0:00:00.920,0:00:04.536
In 1987, Tina Lord[br]found herself in quite the pickle.

0:00:04.560,0:00:07.856
See, this gold digger made sure[br]she married sweet Cord Roberts

0:00:07.880,0:00:10.536
just before he inherited millions.

0:00:10.560,0:00:12.776
But when Cord found out[br]Tina loved his money

0:00:12.800,0:00:14.416
as much as she loved him,

0:00:14.440,0:00:15.696
he dumped her.

0:00:15.720,0:00:17.616
Cord's mother Maria was thrilled

0:00:17.640,0:00:19.136
until they hooked up again.

0:00:19.160,0:00:21.816
So Maria hired Max Holden to romance Tina

0:00:21.840,0:00:25.576
and then made sure Cord didn't find out[br]Tina was pregnant with his baby.

0:00:25.600,0:00:28.496
So Tina, still married[br]but thinking Cord didn't love her

0:00:28.520,0:00:30.696
flew to Argentina with Max.

0:00:30.720,0:00:32.816
Cord finally figured out what was going on

0:00:32.840,0:00:35.360
and rushed after them,[br]but he was too late.

0:00:35.840,0:00:37.416
Tina had already been kidnapped,

0:00:37.440,0:00:39.800
strapped to a raft[br]and sent over a waterfall.

0:00:40.360,0:00:42.800
She and her baby were presumed dead.

0:00:43.320,0:00:46.336
Cord was sad for a bit,

0:00:46.360,0:00:47.816
but then he bounced right back

0:00:47.840,0:00:51.216
with a supersmart[br]archaeologist named Kate,

0:00:51.240,0:00:52.736
and they had a gorgeous wedding

0:00:52.760,0:00:57.056
until Tina, seemingly back from the dead,[br]ran into the church holding a baby.

0:00:57.080,0:00:58.760
"Stop!" she screamed.

0:00:59.200,0:01:00.696
"Am I too late?

0:01:00.720,0:01:02.800
Cord, I've come so far.

0:01:03.600,0:01:05.880
This is your son."

0:01:07.400,0:01:08.896
And that, ladies and gentlemen,

0:01:08.920,0:01:12.096
is how the soap opera "One Life to Live"[br]introduced a love story

0:01:12.120,0:01:14.176
that lasted 25 years.

0:01:14.200,0:01:15.536
(Laughter)

0:01:15.560,0:01:17.656
Now, if you've ever seen a soap opera,

0:01:17.680,0:01:22.576
you know the stories and the characters[br]can be exaggerated, larger than life,

0:01:22.600,0:01:25.856
and if you're a fan,[br]you find that exaggeration fun,

0:01:25.880,0:01:27.080
and if you're not,

0:01:27.600,0:01:30.296
maybe you find them[br]melodramatic or unsophisticated.

0:01:30.320,0:01:32.536
Maybe you think watching soap operas

0:01:32.560,0:01:33.816
is a waste of time,

0:01:33.840,0:01:38.120
that their bigness means[br]their lessons are small or nonexistent.

0:01:38.560,0:01:40.800
But I believe the opposite to be true.

0:01:41.440,0:01:45.000
Soap operas reflect life, just bigger.

0:01:45.920,0:01:49.336
So there are real life lessons[br]we can learn from soap operas,

0:01:49.360,0:01:52.176
and those lessons[br]are as big and adventurous

0:01:52.200,0:01:54.320
as any soap opera storyline.

0:01:55.320,0:01:58.896
Now, I've been a fan since I ran home[br]from the bus stop in second grade

0:01:58.920,0:02:01.616
desperate to catch the end[br]of Luke and Laura's wedding,

0:02:01.640,0:02:05.016
the biggest moment[br]in "General Hospital" history.

0:02:05.040,0:02:06.296
(Applause)

0:02:06.320,0:02:09.656
So you can imagine[br]how much I loved my eight years

0:02:09.680,0:02:12.656
as the assistant casting director[br]on "As the World Turns."

