Iyanla Vanzant Goes No Holds Barred With Evelyn Lozada

Iyanla, Fix My Life is a brand new series on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN. The premiere episode this Saturday will have a rousing jumpstart as it will feature one of the most talked about women on reality television–Evelyn Lozada. Bestselling author and life coach Iyanla Vanzant confronts the heartbreak and personal crisis of Vh1’s Basketball Wives star and estranged wife of NFL player Chad Ochocinco Johnson.

On the season premier of Fix My Life, Vanzant calls the 36-year-old Lozada a “thug.” The inspirational guru gets tough with the reality-TV star, forcing her to face the brutal truth about her violent behavior on the show, which includes her bullying, hitting and champagne bottle-throwing incidents with fellow co-stars. “You’ve been rewarded for being a thug among women, it’s gonna cost you,” Vanzant tells Lozada.

In the show opener, Vanzant also works with Lozada to uncover the source of her innermost pain, giving her the tools to let go and move forward with her life.  During a recognition exercise, she tells Lozado to repeat and complete: “What scares me the most is…?” asks Vanzant. “Not being loved,” responds a tearful Lozada.

Fix My Life, of course, tackles the touchy subject of Lozada’s relationship with Chad Ochocinco, 34, and allegations of domestic violence. In August he reportedly head-butted her resulting in Lozada getting six stitches in her forehead. “How did you get to stitches in your forehead and living in a hotel?” Vanzant asks.

From the preview clip, Lozada implies she tolerated some of Ochocinco’s bad-boy behavior prior

to this incident, but dealt with it because he was good for her public image. “Evelyn, that’s off, [that] I can ignore a push and a shove,” Vanzant tells her, “but when he messes with my image, oh now we got a problem.” Lozado also expresses her hurt over people associating her Basketball Wives persona as justification for his abusive actions.

Lozada’s appearance on Fix My Life is broken up into two parts. The first episode (airs Saturday, September 15th, 10 p.m. ET) occurs earlier this summer when Vanzant visited Miami to meet newlyweds Johnson and Lozada and to explore the couple’s publicly volatile relationship. Despite Johnson choosing not to participate in the session, Vanzant and Lozada connected one-on-one and tapped into the deep-rooted anger, resentment and insecurities that have plagued Lozada.  Part two (airs Saturday, September 22nd at 10 p.m. ET) occurs weeks later, after the shocking allegations of the domestic violence incident came to light. Vanzant reconnected with an emotionally raw Lozada in New York for a no-holds-barred conversation detailing the eye-opening events of the night that led Lozada to file for divorce.

Vanzant has thanked Lozada publicly for appearing on the OWN network show. “I am still in gratitude for your courage to be

vulnerable and willingness to heal,” Vanzant tweeted to Lozada this past Sunday. “Your story will heal many.” To which Lozada responded, “Thank you and I truly hope it does.”

In Fix My Life, Vanzant will travel across the country to restore relationships and heal people’s lives.  She describes her new series as a divine opportunity.  “It is an intentional gift to the world to teach people how to fix [their broken lives] when they forget how,” she says. “How to make self-loving and self-honoring choices. How to overcome challenges within yourself.”

Watch clips from Iyanla, Fix My Life on OWN, below: