Former First Lady
Michelle Obama
says she’s in therapy and its helping her transition to what she thinks is going to be the ‘next phase’ of her life.
Obama is
making the rounds on the podcast circuit of late as she promotes her own entry with her brother, Craig Robinson.
While she’s been out giving interviews, she’s attempted to squash long-running rumors that she and her husband, former President
Barack Obama
, are divorcing.
On The Jay Shetty Podcast, Obama discussed being an ’empty nester’ and admitting to getting ‘some help’ as she heads into her 60s.
‘At this phase of my life, I’m in therapy right now because I’m transitioning, you know? I’m 60 years old, I’ve finished a really hard thing in my life with my family intact, I’m an empty nester, my girls are in—you know, they’ve been launched,’ she said.
Obama said that she’s got ‘other voices’ to talk to and a ‘new person that’s getting to know me’ as she works through things.
Being out of public service, she now finds herself in a situation where ‘every choice that I’m making is completely mine.’
‘I now don’t have the excuse of, ‘Well, my kids need this’ or ‘My husband needs that’ or ‘The country needs that.’
She says that therapy is a ‘tune-up for this next phase’ in an attempt to ‘unwind some old habits and ‘sort through some old guilt,’ along with focusing on her relationship with her mother.
‘So, I’m getting that tune-up for this next phase because I believe this is a whole ‘nother phase in life for me. And I now have the wisdom to know—let me go get some coaching while I’m doing it,’ she said.
Obama encouraged anyone who needs mental health services to try and get access to a therapist.
‘I am an advocate of it. Everybody needs to find their form of it, the best way they can,’ she said.
Last week, Michelle set the record straight after speculation over the former first couple’s recent public appearances during a podcast with entrepreneur and investor Steven Bartlett.
‘If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it,’ she said, laughing.
Bartlett
mentioned how the media had speculated about pair’s future after she skipped out on
Donald Trump
‘s inauguration.
The host mentioned that her absence led some people to think ‘you have issues with Barack, and a divorce might be on the way.’
Let me assure you, he would recognize it,” Obama stated, pointing his finger at her brother, Craig Robinson. “And everyone would be aware of it.
Obama, at 61 years old, was advocating for her podcast that she co-hosts with Robinson.
She mentioned that she’s ‘not a martyr’ and playfully discussed how she might tackle such marital issues in public.
“I would be discussing problems publicly, such as, ‘Let me share with you what he did,'” she stated.
Robinson pushed the jest even more: ‘In case they faced an issue, I would host a podcast with him.’
Michelle admitted that marriage can be challenging for both her and the former president but emphasized that she would not change anything about it. She referred to President Obama as “my person,” using a phrase popular among younger generations.
The elegance of my spouse and our collaboration lies in the fact that neither of us was truly destined to abandon this journey, as that is simply not part of our essence. Both he and I understand this deeply about each other.
She mentioned that younger individuals abandon the idea of marriage prematurely, partly due to their perception of an unrealistic flawless relationship between her and her spouse.
I discuss these topics because I believe individuals often abandon marriages too readily,” stated the author of “Becoming.
There’s a lot of resistance within the dynamic,” she explained. “And without seeking support, discussing these issues, attending therapy, or grasping how circumstances are evolving, and figuring out how to constantly renegotiate your bond with your spouse, I find that individuals often give up.
Because people see us as ‘#couplegoals,'” Obama said, adding with a hint of reality, “but it’s not always easy.
Michelle has not shied away from discussing the challenges in her marital relationship.
Over the years and specifically on her new podcast, IMO (In my Opinion), where she collaborates with her sibling Robinson.
The Obamas have been married for 32 years yet have
dealt with persistent speculations regarding their marital status throughout the past several months
.
Michelle revealed that the ex-president was financially strapped when they first met and that she initially needed convincing to back his campaign for the presidency.
‘Being married to the president of the United States [is a] thing that that none of us kind of banked on. We knew Barack was smart and ambitious, but, you know…’ she said.
She has also shared personal grievances with her husband, like his former impunctuality and lack of deep conversations with his golf friends.
Earlier this month, Michelle
addressed the rumors directly on an episode of actress Sophia Bush’s podcast.
She said her decision to skip President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, and President Donald Trump’s inauguration, were simply decisions she made for herself.
Her absence at both high-profile political events
stoked divorce rumors, as did President Obama’s admission last week that he was in a ‘deep deficit’ with his wife.
‘That’s the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people. I mean, so much so that this year people were, you know, they couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing,’ Obama said in the podcast episode, released Tuesday.
‘That this couldn’t be a grown woman just making a set of decisions for herself, right?’ she continued.
Michelle added: “Society is responsible for this.”
We begin, at last, tackling questions like ‘What am I accomplishing?’ and ‘Who am I doing this for?’ If these actions deviate from society’s expectations, they often get branded negatively.
Amid the speculation,
The Obamas have been spotted dining out at restaurants.
twice in Washington D.C. in the past month.
Michelle has also recently responded to those who have previously labeled her as ‘angry.’
discussed the ‘angry black woman’ trope
.
‘The first label they put on us as Black women is that we are angry,’ she said earlier this month. ‘And the irony is, like, yeah. I am probably less light than many of my white female friends.’
She added of the way the media has portrayed her: ‘The first thing that some female journalist said is that IÂ emasculating him just by sort of trying to tell the truth about what my life was, right?’
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