0:02:12.680,0:02:14.696
My job was watching soap operas,

0:02:14.720,0:02:16.136
reading soap opera scripts

0:02:16.160,0:02:18.936
and auditioning actors[br]to be on soap operas.

0:02:18.960,0:02:21.256
So I know my stuff.

0:02:21.280,0:02:22.536
(Laughter)

0:02:22.560,0:02:24.856
And yes, soap operas

0:02:24.880,0:02:27.176
are larger than life,

0:02:27.200,0:02:28.896
drama on a grand scale,

0:02:28.920,0:02:32.656
but our lives can be filled[br]with as much intensity,

0:02:32.680,0:02:35.440
and the stakes can feel just as dramatic.

0:02:35.840,0:02:38.136
We cycle through tragedy and joy

0:02:38.160,0:02:40.096
just like these characters.

0:02:40.120,0:02:44.576
We cross thresholds, fight demons[br]and find salvation unexpectedly,

0:02:44.600,0:02:47.576
and we do it again and again and again,

0:02:47.600,0:02:50.336
but just like soaps,[br]we can flip the script,

0:02:50.360,0:02:52.616
which means we can learn[br]from these characters

0:02:52.640,0:02:54.456
that move like bumblebees,

0:02:54.480,0:02:57.056
looping and swerving through life.

0:02:57.080,0:02:59.336
And we can use those lessons

0:02:59.360,0:03:01.280
to craft our own life stories.

0:03:01.880,0:03:04.880
Soap operas teach us to push away doubt

0:03:05.600,0:03:07.776
and believe in our capacity

0:03:07.800,0:03:10.416
for bravery, vulnerability,

0:03:10.440,0:03:13.256
adaptability and resilience.

0:03:13.280,0:03:15.576
And most importantly, they show us

0:03:15.600,0:03:18.160
it's never too late to change your story.

0:03:19.120,0:03:22.096
So with that, let's start[br]with soap opera lesson one:

0:03:22.120,0:03:24.096
surrender is not an option.

0:03:24.120,0:03:26.096
(Laughter)

0:03:26.120,0:03:30.696
"All My Children"'s Erica Kane[br]was daytime's version of Scarlett O'Hara,

0:03:30.720,0:03:33.176
a hyperbolically self-important princess

0:03:33.200,0:03:36.200
who deep down was scrappy and daring.

0:03:36.800,0:03:40.416
Now, in her 41 years on TV,[br]perhaps Erica's most famous scene

0:03:40.440,0:03:42.416
is her alone in the woods

0:03:42.440,0:03:45.176
suddenly face to face with a grizzly bear.

0:03:45.200,0:03:47.456
She screamed at the bear,

0:03:47.480,0:03:48.896
"You may not do this!

0:03:48.920,0:03:50.576
Do you understand me?

0:03:50.600,0:03:52.496
You may not come near me!

0:03:52.520,0:03:54.416
I am Erica Kane

0:03:54.440,0:03:57.056
and you are a filthy beast!"

0:03:57.080,0:03:58.896
(Laughter)

0:03:58.920,0:04:00.576
And of course the bear left,

0:04:00.600,0:04:02.416
so what that teaches us

0:04:02.440,0:04:04.496
is obstacles are to be expected

0:04:04.520,0:04:08.240
and we can choose to surrender[br]or we can stand and fight.

0:04:09.240,0:04:12.056
Pandora's Tim Westergren[br]knows this better than most.

0:04:12.080,0:04:15.320
You might even call him[br]the Erica Kane of Silicon Valley.

0:04:16.000,0:04:18.055
Tim and his cofounders[br]launched the company

0:04:18.079,0:04:19.815
with two million dollars in funding.

0:04:19.839,0:04:21.560
They were out of cash the next year.

0:04:22.840,0:04:26.080
Now, lots of companies fold at that point,[br]but Tim chose to fight.

0:04:26.600,0:04:30.776
He maxed out 11 credit cards[br]and racked up six figures in personal debt

0:04:30.800,0:04:32.120
and it still wasn't enough.

