Elissa Cirignotta, Writer, Entrepeneur, Kid Yoga Instructor, World Traveler.

For the past 12 years I have had what I thought was an unrequited love affair with Oprah. If I had to guess I'd say that I've written her about dozen, maybe even 18 love letters throughout the years. I have admired, and continue to admire, the message she shares, her charisma, the strength it takes to be such a powerfully influential role model, and the journey she has walked. She has inspired a collective shift in thinking; One that moves from hatred to love.
In Feb of 2011 a friend invited me to go to Chicago. We were going to see Oprah! She had won tickets to one of the final shows of the 25th season. It was spectacular and we were like giddy school girls. Liz wore sequins and I chose a rainbow poncho. We sat in the third row, winked at this idol, and each won a 2 night stay at Cesar's Palace in Vegas along with food and drink vouchers and tickets to Celine Dion. We would have left completely ecstatic, yet the interview for the national radio station following the show's filming was the most delicious icing a cake could have!

We loved our Cesar's Palace stay! Thanks for the love Oprah!

What's a girl to do but keep writing those love letters, right?

I didn't suffer too much of a loss with the end of the show as not owning a television and cable made it hard to keep up with it with any type of consistency. And life goes on.

Later that year I moved to Portland Oregon and I quickly began to make positive changes in my eating and exercise habits. My yoga practice started a few months before the move and I was jogging regularly. During one of my foggy morning jogs I stumbled across a free box full of old Oprah Magazine editions. I grabbed 5 and subsequently went home to start reading. Within a week I had submitted payment for a year subscription that was waiting to be read. I was surprised by how much I loved it. It was inspiring and talked about real life issues with solutions for positive improvements. It was spiritual and pragmatic while also providing an element of entertainment. For the past year I have diligently read every single word (minus the prescription ads) of every month's edition. I have wanted to understand the strategy behind the marketing, the article selections, and all the hows and whos and whys. I dream of being a contributing writer to the magazine and there's no reason for me to stop dreaming now.

On Friday afternoon (January 17, 2014) I was going through my O ritual; I drew a hot bath, poured a cup of tea, lit my candles, saged the bathroom, and relaxed with my magazine and journal. 21 pages in and almost finished with the "We Hear You" section, I completely lost it when I saw MY name. I was in Oprah Magazine! After falling out of the tub and running naked around the house for 30 minutes I cleared space on my phone for a new picture and sent the image to practically everyone I knew! I don't care what anyone says, I'm going to keep on dreaming, because for this Sicilian Jew, the sky is the limit! Thanks for the love Oprah.

 

 

 

 

I am open to all the good and abundance in the Universe. Thank-you life!