Oprah Teaches Gwyneth How to Live Well in First Goop Podcast

Amagansett resident Gwyneth Paltrow jumped into the growing pool of long-form interview offerings with the debut of her Goop podcast on International Women’s Day Thursday. The inaugural episode features an hour-long chat with TV talk icon Oprah Winfrey, where the two household names discuss topics such as Harvey Weinstein; the #MeToo movement and the “culture of enough;” Oprah’s career trajectory; why she and Stedman Graham rarely appear out together; and the possibility of her running—or not running—for office.

Possibly most valuable, Oprah offers her secrets for living well.

At the start of the podcast—which Paltrow hosts with a soft, NPR-esque tone—the actress and lifestyle guru notes that Oprah is one of her heroes “who, not coincidentally happens to be a lot of people’s hero.” Acknowledging what a big deal it was for her to talk with Oprah, Paltrow adds, “I had to pinch myself a few times during our conversation, talking to Oprah about all the ways she’s pushed, and continues to push, boundaries in her career and life.”

Throughout the interview, Oprah recalls her amazing rise to prominence and her growth as a person in business and the public eye, as well as her evolution spirituality and as a human being. She steadily drops pearls of wisdom, which Paltrow eagerly devours over the 60-minute talk.

Among the revelations on the show, Oprah says she practices transcendental meditation and that “being able to live in the present moment is the greatest form of it.” She also shares her interest in writing a book that would share the important life lessons she’s learned.

In the podcast, Oprah says Gary Zukav‘s book The Seat of the Soul, and his chapters on the principle of intention “changed my life forever—for-ever.” She points out that she’s Christian, “but my true religion is the Golden Rule”—treat others as you’d like to be treated, or “what you put out is coming back all the time; for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Paraphrasing Zukav, Oprah says understanding your intention—your motivation for doing things before there is even a cause or effect—is key to living well. “The intention is what actually creates the effect.” In other words, don’t say yes when you mean no; don’t do things out of fear or anger; and fight the need to please.

“Saying no has been a big thing in my life. It’s a constant,” Oprah explains. “I don’t show up unless this is where I want to be,” she continues. “I didn’t say yes to doing this interview until I could say a full, 100-percent yes. I don’t want part of me to be sitting in a chair…”

Wise words for all of us.

New episodes of the Goop podcast will air every Thursday, each featuring Paltrow and Goop’s Chief Content Officer Elise Loehnen chatting with “leading thinkers, culture changers and industry disruptors—from doctors to creatives, CEOs to spiritual healers.” They say it’s all about “shifting old paradigms and starting new conversations.”

You can hear the first Goop podcast, and episodes every Thursday, on iTunes here.