0:04:32.680,0:04:37.536
So every two weeks for two years on payday[br]he stood in front of his employees

0:04:37.560,0:04:40.280
and he asked them[br]to sacrifice their salaries,

0:04:41.120,0:04:42.496
and it worked.

0:04:42.520,0:04:45.336
More than 50 people deferred[br]two million dollars,

0:04:45.360,0:04:47.216
and now, more than a decade later,

0:04:47.240,0:04:49.560
Pandora is worth billions.

0:04:50.360,0:04:52.816
When you believe that there is a way

0:04:52.840,0:04:55.216
around or through[br]whatever is in front of you,

0:04:55.240,0:04:57.776
that surrender is not an option,

0:04:57.800,0:05:00.720
you can overcome enormous obstacles.

0:05:01.960,0:05:03.936
Which brings us to soap opera lesson two:

0:05:03.960,0:05:08.000
sacrifice your ego[br]and drop the superiority complex.

0:05:08.720,0:05:10.296
Now, this is scary.

0:05:10.320,0:05:12.920
It's an acknowledgment[br]of need or fallibility.

0:05:13.520,0:05:14.896
Maybe it's even an admission

0:05:14.920,0:05:17.600
that we're not as special[br]as we might like to think.

0:05:19.120,0:05:21.536
Stephanie Forrester[br]of "The Bold and the Beautiful"

0:05:21.560,0:05:23.296
thought she was pretty darn special.

0:05:23.320,0:05:24.816
She thought she was so special,

0:05:24.840,0:05:27.536
she didn't need to mix[br]with the riffraff from the valley,

0:05:27.560,0:05:29.656
and she made sure[br]valley girl Brooke knew it.

0:05:30.440,0:05:33.856
But after nearly 25 years[br]of epic fighting,

0:05:33.880,0:05:36.760
Stephanie got sick and let Brooke in.

0:05:37.480,0:05:38.696
They made amends,

0:05:38.720,0:05:40.736
archenemies became soul mates

0:05:40.760,0:05:43.096
and Stephanie died in Brooke's arms,

0:05:43.120,0:05:44.640
and here's our takeaway.

0:05:45.440,0:05:46.976
Drop your ego.

0:05:47.000,0:05:48.896
Life is not about you.

0:05:48.920,0:05:50.536
It's about us,

0:05:50.560,0:05:53.376
and our ability to experience joy

0:05:53.400,0:05:55.896
and love and to improve our reality

0:05:55.920,0:05:58.936
comes only when we make[br]ourselves vulnerable

0:05:58.960,0:06:02.096
and we accept responsibility[br]for our actions

0:06:02.120,0:06:03.496
and our inactions,

0:06:03.520,0:06:06.240
kind of like Howard Schultz,[br]the CEO of Starbucks.

0:06:06.920,0:06:08.936
Now, after a great run as CEO,

0:06:08.960,0:06:11.256
Howard stepped down in 2000,

0:06:11.280,0:06:13.496
and Starbucks quickly overextended itself

0:06:13.520,0:06:14.800
and stock prices fell.

0:06:15.520,0:06:17.456
Howard rejoined the team in 2008,

0:06:17.480,0:06:19.496
and one of the first things he did

0:06:19.520,0:06:23.680
was apologize to all 180,000 employees.

0:06:24.920,0:06:26.240
He apologized.

0:06:26.800,0:06:30.776
And then he asked for help,[br]honesty, and ideas in return.

0:06:30.800,0:06:33.376
And now, Starbucks has more than doubled

0:06:33.400,0:06:35.600
its net revenue since Howard came back.

0:06:36.160,0:06:40.096
So sacrifice your desire[br]to be right or safe all the time.

0:06:40.120,0:06:42.320
It's not helping anyone, least of all you.

0:06:43.240,0:06:45.440
Sacrifice your ego.

0:06:47.240,0:06:48.696
Soap opera lesson three:

0:06:48.720,0:06:51.000
evolution is real.

0:06:52.240,0:06:54.936
You're not meant to be static characters.

