Super Soul Special: Maria Shriver, Part 1: Reflections, Prayers and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

Summary

Super Soul Special: Maria Shriver, Part 1—Reflections, Prayers and Meditations for a Meaningful Life

Podcast: Oprah’s Super Soul
Host: Oprah Winfrey
Guest: Maria Shriver
Date: April 29, 2026
Episode Theme:
A deep conversation exploring Maria Shriver’s journey of reflection, grief, healing, and self-actualization as expressed in her best-selling book Reflections: Prayers and Meditations for a Meaningful Life. Through personal stories and candid discussion, Maria and Oprah delve into themes of transition, loss, purpose, and finding one’s own voice amid great expectations.

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Oprah sits down with Maria Shriver to discuss Maria’s book, “Reflections,” which has become a bestselling sensation found on countless nightstands nationwide. Maria speaks openly about her lifelong journey to establish her own identity, cope with profound grief, and move through life’s inevitable transitions. Their conversation is warm, humorous, and moving, revealing Maria’s vulnerabilities, insights, and the lessons she hopes to share.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

On the Book’s Purpose and Depth

• Maria describes the journey of writing Reflections as “a pivot” from her usual projects, emphasizing self-reflection and vulnerability.
• Maria recounts her brother urging her not to call it a “little book” because it contains deep, helpful wisdom.
• Oprah observes that the topics in the book (“I am who I choose to become,” “the power of peace,” “the power of gratitude,” “the power of women”) are universal, and that it’s “too deep for the bathroom” (02:00).
• Quote:
  • Maria Shriver (01:37): “I actually, I started telling my brother I have this little book and he said, stop calling it a little book… it's actually a deep book. It's a helpful book.”

The Universality of Transition

• Maria shares how people across all walks of life and ages approach her about being in transition—graduating, changing careers, losing loved ones, political uncertainty (03:31-04:06).
• Oprah underlines that “people are looking for direction. They’re looking for the rod and the staff” (04:07).
• Quote:
  • Maria Shriver (03:12): “Everybody is thinking about their life. They're thinking about transition. They're thinking about letting go. They're thinking about why their life isn't the way it is.”

Facing Vulnerability and Receiving Recognition

• Maria relates her powerful experience walking onto a packed stage—expecting the audience to be there for someone else, but realizing they were there for her (04:33-07:05).
• The emotion of standing “on behalf of myself” moved her deeply; she had typically advocated for others in public appearances.
• Quote:
  • Maria Shriver (06:19): “I've gone out onto stages on behalf of so many people in my life… and there I was kind of standing there on behalf of myself.”
  • Oprah Winfrey (06:54): “Wow.”
  • Maria Shriver (06:55): “It makes me even cry. I was just like, oh my God… I was so grateful.”

The Struggle for Individual Identity

• Maria recounts being “a Kennedy without a first name” and fighting to establish her identity as “Maria, Eunice’s daughter,” rather than simply another Kennedy (09:42-11:08).
• Oprah highlights the world’s expectation that someone from such a prominent family would be comfortable in the spotlight, but Maria says it’s not the same when representing herself vs. others.

Growing Up as Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s Daughter

• Maria shares anecdotes about her mother’s high expectations, relentless work ethic, and unique personality—smoking cigars, dressing unconventionally, and pushing her kids to effect change (12:10-14:16).
• Story: Maria’s mother once interrupted Oprah’s vacation to urge her and Maria to organize a tsunami fundraiser—illustrating how “vacation” in the Shriver household was never about rest, but service (13:23-14:16).

The Invisible Work of Women

• Discussion focuses on the unsung contributions of Eunice Kennedy Shriver (“the Kennedy who changed the world”), who worked behind the scenes in support of her brothers’ careers but fought to be seen in her own right (14:28-16:11).
• Notable Quote:
  • Maria Shriver (15:25): “People are often the most fascinating person in the room and we’re not looking at them... the most interesting person… is there and we never give them the time.”

