Oprah Winfrey: It Was Hard to Accept Being a Brand

"The idea of being a brand was hard for me to accept," the daytime talk show host and soon-to-be cable network founder said during a Q&A session at the American Magazine Conference in Chicago. Winfrey was interviewed by Susan Casey, editor in chief of O, The Oprah Magazine.
"I had no intention of being a brand," she said. "My intention was to just do the work and represent the truth in the work every day. But I guess that's what a brand is."
Winfrey also talked about her mindset as she approaches the end of The Oprah Winfrey Show next year. "I said to my producers I can't think about it being the last show because every show consumes so much of your energy, and to be present for that show and that moment is all the energy I can give.
"So I'm really not thinking about what the end will be. I'm just trying to focus on making every day memorable for myself. I want this year not to be like the big wedding where you don't remember anything that happened."