Ina Garten Tells Oprah Winfrey How She Avoided Turning Into Another Martha Stewart

Ina Garten is proud of sticking to her vision. 

The 76-year-old Barefoot Contessa star spoke to Oprah Winfrey on the Dec. 24. episode of The Oprah Podcast about staying true to herself throughout her career and avoiding pressure to make herself more like Martha Stewart.

Agreeing that she had to fight for what she wanted, Garten noted, “Just trust your vision. I think the thing that works is if you’re really true to who you are. If you believe in it so fiercely, somebody out there is gonna believe in it too. It’s true.”

Garten, whose career began with the publication of The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook in 1999, added, “I’m not gonna become this perky … person that people will love. Just put out who you are, and do the best job you can possibly do. And I think people trust that. They honor that. They believe in that.”

The at-home chef added, “If I feel like I’m so sure what I’m doing is right, I don’t let people pull me off my game.”

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Garten and Stewart, 83, have often been compared throughout their careers. Stewart moved into the lifestyle space with the release of her 1982 book Entertaining. From there she launched her massive Martha Stewart empire, including cookbooks, TV shows and magazines. 

Previously addressing rumors of a fallout with Stewart, Garten set the record straight during a live Q&A at the PEOPLE offices on Dec. 5. Stewart previously claimed that Garten cut ties with her in 2004 when she went to prison, which Garten denied. 

“Well, let’s just say her story isn’t exactly accurate,” Garten rebutted.

“And, you know, that was 25 years ago,” she added with a laugh at the event. “I think it’s time to let it go.”

The two met in the Hamptons, N.Y., in the 1990s and Garten previously wrote a column for the Martha Stewart Living magazine. Stewart was also credited with helping put Garten in contact with publishers for her first cookbook.