Every week, Oprah sets an intention exclusively for Oprah Daily Insiders, with reflections on topics like letting go, forgiveness, coming into your own, and more.
Happy Sunday, Insiders!
We started talking about it before Thanksgiving: Should she, or should she not? We discussed it through the Christmas holidays, and everyone at the table had their own reasons why she should or shouldn’t do it. I always believed she should and would. My number one reason was that she was intrigued by the idea, terrified and curious about what it would be like to experience our world as only a limited few have seen it—from space.
This is a woman who’s holding onto strangers’ hands with just a few bumps in the air on a flight to anywhere. The slightest turbulence makes her anxious, no matter how many times I’ve said, “It’s just air. We’re riding the wind.”
So even after she’d agreed to do it, there was still much talk and trepidation about the fear of it all. But in spite of that, she did it!
It’s been practically a week since Gayle’s epic excursion to the Karman line of no gravity, and I’m still feeling exhilarated and changed by the experience. From the moment she agreed to do it, she told me, “I want you there with my favorite son and daughter, Will and Kirby.” And so of course we were there, all clad in her favorite color yellow, carrying yellow pom poms to cheer her on. I was 100 percent calm, not a worry or concern or thought about anything other than being fully present to support. Every person I encountered for weeks beforehand asked how I was feeling. Was I nervous? Not a bit. Katy Perry’s partner, Orlando Bloom, said the same: “People keep asking if I’m nervous—should I be?” I was so not nervous that I started to question why I wasn’t.
On the morning of launch, we all were up at 5:30 a.m. to see the six women—Gayle, Katy, Lauren Sánchez, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyen, and Kerianne Flynn—leave Astronaut Village and head to their rocket ship. Two hours later, we were in position to witness it. When I got my first glimpse of the Blue Origin rocket ship, I gasped. Whoa. That thing is big, and it really is a rocket ship, and my best friend is on it, strapped into seat number five. The magnitude of the moment came into sharp focus.
But I was still taking it “easy like Sunday morning” as we went into the final countdown. We had no TV monitors or commentary, just the rocket itself two miles in the distance and Sarah Knights, who had been training Gayle for the past three days, standing next to us with a walkie-talkie. Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, and then the burst of flames and liftoff! I tell you, my whole heart lifted with it. I could not believe what I was seeing. The thrust, propulsion, power, and velocity it takes to get 66,000 tons of metal off the ground and soaring into the sky overwhelmed my senses. It was the greatest man-made thrill I’ve ever experienced. Having watched many space launches on TV since the days of John Glenn, let me tell you, my mind wasn’t prepared for the feelings that came over me seeing it in person.
Knowing that Gayle was being propelled farther and farther upward, I went into a spontaneous mantra: “Oh my God, this is fantastic. It’s just so FANTASTIC.” I kept saying it over and over; I couldn’t stop myself. The tears were pouring. I could hear Will behind me saying, “Go mom, go.” The rocket kept blasting beyond our view. “100,000 feet,” Sarah said. “Now 150…they’re at 200,000 feet now. They’ve reached the Karman line and will be unstrapping from their seats.”
Watching Gayle’s launch with Will and Kirby.
Then the booster returned to earth, falling and landing with such precision. And moments later, we heard the sonic boom and saw the capsule break through the clouds and the parachutes magnificently open.
I was crying because I knew for sure this was one of the greatest days of Gayle’s life, and that defying gravity was the smallest part. She broke through the greatest barrier of all: fear. I know what that meant for her, and what it means for anybody willing to lean into the thing that scares them most. Standing just in front of me was Aisha Bowe’s 92-year-old grandfather, who had come from the Bahamas to witness his rocket scientist granddaughter fulfilling a lifelong dream. A dream that she’d been told in high school was too big for her, that she should look into cosmetology instead. He was in tears, wiping his eyes as I held onto his shaking shoulders.
I went to the launch strictly to support Gayle, with no thought to what it would mean for me to see it, and I gained so much respect for her so bodaciously stepping out of her comfort zone. Respect for the rocket scientists and engineers and team members who make it possible for a rocket ship to go to space and come back and land precisely where they planned it to. And joy from witnessing my dearest friend chart new territory for herself. At 70, she’s living so Out Loud that the whole world can see and hear it. I’ve never been more proud.
We all have anxieties or fears that hold us back from living the fullest expression of ourselves. This week, Gayle showed the world how to feel the fear and keep moving forward. I’m curious as to how her courageous example applies to your life.
Spring opens new possibilities. Easter, for those of you who celebrate, marks a renewal of the rising that summons each of our souls. How do you best recalibrate and allow yourself to meet the rising and soar?
Share your thoughts.
Go well this week.
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Oprah Winfrey is a global media leader, producer, philanthropist, actress, and author. Over the course of her career, she has created an unparalleled connection with people and communities around the world. Oprah oversees Harpo Productions, serves as chairman and CEO of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and is the founder of O, The Oprah Magazine and OprahDaily.com. In 1996, Oprah’s Book Club launched, serving as a catalyst for the creation of book clubs around the world and millions of books sold across genres. For 25 years, Oprah was the host and producer of the award-winning talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Oprah is also a dedicated philanthropist and the founder of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. In 2013, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor. In 2018, Oprah became the first African American woman to be honored with the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award, and in 2022, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.