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Coming up in this incredible part three episode with Michelle Obama, how, especially as someone who's been this huge overachiever your whole life, how have you gotten to the place where you're not tied to the significance of that?
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I believe that our jobs as leaders is to come in, do our part, bring others up.
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Yes.
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Move out of the way, let them cook, as the kids say. This stage of my life is purposefully and mindfully planning my step aside.
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I've never heard you share things like this before.
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I have never had this in depth conversation.
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There are so many questions you want to know and Michelle is revealing all in this episode. Do you have a favorite prayer?
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Barack still says his prayers, too. At night. Sometimes I hear him at night.
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How did you learn to be so cool? Will you ever change your mind ever, ever in the future about running? What did it feel like for you and your body when you saw the east wing? East wing being demolished?
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Demolished. You know, it was, I think, in my body. I felt that's the part of it.
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That hurts for the person who needs to feel some hope in their life right now. What do you say?
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I will say what my husband has said and he helps me.
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In her new book, the Look, Michelle reveals for the first time ever how she and her team transformed the scrutiny of her public image into a celebration of self expression, inclusion and impact. The look will ignite your confidence and inspire you to embrace your own authenticity, beauty, style, and to trust your own voice.
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I was right. I was absolutely right. I didn't even know it.
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Oh, my.
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With my goodness. Oh, my goodness, Jamie, what you just.
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Gave, like, thank you. I love.
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No, you pulled it out of me. How did you get to be such a light? Where did that come from? What planet did you have down from?
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I don't want to cry my makeup off.
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You just want me to cry mine off. I mean, it's like. Oh, Jamie.
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Welcome to the Jamie Kern Lima Show. I am so happy you're here. I'm so excited for this conversation we're having together today with first lady Michelle Obama. The intention of the show is, is to be a force for good and a force for love. I have guests on that might vote differently, love differently, or pray differently from you and me, because I believe to heal humanity through love, we must first understand the humans who make it up. I am so happy you are here. And no matter how you vote or you love or you pray, you belong here. And whether today you're listening for yourself or because someone shared this episode with you or welcome to The JKL Show Podcast Family. I'd be so grateful if you could take two seconds and hit the subscribe button on the app you're listening or watching on. That way you'll be the very first to get every inspirational episode. Plus, you can get weekly inspiration right into your inbox from me for free. Just join my newsletter@jamiekernlima.com and thank you so much for sharing this with every single person who, you know who might need some inspiration today or perhaps a boost in hope and self belief because we are all in this life together.
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Welcome to the Jamie Kern Lima Show.
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Oprah, how have you defied the odds?
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Her show is unlike any I've ever done. A revelation. When you listen, it feels like a hug. But your brain and your spirit and your heart is like, wow.
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Melinda French gaze.
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When I look into Jamie's eyes, I feel like I am on some other cosmic level with her. I could see the light around her.
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She's infused with light. Imagine overcoming self doubt, learning to believe in yourself and trust yourself and know you are enough. Welcome to the Jamie Kern Lima Show.
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Jamie Kern Lima's her name. Everybody needs Jamie Kirlima in their life. Jamie Kern Lima.
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Jamie, you're so inspiring.
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Jamie Kern Lima.
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What for you would you say is your greatest life lesson?
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Oh, gosh, Jamie, you're killing me. You are going so deep. I have never had this in depth conversation about faith and I really am grateful to be in this moment with you. But my greatest life lesson, do unto others. You know, we are each other's brothers and sisters, keepers and we do have space to do that, you know. Yeah, I really do believe that, that, that you know, what you put out, you get back. I do believe that, you know, and I'm by no means perfect. You know, talk to my staff, they're like, oh my God, what does she want us to do now? And you know, but it is hard for me not to scoop up everybody in my orbit, you know, and just parent them. Sasha said this the other day, we were at dinner and she says, oh, mom loves to parent a thing, whether it's a dog, Sunny or there's like, well, this is what I would do. I do just do have that sense of like, if I can help you, if I can mentor you, if I like, this is what I know and what I've experienced is the more I give, the more I get back. It's just I don't do it because of that, but that's what I've seen come to be. And so that means we have to get very careful about our words and our attitudes and how we show up. That's the going high piece, right? The going high piece is, can I go low? Yeah, of course I can. In my mind, behind the scenes, it's there. It's not that you don't have the feeling. Right. You can be disappointed and angry, but what you put out when you have a platform and other people are listening, my God. I think that I have a complete responsibility to be that light. And it comes back multiple times. So, yeah, be the light.