Social Media 'Likes' vs. Real Connection

• The conversation pivots to modern fame and the emptiness of social media “likes” compared to genuine connection and acceptance (16:11-17:08).
• Quote:
  • Maria Shriver (16:26): “Likes are one thing, but connection is something totally different. Connection is calming. Connection makes you feel seen, liked, understood, accepted.”

Grief, Loss, and Healing

• Maria reads from her book about the devastating period of losing her mother, uncle, father, and experiencing divorce in quick succession, describing how grief brought her to her knees (17:25-19:26).
• Oprah and Maria discuss how this grief transformed Maria, making her more open, kind, and empathetic (19:28-21:23).
• Quote:
  • Maria Shriver (18:55): “I’ve always heard a saying that you're never, you know, truly a full-fledged woman until your mother passes… I feel like I’m a very different woman today after my mother passed away.”

The Importance of Empathy and Seeing Others

• The pain Maria endured led her to more deeply “see and hear and feel other people differently” (21:23-22:28).
• She describes how important it is to acknowledge people’s diverse pain and struggles, whether it’s the loss of a parent or a pet—grief is universal and deeply personal.
• Maria discusses reaching out for support, even when it feels vulnerable, and learning to ask for what you need (22:53-24:30).
• Quote:
  • Maria Shriver (21:27): “When I myself was brought to my knees… the people who reached out to me… was so moving to me… that I want to return that gift.”

Moving Forward and Modeling Resilience

• Maria emphasizes the importance of getting back up for the sake of her children and as an example of resilience (24:30-25:28).
• Quote:
  • Maria Shriver (24:36): “I have four children… you want to be an example. I always felt like I had a lot more to do here. I have a lot of life I want to live. So it's imperative that you pick yourself back up and move forward…”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the depth of reflection:
  “I want it to end up on people’s nightstands or in their bathrooms because then you pick it up and put it down.”
  —Maria Shriver (01:45)

• On manifesting:
  “Look at you manifesting.”
  —Oprah Winfrey (02:29)

• On finding your voice:
  “People didn’t really get to know me. They were more interested in the things that came before me.”
  —Maria Shriver (11:08)

• On empathy after grief:
  “That was so moving to me… that I want to return that gift.”
  —Maria Shriver (21:27)

• On recovering from loss:
  “You will too.”
  —Maria Shriver (25:28)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Oprah Introduces Maria’s Book (Reflections): 00:57–03:10
• Universal Nature of Life’s Transitions: 03:10–04:21
• Maria’s Overwhelming Experience on Stage: 04:21–07:06
• Discussion of Shriver/Kennedy Identity: 09:38–11:08
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s Influence: 12:10–14:16
• Social Media vs. Real Connection: 16:11–17:08
• Grief and Personal Loss: 17:22–19:26
• Personal Transformation through Grief: 19:28–21:23
• Vulnerability, Empathy, and Reaching Out: 22:28–24:30
• Modeling Resilience for Family: 24:30–25:28

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Conclusion

This meaningful conversation between Oprah and Maria Shriver is an insightful look into the challenges of finding your own voice, processing loss, and the essential human need for connection and empathy. Maria’s candidness, warmth, and wisdom offer both inspiration and comfort to anyone navigating life’s transitions. The discussion teases deeper inquiries into purpose and healing, with a clear invitation to join Part 2.

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For a continuation of this heartfelt exploration, listen to Part 2 of this Super Soul Special with Maria Shriver.

Transcript

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[Oprah Winfrey]

I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time. Taking time to be more fully present. Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right now. Can you believe that your little book that's on my nightstand and now many people's nightstands. I've been thinking Reflections. Reflections. It's just. It's reflections. It's prayers and meditations for a meaningful life.

[Maria Shriver]

Yes.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Is still on the bestsellers list.

[Maria Shriver]

I can't believe it. I actually, I started telling my brother I have this little book and he said, stop calling it a little book. Yes. And that was actually a pivot for me because he said, it's actually a deep book. It's a helpful book. Don't call it a little book. Cause that's what I was describing it as. I said I want it to end up on people's nightstands or in their bathrooms because then you pick it up and put it down.

