eNewsletter
The Michelle Obama Podcast features the former First Lady diving deep into conversations with loved ones—family, friends, and colleagues—on the relationships in our lives that make us who we are. The episodes that I have listened to are with President Barack Obama, Michelle’s brother Craig Robinson, and Valerie Jarrett. The discussions that she has with guests are inspiration and enlightening on a variety of issues. Those that are fans of Michelle Obama and enjoyed her book Becoming will love this podcast.
The first episode of the series is with President Barack Obama. They talk a lot about local communities. In their conversation, they describe how communities have changed since they grew up. An example of this is kids being raised by a neighborhood in a community. If a child acted out, they would be scolded by other parents besides their own. They talk about how in this era, families tend to keep more to themselves. The Obamas also talk about communities in Chicago changing as a result of black and white families moving into the suburbs. They offer messages of hope to young people that are disillusioned with politics. The Obamas make an excellent duo and their conversation is interesting to listen to.
Another great episode is with Michelle’s brother Craig Robinson. They tell a lot of funny stores about growing up in their family’s home. One is trying to get their parents to quit from smoking by dipping their cigarettes in hot sauce. Robinson tells a funny story about a teacher questioning his age because he answered too many questions correctly in sex education class. They describe how their father was an important role model for them. He taught his children about budgeting, which was important due to their modest means. His passing away at an early age brought Craig and Michelle closer together. Learning about the Robinson family history is both interesting and moving.
Michelle talks with her former mentor Valerie Jarrett in an episode titled “Working Women: Valerie Jarrett and the Importance of Mentorship.” In the episode, they talk about the start of their relationship. Jarrett became Obama’s boss when Obama left her job as a lawyer at a prestigious law firm to work for the City of Chicago. Jarrett describes Obama excelling at her job and her strong ability to run meetings after gaining confidence at her new position. They give tips about mentorship, which are useful to recently hired employees and those looking to be mentors. There is also helpful information for women in leadership positions. This episode is useful to those looking for career advice.
The Michelle Obama Podcast is in some ways a continuation of topics written in Obama’s book. It is interesting to hear from her family members and friends that are included in it. The upside to the podcast is hearing Obama’s personality and sense of humor. The Michelle Obama Podcast will be loved by fans of Michelle Obama but a general audience will appreciate the deep conversations and humor in this podcast.
You can listen to The Michelle Obama Podcast on the Apple Podcast website or podcast apps such Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Michelle Obama has a new podcast being released on March 7th titled Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast which will be of interest to those that enjoy this podcast.
Michael Walsh
Adult Services-Will Branch