Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson: Belonging is a scam

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

May 1, 2025

Duration

1h 27m

Channel

The Diary of a CEO

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Michelle Obama served as the First Lady of the United States, entering the White House alongside Barack Obama. In this candid conversation, she joins Steven with her brother Craig Robinson, a former college basketball coach turned executive, to open up about everything from Trump’s inauguration to marriage challenges, grief, and rediscovering her purpose. Together, they discuss:

• How their parents instilled empathy, discipline, and resilience growing up amid racial tension.
• Michelle’s journey through elite schools and corporate law, driven by a need to tick society’s boxes.
• The evolution of Michelle and Barack’s relationship, from colleagues to lifelong partners.
• Fertility struggles, parenting tips, and what it really takes to sustain a long-term marriage.
• Navigating life in the White House, grief, personal boundaries, and rediscovering her true calling.

00:00 Intro 02:01 Michelle and Craig's Childhood 04:38 Values Learned from Their Parents 08:35 Michelle Skipping Second Grade 12:06 The Role of Race in Their Childhood 15:09 What "White Flight" Means 16:50 Coping with Racism 20:45 Overcoming Being Underestimated 26:23 Michelle's Search for Identity 30:10 Meeting Barack 31:49 Introducing Barack to the Family 33:38 Why Michelle Initially Rejected Barack 37:18 Michelle's Career Change: Pursuing Joy 40:41 Relationship with Barack 44:46 Couples Counseling with Barack 49:23 Pregnancy Struggles 56:16 Hardest Moments in Their Marriage 57:20 Barack Obama Runs for Public Office 01:03:18 What I Should Have Said to Barack 01:07:00 Being the First Black First Lady and Facing Scrutiny 01:15:06 Remembering Your Mother 01:16:42 The Death of Your Mother 01:18:25 Processing the Grief 01:20:31 Not Attending Trump’s Inauguration Listen to Michelle & Craig's new podcast IMO: ⁠https://bit.ly/3YnxIUg Follow Michelle: Instagram - https://bit.ly/3Ymxs7W Twitter - https://bit.ly/4cYXiVC Follow Craig: Instagram - https://bit.ly/4lThkVB Twitter - https://bit.ly/4lTGJ1f YouTube: You can purchase Michelle’s book, ‘Overcoming: A Workbook’, here: https://amzn.to/4jTqcsi (UK) / https://amzn.to/3SbbelM (US) Think like a CEO - join the 100 CEOs newsletter: https://bit.ly/100-ceos-newsletter The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://rebrand.ly/r0ogao4 The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb Get email updates: https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt Follow Steven: https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb Sponsors: Airalo - https://try.airalo.com/TheDiaryOfACEO with code DOAC3 Vivobarefoot - https://vivobarefoot.com/DOAC with code DIARY20 for 20% off

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Michelle Obama

  guest

• Craig Robinson

  guest

• Steven Bartlett

  host

• Narrator

  other

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of The Diary of a CEO, featuring Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson: Belonging is a scam explores michelle Obama Exposes The Scam Of Being Underestimated And Obedient Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson trace how a tiny South Side Chicago home, unconditional love, and high expectations forged their values, resilience, and sense of purpose.

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