[Oprah Winfrey]

It's too deep for the bathroom.

[Maria Shriver]

It's too deep for the back.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I don't want to go this deep in the back.

[Maria Shriver]

You don't want anything deep. You want it quick in the back.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yeah, I want it quick. Remember that joy book you gave me years ago?

[Maria Shriver]

That's right.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And the yellow one? I want that because it's one page and it's got some pretty flowers and you. Just a sentence.

[Maria Shriver]

But so many people have sent me pictures of this book on their nightstands.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Oh, really?

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah, really. Like next to A flower next to a telephone just sitting by itself. And that was how I pictured it. That's what I envisioned for it.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Look at you manifesting.

[Maria Shriver]

Yes, look at me manifesting, finally.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I think it's beautiful. And you know what? As I was preparing to talk to you today, I actually just went through each chapter. For those of you who haven't read the book yet. It's just so beautifully conceived. I am who I choose to become. Seeing the jewel inside, working on intestinal fortitude. What I learned about power from a community of nones. And then the power of peace, the power of gratitude, the power of the mind, the power of women, the power of letting go, the power of empathy, and the power of. Thank you. I mean, you covered it all.

[Maria Shriver]

Yes.

[Oprah Winfrey]

You were doing a lot of reflecting.

[Maria Shriver]

I'm doing a lot of thinking, but I think those are what I've discovered. It's really what everybody is thinking about in a way. Everybody is thinking about their life. They're thinking about transition. They're thinking about letting go. They're thinking about why their life isn't the way it is.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Interesting. No matter what stage you're in, you're thinking about it.

[Maria Shriver]

Exactly.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Because your kids are thinking about it in a different kind of way.

[Maria Shriver]

Yes, exactly. But what's been so interesting in traveling around the country, everybody's in transition that I talk to. You know, people have come up. I just graduated from high school. I'm scared about going for college. I don't know how to do. I just graduated from college. I don't know what my job is. I can't find my passion. I just had a baby. I've left my law career. I feel like I don't know who I am anymore. Or I try to get back into the workforce. I don't know who I am. My mother just died. I just got divorced. My parents are. I mean, it's just this tumult. Or what do you think about politics? Or. I don't know what's happening in our country. There's this huge upheaval and people are all wondering how to make sure.

[Oprah Winfrey]

People are looking for direction. They're looking for the rod and the staff.

[Maria Shriver]

And I love that.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes.

[Maria Shriver]

Because it elicits great conversations. People want to talk, they want to connect. They want to know how to make sense.

[Oprah Winfrey]

So much so.

[Maria Shriver]

And here's my book. Okay.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And so much so. Share the story of. You walk into this auditorium and there are all these people there, and you're thinking, who are they here for?

[Maria Shriver]

Well, I talked to you like, half an hour after that event. So it was like the second day that the book had come out, and when it was out in Long Island. And so I wasn't quite clear what it was. It's like, you have a book event in Long island, you'll sign the books. And so I, in my mind was like, it's a bookstore or a book thing. I wasn't quite sure. And so I went into this, like, little kind of green room type thing. And I was sitting in there by myself, and I was like, okay, fine. And I went around the corner. They're like, okay, here's the introduction. And I walked out onto the stage, and I looked up, and it was full, and the rafters were full. And I had this instant thought in my mind, I'm on the wrong stage. I'm in the wrong auditorium. Because in my mind, when I looked up and I saw a packed thing, I thought that.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Packed auditorium.

[Maria Shriver]

Packed auditorium.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And layers of it.

[Maria Shriver]

Layers. So I assumed immediately that I was in the wrong place.

[Oprah Winfrey]

That's like that bad anxiety dream that you have. I have a bad anxiety dream when I have a lot of anxiety that I'm on a stage and either I've forgotten the words to the Color Purple or I'm on a stage and Walter Cronkite's doing the news with me, and my pages are out of order. I'm on a stage and I've lost all the lines, but the lines are on the floor. And if I can just get to the floor.

