Skip to main content

This Feb. 22, 2014, file photo shows Oprah Winfrey speaking at the 45th NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, Calif.Chris Pizzello/The Canadian Press

Oprah Winfrey will hit the road to deliver her inspirational message to the masses – except this time, there are no plans to stop in Canada.

The daytime talk diva and broadcast mogul has announced she will headline an eight-city arena tour starting next September.

Announced with the lofty title Oprah's The Life You Want Weekend Tour, the gameplan is to pack 18,000-seat arenas for a two-day feelgood experience.

But Canadians who want to bask in Oprah's glow will have to cross the border: The tour will make stops in Atlanta, Auburn Hills (Michigan), Houston, Miami, Newark, Seattle, San Jose and Washington. Unlike previous Oprah tours, including a cross-country speaking tour last year, this one will not be making any Canadian stops.

Ticket prices for the Life You Want tour start at $99 (U.S.) and top out at $999 for a special VIP package that includes a personal meeting with her Oprahness. Tickets will go on sale starting April 7 on Oprah.com.

The format of the Life You Want is in keeping with Oprah's earlier road shows: On Friday night, Winfrey will share her personal story and offer words of inspiration. On Saturday and Sunday, participants are invited to partake of group activities and will hear speeches from Oprah-sanctioned gurus.

Among the confirmed speakers: pastor Rob Bell, Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert, OWN network star Iyanla Vanzant and in selected cities, Deepak Chopra.

The goal of the tour: To push Oprah's ongoing themes of "empowerment, resilience and authenticity."

Specifically, "It's about living the life you want, because a great percentage of the population is living a life that their mother wanted, that their husband wanted, that they thought or heard they wanted," said Winfrey in a statement.

It must also be a calculated move to expand the Oprah brand. Since pulling the plug on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011, she made a high-profile return to acting in Lee Daniels' The Butler last year and is reportedly in talks to star in a Broadway revival of the Pulitzer-winning play 'night, Mother. At 60 years old, she hasn't slowed down her self-appointed mission of sharing with the less fortunate.

And when need be, she can still get tough: On last Sunday night's episode of the reality series Lindsay, which focuses on the attempted comeback by actress Lindsay Lohan (and airs on OWN, naturally), Winfrey showed motherly affection to the troubled actress, but also told her, "You need to cut the bullshit, you really do."

Interact with The Globe