9. When Amy Purdy flawlessly and unapologetically rocked her prosthetic legs
Amy Purdy[8] danced onto the stage to Katy Perry’s “Roar” with enviable confidence and agility, while sporting a short red dress and showing off her prosthetic legs. She represented the epitome of working with what you have, staying in forward motion, and doing it all with grace.
10. Lorraine Kerwood-McKenzie’s standing O-vation
Photo Courtesy of Harpo Studios, Inc. / George Burns
Oprah and Purdy honored NextStep Recycling founder Lorraine Kerwood McKenzie with a standing O-Vation[9] after presenting her nonprofit with a $25,000 grant from Toyota. The money will go toward providing more training for the organization’s employees and helping spread its empowering can-do message. Lorraine cried tears of joy backstage right after. “I was holding Oprah’s hand — what?!”
If there’s one takeaway from this event, it’s that Oprah’s legacy continues to build on itself, despite the end of the Oprah Winfrey Show. Now that the tour has left Seattle, all that we can do is wait and see if the church theory is correct — and get crackin’ on all that homework.
References
- ^ wristbands (www.oprahweekend.com)
- ^ Eat, Pray, Love (www.amazon.com)
- ^ What I Know For Sure (www.amazon.com)
- ^ #TheLifeIWant (twitter.com)
- ^ Teavana (www.teavana.com)
- ^ Mophie (www.mophie.com)
- ^ Soul Cycle (www.soul-cycle.com)
- ^ Amy Purdy (www.teamusa.org)
- ^ standing O-Vation (www.oprah.com)
- ^ See an example! (www.sagacitymedia.com)
