I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of

the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time, taking time to be more fully present.

Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right

now.

In Christmas 2011, Madonna Badger lost all three of her children and both her parents

in an early morning fire, nine-year-old Lily, seven-year-old twin Sarah and Grace, and

her parents, Pauline and Lomer, all perished. The hours before the fire were a picture-perfect

Christmas Eve scene. The girls decorated the house, Madonna's mom baked apple pie, while

her dad returned from his dream job playing Santa Claus at a New York department store.

I've thought about Madonna a lot since that fire. I've held her in my prayers and wished

her strength and love. Super-soulers, what Madonna has done in the face of unimaginable

grief and pain, will elevate our souls today. As I sit down with her the day before her

50th birthday, I meet a true spiritual teacher who has discovered that opening herself up

to love is the path that brings her closest to her three girls and her parents. Madonna

also shares her belief that death was not the end of their relationship but a new beginning.

I have thought about you so many times over the past couple of years. I think about you

and I think about your family and I think about how you're doing, how you manage to get

out of bed, and then you did the TED Talk and answered all of those questions. So really

it's a privilege to have you here because I see you as a true spiritual teacher who had

to in the midst of the greatest storm of life when everything has fallen apart, learn

how to walk the walk. Would you say you're still learning? Yes, definitely. I'm definitely

still learning. What made you want to tell your story, particularly the TED Talk, what

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