10 Super Soul Podcast Episodes You Don't Want to Miss

These might sound like questions you would reserve for your therapist—but they're actually just a small sample of the issues tackled on Oprah's Super Soul podcast each week.

In an era where there's no dearth of content to consume and where feeds refresh at warp-speed, a media experience ought to be downright exceptional to merit more than five seconds of your undivided attention. That said, if you only have time for a few podcasts this week, month or year, let it be these 10 episodes.

1. On Happiness: [Listen Now] "Build the Life You Want" Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3

What if you could lead a happier life—starting right now, immediately—instead of waiting for the world to change? In this three-part series, Oprah and renowned social scientist Arthur Brooks dive into their co-authored, #1 New York Times best-selling book, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier. Oprah and Arthur take questions from readers across the country who are curious about how to best apply the book's teachings to their own lives, such as "The Four Pillars of Happiness"—faith, family, friends and work that serves. Drawing on cutting-edge science and their years of helping people translate ideas into action, Winfrey and Brooks show us that our best life is still ahead of us, even if we face obstacles—and in some cases, because we face obstacles.

Read Oprah Winfrey and Arthur C. Brooks' book: Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier

2. On Love & Relationships: [Listen Now] "Oprah Winfrey: Love and Connection"

Everything we do, every relationship we have, succeeds or fails based on our level of true spiritual connection with other people. So, what should we do when we find ourselves feeling disconnected? In this compendium episode, Oprah sits down with a real "who's who" of thought leaders and luminaries—including Dr. Maya Angelou, Thich Nhat Hanh, Gary Zukav, Brené Brown, Malala Yousafzai and many more. Together, they discuss creative ways to nurture our bonds with the people in our lives, and gradually expand that love and connection to the rest of the world.

You can find this compilation and other insightful discussions in Oprah's best-selling book: The Wisdom of Sundays

3. On Parenting & Family: [Listen Now] "Shefali Tsabary: The Awakened Family"

In this eye-opening talk, Oprah and best-selling author Dr. Shefali Tsabary discuss "the revolution of conscious parenting." Drawing upon her work as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Tsabary challenges the myths of traditional parenting and offers a new roadmap for raising happy, confident kids. Her strategies for managing expectations and letting go of the monomaniacal drive to "succeed" support the end goal of creating a happier, more conscious household. You're going to wish this perspective had been more widespread when you were under your parents' roof. Let's just be glad we aren't doomed to repeat their mistakes.

Read Dr. Shefali Tsabary's book: The Awakened Family: How to Raise Empowered, Resilient and Conscious Children

4. On Friendship: [Listen Now] "Anthony Ray Hinton: Freedom After 30 Years on Death Row" Part 1 & Part 2

In 1985, 29-year-old Anthony Ray Hinton was found guilty of the brutal murders of two fast food workers in Birmingham, Ala. Despite no eyewitnesses and an airtight alibi, Hinton was sent to death row, where he was held in solitary confinement for almost 30 years—until his exoneration and subsequent release in 2015. During his decades in prison, Hinton says he was supported by his mother's faith in his innocence, as well as that of a longtime friend, Lester Bailey, who visited him weekly. Through his prison book club, Hinton also developed an unlikely friendship with fellow inmate Henry Francis Hays, a Klan member sentenced to death for the murder of a Black teenager. On the night of Hay's execution, these were his final words: "All my life, [my community] taught me to hate. The very people they taught me to hate were the very people who taught me how to love. And tonight... I leave this world knowing what love feels like."

Hinton's indispensable lessons on friendship serve as a poignant reminder that, despite incredible obstacles, the possibility for love and communion exists between all people—and we're never truly hopeless when we have the support and understanding of a trusted friend.

Read Anthony Ray Hinton's memoir: The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom and Justice

5. On Work & Purpose: [Listen Now] "Wes Moore: Is Your Job Your Life's Purpose?"

At 45, Wes Moore has already worn a lot of hats: combat officer in Afghanistan, Rhodes Scholar, White House fellow, Wall Street banker, best-selling author and now, governor of Maryland, just to name a few. In this interview with Oprah, Moore explains why he chose to walk away from financial success to build a more meaningful life, and why he feels that everyone has the capacity to discover and pursue their life's true purpose. This conversation reminds us that each day is precious, that tomorrow is never guaranteed, and not to spend another second simply "going through the motions" in a dead-end job—or any situation that is beneath the heart of who we truly are.

This interview was taped in 2018, five years before Mr. Moore was elected the first Black governor of Maryland.

Read Wes Moore's book: The Work: Searching for a Life That Matters

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6. On Health & Wellness: [Listen Now] "Dr. Dean and Anne Ornish: How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases"

Eat well. Move more. Stress less. Love more. This is the straightforward prescription that preventive medicine expert Dr. Dean Ornish recommends for reclaiming your health and vitality from the cumulative ravages of modern living. In this special conversation from Oprah's vegetable garden in Maui, Dean and his wife, Anne, a yoga and meditation expert, share four lifestyle pillars to slow the aging process and even reverse many of the most common and costly chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease.

Read The Ornishes' book: Undo It!: How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases

7. On Aging: [Listen Now] "Aging Well with Cybill Shepherd, Bo Derek and Beverly Johnson"

Getting older can feel like a profound loss—especially if you've grown accustomed to receiving an abundance of attention, praise and opportunity based on youthful good looks. In this episode, icons Cybill Shepherd, Ali MacGraw, Beverly Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis and Bo Derek talk candidly about aging in the spotlight. Later, Oprah shares her own unique perspective on aging.

8. On Trauma: [Listen Now] "Dr. Bruce Perry: What Happened to You?"

Oprah sits down with Dr. Bruce Perry, a clinical psychiatrist who has spent the last 30 years studying the role of early childhood experience (both good and bad) on brain development. In this podcast episode, Dr. Perry and Oprah discuss their book, What Happened to You?, which blends his research and her firsthand experience in service of elucidating the impact of childhood trauma on our adult lives, health and behavior. Dr. Perry also lays out clinical interventions and recommendations for healing.

Read Oprah & Dr. Bruce Perry's book: What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing

9. On Death: [Listen Now] "Dr. BJ Miller: How to Die"

Dr. BJ Miller is a hospice and palliative care specialist who treats patients with life-altering and terminal illnesses at the University of California in San Francisco. In this conversation with Oprah, Dr. Miller shares his revelations about death: why it is both "sacred and unknowable"; why it's time for us to rethink the idea of death as "inherently horrible"; and what he's learned about regret by experiencing "vicarious deathbed moments" in his practice.

Read Dr. BJ Miller's book: A Beginner's Guide to the End

10. On Faith & Spirituality: [Listen Now] "Anne Lamott: 3 Prayers for Challenging Times"

It's easy to thank God when luck is in your favor. But what should you do in times of extreme sorrow and uncertainty? In this conversation with Oprah, best-selling author, public speaker and recovered alcoholic Anne Lamott shares a radical new way to approach prayer. Central to Lamott's perspective is the idea that prayer is a search for meaning which aims to make the wounded parts of ourselves whole again. Anger—and even complete silence—can serve as forms of prayer. "As long you're telling the truth of your heart, prayer can take on many forms," she says.

Read Anne Lamott's book: Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair

Check back regularly on the Oprah's Super Soul podcast feed for an incoming slate of inspiring new conversations with guests Courtney B. Vance, Kerry Washington and more.