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Be the light.
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That's the greatest lesson I've learned.
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You know, one of the things I think is so powerful is that idea. Like, if you need something, give it. You know, like, there's so many people that don't feel seen or they feel invisible. And it's just like there's moments, you know, you walk into a coffee shop if you're able to, or, you know, walk down the street, and if you actually see someone else, like, if you really see somebody, like, you'll see this moment in their eye where they realize they're seen. And it's like in that moment, they see you back, and it's like, there's so much we can do in that vein. That's such a beautiful lesson. I want to say something's really rare because you talk about. Your mom talks about how you, you know, if you colored outside the lines as a little girl, you'd throw that page away. And, you know, to your point earlier, you've done so. So many things in such a way. And. And yet you've talked a lot recently where, you know, because there's a lot of people that call you their forever first lady. And. And you've said a couple times recently, like, y', all, that was nine years ago. That was eight years ago. Now, Michelle, most people, they are tied to something that the world calls significant. Right. Whether it's like they won the thing in high school, and that's their thing that they will forever. How? Especially as someone who's been this amazing overachiever, huge overachiever your whole life. How have you gotten to the place where you're not tied to the significance of that?
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Yeah, it's work, but it goes to the mentoring piece. Right. I believe that our jobs as leaders is to come in, do our part, bring others up.
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Yes.
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Move out of the way, let them cook, as the kids say, you know, and it's hard to let the young people cook if you're there in the kitchen directing and. Nope. Don't use that recipe. And, you know, so this part of my. This stage of my life is purposefully and mindfully planning my step aside, not my exit. But it's like, you got to step up, whatever that is. And so it's the opposite of holding on to the thing. It's letting go. And I think that that's another lesson that I've learned from my mother. She was constantly letting us go, constantly showing her confidence in us by giving us our competence, by saying, you can do this. You don't need me. And how many parents are willing to say, that's not your win's not my win, that's your win.
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Yeah.
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It is also your loss, and I will be there with you, but this is yours to own. So how I'm thinking about it is that I'm trying to give back, too. And I can't give if I'm holding onto it. The position, the thing, the title, the feeling.
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You know, there's a quote by John Maxwell that says great leaders don't climb ladders, they build ladders. Right. To help all these other people rise. Like, that is true leadership.
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I mean, it's like, oh, Jamie, you.
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Are by far one of the most requested guests on the show, and a lot. Oh, yeah. And a lot of people have submitted questions, so I'm just gonna do rapid fire.
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All right.
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How did you learn to be so cool?
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I think I was born with it. No, how did I learn? That's so, so cute. I think it's a culmination. This is the beauty of this interesting life. You know, I grew up as a working class kid on the south side. So many influences, so much. You know, that's the beauty of our diversity. Right. It's like just so many different experiences that I draw from. Music, culture, people, language, travel. I think the more. The more of creates that. Cool, right? Because you're constantly. I'm constantly borrowing from other people's. Cool.
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Do you have a favorite pray?
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Oh, gosh. It's the nightly prayer, the prayers, the end of the day. Barack still says his prayers, too, at night, but he does it in a really private way, which I think is really sweet. Sometimes I hear him at night, but it's that the end of the day prayer when I've kind of settled in right before I go to sleep, you know, and it's not a specific prayer, but it's a prayer of thought and being, you know, starting with the ones that I love and care about. It's almost the superstition of ending the Night in your spirit?
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Yes. Yes. Will you ever change your mind ever, ever in the future about running?
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No. Never, ever.
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Never ever. Guilty pleasure TV show.
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Oh, any Real Housewife. I watch them all. It's, you know, it's a sociological study.
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Yeah. Yeah. I DVR them. And my husband's like that again. Oh, yeah.
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That's what Barack is. The same way. That's why I say, well, you watch golf.
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Yeah. Yeah. What did it feel like for you and your body when you saw the east wing. East wing being demolished?
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You know, it was. It's not about me. It's about us and our traditions and what they stand for. I think in my body, I felt confusion because I'm like, well, who are we? What do we value? And who decides that? That's the thing that's going through my head a lot lately. Who are we? What are the rules? Because I'm confused by what the. What are our norms and our mores? Not the laws, but how do we live together? That's the part of it that hurts. It's not the house. It's not the. It's who. I'm just, you know, just trying to understand the assignment. And so I think I felt a loss for us as a nation. But personally, you know, that was not our. That's not our house. That's the people's house.
