Oprah sits down with world renowned, history-making ballet dancer Misty Copeland for an intimate and deeply reflective conversation as Misty takes her final bow with the American Ballet Theatre. As the prestigious company’s first Black female principal dancer, Misty looks back on her incomparable career that changed the face of classical ballet by expanding who gets to be seen, centered and celebrated on the world’s most iconic stages. We also hear from one of Misty’s longtime mentors whose guidance helped shape her career along with listeners of all ages from across the country seeking Misty’s wisdom, encouragement and perspective as they pursue their own unique paths. Misty shares lessons on resilience, courage and gratitude we can all learn from as well as the legacy she hopes to continue building for young dancers of color. Misty shares her rigorous process of preparing for her final dance at her retirement gala of which Oprah serves as co-chair. Presented by Walmart, this episode celebrates Misty’s inspiring path and the joy of sharing your unique gifts with the world. Misty also discusses her two newest books: Letters to Misty: How to Move Through Life with Confidence and Grace and Bunheads, Act 2: The Dance and Courage, which you can find on Walmart.com. BUY THE BOOKS: Letters to Misty: How to Move Through Life with Confidence and Grace https://www.walmart.com/ip/Letters-to-Misty-How-to-Move-Through-Life-with-Confidence-and-Grace-Hardcover-9781534443037/12993719964?classType=REGULAR&from=/search Bunheads, Act 2: The Dance and Courage https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bunheads-ACT-2-The-Dance-of-Courage-Hardcover-9780399547683/15039751551 00:00:00 - Welcome Misty Copeland, Author of Letters to Misty 00:02:45 - Performing One Last Time: Her Emotions 00:06:28 - Knowing When It’s Time to Step Away 00:08:20 - Physical + Emotional Pain Behind Dancing 00:10:50 - Imagining Her Final Bow 00:13:21 - Misty’s Childhood 00:15:15 - How the Boys and Girls Club Impacted Her 00:18:15 - Invitation to American Ballet Theatre 00:19:00 - Being the Only Black Woman at ABT 00:23:05 - Welcome former ABT director John Meehan 00:25:15 - Challenges of Starting Ballet Later in Life 00:26:50 - Debbie Allen’s Impact on Her Career 00:28:55 - Advice for Young Dancers of Color 00:31:28 - What She Wants People to Know About Ballet 00:32:35 - Life + Goals Beyond Ballet 00:36:16 - The Loneliness of Being a Trailblazer 00:42:25 - Painting Ballet Shoes to Match Her Skin Tone 00:45:42 - Misty and her siblings now 00:47:42 - Misty on her husband 00:48:50 - Becoming ABT Principal Dancer Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.