Gayle King on her Journey to Self-Acceptance and Authenticity 

Arianna Huffington sat down with Emmy-winning co-anchor of CBS This Morning Gayle King for an insightful conversation touching on everything from the #MeToo movement to what Gayle has personally learned from self-acceptance to why she doesn’t think presidency is “in the cards” for her best friend and key confidant Oprah Winfrey.  

The editor-at-large for O, The Oprah Magazine, and Arianna kicked off their hour-long Thrive Global Podcast with iHeartRadio convo by recalling a hilarious, yet awakening, story Gayle previously told Arianna of attempting to put on Spanx and how it taught her to realize how quickly life can change.

Gayle recalled that she was “buck naked” trying to pull on a pair of slimming undergarments during a particularly hectic morning.

“So here I am in my bedroom putting on the Spanx and they require a little bit of pulling and tugging and I was pulling and tugging and I fell when I was putting them on and I kept thinking if I had fallen and hit my head and I would have been knocked out unconscious, somebody would have come into my home, seen me with these Spanx below my ankles buck naked thinking, ‘What freaky deaky stuff is going on here?’ And I've never ever forgotten that,” Gayle said. “I've never forgotten how quickly, Arianna, life can change in a second.”

Speaking of life being short, Gayle continued that she doesn’t take herself – or social media – too seriously. In fact, learning to be comfortable in her own skin and authentic with herself is something that she’s an advocate of.  

“People say, ‘I can't believe that you show your weight, I can't believe that you tell your age.’ I think number one, I'm so happy to be on the planet doing the job that I do and as far as weight, I think people have eyes,” Gayle said of her vulnerability. “I don't see any point in sugar coating things and I think so many people think that you have to present this picture that life is perfect and life is fine and I just don't think that that's a reality, I don't. Life has a lot of warts and ups and downs and I try not to overshare, but I think that my life is pretty typical of what a lot of people go through.”

She added that she learned self-acceptance relatively early on.

“When I was coming up,” Gayle continued. “I'm sure you know Jane Kennedy … She was like the Halle Berry of my time where you just saw this gorgeous beautiful black woman and I realized -- I had to be maybe mid-30s -- that I was not going to be Jane Kennedy, that there's always going to be somebody who's prettier, smarter, richer, thinner -- all of that good stuff and you just have to get to the point where you really are okay with yourself. That's why I don't have hang ups about posting pictures of myself where I may not look the best. People will say, ‘God, I can't believe you put that picture up.’ I don't have hang ups about that because I know that when you're all pulled together, I think I look okay. … I know there's always going to be somebody that looks better, but as long as you feel good and comfortable in your own skin, and I really do at this stage of my life, … [then you’re okay.]”

Arianna and Gayle concluded the topic of conversation by sharing that they wish they knew when they were younger to just trust life and the amazing journey that it is.

“Even in the darkest moments, trust that things are going to change and things will be OK and I think the other thing that's so important is not to look at life in terms of competition,” Arianna added. “I love the quote … ‘I try to dance not compared to anyone else, but just better than myself.’ I think the idea that it's like it's our own journey, it's our own unique journey.”

Listen to Ariana’s full chat with Gayle above to hear more, including why Gayle doesn’t see presidency in Oprah’s cards and her thoughts on the #MeToo movement.

The Thrive Global Podcast with iHeartRadio, hosted by Arianna Huffington, where she speaks with notable leaders, celebrities, athletes and influencers to learn how prioritizing well-being — instead of burnout and overwork — has made them happier and more successful. This podcast provides tips, tools and microsteps to transform your life and go from surviving to thriving. The Thrive Global Podcast is brought to you by Sleep Number.


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