[Maria Shriver]

But I didn't imagine. I didn't imagine those people were there.

[Oprah Winfrey]

You didn't imagine that?

[Maria Shriver]

I didn't imagine that. And it was. And I looked up, and it was kind of in slow motion. I looked around, and then I was just overcome with emotion. All of these people I just felt were there. Yes. For my little book.

[Oprah Winfrey]

For your little book.

[Maria Shriver]

And the majority that I could see were holding my book. And I looked around, and I was alone. I was on the stage with this gentleman that I had never met before. And I was just overwhelmed with emotion. So that I came back to my

[Oprah Winfrey]

hotel room, and that's when I called you.

[Maria Shriver]

And that's when you called me. And I was just like. And I was in my hotel. I was just kind of like, oh,

[Oprah Winfrey]

my God, how did this happen?

[Maria Shriver]

I'm so grateful.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes.

[Maria Shriver]

I feel so moved. And it was really, in a way, you know, I was clocking in my head. I've gone out onto stages on behalf of so many people in my life, behalf of my Mother. Behalf of my father, behalf of somebody running for office, behalf of the First Lady's office, behalf of all, you know, NBC or whatever. And. And there I was kind of standing there on behalf of myself.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Wow.

[Maria Shriver]

And I was standing there kind of alone, and I was just like. It makes me even cry. I was just like, oh, my God, you know, Wow. I was so grateful.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And now it's happened over and over.

[Maria Shriver]

And now it's happened over and over, but it's always different. You know, the crowds are different, the people are different, but it still is moving to me. But that moment was like a. Like, whoa. Moment for me and this college out on Long island. And it was dark and at night, and it was just, like, so deeply moving.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I think people hearing this, seeing this, are surprised at your level of, first of all, gratitude for a moment like that, because from what the world sees and knows of you, you grew up in this family where people are used to big audiences, as you say in the beginning of the book. I grew up in a family where people did really big things. They ran for president, they started programs that changed people's lives, they gave speeches that moved the world, and they never, ever gave up trying to make our planet better. I thought a lot about how I could create my own space, forge my own path, find my own purpose and mission so people would think that, oh, gee, you're used to crowds and da, da, da, but not on behalf of yourself. I think that's what's going on.

[Babbel Advertiser]

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[Maria Shriver]

Yeah. And I am used to crowds, and I am used to also being somewhat invisible in them. And so this book is really.

[Oprah Winfrey]

What do you mean, invisible?

[Maria Shriver]

Well, meaning that, like, I don't give up much of myself. I speak on behalf of somebody. I urge someone to vote. I urge someone to cure Alzheimer's. But I don't say I've struggled here. I have anxiety. I thought this, that, or the other. And this book is really very much, perhaps the most me. I've written children's books about specific issues. I wrote a book about journalism.

[Oprah Winfrey]

How to deal with grief.

[Maria Shriver]

Yes. How to deal with grief. How to deal with Alzheimer's, how to deal with disabilities. So always kind of with a purpose. And this was really just me. Me evolving, me growing, me changing. And it was just. It came from in here, out. And so it was really. I think it's the most me. And I think people have come up to me in a different way from this book than anything I've done.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes, because you have taken every challenge that you have endured and turned it into power. I love what you say on page nine. That power is actually our own. It is. It's yours. And don't give it away. I know. Because I've given it away, and it's challenging to get it back.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Where are the instances where you gave it away and lost yourself?

[Maria Shriver]

