Everyone finds inspiration in different places. Whether from a book, a speech, or even a friendly conversation, words have a way of striking us at the right time and place and motivating us for the better.

For Oprah, those words struck years ago while speaking with Maya Angelou. The poet shared what Oprah calls the best advice she’s ever received. “When people show you who they really are, believe them the first time.” They are words she lives by.

For a woman whose every word is hung on, it was actually quite easy for Oprah to share the best advice she’s ever given. Her go-to bit of insight is to tell people to find a way to be most themselves. “Listen to the rhythm of your own calling, and follow that,” she said.

If you’re looking for more guidance on how to eat well, work hard but allow yourself to play hard too, and embrace your life in a more present way, then Oprah has 101 of the best pieces of advices you’ve ever heard. It’s the feature in the October issue of O Magazine, which just hit newsstands.

In a behind-the-scenes interview from her cover photo shoot she revealed more key advice that has impacted her life. She knows exactly who her closest confidants are, and thinks you should too. She calls it a “kitchen cabinet” of three individuals who she knows can always be turned to and who will always be brutally honest with her. It should come as no surprise that those people are Gayle King, Stedman Graham, and Bob Greene.

Bob’s no stranger to lending out key, life-changing advice himself. As Oprah’s long-time personal trainer, and a trainer to millions as the creator of The Best Life Diet, his approach is often straight-forward, common sense, and results driven.

So we asked him, what is the best advice he’s ever given and what is the best advice he’s ever received.

“The answer to both came on a run, training for the Marine Corp Marathon,” Bob told us. “I told her she should stop stating that the process (weight loss) was such a struggle, as the more you convince yourself that it is a struggle, the more it actually becomes one. She replied, ‘it is a struggle, like it is for most of us, if it wasn’t, you’d be out of a job!'” He says it’s the best advice he ever gave her, and vice versa.

He knows this because after writing about the best advice Oprah had ever given him, “She walked into my gym and I asked her. She said the same moment.”

We ask you… What is the best advice you’ve ever received?