0:06:54.960,0:06:58.896
On television, static equals boring[br]and boring equals fired.

0:06:58.920,0:07:01.800
Characters are supposed[br]to grow and change.

0:07:02.560,0:07:05.016
Now, on TV, those dynamic changes

0:07:05.040,0:07:07.296
can make for some rough transitions,

0:07:07.320,0:07:10.696
particularly when a character[br]is played by one person yesterday

0:07:10.720,0:07:12.560
and played by someone new today.

0:07:13.840,0:07:16.920
Recasting happens all the time on soaps.

0:07:17.560,0:07:19.376
Over the last 20 years,

0:07:19.400,0:07:22.256
four different actors[br]have played the same key role

0:07:22.280,0:07:24.840
of Carly Benson on "General Hospital."

0:07:25.720,0:07:30.856
Each new face triggered a change[br]in the character's life and personality.

0:07:30.880,0:07:34.936
Now, there was always[br]an essential nugget of Carly in there,

0:07:34.960,0:07:38.800
but the character and the story[br]adapted to whomever was playing her.

0:07:39.640,0:07:41.600
And here's what that means for us.

0:07:42.400,0:07:45.016
While we may not swap faces[br]in our own lives,

0:07:45.040,0:07:46.936
we can evolve too.

0:07:46.960,0:07:51.560
We can choose to draw a circle[br]around our feet and stay in that spot,

0:07:52.320,0:07:54.856
or we can open ourselves to opportunities

0:07:54.880,0:07:58.600
like Carly, who went[br]from nursing student to hotel owner,

0:07:59.520,0:08:00.960
or like Julia Child.

0:08:01.720,0:08:04.376
Julia was a World War II spy,

0:08:04.400,0:08:07.736
and when the war ended,[br]she got married, moved to France,

0:08:07.760,0:08:10.560
and decided to give[br]culinary school a shot.

0:08:11.080,0:08:16.760
Julia, her books and her TV shows[br]revolutionized the way America cooks.

0:08:17.640,0:08:20.936
We all have the power[br]to initiate change in our lives,

0:08:20.960,0:08:22.920
to evolve and adapt.

0:08:23.560,0:08:25.376
We make the choice,

0:08:25.400,0:08:28.976
but sometimes life chooses for us,[br]and we don't get a heads up.

0:08:29.000,0:08:31.176
Surprise slams us in the face.

0:08:31.200,0:08:33.336
You're flat on the ground,[br]the air is gone,

0:08:33.360,0:08:35.159
and you need resuscitation.

0:08:35.960,0:08:39.135
So thank goodness[br]for soap opera lesson four:

0:08:39.159,0:08:41.416
resurrection is possible.

0:08:41.440,0:08:42.856
(Laughter)

0:08:42.880,0:08:44.720
(Applause)

0:08:46.960,0:08:51.136
In 1983, "Days of Our Lives"'[br]Stefano DiMera died of a stroke,

0:08:51.160,0:08:53.696
but not really, because in 1984

0:08:53.720,0:08:56.456
he died when his car[br]plunged into the harbor,

0:08:56.480,0:09:00.016
and yet he was back in 1985[br]with a brain tumor.

0:09:00.040,0:09:01.056
(Laughter)

0:09:01.080,0:09:03.696
But before the tumor could kill him,

0:09:03.720,0:09:07.720
Marlena shot him, and he tumbled[br]off a catwalk to his death.

0:09:08.440,0:09:10.736
And so it went for 30 years.

0:09:10.760,0:09:13.256
(Laughter)

0:09:13.280,0:09:15.416
Even when we saw the body,

0:09:15.440,0:09:16.656
we knew better.

0:09:16.680,0:09:19.280
He's called the Phoenix for a reason.

0:09:20.720,0:09:22.976
And here's what that means for us.

0:09:23.000,0:09:25.456
As long as the show is still on the air,

0:09:25.480,0:09:27.576
or you're still breathing,

0:09:27.600,0:09:29.256
nothing is permanent.

0:09:29.280,0:09:31.600
Resurrection is possible.