There are a lot. I mean, I think you. You get married, you have a lot of, you know, you have four kids, you shift your career down, you begin to see your life as a wife, perhaps, or as a mother. And you begin, I think, to doubt that you have anything really to offer. And I think that maybe sounds surprising to people about myself. And people always say to me, well, of course, it's easy for you to give a speech. It's easy for you to write a book. It's easy for you to get over this and that. No, it's not. It's not easy. It's like, I'm a human being, too. And so people always are, like, surprised that anything seems to be difficult for me for some reason. And perhaps I projected that. So I think, you know, I felt lost growing up a lot of the time because I was always a Kennedy without a first name and without really my own identity. And people would come up to me and say, which Kennedy are you? Which Kennedy are you? And I'd be like, well, I'm Maria. They're like, no, no, no. But are you Bobby's daughter? Are you Ted? I was like, no, I'm Eunice's daughter. And they're like, well, where's Bobby's kids? Or where's Teddy's kids? Or where's Caroline? And so I think for me, growing up, I was always like, wow, it wasn't, like, a thing to be Eunice's daughter. And I was really determined to become Maria, and that was a motivation for me throughout my life. But I always felt that people didn't really get to know me. They were more interested in the things that came before me.

[Oprah Winfrey]

What was it like being Eunice's daughter?

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[Maria Shriver]

Well, it was awesome because she was awesome. And also it was challenging because she was a huge force and she thought everybody could change the world and had no interest in anybody unless you were changing the world.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I know.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah. You know, and so she was demanding. She expected a lot of you. She was certainly my biggest cheerleader. But my friends will say, like, you know, if they were spending the night at my house, you know, in high school, up. Well, you walk up the steps after you'd gone out, there would be articles to read by the morning, things that I should do, and they'd go all the way up the steps. And so I was very aware that my mother was unique because she dressed like a man, she had pencils in her hair, she smoked cigars, she had a briefcase. She went to work. She was tough. She surrounded herself with all men. And so I was aware also that she really liked power and she liked people who did well. And she respected people that worked 24 7. So I knew to get her attention, I had to work, perform, do well, and meet her expectations.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes. I remember this time on vacation. Remember I told you it was vacation and your mother hunted me down?

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah.

[Oprah Winfrey]

There she is in her swim cap saying, you and Maria gotta get back. And I can't even remember what the.

[Maria Shriver]

I remember. Cause a tsunami.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Okay, There was a tsunami had happened.

[Maria Shriver]

She called me, she said, I just got Oprah. I saw her on the pier, and I told her that you girls should be doing a fundraiser. And getting. It was. I think. I can't remember the date, but it was. You were on vacation.

[Oprah Winfrey]

It was around Christmas. It was around Christmas.

[Maria Shriver]

And I said, oh, my God, I can't believe you went up to her. And she goes, oh, no, she's going to call. You girls have got to get onto it. You're not doing anything.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Forget this.

[Maria Shriver]

Vacation. Yes, forget this. Well, she didn't, you know, she didn't vacation. My parents didn't vacation. So if we went anywhere as a family, it was on a service mission. It was to meet political leaders it was to spend time in a kibbutz. It was to spend time in the field. So chilling.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I was on vacation on a boat and your mother paddled out there to tell me to get off the boat and get with it.

[Maria Shriver]

Because she would expect that of you. Yes, yes, yes. And so she wouldn't understand why you didn't expect that of you. Yes. And so that was both fascinating and exhausting. Yeah. So.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Because the level of expectation.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah. Was high. High. But it was high for herself too. And this new book that's just come out on her, it's called Eunice the Kennedy who Changed the World. Really details how.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I think I read that one. Isn't the one I read.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Is that the one I read?

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah, I was calling you about. That's right, it's the only one. And so here, which was interesting to me because another network just did like a 10 part series on the Kennedys which they advertised almost nightly. I saw it being advertised. Never mentioned mummy. And so here is this book at the same time that comes out on Eunice, the Kennedy who changed the world. And it really details about how hard she worked to become visible to her father, to her mother, in her family, and how her work was never viewed the same as the boys.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes.

[Maria Shriver]

And how she was behind the scenes in all the boys career, giving them, you know, many of the accomplishments that they had. And so I think that to me that has always been a model or something to pay attention to that people are often the most fascinating person in the room is in the room and we're not looking at them. And I always saw that with my mother, that she would really strive to be seen in the room. And I think very often we make assumptions about people who live public lives, that they're either comfortable in that room or that we know everything about them while they're in that room. Or we're looking at someone who's more famous than somebody else in the room and the most interesting person who's doing life changing work is there and we never give them the time to do well. We truly.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Absolutely. I mean we live in this world where everybody wants to be famous and many people think they are because of the number of likes or you can just now be famous because you have followers and you don't necessarily do anything, but people just follow you on social media.

