Michelle Obama Just Did A Special Live Recording Of “IMO”, And Gave Some Advice To Young People And Parents

Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson just gave a very special live recording of IMO, their popular podcast where they discuss all things family life, personal dilemmas, and pop culture. The siblings took to the stage at SXSW London, where, in a slight departure from the usual format, they interviewed each other, discussing their childhoods, careers, and parenting.

The two spoke about their upbringing, with Craig mentioning that after he was cut by the basketball team Philadelphia 76ers, he moved to Manchester, England and played for the Manchester Giants. It was there that Michelle visited him, which was her first trip to England.

On the subject of early careers, Michelle revealed that she wanted to be a paediatrician when she was just 10-years-old, but she eventually chose to go to law school because she "doesn't like math and she liked to talk a lot."

Michelle also spoke about the importance of experiences over education. She said that, when she got to a law firm for the first time, she realised that gaining experiences was more important than she thought. She talked about beginning work at the firm, and finding out it wasn't what she wanted to do: "I realised, 'oh my god, I don't like law'... It just wasn't for me."

"So I encourage a lot of young people to not be afraid to slow it down and have some experiences. If I were to do it again from college to law school or grad school, I would have done a gap year or two."

"[To Craig] You were kind of leading the way. Frankly, your time in Manchester playing European pro ball was kinda like a really cool gap year, where you got some experiences being out in the world and working and learning about what you like, what you were good at, not just what you were able to do well. Because that's all I did, I just pursued something I could do well, and I didn't know anything about passion or purpose. The truth is, I didn't know what other careers were out there other than the traditional careers. You gotta get out in the world and see what else is out there."

Craig spoke about how he was thankful to his parents for encouraging them to take risks. “It's a tribute to our parents that they never held us back because of their own fear”, he said, adding that his dad used to tell them: “One of the things you get from a good education is the option to try things which he didn't get the chance to do."

Expanding on their childhood, Michelle spoke about how they were taught to live for themselves early; they were given alarm clocks at the age of four because "no one should wrestle you out of bed to change your own life," so they were taught to be independent and proactive in their own lives from early on. Likewise, Michelle mentioned how they would be doing the short walk to their school on their own from just five years old.

"They pushed us to do things that they wouldn't do themselves. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to let your kids try hard things. I think a lot of people end up picking careers because they feel the pressure of parents wanting them to do something that feels safe and secure," Michelle continued.

"I find, even with my girls today that I have to step back and trust that they know their own market and can make certain decisions. Our parents were way ahead of the curve on that. I say that because I know that there are kids trying to follow the dreams of their parents, sometimes to their own detriment. I think that our parents kinda knew that, and they let us try hard things."

She spoke about how, when she was at a corporate law firm, making more money than both of her parents, telling them that she wanted to leave and find a passion and purpose was a big deal, and they gave her their trust and said 'alright'.

Craig went on to talk about his past in finance, saying, "When you grow up poor, you think money fixes everything, but I learned through my now-ex wife that it wasn't the means to happiness."

He revealed that he left finance to go back to coach basketball, leaving money and Wall Street behind to go and do what he loved. It was Michelle who advised him to take the chance, because she'd already left law to find her passion, and wanted to help him on his way to do the same.

Michelle gives similar advice to her daughters, telling them, "living small financially allows you to stay free of the golden handcuffs."

Malia Obama, Sasha Obama, and First lady Michelle Obama during the final day of the Democratic National Convention at Time Warner Cable Arena on September 6, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

“Get used to living smaller than you need to so that you can do the things you want to do when they present themselves,” she says. "You make money and have expenses you have to upkeep– that keeps you trapped at a certain businesses or job because you get so used to it or have loans/bills to pay, which restrict your flexibility when opportunities arise."

She also touched on what it's like doing the podcast, and being vulnerable and honest in the podcasting space:

"I think it's a good space to share some of these experiences to demystify life: marriage, having kids, etc, so people aren't growing up unaware of some obvious things and common mistakes; so you have to be willing to be vulnerable in the space of podcasting."

On what this section of her life means to her, she spoke about her mother, and how her passing made her consider what this next chapter would be.

"When she [her mother] was sick, she was with me for a winter, and it was clear that she may not recover from this. We fortunately had some time to get to grips with this fact. There was one time when I was sitting with her, and we'd recently gotten some not great news from the doctor, we were watching Judge Judy, and she looked over at me and said 'Wow, that was quick', and I said 'what were you talking about?', and she said, 'life'".

"We've been out of the White House for like 10 years, and it went like that [clicks fingers]... So this next chapter, I want to be mindful about it so it doesn't just slip away. I want to be clear about how I'm spending my time, what I'm choosing to do, how it makes me feel, and how the choices what I make are now going to be for me."

You can find their podcast here!

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