Growing up as a member of the prominent Kennedy family can be a lot of pressure. Between his uncle who served as a U.S. president and his mother who founded the Special Olympics, Timothy Shriver says that there was always an expectation -- a restlessness, even -- to achieve great things. From an early age, Shriver longed to not just find his place among the Kennedy names, but to also discover and devote himself to his true calling.
At 55, Shriver is the chairman of Special Olympics, carrying on his late mother's legacy. But, as he admits to Oprah on an episode of "Super Soul Sunday," he wasn't always so enamored with the idea of following in familiar footsteps.
"When I was 16 years old, I ran a Special Olympics event in high school, which I did because my mother told me I should," Shriver says in the above video. "I didn't want to do this. I felt like I'd lose myself if I was in a 'family business.'"
So why did the activist, entrepreneur and author change his mind and become the Special Olympics president in 1996? His calling drew him back.
"I came back to Special Olympics when I was a little older, a little stronger, a little more centered, a little more present to who I was," Shriver explains. "I knew what I wanted."
What he wanted, he says, was to honor the organization's spirit and soul, and highlight the power within vulnerability and trust.
"I wanted to make Special Olympics into a school of the heart," Shriver tells Oprah. "I wanted to share that story, because I felt like it had given that to me. It had given me back my heart."
Also: Shriver opens up about his Aunt Rosemary and the extraordinary lesson he learned from her after her failed lobotomy.
Timothy Shriver's full interview with Oprah airs on "Super Soul Sunday" this Sunday, Nov. 23, on OWN at 11 a.m. ET, during which it also streams live on Oprah.com, Facebook.com/owntv and Facebook.com/supersoulsunday.
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