What Oprah Taught Me About Networks
How one bold ask—and a surprise from Oprah—proved the value of reaching out.
In 2012, I was sitting in a Leadership Atlanta classroom, watching something simple—and powerful—unfold.
The facilitator tossed out names. Big ones.
If you had to, who could you connect with this week?
Barack Obama? A few hands went up.
Oprah Winfrey?
Someone grinned. “I know someone who knows someone.”
And it wasn’t a joke. It felt real.
That’s when it hit me: influence has an architecture. And sometimes, the structure is already under your feet—you just haven’t looked down.
Five years later, I was helping plan our nonprofit’s annual fundraiser. Congressman John Lewis was our guest of honor. Someone said, “We should dream big. Who could help us honor him in a way that stops the room cold?”
The answer came fast: Oprah.
It sounded impossible. But so had that moment in the classroom.
And just like before, someone knew someone who knew someone. We made the ask.
While Oprah didn’t agree to be there in person, she did respond. She sent a video made special for the occasion. A personal tribute. We kept it under wraps and played it that night as a surprise.
At the perfect moment, the room went still. Then came the applause. Not because a celebrity said hello. But because it matched the moment. It matched the man.
Since then, I’ve thought a lot about the power of a network.
Not the LinkedIn kind. The real kind.
Networks aren’t business cards or contact lists. They’re potential energy. Stored power. The best leaders don’t just collect names. They activate people. They connect dots other folks don’t even see.
And that matters. Because the biggest problems we face—at work, in our cities, in our lives—don’t get solved alone. They need partnerships, creativity, and reach.
Your network isn’t just yours. It’s a shared resource. And if you treat it with care and purpose, it can move mountains.
So if something feels just out of reach today, stop and ask: who do I know who might know someone?
The only real failure is not asking.
What impossible thing might be within reach—if you actually tried?