0:09:33.560,0:09:36.256
Now, of course, just like life,

0:09:36.280,0:09:39.560
soap operas do ultimately[br]meet the big finale.

0:09:40.320,0:09:45.256
CBS canceled my show,[br]"As The World Turns," in December 2009,

0:09:45.280,0:09:46.856
and we shot our final episode

0:09:46.880,0:09:48.080
in June 2010.

0:09:48.640,0:09:50.336
It was six months of dying

0:09:50.360,0:09:53.440
and I rode that train[br]right into the mountain.

0:09:54.240,0:09:56.976
And even though we were[br]in the middle of a huge recession

0:09:57.000,0:10:00.816
and millions of people[br]were struggling to find work,

0:10:00.840,0:10:03.136
I somehow thought everything would be OK.

0:10:03.160,0:10:05.856
So I packed up the kids[br]and the Brooklyn apartment,

0:10:05.880,0:10:08.216
and we moved in with my in-laws

0:10:08.240,0:10:09.456
in Alabama.

0:10:09.480,0:10:11.560
(Laughter)

0:10:12.920,0:10:15.656
Three months later, nothing was OK.

0:10:15.680,0:10:20.896
That was when I watched[br]the final episode air,

0:10:20.920,0:10:24.360
and I realized the show[br]was not the only fatality.

0:10:25.040,0:10:26.240
I was one too.

0:10:27.120,0:10:29.696
I was unemployed[br]and living on the second floor

0:10:29.720,0:10:31.296
of my in-laws' home,

0:10:31.320,0:10:34.096
and that's enough[br]to make anyone feel dead inside.

0:10:34.120,0:10:36.016
(Laughter)

0:10:36.040,0:10:38.176
But I knew my story wasn't over,

0:10:38.200,0:10:40.416
that it couldn't be over.

0:10:40.440,0:10:45.600
I just had to tap into everything[br]I had ever learned about soap operas.

0:10:46.360,0:10:49.896
I had to be brave like Erica[br]and refuse to surrender,

0:10:49.920,0:10:53.120
so every day, I made a decision to fight.

0:10:54.000,0:10:56.576
I had to be vulnerable like Stephanie

0:10:56.600,0:10:58.136
and sacrifice my ego.

0:10:58.160,0:11:02.200
I had to ask for help[br]a lot of times across many states.

0:11:02.760,0:11:06.216
I had to be adaptable like Carly

0:11:06.240,0:11:09.776
and evolve my skills,[br]my mindset, and my circumstances,

0:11:09.800,0:11:12.776
and then I had to be[br]resilient, like Stefano,

0:11:12.800,0:11:15.456
and resurrect myself and my career

0:11:15.480,0:11:17.600
like a phoenix from the ashes.

0:11:18.760,0:11:20.400
Eventually I got an interview.

0:11:21.640,0:11:24.576
After 15 years in news and entertainment,

0:11:24.600,0:11:26.536
nine months of unemployment

0:11:26.560,0:11:28.640
and this one interview,

0:11:29.840,0:11:32.040
I had an offer for an entry level job.

0:11:33.040,0:11:34.896
I was 37 years old

0:11:34.920,0:11:36.600
and I was back from the dead.

0:11:38.240,0:11:41.336
We will all experience[br]what looks like an ending,

0:11:41.360,0:11:43.440
and we can choose to make it a beginning.

0:11:44.120,0:11:48.216
Kind of like Tina, who miraculously[br]survived that waterfall,

0:11:48.240,0:11:50.936
and because I hate to leave[br]a cliffhanger hanging,

0:11:50.960,0:11:53.136
Tina and Cord did get divorced,

0:11:53.160,0:11:57.920
but they got remarried three times[br]before the show went off the air in 2012.

0:11:59.080,0:12:00.816
So remember,

0:12:00.840,0:12:03.560
as long as there is breath in your body,

0:12:04.320,0:12:06.680
it's never too late to change your story.

0:12:07.480,0:12:08.696
Thank you.

0:12:08.720,0:12:10.520
(Applause)