[Maria Shriver]

People really what I've learned also from this book is that people really likes are one thing, but connection is something totally different. Connection is calming. Connection makes you feel seen, liked, understood, accepted. And that is what I think we're missing. And that's what I think this book landed into the middle to. People say, like, I have likes, but I don't have any friends. Or I have likes, and I don't have any connection. Or I'm looking for meaning. Can you help me find meaning? Or I find that more and more people are looking for the connection, whether it's through a book or a friend. That's real.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Absolutely.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And so I thought you wrote so beautifully. You know, you've written other books about dealing with grief and how children deal with grief, but I thought you. I felt your soul on these pages when you talked about your mother passing.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Do you mind reading page 102?

[Maria Shriver]

When she passed, I experienced the true depths of grief. I now actually felt this tremendous loss, and it brought me to my knees. Then two weeks later, my uncle died. And a year half after that, my father died and my marriage ended. So for several years, I was marinating in grief, and it was an incredibly lonely experience. My world stopped while everything else continued swirling around me. I felt isolated in my grief. Yeah. So you were there for those two weeks. And I think losing my mother, my uncle, who was such a pivotal person, my father, my marriage, all of that kind of like, boom, boom, boom, really did knock me down. Knocked me, like, flat on my back. And so my mother was somebody that I talked to every single day. I didn't really make a move without her advice, her counsel. And you and Gail were the only

[Oprah Winfrey]

two people I ever knew that way. I mean, it's funny.

[Maria Shriver]

They were the three of us, right? Yes.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And I used to say to you. What are you talking about?

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yeah. But you didn't make a move without her. And Gil was the same way. Yeah.

[Maria Shriver]

And I didn't kind of make any big move moves without her. And she was the person, when you talk about, like, anxiety, she was the person that I could talk stuff through with, which calmed me. Right. And she also understood a lot of my life in a way that nobody else did. So losing her and then losing my uncle, kind of back to back, was jarring and jolting.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And then dealing with your father at the same time.

[Maria Shriver]

Then my father, who got Alzheimer's, and then he died a year and a half after that. But even after Mommy died, he couldn't live in the house anymore. He didn't want to live in the house. And so my brothers and I made a decision to put him in a home, which was right next to my brother's, because he had really severe Alzheimer's and where he could be in community and be cared for and not be in this big house. So we sold my parents house, went through all of their stuff. So all of this was all of that really, you know, a lot.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Enough to crack you. Enough to crack you.

[Maria Shriver]

And so definitely, I think, you know, I've always heard a saying that you're never, you know, truly a full fledged woman until your mother passes. I've heard that. And I used to always think, what does that mean? And I feel like I'm a very different woman today after my mother passed away. And for a long time she was also super sick and in and out of emergency rooms, in and out of ICU units. And so caring for my mother, being anxious that something might happen to my mother, worried about myself, of whether I could survive without my mother, was a huge concern of mine since I was little. And so I find that I have survived. Things I was afraid of, I've overcome. So I feel proud of myself that I'm standing, that I'm gentler, that I'm kinder, that I'm more open, but that also I'm more sensitive too.

[Oprah Winfrey]

What advice would you give to somebody who's going, everybody goes through it, however they need to get through it. And there is no one way, no one way. There is no way.

[Maria Shriver]

And everybody has different relationships. You know, many people don't have a good relationship with their mother or their father. Some people have. I was just talking to this guy the other day who said that people mourn very often more over a pet than a sibling. I think we do need. I've often said that we're a grief illiterate nation, but I think we're also kind of illiterate when it comes to emotional pain. Understanding people's emotional pain, understanding that for somebody who comes in and says, my dog just died, that that might be equal to me saying my mother died. And trying to kind of talk to people about their pain, about the depths of their pain, makes people feel seen, makes people feel valued. And that's really what I feel is something that I do well now and want to do more of, is to see people and connect with them in a way perhaps that I didn't used to.

