Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
CHERYL: You know, one of the most important
lessons I learned through the success of Wild is that it was such an affirmation, that if
you take that risk, if you take that chance, if you tell that -- the truest, hardest, deepest
story that you have within you -- you aren't gonna step into the light and find that you're
there alone. That you're gonna be surrounded by people who are there with
you. OPRAH: And say, me, too. CHERYL: Saying me, too. OPRAH: Me, too. CHERYL: And
when you take that - essentially you're risking vulnerability. You're risking showing your
truest nature. OPRAH: Yes. CHERYL: And here I was writing about the death of my
mother. As you know, my mom died of cancer when she was 45. It was the greatest loss
of my life. CHERYL: And it was that story that I had to tell over and over again. I've told it
in all of my books-- there was a point where I felt like, okay, Cheryl, you need to shut up
about this. This is, you know, a lot of people die of cancer. Quit complaining about it. Quit
moaning about it. OPRAH: Mm-hmm. CHERYL: But I had something really true to tell
about that loss. And also what came after that loss. That -- me finding my way back to life
through remembering the love that my mother gave me. And I ended up, when I did take
that chance of telling that very specific story, speaking with the universal voice, that's
what I found. Because I wasn't just talking about myself. I was talking about all of the
people. OPRAH: All. All the people. CHERYL: And people around the world. Not just here
in the U.S. That's been astounding to me.