The Oprah Podcast

When Oprah first addressed the topic of domestic violence back in 1986, one out of four women in the United States was impacted by domestic violence. Today, that number has escalated to one out of two women who will experience sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. In this episode Oprah talks with journalist, writer and professor Rachel Louise Snyder. She is the author of the award-winning bestseller, No Visible Bruises, where she explores the domestic violence epidemic and how to combat it. She explains why domestic violence is becoming more prevalent, why a better term for it is “intimate partner terrorism,” the signs to look out for and what steps women can take to protect themselves and their families. Oprah and Rachel are joined by Susan, a former Oprah Show guest, who endured 17 years of physical and emotional abuse by her former husband - some of which her husband forced her then 13-year-old son to record on video. Also, in the fatal Ohio home invasion that grabbed headlines, the sister and brother-in-law of married couple Spencer and Monique Tepe join to talk about how Monique had experienced years of threatening behavior and emotional abuse from her surgeon ex-husband before he killed them both in their home in December 2025.

BUY THE BOOK!

https://www.amazon.com/No-Visible-Bruises-Domestic-Violence/

00:00:00 - Welcome Rachel Louise Snyder, author of “No Visible Bruises”

00:03:40 - Types of domestic violence

00:06:45 - Domestic violence vs. intimate terrorism

00:12:20 - The question: Why do you stay

00:14:57 - Seeing the signs

00:17:33 - Last act before homicide

00:19:00 - Rachel’s observation of abusive men

00:20:30 - Violence and addiction

00:24:24 - Susan’s story from The Oprah Winfrey Show

00:28:20 - Survivor Susan joins

00:35:20 - Susan’s son Dazmann joins

00:42:00 - Susan’s message to other women

00:43:10 - A DV tragedy rocked couple’s life

00:49:45 - What couple wants others to know

00:51:10 - Rachel’s personal connection to DV

NEED HELP?

If you or someone you know needs support, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available for anonymous, confidential help 24/7. Call 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY) or visit the website below.

https://www.thehotline.org/

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Oprah’s Book Club 124th selection is Little Wonder by author Sophie Chen Keller. Oprah and Sophie sit down with an enthusiastic audience of readers to discuss Sophie's childhood spent both in the USA and China and how that experience impacted her writing. She also shares how becoming a mother for the first time was the inspiration for Little Wonder. The story is about a profound bond of love that connects a mother, Song, to her son, named River. A cataclysmic roller coaster of events is set in motion when Song loses hold of River’s hand in the teeming crowds at a Beijing train station. Throughout this story of love, perseverance and hope mother and son desperately seek to find their way back to each other. Readers share that the climactic end had them in tears. Audience members also share the passages that moved them the most and ask questions of Sophie.

BUY THE BOOK!

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Wonder-Novel-Thousand-Voices/dp/B0G5X5Z5R9

00:00:00 - Welcome Sophie Chen Keller, author of “Little Wonder”

00:06:05 - Writing ‘Little Wonder’

00:09:40 - How Sophie found her title

00:12:32 - Her writing process

00:14:05 - Characters and plot

00:16:10 - Writing from a boy’s perspective

00:18:00 - Sophie’s love of piano

00:19:00 - The bumpy road to ‘Little Wonder’

00:23:50 - Why the novel was set in 2016

00:25:45 - Rewriting the book 3-4 times

00:29:50 - Motherhood in the novel

00:32:30 - Class in the novel

00:35:00 - Purpose and motherhood

00:37:50 - How Sophie relates to music

00:41:00 - Song’s grief

00:43:20 - Tchaikovsky and the story

00:45:30 - How Sophie knew the ending

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Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing the world as it evolves daily while offering limitless potential. Millions of Americans now turn to chatbots for guidance on finances, work and even relationships from life coaches to therapists and also companionship. But alongside their usefulness come serious risks that are often underestimated. In this conversation Oprah joins experts, families and a live audience to explore the potential hidden dangers of engaging with AI chatbots. Oprah speaks with the parents of a 14-year-old boy who died by suicide after his troubling interactions with a chatbot. We hear from UCSF psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Sakata, about the rise in reports of “AI-induced psychosis,” the potential negative mental health consequences of chatbot use and warning signs that a chatbot relationship has gone from helpful to harmful. Executive Director at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Helen Toner, offers insight into how AI chatbots are developed to have human-like interactions, AI sycophancy and what people can do to hold AI companies accountable. We also hear from people who experienced devastating consequences from their use of AI chatbots from quitting a job, isolating from loved ones to becoming convinced they needed to warn the government of impending doom. This is a candid, eye-opening conversation about the risk of AI chatbots for parents and families navigating this new technology.

