Meghan Markle just made her first appearance on someone else鈥檚 podcast 鈥 and the tears, they were a-flowing.
鈥淲e spend so much of our lives just trying to prove something,鈥 the told friend, Montecito neighbour and It Cosmetics founder on her eponymous show, barefaced and tucked up on a chair in black comfies and fuzzy slip-ons. 鈥淧rove that you鈥檙e enough, prove that you鈥檙e pretty enough, prove that you鈥檙e smart enough, prove that you鈥檙e a good wife or a good friend 鈥 and I am just so done with the 鈥榩rove it鈥 game.鈥
The conversation 鈥 somewhat surprisingly her first on the other side of the hosting mic, despite the fact that Meghan鈥檚 got two podcasts of her own 鈥 is just the latest in a string of appearances the retired royal turned lifestyle entrepreneur has made lately.
Last week, she popped up at the Time 100 celebrations for an 鈥渋n conversation with鈥 event where she talked about how she鈥檚 the 鈥渉appiest she鈥檚 ever been,鈥 how her goal at this stage in life is to 鈥渏ust have fun,鈥 and that her love language, in case you鈥檙e wondering, is 鈥渢aking care of people,鈥 like her 鈥渟o supportive鈥 husband and her two kids, the eldest of which is about to lose his first tooth.
Episodes of her new podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder,” are also currently dropping weekly. Thus far, the promised 鈥渇ly-on-the-wall conversations鈥 have hewn more good vibes Girlbossery than they have genuinely revelatory, although in the first episode we did learn that Meghan had postpartum pre-eclampsia in one of her pregnancies, something she said was 鈥渟o scary.鈥 She and also launched a memorial for children 鈥渓ost to social media,鈥 part of the internet safety work they undertake through their Archewell charity.
In between it all, she鈥檚 been posting on her Instagram, mixing her professional activities with casual glimpses into her life at home, like watching a mother duck and her ducklings cross the road over Easter weekend, or documenting a Sunday 鈥渨ith my loves鈥 featuring jam making, gardening and ultrarare appearances by her two kids (or at least the backs of their heads).聽
It has, all in all, been a very public year so far for someone who has spent the last few years as a relatively scarce commodity in the market of the public eye. From almost total silence, we now have hours of Meghan sharing her thoughts (and that鈥檚 not even counting the eight episodes of ”With Love, Meghan” on Netflix.) To borrow from Meghan herself, it does beg the question: What is she trying to prove? Or, what is this all for?
Promoting her various ventures 鈥 the product line, the podcast, the second season of her lifestyle show that鈥檚 already been filmed and may come later this year 鈥 is the obvious answer to that question. The deeper truth, however, may be one that Meghan hints at herself on this latest podcast appearance: nothing at all.
鈥淚f you can鈥檛 see it, I don鈥檛 need to prove to you that it鈥檚 your loss,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 know that I鈥檓 a great friend, I know the kind of mom I am, and I know the kind of human being I am. I love being able to be that person with the people I love.鈥
Worthiness, she concludes with a nod to Kern Lima鈥檚 own book about the topic, might just come when you stop trying to prove that you are, in fact, worthy.
It鈥檚 also why she said yes to the podcast with Kern Lima. 鈥淚 like the idea of being able to be so authentically myself,鈥 she says before the two discuss how 鈥渋ncongruent鈥 it can be to know Meghan in real life and then see how she can be portrayed on social media and in certain outlets. (The Meghan Kern Lima knows, per her anecdotes, cancels a date night to be with her after a hard day or sends over ice cream to help her with the overwhelm of a house full of guests.)
鈥淚鈥檝e tried to distance myself from all of it,鈥 says Meghan, who says she doesn鈥檛 really read or look at anything about herself. 鈥淎nd that has challenges, too, because I鈥檓 oblivious to a lot of things, but that allows me to live really authentically.鈥
As for what else they cover in the 90 minutes of “The Jamie Kern Lima Show?” Here are some of the juiciest takeaways.