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You've entertained so many guests, gone to so many parties. How do you know what to say at a social event when none of us learn this?
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Oh, my gosh. I. I'm looking for that light, that connection. You know what? I. I try to focus on the person right in front of me. That's the. That's the easiest thing. Tell me about you. What's going on in your life? I mean, that's the. That's why I love my podcast, because that's. I'm just doing. It's like, Jamie, I. Yeah, I would sew. We would be off, and I just. I can focus in on one conversation until somebody pulls me away. That's. I love the seatmate conversation, because I'm like, okay, let's figure you out. So it's one person at a. At a time, and it's just. It's a real curiosity, so that gets me through any dinner. And me at a dinner party, we just don't go anywhere.
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Yeah.
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And we went to a friend's big birthday party, and it was the other day, and it was a. It was pretty good. But I don't have trouble connecting with people. I enjoy it deeply enjoy it.
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For the person who needs to feel some hope in their life right now. What do you say?
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I will say what my husband has said and he helps me. If still in the course of human history, if we had pick a time to be alive, it would be now. We, we have grown and we continue to grow as a nation. We just can't lose sight of that growth. We do have to understand our history and what, what we've been through, what, what we've decided we don't want to be any longer. And why? Just so that we don't keep making the same mistakes. We've learned a lot about who we want to be. We're more open people. We are more inclusive, more caring. And I think we feel better about ourselves for it. But progress is never a straight, clean, clear line. And that's okay. So I would just remind us all that we are still growing and we're in, in this country. We're young, we're a baby country. You know, it's like we're like a teenager. We're like a 13 year old, you know, and we're doing some dumb 13 year old stuff right now, but we're gonna, we're gonna continue to grow. We're going to learn and there's going to be some pain and some loss and some failure, but the trajectory is upward. We just have to keep moving forward, keep moving forward, learn from our history.
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Amen to that. I am so excited for the look for the launch of this. Also love your podcast, imo. I like laugh when your mom said that your brother's wine is so good and the whole thing and you're like, no, but we have white house wine. And she's like, just all of it. And how he was the favorite. All things still is. And you're also doing a special podcast with your trifecta and so many special guests for the looks. And we're also gonna link to that. Cause so many people listening to us right now can just hop right on over, like right now, whatever app you're listening on, you know, if you're watching it on YouTube, hop right over. So we're going to link to that in the show notes here to check that out because that's so special. And I just want to thank you.
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Thank you, Jamie. Thank you. I mean this was, this was emotional. It was funny, fun. You are, you are a light. I was right. I was absolutely right. I didn't even know it. And thank you for being the light for so many people. Your platform is important and it's been an honor and a privilege for me to be here with you. So just keep it up girl.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you. Remember, this episode's not just for you and me. Please share this with every single person that you know because it can impact and change their life too. And if you love today's episode, please click the Follow or Subscribe button for the show on the app. You're listening to it on or watching it on, and if it added value to your life, if you could give it a rating or review, I would be so grateful. Five stars if you can. And again, just share it with every person you believe in. Share it with another person in your life who could benefit from it. Maybe you know someone needs to step into their authentic self or love who they truly are. Please post the episode and share it with others online or in your community who just might need the words and tools and lessons in this episode today. You never know whose life you're meant to change today by sharing this episode. And thank you so much for joining me today. Before you go, I wanna share some words with you that couldn't be more true. You right now, exactly as you are, are enough and fully worthy. You're worthy of your greatest hopes, your wildest dreams and all the unconditional love in the world. And it's an honor to welcome you to each and every episode of the Jamie Kern Lima show here. I hope you'll come as you are, heal where you need, blossom what you choose, journey toward your calling and stay as long as you'd like because you belong here. You are worthy, you are love, you are loved. And I love you. And I cannot wait to join you on the next episode of the Jamie Kern Lima Show. Imagine what would you do if you fully believed in My weekly free inspirational newsletter is packed with tips and tools to help you find out. It's called One on One with Jamie and it's delivered right to your inbox each Tuesday morning. It's a love letter from me to you, from my soul to yours, and I hope it brings you the words and messages you need at just the right moment. Plus, when you're a part of my free inspirational newsletter community, you'll be the first to get behind the scenes, content inspirational messages and be the first to learn about upcoming events and more. It's the place to be and I sure hope you'll join me there. So if you're not on the list yet, you can sign up for free at jamiekernlima.com or click the link in the show Notes below. And here's to becoming unstoppable together.
