How to Navigate Life’s Big Transitions with Oprah and Bestselling Author Jim Collins episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 7, 2026 · 1H

How to Navigate Life’s Big Transitions with Oprah and Bestselling Author Jim Collins

from The Oprah Podcast

Oprah talks with the international bestselling author of Good to Great, Jim Collins, to discuss his groundbreaking new book What to Make of a Life. Drawing on ten years of research, Collins offers a data-driven answer to one of life’s most enduring questions: What do we do with this one precious life we’ve been given and how do you know what you’re truly meant to do? Collins explores how to navigate life’s “cliffs”—periods of great transition that leave us disoriented and how to find direction in the midst of mental fog. Oprah shares her own journey through 'the fog' and how she found her way out. Collins also offers practical guidance for anyone confronting a major career transition. This is a conversation for anyone, at any stage of life, seeking greater clarity, direction and meaning.BUY THE BOOK!What to Make of a Life, published by HarperCollins and written by Jim Collins, is available wherever books are sold.https://amzn.to/4g31o2300:00:00 - Welcome Jim Collins, author of ‘What to Make of a Life’00:03:19 - Why Jim started writing the book00:06:50 - Every life has a cliff00:10:25 - Cliffs can take many forms00:14:30 - Self compassion for the cliff00:19:00 - Oprah’s many revelations while reading00:22:44 - Oprah on her encoding00:25:00 - Oprah cold calling Toni Morrison00:30:20 - How to deal with the fog after the cliff00:35:22 - What holds people back00:36:45 - How to embrace the tumult and the calm00:44:10 - The color of your fire changes00:47:00 - The relationship between work and money00:50:40 - The competence-doom loopFollow Oprah Winfrey on Social:https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/Listen to the full podcast:https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLIhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381

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