1. Meghan鈥檚 life is now full of 鈥減inch me鈥 moments and 鈥渂ig wins鈥
The interview starts with Kern Lima asking Meghan if she鈥檚 OK, a surely intentional mirroring of the now infamous 鈥淣ot many people have asked if I鈥檓 OK鈥 moment from 2019 that signalled the beginning of the end of her life as a working royal. This time around, she did not look on the verge of tears. Rather, she said, 鈥淭here are a lot of 鈥榩inch me鈥 moments right now,鈥 and that her 鈥渕ost important practice right now is to integrate the joy鈥 and 鈥渢ake a moment to signal and cue, 鈥楬appy thank you more please,鈥 this feels really good, this is what I worked so hard for.鈥
2. She believes in 鈥渟oul contracts鈥
Responding to a question about whether she feels her life has been 鈥渄ivinely ordered,鈥 Meghan shares an anecdote about someone telling her that 鈥測ou signed up for this, this is your soul contract.鈥 For those not familiar with the new age belief, it鈥檚 the idea that souls reincarnate, and before every reincarnation we agree to a certain set of life experiences to further our growth. 鈥淭his is your hand, this is your lap around the sun, you can do this,鈥 Meghan continues, joking about not reading the fine print. 鈥淥n days that are hard, that鈥檚 really grounding and affirming to remember, and then on some days I鈥檓 just like, what is this life? I would never have predicted it.鈥
3. Harry is “such a great partner鈥
Of her husband, Meghan says, 鈥淭hat man loves me so much,鈥 likening him to the final level of Mario where the task is to 鈥渟lay the dragon, save the princess. That鈥檚 my husband. He鈥檚 going to do whatever he can to make sure our family is safe and protected and we鈥檙e uplifted.鈥 They are, she says, more in love than they鈥檝e ever been. Dating, she adds, was 鈥渟traight into the trenches,鈥 and it鈥檚 only now seven years in that they can 鈥渂reathe, have a little bit of a honeymoon period.鈥 Asked if she thinks they鈥檒l be married forever, Meghan says, 鈥淵es! My husband is also a fox. My husband is very, very handsome, but his heart is even more beautiful.鈥
4. She hopes her children grow up to know that 鈥渘o one has ever loved us more than our mom loves us鈥
Meghan says she reads a lot of parenting books, and works really hard at it. Inspired by a friend, she鈥檚 made email addresses for her kids that she鈥檒l hand over to them one day. In the meantime, almost every night before bed, she says she emails them on that account. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 have to be a heavy lift. It could be here鈥檚 your report card, or you did the funniest thing this morning, or here鈥檚 a picture of you having breakfast.鈥 She tears up as she continues. 鈥淚t鈥檚 making me emotional, for them to be able to look back and see, 鈥楽he has loved us so much.鈥欌
5. She hasn鈥檛 used 鈥淢arkle鈥 as her last name since she got married
Meghan also reaffirmed something she said on her Netflix show: She goes by Meghan Sussex these days, and has done so since 2018.
6. Her morning routine is very normal
While you might expect her to be a member of the , Meghan鈥檚 morning routine is actually quite typical in her telling: Getting up at 6:30, changing into workout clothes, brushing her teeth, making breakfast and doing lunch boxes for her kids, the latter making her 鈥渧ery happy.鈥 (This includes a note for her kids every day.) She does school drop-off and is at her desk for 9 a.m.
7. She doesn鈥檛 rule out writing another book
Noting that she鈥檚 a 鈥渢wice!鈥 New York Times bestselling author, Meghan indicated she鈥檚 open to penning another, possibly in the lifestyle space. But! 鈥淧eople are often curious if I鈥檓 going to write a memoir, but I鈥檝e got a lot more life to live before I鈥檓 there,鈥 she says.
8. She will 鈥渘ever!鈥 run for office
Like, never. 鈥淚 have no interest in that,鈥 Meghan says.
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