[Oprah Winfrey]

It has made you see and hear and feel other people differently.

[Maria Shriver]

Oh, wow.

[Oprah Winfrey]

With far more empathy and compassion.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah. Because I found that when I myself was brought to my knees, that people who reached out to me, people who looked at me and said, wow, you're like Curdie. And I'd be like, yeah. And they're like, let me talk to you, let me call you, let me invite you somewhere. That. That was so moving to me, so touching to me that I want to return that gift. It was one of the reasons I wanted to write this because I found that there were books when I was struggling and I've always been a big reader, as you know, and curious, but that, you know, there were things that helped me on my path. And so everybody's on their own path. And I think we all need something that we can pick up if we can't call someone, if someone's not there, that we can open up and read and just sit with and that it's calming. I'm a talker, so I like to call or check in or hear someone's voice. But the next best thing for me is to hear a voice in a book.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And all of this is actually, I remember when you started doing regular check ins with me because I think the pain and loss and grief made you an even more solid friend, a more caring, empathetic human for people you knew and for people you didn't know. And you're the one who had this conversation with me about saying the things that need to be said to the people.

[Maria Shriver]

Yeah.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And clearing the path.

[Maria Shriver]

Clearing the path, absolutely. And it's also me reaching out because I used to. My mother was a full time person for me. Right. And then when she left, I was like, oh, I need help. I need to say, like, can I come over? Can I go with you? Can I reach you? And I realized that no one would know that unless I said it.

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[Maria Shriver]

Unless I said, can I come for dinner? Or can you invite me? And that. It's really a vulnerable move because people can say like, no, yeah, and. Or like, I will call later, or, yes, sure, I'll catch up with you. And then they never do. So you're left with that, like, mm, that doesn't feel good. But it feels worse not to reach out.

[Oprah Winfrey]

How were you able to pick yourself back up off the floor? You said I was on my knees. How were you able to get off your knees?

[Maria Shriver]

Well, I have four children. Yeah. And so that's a big motivator. And I always want my kids to see me as someone who's able to survive anything because that's what they're gonna need to be able to do. They're gonna need to be able to survive the loss of their parents. They're going to be, it's going to be important for them to survive the loss of friends, the loss of a job, the loss of a pet, whatever it is. So I think you want to be an example. I think for your children. I always felt like I had a lot more to do here. I have a lot of life I want to live. I have a lot of things I want to do. So it's imperative that you pick yourself back up and move forward and really show. As I write in there, I wanted to show particularly my daughters, like, yeah, no, I can do this. I can pick myself back up. And you will, too.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Our conversation will continue in the next episode. You can listen by downloading part two. Hey there, podcast listeners. I have exciting news. We're launching a brand new podcast in addition to Super Soul Conversations. It's called Oprah's Masterclass. The Masterclass podcast allows you to hear the greatest life lessons from some of the most respected and renowned actors, musicians, public figures and athletes in their own words. Listen as Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Ellen DeGeneres, Shaquille O', Neal, Reba McEntire, Dwayne Johnson, and Jane Fonda, just to name a few, share what they've learned about life and their own insights into their personal stories and and challenges. I believe that there's something to be learned from every experience and everyone can use their life as a class. Oprah's Masterclass podcast will be available July 19 on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe now and listen free. Go to applepodcasts.com oprahsmasterclass I'm Oprah Winfrey, and you've been listening to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. You can follow Super Soul on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. If you haven't yet, go to Apple Podcasts and subscribe. Rate and review this podcast. Join me next week for another Super Soul conversation. Thank you for listening.

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[Maria Shriver]

Wait, we're going on tour?

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[Maria Shriver]

Let's get in the tour bus and hit the road.

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Are you a groupie on this tour?

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[Maria Shriver]

Oh you're definitely a groupie.

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[Maria Shriver]

Delivery available for select devices [e-mail] Parle tu Francais?

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