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I am so excited for this book. You know why? Because it's going to save so many people.
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It's gonna save people.
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Were the your new beautiful book Worthy. Get this book. This book. I'm telling you, it's a book that can change anybody's life who picks it up. Anybody who's ever felt that they were not good enough didn't measure up. Something's missing in your life. I have to tell you. It's powerful. It's happening. It's worthy.
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Imagine what would you do if you fully believed in you. I went from struggling waitress facing non stop rejection to founder of IT Cosmetics, a billion dollar company by learning how to overcome self doubt and believe I'm worthy of my hopes and dreams. And I'm sharing how you can too in my new book Worthy how to believe you are enough and transform your life. If you're ready to truly trust yourself and break through that barrier of self doubt and know that where you come from or even where you are right now doesn't determine where you're going, then Worthy is for you. It's time to go from doubting you're enough to knowing you're enough. It's time to step into all of who you are and into the person you were born to be. And it's time to believe that you are worthy of it. Because in life we don't become what we want. We become what we believe we're worthy of. Join the Worthy movement today by grabbing your copy of Worthy Anywhere books are sold then head to worthybook.com now for free gifts including my five parts course on becoming unstoppable and my 95 page worthy workbook action plan that teaches you how to implement the tools from the book into your real life right now.
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Worthy is groundbreaking.
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Yo Worthy.
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You are worthy. This book is going to change lives.
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This book literally will teach you how to actually feel worthy so that you can have the strength, you can have the confidence.
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The less the lessons in this book and the strategies will change your life. You will never be the same again after you read this book. Jamie's book Worthy is a must read. It is going to inspire you, empower you, give you the hope that you need and the kick in the rear.
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End that you deserve.
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Jamie's book Worthy is incredible.
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The gifts are going away, but they're all free right now on worthybook.com.
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Do.
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You struggle with negative self talk, living with a constant mental narrative that you're not good enough is exhausting. I know because I spent most of my life in that habit. The words you say to yourself about yourself are so powerful and when you learn to take control over your self talk, it's life changing and I wanted to give you a free resource that I created for you if this is something that could benefit your Life. It's called 5 Ways to Overcome Negative Self Talk and Build Self Love and it's a free how to guide to overcome that negative self talk to build confidence and develop unshakable self love so that you can dream big and keep going in the pursuit of your goals. Don't let self sabotaging thoughts hinder your progress any longer. It's time to rewrite the script of your life, one filled with self love, resilience and unwavering belief. If you're ready to take charge of your narrative, build unwavering confidence and empower yourself to persevere on the path to your dreams, you can grab your free guide to Stop Overthinking and Learn to Trust yourself at jamiekernlima.com resources or click the link in the show notes below. And please note, I'm not a licensed therapist and this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional.
Episode: Michelle Obama Reveals All! (Pt 3)
Date: November 25, 2025
Guest: Michelle Obama
Host: Jamie Kern Lima
This powerful conversation brings together Jamie Kern Lima and former First Lady Michelle Obama in an in-depth, heart-centered discussion about hope, self-worth, leadership, letting go of titles, and the importance of being a light for others. Michelle opens up about her current life chapter, how she nurtures hope, her thoughts on legacy, candid moments with her family, and advice for listeners feeling lost or doubtful. With warmth, humor, and vulnerability, Michelle reveals insights and stories never before shared, offering authentic encouragement and wisdom applicable to anyone’s life journey.
This heartfelt episode is a blueprint for overcoming self-doubt, nurturing hope, and stepping fully into your light. Michelle Obama’s candor about embracing change, mentoring others, and persevering through uncertain times resonates deeply. Jamie’s signature encouragement and vulnerability create a warm space, making every listener know they are seen, deserving, and capable of believing in themselves.
Memorable closing words:
"You, right now, exactly as you are, are enough and fully worthy. You're worthy of your greatest hopes, your wildest dreams and all the unconditional love in the world." – Jamie Kern Lima [19:05]
For further inspiration, reminders of hope, and practical steps to self-belief, listeners are invited to subscribe, share, and visit Jamie’s website for free tools and community support.