The Queen & I
Shopping with Oprah
Because Luke Burbank of Livewire turned up at my house a couple of weeks ago to record a segment about F.I.R.E. for CBS Sunday (isn’t that a great opening line?), producer Anthony Laudato asked me if I had a recording of when I was on Oprah in 1994. Scott Rieckens, who made Playing with Fire, happened to have digitized a video tape we made from our TV.
This clip includes two exemplar couples who followed the 9-step program, Mike and Linda Lenich, and Dave Heitmiller (RIP) and Jacqueline Blix.
What a delight to watch this, to remember how it felt to prepare, to be “queen” for a day, including their hairstylist making that pompadour, and to have a backstage conversation with Oprah about how our first appearance in 1992 had changed her life…
Yes, she shared how, having grown up in poverty, she’d reveled in all the designer clothes and products lavished on her with hopes she’d wear some item on the show. After our first conversation, she recognized how, with all her wealth, she still came from deprivation - and gave away many of the items.
I also note that, however dated the show is, this is a new era of looming stagflation or recession or whatever they end up calling it. People will have to, once again, tighten their belts, and perhaps the tools in Your Money or Your Life will be of use.
I’m a huge fan of Your Money or Your Life. It really set me on a solid trajectory - thankfully I found it as a teenager. Thanks Vicki! And you’re completely right, the timeless principles apply to this era especially. I hope a new generation finds it.
Especially now that the economy is hitting the fan, this is hugely relevant. So glad you posted it! In the early 80s I chose to do nonprofit work, which meant giving up my pricey apartment overlooking Central Park, and creating a less costly personal life. Retiring from the rat trace while still working—it's just work I love, that sometimes doesn't pay at all. Our expenses are a fraction of what living in NYC costs and boy are we suffering. NOT. 40+ years of doing work we love, in a no-noise, no-pollution, no-locking the doors community? Definitely the right choice.