This past weekend, Oprah Winfrey kicked off another leg of her highly-anticipated The Life You Want Tour in Newark, New Jersey with thousands of local and nearby city residents coming out to get insights on how they can live the life they’ve always imagined.
Held at New Jersey’s Prudential Center, attendees packed the house with pen, paper and camera phones in hand as they took notes from Winfrey and her four trailblazers, including Mark Nepo, Elizabeth Gilbert, Rob Bell and Iyanla Vanzant.
With two days of empowerment, inspiration, and fellowship, here’s a breakdown of all the important moments you missed at this past weekend’s event.
Charmin Power Meet-Up Breakfast
Charmin kicked off Oprah’s Life You Want Weekend in Newark with a power breakfast and celebrity panel that included leading female professionals at the top of their game. With media insiders and tri-state influencers in attendance, TV host, lifestyle expert and author Egypt Sherrod moderated a panel that included Silvia High, CEO of Aiming High, Karen Meleta, ShopRite Vice President, Consumer and Corporate Communications and Jodi Allen, Vice President of North America Marketing and Brand Operations at P&G.
The four ladies discussed the importance of finding the balance in your professional life and setting aside time to devote to yourself, with the power women agreeing that “it’s irresponsible not to take the time to take care of self.”
Oprah Winfrey
Gracing the stage Friday evening to let the crowd know that we all have the power to live the life we want, Winfrey used the ups and downs of her own life journey as a back story to empower the audience to achieve greatness despite the hardships they face.
Memorable Quotes from the Day:
“You co-create your life with your intentions.”
“You become what you believe, not what you wish.”
“We each are responsible for the energy we bring into a space.”
“Failure is life at its poignant pushing us in a different direction.”
“After you’ve done all you can, you stand and surrender.”
Trailblazer Mark Nepo
Starting off day 2 of the Life You Want Weekend event, New York Times best-selling author Mark Nepo spoke to the crowd about being awake and present in the moment in order to receive the gifts of life.
Memorable Quotes from the Day:
“Work with what you are given. You can have the life you want by being present and awake.”
“Those who wake are the students, and those who stay awake are the teachers.”
“The longest journey you will make in life is from your head to your heart.”
Trailblazer Elizabeth Gilbert
Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert took the stage Saturday to inspire the crowd to be the hero of their own life and take charge of going after their goals.
Memorable Quotes from the Day:
“Be the hero of your own story. Your life is in your hands. So what have you come to do? Decide and begin.”
“The hard reality about transformation is that it’s never easy, never painless.”
“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort.”
“It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live a perfect imitation of someone else’s life.”
Trailblazer Rob Bell
Pastor and New York Times
best-selling author Rob Bell empowered the crowd to slow down and embrace the life they have now in order to receive the life they want.Memorable Quotes from the Day:
“Despair is a conviction that tomorrow will be what it is today.”
“You begin the life you want by embracing the life you have.”
“Busyness is a distraction from the few things we need to focus on.”
Trailblazer Iyanla Vanzant
With a glass of champagne in hand and a stunning red dress, motivational speaker, author and the star of OWN’s “Iyanla: Fix My Life,” Iyanla Vanzant graced the stage with words of wisdom on why it’s important to celebrate life and pay attention to all the lessons that it teaches us.
Memorable Quotes from the Day:
“The life you want is on the other side of the labor pains it takes to birth it.”
“Life wants us to know that we need to do what matters to us know that we need to do what matters to us, not what other people think we should do.”
“Life is always talking, you just have to listen.”
“Relationships are learning devices that bring you face-to-face with self-betrayal.”
“Relationships give you a chance to save your holiness or sell it to the highest bidder.”
Toyota’s “Standing O-Vation” Award
Following the wise words of Oprah’s four trailblazers, Winfrey along with Toyota ambassador Amy Purdy awarded a local citizen $25,000 for her dedication to making a difference in her community.
As the founder of Camden Sophisticated Sisters, Tawanda Jones (center) has devoted her time to helping youth in the Camden neighborhood of New Jersey with her non-profit that keeps inner-city kids busy with performing arts activities. In addition to receiving a check from Toyota, Jones also received a donation from a local citizen in the audience who matched the check and gave an additional $25,000.