00:00:00 - Oprah introduces the dangers of AI

00:04:20 - Megan joins to talk about her son

00:09:10 - Discovering her son’s chatbot conversations after death

00:11:30 - Protecting children

00:12:30 - Warning signs

00:18:00 - Chatbots inappropriate relationships with kids

00:19:00 - What parents should know

00:21:50 - Defining AI psychosis

00:25:00 - AI and human-like interactions

00:28:00 - Chatbots sycophantic nature

00:30:40 - Hannah shares her AI chatbot experience

00:35:00 - Dangers of long interactions with chatbots

00:36:30 - When Hannah’s mom was concerned

00:38:20 - Hannah getting back to herself

00:39:00 - Withdrawal from chatbots

00:40:20 - Hannah now

00:42:15 - Red flags of AI psychosis

00:45:00 - The lure of the chatbot

00:46:50 - Allan shares his AI psychosis

00:52:30 - Help from the Human Line project

00:54:00 - Human connection is the cure

00:55:00 - What we can do

The Human Line Project

https://www.thehumanlineproject.org/

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New York Times best-selling author Kathryn Stockett talks with Oprah about her long-awaited novel The Calamity Club. She reveals how daunting it was to write a second novel in the wake of the success and the criticism of her smash debut hit The Help. The book sold over fifteen million copies, rose to number one and was on the best-seller list for more than two years. In 2011 it became a hit movie garnering four Oscar nominations and an Oscar win for Octavia Spencer as Best Supporting Actress. In The Calamity Club Kathryn shifts her perspective and writes a coming-of-age story set in the Depression era South about its two main characters Birdie and Meg. Kathryn explains how the cast of characters live inside her and yearn for expression through her written word. She shares her desire to tackle shocking challenges that women faced during that time. She says eventually the story evolved into an adventure about a group of bold, unbreakable women who overcome incredible hardships to reclaim their lives. The camaraderie, courage, resilience and the love between these characters will have you crying one page and laughing out loud the next. Three readers zoom in from their homes with questions for Kathryn about the book.

BUY THE BOOK!

'Calamity Club'

https://www.amazon.com/Calamity-Club-Novel-Kathryn-Stockett/dp/1954118813

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Welcome Kathryn Stockett, author of ‘Calamity Club’ 

00:02:58 - 17 years between books 

00:05:00 - Kathryn on the criticism of ‘The Help’ 

00:06:03 - How it changed her writing

00:08:15 - Getting fired by her publisher

00:09:30 - Characters and plot of ‘Calamity Club’

00:12:20 - How Kathryn found her characters

00:13:40 - Reactions to ‘Calamity Club’

00:17:20 - Will there be a sequel?

00:20:43 - How will ‘Calamity Club’ be received? 

00:25:17 - Women in the 20s

00:27:10 - Theme of found family 

00:28:02 - What she wants readers to take away 

00:31:55 - Advice to young women

00:35:35 - Kathryn’s favorite character

00:37:00 - Writing this story kept her sane 

00:38:08 - Finishing the book

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World-renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel returns to The Oprah Podcast to share her brilliant relationship insights with a live audience. Esther has incisive advice for Gen Z women who’ve given up on dating, a mother of five struggling to heal old wounds in her marriage and a single mom who put her dating life on hold to focus on raising her son. Plus, Esther reveals what she learned during her first-ever therapy session between a man and his AI chatbot girlfriend. She also reflects on the 20th anniversary of her groundbreaking book Mating in Captivity — and why, in today’s age of disconnection, its message is more crucial than ever.

BUY THE BOOK!

The 20th anniversary edition of Mating in Captivity, published by HarperCollins and written by Esther Perel, is available wherever books are sold.

https://www.estherperel.com/mating-in-captivity

00:00:00 - Welcome Esther Perel

00:03:00 - Desire in long-term relationships

00:05:12 - Relationships in 2006 vs. 2026

00:08:45 - We’re more connected and less accessible

00:10:32 - 3 most common sex challenges today

00:13:00 - Esther’s dating advice

00:17:30 - One person can’t be everything

00:21:05 - The love myth we learned

00:22:50 - What to look for in a partner

00:25:30 - Relationship ambivalence

00:29:40 - Relationships with chatbots

00:36:36 - Chatbot relationships are here

00:37:57 - When couples therapy took off

00:39:00 - Healing from relationship ruptures

00:42:00 - Importance of repair

00:46:00 - How to date again

00:48:28 - Healing from heartbreak

00:54:50 - How Esther understands people

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