Over 5,000 women and a few good men traveled from around the nation, around the world, and across town to join in the 10-year anniversary celebration for O The Oprah Magazine in New York City last weekend.
Best friends, mothers and daughters, stay-at-home moms, business owners, working women, and everyone in between happily met and become friends for the weekend. Some were celebrating 50th birthdays. Others were treating themselves to that “bucket list” experience they had been dreaming of for years. Others were taking in that too long delayed gal-pal weekend, or perhaps celebrating their first Mother’s Day away from their children in a most magnificent, one-of-a-kind way.
Each with reasons all her own, we all came to celebrate, laugh, cry, and express gratitude to Oprah for the role she has played as we’ve journeyed forward to do the best we can with our lives and careers.
The Live Your Best Life mission set at the launch of O The Oprah Magazine has stayed true all along. Millions of lives have been touched, shaped, and made better with every advice column, every book club recommendation, and every coveted treasure fortunate to earn a place on that influential and oh-so-revered O List.
What Oprah has built over the last 10 years is a tribe to which millions belong and from which we all find pearls of inspiration to journey toward the purposeful, meaningful lives we desire, deserve and design. I know that I am not alone in declaring that we are all returning home very glad to have made the journey and much enriched by the experience.
Oprah’s influence has been deeply felt in my life and work. I, like so many others, am proud to have overcome personal and professional odds to create a life and a business filled with purpose, passion, and possibility.
Those of us who wanted to say “thank you” to Oprah for the impact she has contributed to their lives had that opportunity this weekend. Those who wanted to take stock over their own progress in living their own best lives over the last decade took the opportunity to do so, each in her own way.
As I waited in line to take my seat at the workshops, participate in the Sunday 5K walk to benefit a host of 
worthy charities, and take in the other displays and exhibits, it was inspiring to meet people and to see, hear, and celebrate with them as they shared their accomplishments, forgave their failures, and gave themselves permission to anticipate their future opportunities. It was very special to share the experience with Lori Richardson and Kammie Lisenby, who are featured in these photos taken at the opening ceremony on Saturday morning and the 5K walk on Sunday.
Now, the question for each and every one of us is what is next?
Oprah would likely say that it is time to dream a bigger dream, listen to the whispers, and step more boldly toward what is truly possible.
What I know for sure is that my passion to serve others is fierce. To play a role in guiding others to learn how to tell their own stories so they can walk taller, proceed more boldly in the pursuit of their purpose, and accomplish more of what they want in their lives and businesses is the most satisfying, rewarding work that I do. And, the stories I help others tell will continue to make an impact as I gain the courage to tell stories in an authentic voice that speaks my own truth.
While I don’t know for sure the exact shape things will take in my own life and work, I can tell you that over the last ten years, Oprah has taught me a lot about how to ask the right questions. Like millions of others on the journey to create my own best life, my story is still unfolding. I look to the future with high hopes, high expectations, and the belief that great things are possible for those who believe in unlimited possibilities and are willing to do the work to bring them to life.
I’ll close this post with a quote Oprah shared during her magnificent one-woman-show at Radio City Music Hall and on page 256 of her ten-year anniversary magazine.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.”
— Oprah Winfrey
This is so fabulous, what amazing time you had!
I can’t wait to see how your “What’s Next?” unfolds. Watching you live and work “big” will be an inspiration for me to do the same.
I’m so glad you got to experience one of your dreams this weekend. May it be the kick-start to experiencing many more to come in the near future.
Go Nancy!
I can feel your excitement coming through the screen, Nancy. How cool is it to meet one of your heroes and have her live up to your expectations and then some? Amazing. So glad you gave yourself the gift of this trip and can’t wait to see how the lessons and connections manifest in your life.
All I can say is WOW, how fun! How great is iot that women and a few men all came together to celebrate for so many reasons! May we all live our Best life! Thanks for the inspiring blog Nancy! The Piester
You are SUCH an inspiration Nancy. You have been such great support to me, reminding me to go for it, and to accept great things.
I LOVE that you got to go share this experience with all those women!! WOWEEE! Fun to have some locals there with you as well.
Things are unfolding over here and I get closer to clarity on many things each day. Breathe deep and step boldly into the future unfolding!
Thank you sooo much for sharing your amazing journey to NY. I love what you have to say, always. Don’t ever stop!!
Blessings,
Amy Woidtke
EcoKind Design Interiors for Love & Romance
Nancy you look marvelous! So radiant and happy. Thanks for sharing your inspired adventure. It sounds like it just added my clarity and surity around your purpose in helping others. What you do no one can do quite like you. We all know that and celebrate your journey!
Dear Nancy,
I live in Canada now but have had the wonderful opportunity to hear you speak in Seattle (when I lived there)several times. Coming home from 6 months of travel and seeing your photo in one of my “boxes that need to be unpacked” and knowing what incredible work you do is such an inspiration. I receive your feeds and am happy to hear your sharing of Oprah and all of your other wonderful news!
Dear Nancy-
I resonated with your excitement in celebrating accomplishments, forgiving failures, and allowing the permission to anticipate future opportunities. Reading your exert from this much anticipated trip has been so inspirational, thank you for sharing! It is always a pleasure to read your blogs as each is full of encouragement and wisdom.
Cheers,
Annette
Nancy,
Your gift for capturing words is envoys! Reading your post allowed me to relive my experience at the “O Magazine” event in NYC. It seemed that when one opportunity opened so did 5 others! The energy and mindset of all 2 thousand some people, really shift my perspective on taking action towards my dreams.
Your caption: “Oprah would likely say that it is time to dream a bigger dream, listen to the whispers, and step more boldly toward what is truly possible.” Has changed my life. I’ve been guided to “think big” and never gave sanction to “dreaming bigger”. I know I’ll be stepping more boldly into my potential and I’ll treasure all the experiences we had in NYC.
Love and success,
Kammie Lisenby
Thanks so much for your warm and generous comments about this post.
It is so heartening to know that my words are making an impact on my readers in such profound ways.
There is something bigger and bolder waiting for each of us.
As your paths becomes clear, please share your stories. I can’t wait to hear all about it. And, there are a great number of folks in the media who will want to know more about it, too.
Love that.
Nancy, What a remarkable celebration! Loved hearing your story. You are truly an inspiration with your wise words and endless energy. Thanks for sharing!!
What an extraordinary experience you had and to share it with all of those powerful women too! I am so excited for you, to hear your new level of freedom and even confidence is a thrill. Nancy I have no doubt that by you taking this step of the truest form of Exquisite Self-Care and embracing what power you personally possess, this experience will transform YOUR next 10 years!
I am excited to be on the sidelines watching you create and live into your best life.
Hi Nancy,
It is so exciting to read about your experience at the “Live your Best Life” weekend celebration. What a thrill! It can only make you an even better and more inspiring person than you already are. You are just radiating in your picture. I look forward to seeing how your journey unfolds.
Hi Debbie, Tammy, and Caroline,
Thanks for reading my post! I am still beaming from a very inspiring experience. My mind is racing with new ways I can be of contribution with my blend of skills and passions. We all can Live Our Best Life. The key is putting clarity and specificity about what that really looks like.
Stay tuned to see how I put my own plans through those filters as I move ahead in this work that I love.
And thanks for reading this blog!
Nancy