‘The only expectations i need To live up To are my own’
A role model To millions, Michelle Obama is set To star in a children’s Tv show, showing There’s no end To her Talents
When you’ve been America’s First Lady you’ve certainly seen the world from a unique perspective. But one thing that Michelle Obama has always maintained is her connection to people of all ages from every walk of life. Since her husband Barack Obama left office at the beginning of 2017, she has risen to even greater prominence, not least with the release of her 2018 memoir, Becoming.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s the power of using your voice,” she wrote in the book, which has sold more than 14 million copies worldwide. And use it she does. While in the White House, Michelle was as vocal as she could be given her position. She vigorously promoted a campaign to improve the quality of school meals in the United States and fight childhood obesity. It’s an issue that remains close to her heart, which is why you’ll be able to see her this month in the Netflix children’s show, Waffles + Mochi.
Mum to daughters Malia, 22 and Sasha, 19, Michelle stars as a supermarket owner alongside two puppets, Waffles and Mochi from The Land Of Frozen Food. Michelle, 57, sets out to teach them the benefits of cooking from scratch as opposed to eating ready meals. She and Barack, 59, are also executive producers of the show.
“I only wish Waffles + Mochi had been around when my daughters were growing up because it’s the kind of programme that’s fun to watch together as a family and gives parents the peace of mind to know that their little ones are learning something, too,” she says.
Grounded and pragmatic, Michelle comes from a loving Chicago family. Born Michelle Lavaughn Robinson in 1964, the former attorney and campaigner is the daughter of Fraser Robinson, a water plant employee, and Marian Robinson, a secretary. Her dad suffered from multiple sclerosis which fuelled her desire to stay out of trouble and do well at school. The bright student, who has a brother Craig, 58, went on to graduate from Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
In 1989, at one of her first jobs, she met a young Barack. They married on October 3, 1992 and, after suffering a miscarriage, Michelle underwent IVF to conceive both their daughters.
Her all-encompassing approach to life has given Michelle an aura of accessibility that most politicians can only dream about. She’s as comfortable talking to a room full of schoolchildren as she is dining with world leaders. And she was particularly taken with the Queen on a state visit in 2009, saying, “I have really enjoyed my time with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and His Royal Highness Prince Philip. I wouldn’t say I was surprised by that, I guess, but what I’ve most appreciated about them is their authenticity and matterof-factness. Even in our first meeting, I was able to talk about blessedly normal subjects with Queen Elizabeth, such as the fit of our shoes.”
Along the way she’s learned a few lessons about passing on her knowledge to the next generation, but it was her father’s death in 1991 that made her question her path. “When I was in my twenties, I thought I had it all. I had degrees from two prestigious universities. I had an office on the 47th floor of a skyscraper in downtown Chicago. I wore nice clothes to work and I was the proud owner of a Saab, which was pretty cool back then. But after I lost two of the people I loved the most – my incredible father and my free-spirited best friend from college – I started to question it all. I embarked on a journey of self-examination that ultimately led me into a lifetime of public service.”
And she’s certainly fulfilled that brief. Her most famous quote is probably the one she used at the Democratic National Convention in 2016. “When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level,” she said. “No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.”
She also hosts The Michelle Obama Podcast and the power couple’s multimillion production deal with Netflix means there’s much more programming and wisdom to come from the pair.
She says, “I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values and follow my own moral compass, then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own.”