Ann Packer: "Some Bright Nowhere" | Oprah's Book Club
In this episode of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks, Oprah and Ann Packer discuss Some Bright Nowhere, Ann’s poignant new novel and Oprah’s 120th Book Club selection. This book explores what happens when a wife's dying request shatters everything her husband believed about their 35 years together. Ann’s evocative and beautifully written novel inspired a thought-provoking conversation among readers at a Starbucks coffeehouse in New York City. As our audience discussed the inherent challenges and life-changing insights that come with the privilege and responsibility of caregiving, they were warmed by a Starbucks holiday classic: the Peppermint Mocha.
BUY THE BOOK!
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/some-bright-nowhere-ann-packer
00:00:00 - Welcome Ann Packer, author of ‘Some Bright Nowhere’
00:02:40 - Thando shares her feelings about the main characters
00:04:50 - How Ann created the story
00:06:50 - Ann knew the ending before she started
00:07:38 - Recurring theme in Ann’s books
00:10:35 - Ann takes on hard questions
00:14:50 - How Ann wrote from the male perspective
00:17:07 - Support for male caregivers
00:25:30 - Male and female caregiving differences
00:30:38 - The difficulty of speaking your truth
00:31:54 - The power of a dying wish
00:33:48 - What cancer takes away from people
00:39:29 - What can be learned from loss
00:40:32 - Ann wants to normalize talking about death
00:42:50 - How it feels to hit send on your finished book
SUPPORT THE SHOW
Learn more about Jack’s Caregiver Coalition - a national non-profit that ensures no man should care alone. Jack’s is a center for empowerment, support, and community for men who are caregivers.
https://www.jackscaregiverco.org/
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48:21
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48:21
Oprah & Will Guidara, The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect
Oprah talks with world-renowned restaurateur Will Guidara about his New York Times bestselling book, Unreasonable Hospitality that has sold over 1 million copies. Will’s abiding belief is that focusing on providing excellent service to others can transform not only your business, but your entire life. Recorded with a live audience in New York City, this episode also features Will’s longtime friend and mentor, Chef Daniel Boulud of New York’s legendary restaurant Daniel. Presented by Walmart, this podcast is an invitation to use your unique gifts and talent to elevate the lives of those around you. You can find Will’s book, Unreasonable Hospitality, at Walmart.com. Will’s upcoming book Unreasonable Hospitality: The Field Guide is also available for preorder.
BUY THE BOOK!
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect, published by Optimism Press and written by Will Guidara, is available wherever books are sold. Unreasonable Hospitality: The Field Guide is available for preorder.
Unreasonable Hospitality: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Unreasonable-Hospitality-The-Remarkable-Power-of-Giving-People-More-Than-They-Expect-Hardcover-9780593418574/319309554
00:00:00 - Welcome Will Guidara, author of ‘Unreasonable Hospitality’
00:03:35 - Handling last place at the World’s 50 Best Restaurants
00:07:45 - Setting the goal to become No. 1
00:08:45 - Will’s first fine dining experience
00:13:46 - The impact we have on others
00:16:30 - Living with intention
00:18:09 - The nobility of service
00:20:50 - Meeting Chef Daniel Boulud
00:23:00 - Taking his father to Daniel’s after his mother’s passing
00:25:19 - Chef Daniel Boulud
00:27:45 - What Chef Boulud learned from Will
00:31:30 - Examples of unreasonable hospitality
00:35:20 - Caring for difficult people
00:36:45 - The charitable assumption
00:41:20 - Mindsets and practices
00:43:40 - Oprah and Will have this in common
00:45:00 - The best gift Will ever received
SHOP THE SET
Better Homes & Garden Ezra Accent Chair: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-Gardens-Ezra-Accent-Chair-Olive-Green/6832971398?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1300&from=/search&wmlspartner=wlpa&cn=FY25-ENTP-PMAX_cnv_dps_dsn_dis_ad_entp_e_n&adid=22222222297_0000000000_21407473164&veh=sem&vtcWeb=eviaA8Ad89fe38QBUyb9gE&expiryTime=1756505947449&c=mWebSmartBanner
Better Homes & Garden Miller Drum End Table: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-Homes-Gardens-Essentials-End-Table-Walnut/13665865382
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50:39
Gray Divorce (after 50) & Adult Children: The Fallout for the Family, with Oprah and Leading Experts
Oprah is joined by a live audience in New York City for a candid conversation about the soaring rates of divorce for people over the age of 50, what experts are calling "gray divorce.” Even though the overall divorce rate is on the decline, the divorce rate for people over 50 has doubled and more than tripled for those over 65. Oprah is joined by Susan Guthrie, a family law attorney and host of the popular podcast, Divorce and Beyond®. Joining the conversation are Lori Gottlieb, psychotherapist, and author of the New York Times bestselling book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and Dr. Susan L. Brown, co-author of the studies identifying this national phenomenon, and a Distinguished Professor at Bowling Green State University. We also hear from several women who are in the early stages of gray divorce, have gone through gray divorce and adult children of parents who divorced after age 50.
00:00:00 - Rising divorce rates after 50 (“gray divorce”)
00:02:00 - Expert insights with Dr. Susan Brown
00:03:18 - Why gray divorce is on the rise
00:04:09 - Guest: Family law attorney Susan Guthrie
00:06:20 - Guest: Lori Gottlieb, author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
00:11:00 - Why divorce feels shameful
00:14:30 - Men’s surprise at women’s “invisible work”
00:16:22 - Is divorce always terrible?
00:19:02 - Divorce as grief and loss
00:26:45 - First steps after divorce
00:30:58 - Impact on older children
00:36:58 - Why few expect to remarry
00:41:50 - When parent-child roles reverse
00:47:32 - Knowing when to move on
Additional Resources:
Susan Guthrie, The Divorce & Beyond Podcast
https://divorceandbeyondpod.com/
Dr. Susan L. Brown, National Center for Family and Marriage Research at BGSU
BGSU.edu/ncfmr
"Maybe You Should to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed” by Lori Gottlieb, is published by Harper Collins and available wherever books are sold.
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/maybe-you-should-talk-to-someone-lori-gottlieb?variant=40828383363106
Addison Aloian’s Women's Health piece, 'My Parents Got Divorced When I Was An Adult. Why Do I Feel So Weird Now That They've Moved On?
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/relationships/a63799212/adult-child-of-divorce/
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381
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53:43
Building a Billion Dollar Brand with Anastasia Soare and Oprah
Oprah sits down with the “Eyebrow Queen,” Anastasia Soare, to talk about how she escaped Communist Romania and built a billion-dollar beauty empire in the United States. The Anastasia Beverly Hills founder and CEO tells her only-in-America story in her inspiring new book, Raising Brows. Joining them are business mogul Kim Kardashian, Anastasia’s daughter, Claudia—now ABH president and creative director—and aspiring entrepreneurs looking for inspiration from Anastasia and Oprah. This podcast is a must-listen for anyone dreaming of starting their own business and wondering how to turn that dream into reality. This episode is presented by Walmart. Find Anastasia’s new book Raising Brows and so much more at Walmart.com.
BUY THE BOOK!
'Raising Brows' by Anastasia Soare
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Raising-Brows-My-Story-of-Building-a-Billion-Dollar-Beauty-Empire-Hardcover-9798217044542/15573815101
00:00:00 - Welcome Anastasia Soare, author of “Raising Brows”
00:03:11 – Meeting Oprah for the first time
00:05:12 – Starting out in America
00:09:13 – Lessons from her mother’s business
00:13:17 – Building a billion-dollar brand
00:18:58 – The key to following your dreams
00:19:35 – Welcome Kim Kardashian
00:21:25 – Kim on Anastasia’s success
00:22:08 – What Anastasia learned from Kim
00:24:07 – Scaling a business
00:26:48 – Owning your story
00:29:40 – Doing brows live on The Oprah Show
00:32:47 – Anastasia’s daughter Claudia
00:37:58 – Growing profitability
00:45:50 – Fearlessness as a business asset
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https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381
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49:40
Megha Majumdar: "A Guardian and a Thief" | Oprah's Book Club
In this episode of Oprah’s Book Club: Presented by Starbucks, Oprah and Megha Majumdar discuss her magnificent new book, A Guardian and a Thief, a 2025 National Book Awards finalist and Oprah’s 119th Book Club selection. This exquisitely written novel packs an epic story into just 224 pages. From page one to the jaw-dropping conclusion, readers are immersed in a harrowing journey as two families, on a collision course in Kolkata, India, face the consequences and moral implications of their life-and-death choices. Megha’s evocative, beautifully crafted exploration of our changing world sparked a lively and thoughtful conversation among readers at a Starbucks coffeehouse in New York City. Starbucks' delectable drink pairing for this book is an Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha.
BUY THE BOOK!
A Guardian and a Thief, published by Penguin Random House and written by Megha Majumdar, is available wherever books are sold.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/798984/a-guardian-and-a-thief-by-megha-majumdar/
00:00:00 - Welcome Megha Majumdar, author of “A Guardian and a Thief”
00:01:56 - Oprah describes “A Guardian and a Thief”
00:03:28 - Oprah’s daughter-girl Thando shares her take
00:05:15 - The plot
00:09:08 - Writing about famine
00:13:20 - A writer’s relationship to failing
00:16:20 - Each character sees America differently
00:22:30 - Is everyone both a guardian and a thief?
00:25:50 - How would you act under great pressure?
00:32:00 - What motivates us to do the right thing
00:39:30 - Confronting contradictions in her book
00:40:45 - Megha’s story of America
00:42:23 - Did Megha always know the ending?
00:47:28 - When writing became her career
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The Oprah Podcast is home to all-new conversations featuring Oprah Winfrey and today’s foremost thought leaders, global newsmakers, best-selling authors, visionaries and cultural changemakers. Exploring timely themes, including happiness, resilience, consciousness and connection, the weekly series aims to help listeners on their journey to lead their best life. Oprah talks to people about what matters most to them in this moment. Every month, she will feature interviews with authors called ‘Oprah’s Book Club Presented by Starbucks’ with live audiences in Starbucks across the country.