Give Yourself a Year to Try 12 New Things and Embrace Change

The Oprah Podcast episode features two guests exploring personal growth through intentional change. Entrepreneur and author Shonda Scott discusses her book 'Give Me a Year,' which documents her year-long challenge to try something new every month. Scott shares how stepping outside her comfort zone helped her overcome fear, find joy, and navigate unexpected life turns. The conversation covers practical themes: writing down goals and visualization, confronting imposter syndrome, showing up for yourself, and prioritizing self-care by putting yourself at the top of your list. Scott highlights three standout experiences from her year of challenges and discusses how small changes can create larger transformations. The second half features writer Jason McBride, whose viral article 'How to Create a Life You Love: No Magical Thinking Required' resonated widely. McBride and Oprah explore the core message that fulfilling lives aren't built on perfect circumstances—the ideal job, relationship, or situation—but rather on personal responsibility and intentional choice. They discuss moving beyond living by someone else's blueprint, learning from failures and setbacks, and actively creating the life you want rather than waiting for it to happen. The episode emphasizes that failure is part of the process and that three key areas remain within your control. The structure moves from Scott's motivational narrative about concrete monthly challenges to McBride's more philosophical framework about agency and accountability. Both segments center on self-directed change, though from slightly different angles: Scott's is experiential and challenge-based, while McBride's is more conceptual and responsibility-focused. The episode runs 40 minutes with clear chapter breaks marking transitions between topics and guests.

Verdict: A competent but familiar self-help episode that delivers motivational content about personal growth and intentional change, with two relatable guests but limited originality or surprising insights.

Society & Culture rubric

• Fresh perspective 2/5 20%

  The 'try new things' and 'take responsibility for your life' messages are well-worn self-help territory with limited novel angles presented in the notes.

• Storytelling and voices 3/5 20%

  Two distinct guests provide some variety, and Scott's year-long challenge offers narrative structure, but show notes don't reveal depth of personal storytelling or emotional resonance.

• Thoughtfulness 3/5 15%

  McBride's piece on 'no magical thinking' and discussion of what you can control suggests some nuance, but the notes don't demonstrate sustained critical examination or complexity.

• Substance 3/5 15%

  Solid practical advice (write goals, overcome imposter syndrome, prioritize self) mixed with conceptual framework (control, responsibility), but show notes suggest some motivational padding without evidence of deep exploration.

• Delivers on its title 4/5 15%

  Title promises trying 12 new things and embracing change; Scott's book and year-long challenge directly address this, though McBride's segment broadens the scope beyond the specific 12-month framework.

• Value for time 3/5 15%

  40 minutes with two guests and clear chapter breaks suggests reasonable pacing, but without audio evidence, it's unclear if there's filler or if the content justifies the length.

How we score Society & Culture

Worth it if you're seeking practical motivation to break routines and take more responsibility for your life choices, and you enjoy Oprah's conversational interview style.

Content flags

• Ad-heavy Show notes lead with 'BUY THE BOOK!' with affiliate link and include multiple social media and streaming platform links, suggesting promotional emphasis.

Based on the episode description. AI-generated; it can be wrong.