By Michelle Obama says she’s entering a new phase of life—and this time, she’s putting herself first. In a recent appearance on the Jay Shetty Podcast, the former first lady spoke candidly about her decision to begin therapy as she adjusts to life as an empty nester. With Malia and Sasha grown, and the White House chapter firmly behind her, Obama said she’s using this moment to “tune up” and “shed old habits and guilt” as she figures out who she is now, not just who she’s been for others.
Now 61, Obama described therapy as a tool to connect with new perspectives and move beyond the expectations that have long shaped her public and private roles. “My girls are launched,” she said. “And I’m still here, still growing, still becoming.” The timing, she added, felt right—for once, she’s making decisions for herself.
“I now don’t have the excuse of, ‘Well my kids need this,’ or ‘my husband needs that’ or ‘the country needs that.’ So how do I think about this next phase, and let me get some help,” she added.
Of course, with that independence comes a fresh wave of tabloid speculation about her relationship with her husband. Obama’s recent absence from events like Donald Trump’s inauguration and Jimmy Carter’s funeral has reignited rumors of trouble in her 32-year marriage to former President Barack Obama. She addressed the gossip directly—and with her usual bluntness. “If there were issues, trust me, you’d hear about it,” she told entrepreneur Steven Bartlett. “I’m not one to suffer in silence.”
As she often has, Obama was frank about the realities of marriage. It’s hard, she said, but worth the work. She went on to say that marriage is “hard” for them but she “wouldn’t trade it.”
“The beauty of my husband and our partnership is that neither one of us was ever really, ever going to quit at it, because that’s not who we are. And I know that about him. He knows that about me,” she continued.
Meanwhile, she’s kept a public presence with her brother Craig Robinson, co-hosting their new podcast IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson. But behind the media push is a deeper shift, she says: a woman learning how to prioritize herself after decades of doing the opposite. “For the first time, my decisions are mine alone,” she said—a line that will likely resonate with women who’ve spent years suppressing their own wants in service to everyone else’s needs.
She’s also waded into politics. The former First Lady remains a vocal critic of political developments, particularly President Donald Trump’s policies. In October 2024, while campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris, she condemned Trump’s “gross incompetence” and “erratic behavior,” urging voters to reject his leadership.
More recently, in April 2025 on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, she expressed alarm over Trump’s immigration crackdown kept her “up at night.” These remarks highlight her continued influence as a public figure unafraid to challenge divisive policies, even as she navigates her own life’s transitions.
NBC News explained that “Obama’s comments came less than a week after publicly speaking about her decision not to attend Trump’s inauguration. During an episode of her podcast, “IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson,” Obama defended her decision and said she was simply “making the choice that was right” for her.
‘[M]y decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me were met with such ridicule and criticism,’ she said. ‘People couldn’t believe that I was saying no for any other reason, they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart, while I’m here really trying to own my life and intentionally practice making the choice that was right for me.’”
She apparently was putting her country first before, but not now.
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