✨WHAT I LEARNED AND WAS REMINDED OF FROM MY CONVERSATION WITH MICHELLE OBAMA. 😉✨

There is so much that I gained from Michelle Obama’s talk Thursday night. Here are only a few of the highlights. 

✨Women, we need to really start using our voice and standing up for ourselves. We’ve come a long way but we still have a ways to go in this world. And men, they need to stand for us, protect us, and love and support our girls as fathers, grandparents, uncles, etc. 

My takeaway: Women, our lives are more than any movement. Our lives require daily action by us, family members, and friends to continue to garner the love, honor, and respect we deserve.

✨One of the best head starts in life is having two parents that love and support you. 

My takeaway: As a parent and a daughter, I couldn’t agree with this more. The question is what to do when you don’t have that head start? And as parents, how can we provide the best start to our children’s lives? 

✨ Children need attention not things. