As features director of Harper’s Bazaar in New York, part of the job was wrangling A-list talent for cover stories and interviews — chasing the kind of elusive “coups” demanded of us that I wrote about in this ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ article here on Substack.
During my time at Bazaar, I managed to pull off the odd coup, interviewing the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Iman, Linda Evangelista, Jane Birkin, and Kate Hudson.
And, drumroll: Oprah.
As far as career pinnacles, interviewing the legendary Oprah Winfrey is pretty epic. I probably could have packed up my desk and put my feet up after that one.
Oprah, speaking from her home in California’s Montecito, talked me through her perfect day. She was exactly as she seems IRL: happy, talkative, thoughtful — authentic.
It was 2018, and she’d just accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes (Hollywood’s equivalent to a lifetime achievement award) — the first Black woman to receive it. Her speech was so powerful that it generated buzz about her running for president. In typical Oprah style, she used the moment to throw a spotlight on “the women whose names we’ll never know — the domestic and farm workers, the women in factories and restaurants, in academia and medicine and tech, the ones with no platform and no expensive lawyer.”
Oprah may not ever be president, but she is America’s first lady of hearts.
She proved this again when just six weeks after our interview, the Montecito mudslides ravaged the area. ‘The Promised Land’ (as she calls her beloved estate) escaped the worst, but the grounds were buried — Oprah seen wading knee-deep through her own backyard was quick to point out that it “pales in comparison to what my neighbors are going through.” Her estate ended up a staging ground for rescue helicopters.
Then, in 2023, came the Maui fires, where Oprah has a ranch (it, too, was spared). But there was Oprah at the shelters with supplies, and launching the People’s Fund of Maui with Dwayne Johnson to put cash straight into survivors’ hands (which she somehow copped flak for).
At 72, Oprah is still a force. In March she was at Paris Fashion Week — looking fabulous in the front rows of Stella McCartney, Chloé and Aussie label Zimmermann.
Speaking of, Oprah loves Australia. She visited my homeland in December 2025 for her “In Conversation” tour — and spent her downtime following Hugh Jackman’s recommendations: Sydney’s iconic Bondi to Bronte coastal walk (my backyard), overindulging in the famous ricotta hotcakes at Bills, and stocking up on books at Bondi’s cozy cafe/bookstore Gertrude and Alice.
Oprah is a bibliophile and founded her book club 30 years ago. Her first pick for 2026 was Kin by Tayari Jones. SHOP IT
If you caught the freshly roasted Kevin Hart on Jimmy Kimmel recently, you’ll know Kimmel floated Oprah as the next name in the hot seat. Hart’s response: “That’d be like spray painting the Sistine Chapel. If I found out that Oprah said she wanted to do it, I’m driving 100 miles per hour to Oprah’s house. You cannot do this. No shot.”
I mean — who’s going to put shit on Oprah?
My Perfect Day, by Oprah
For me, a perfect day is not just one thing; it’s a series of small things. It’s the crisp air on your face when you open the door in the morning, the reflection of mountains and clouds in a crystal lake. It’s paying attention: What does the sky look like? Where’s the sun? When you’re walking down a path, how do your feet feel when they touch the grass? I know what people will say: “Well, Oprah, if I were you, I’d have a perfect day too.” But I’ve earned it: I’ve earned the ability to pay attention to every aspect and detail of the day. I have a great appreciation for the little things that add up to that big thing called a meaningful life.
7:10 A.M. Every day that I can wake up surrounded by nature in my own home is a perfect one. I call it the “Promised Land” because it feels like a spiritual gift from all the forces of life. It makes me think of The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy is asked what she’s learned and she replies, “I won’t look any further than my own backyard.” This morning, when I hit the blackout shades just after seven, the light was casting its golden glow over the green lawn, with the clouds and ocean in the distance. I watched three geese fly over the backyard and land in the pond.
8:00 A.M. I brush my teeth and take the dogs out. There are five of them and everybody’s ready to get out. After I walk the dogs around the yard, I make my favorite espresso. I mix caffeinated and decaffeinated espresso with milk and a little hazelnut. As I wait for the brew to froth, I pull out a card from my 365 Gathered Truths (Shop, here) box. I read five of them each morning; it’s a beautiful way to start the day. Today I got this great one that said, “Wealth is not measured by dollars and cents, but by the love we make, the laughter we enjoy, the meals we share, the dreams we experience and the hopes we create.”
8:30 A.M. I have a series of spiritual exercises that I do every day. After reading Gathered Truths, I check out “Bowl of Saki” on my phone; it’s delivered to my in-box every morning. It contains the teachings of the Sufis, a Middle Eastern sect that believes all paths lead to God and that all religions are one, pointing to the same north star. Then I meditate. This morning, I observed 20 minutes of silence sitting in my breakfast chair. If it were warmer, I would go outside. My house is surrounded by more than 3,000 trees; it feels like I live in a park. When I want to meditate, I can go to a special rock that’s carved into the shape of a seat. Or I can sit underneath the 12 live oak trees that I call “the Apostles.” It’s my absolute favorite place on earth.
9:00 A.M. After my meditation, I work out for an hour. I do resistance flexibility, a low-impact strength-training program that involves two, sometimes three, people pushing against you as you push against them. I have stretchers come to my house to help me do it. After that I go for a run. This morning, I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and then a giant loop around my home. I live on 65 acres, so I can jog for a solid two miles without leaving my property.
10:30 A.M. If it were Thursday, I’d be in the garden after my workout. That’s harvest day, when we cut the herbs, pick the fruit, dig up the potatoes. It usually takes 40 minutes to an hour.
12:30 P.M. We always try to eat lunch in the garden. We have a rule: If we cannot find it in our garden, then we cannot eat it. I love lunch. It’s my favorite meal. If Stedman isn’t here, I will invite people I’m interested in talking to or meeting. I had Jennifer Lawrence up for lunch, Chrissy Metz, and Princess Ameerah of Saudi Arabia. I do cook, but not if it’s more than four people. Sometimes I’ll have a glass of rosé with lunch. My favorite is Promise “The Joy” rosé. It’s from Napa Valley. I like my wine very chilled — if it’s too warm, it’s the only thing I ever send back at a restaurant. If lunch is a big deal, we have these fabulous crab cakes flown in from Pappas in Baltimore. I’ve put these crab cakes on my “Favorite Things” list many times. When it comes to crab cakes, anything else is just pretending.
1:30 P.M. I try to take care of any business in the early afternoon so the rest of the day is mine. Wire transfers, checks. I personally sign all checks over 100 grand. Having grown up poor, I can never completely turn over all my money matters to anyone else. It’s important for me to know how much the electricity bill is, to know what’s coming in, what’s going out. I never want to be one of those people who delegates that task to someone else and then one day is surprised to find out how much money they do or don’t have. During the week I also check in daily with Gayle [King, the CEO of Oprah Daily] and with my office in LA.
3:30 P.M. In the late afternoon, I’ll do some form of exercise again. Then I head to my teahouse just as the sun is setting. I never drink tea with caffeine in the afternoon; otherwise I’ll be up until four in the morning. The teahouse is where I read. Reading poetry brings me such exquisite joy. Seeing Bruce Springsteen on Broadway touched my life in such a profound way. It is so deeply moving — it makes you see the poetry in your own life and inspired me to start reading poetry again. I love The Way Under the Way, by my friend Mark Nepo. I find it very calming.
6:00 P.M. We eat dinner at six, and then it’s time for another dog walk. If Stedman or the girls are here [Oprah is referring to her “daughter-girls”, who attend the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa], I’ll eat a proper meal, but if I’m alone, I may just have a protein shake or a bowl of soup. My perfect evening involves sitting around the fire with family, reading a novel, and drinking herbal tea. I generally prefer reading a novel to watching a movie. I can go for weeks without turning on the TV. Which is not to say I don’t love a good movie.
I had so much fun making A Wrinkle in Time. It was an adventure of the best kind, discovering new things about yourself through this material. Reese grew up reading the book, but for me it was like starting from scratch. And then there was living in Ava’s imagination, and the glory of those costumes. We were in hair and makeup for three hours every day. And then there was the experience of being in South Island, New Zealand, which should be on everyone’s bucket list. I was living in a cabin on a turquoise lake, surrounded by mountains and alpine trees with eagles flying overhead. Every day was amazing.
9:30 P.M. In the evening, I have a bath before bed; it’s a ritual. I’m a bathing professional — I have different bubble baths, salts, beads, and oils. I’ve spent a lot of time creating homes that feel like nurturing, spiritual shelters for me. I also have a ranch in Maui, but I don’t love any place as much as this one. The land, the trees, and the open sky fortify me.
I love when a woman — Oprah or otherwise — recognizes she has worked hard for what she has and deserves every bit of joy. Also, being originally from Baltimore (where as a child I used to see Oprah co-anchor news on WJZ-TV), she is not joking about the crab cakes.
Oprah has helped others gave a great life too..so have you!!