Michelle Obama on embracing her own ambition and fighting despair | Wild Card

Michelle Obama says she’s never truly been able to realize her own ambition. But now she’s changing that. She’s saying “no” to what’s expected of her and “yes” to what she wants to do, including starting a podcast with her brother, “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson.” She reflects with Rachel on owning her decisions, divorce rumors and the words her mom told her at the end of her life. CHAPTERS 0:00 - Intro 1:20 - On how her childhood home was her safest place as a kid 3:00 - Michelle’s mom would tell her “You’re special, but you’re not singular.” 3:50 - Michelle’s high school counselor said she wasn’t “Princeton material” 6:35 - Owning her voice after being First Lady 8:40 - On marriage rumors: “We don’t Instagram every minute of our lives!” 10:13 - Special place in the culture, role model 12:26 - On being done with politics 13:54 - Barack helped Michelle be more comfortable with change 17:53 - On only now fully stepping into her own ambition 19:52 - On saying “staying put” and not attending major political events 22:02 - On death: “If I’m truly blessed, I have maybe 25 more summers.” 24:43 - What Michelle Obama’s mom told her at the end of life 27:20 - Her best defense against despair? Kids 30:39 - “We aren’t built to do this life alone.” 32:53 - On making change with the “power of small” 33:51 - On wishing she could relive a game night in her childhood home WHAT IS “WILD CARD?” Part-interview, part-existential game show – this is Wild Card from NPR. Host Rachel Martin rips up the typical interview script and invites guests to play a game about life's biggest questions. Rachel takes actors, artists and thinkers on a choose-your-own-adventure conversation that lets them open up about their fears, their joys and how they've built meaning from experience – all with the help of a very special deck of cards. You can reach out to us at wildcard@npr.org. We love it when you do. MORE WILD CARD EPISODES https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2TjQf2riraI1B7XAE9iqVVtfZARA_A6t The NPR shows you love are possible thanks to your support. Donate today: https://www.npr.org/donations/support