Yesterday on Super Soul Sunday, Oprah and Arianna Huffington chatted about mothers, success, and spirituality while having tea at at Starbucks.

Well known and acclaimed as one of the world’s most influential people, Arianna attributes much of her success to her mother, a woman who provided her daughters with unconditional love and an enriched upbringing, despite modest beginnings in Athens. After selling all their belongings, the family moved to England where Ariana obtained a scholarship to Cambridge University. At age 21, she held the distinction of being the first international student to become president of the famed debating society, The Cambridge Union.

After moving to New York in 1980, Arianna married, had two daughters and become politically involved. In 2005, she founded the Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely-read media brands. But this success came at a price. On April 6, 2007, Arianna collapsed from exhaustion and woke up to find herself lying in a pool of blood.

This wake-up call forced Arianna to ask the difficult questions about success and the true meaning of life. She eloquently speaks about this search in her fourteenth book, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being.

Arianna’s advice…

We must disconnect with technology to reconnect with ourselves. To improve the quality of her sleep, Arianna transformed her bedroom into a device-free sanctuary.

Take a nap in the afternoon. There are two (well-used) nap rooms at Huffington Post and Arianna is planning to add a third room.

Give up what no longer works. Several years ago, Arianna found it liberating to drop several projects that were no longer relevant or necessary.

Quotable quotes…

Life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen.

A eulogy has nothing to do with our resume.

We can integrate death into our lives, not in a morbid way but to give life meaning.

Failure is part of the journey to success.

Failure is not the opposite of success. It is a stepping stone to success. (Arianna’s mother)

Failure is God trying to move you in a new direction. (Oprah)

No experience goes wasted. Whatever arises in life is the right material to fuel your growth…All of life is here to greet you like an old and faithful friend. (Marcus Aurelias)

Live life as though everything is rigged in your favor. (Rumi)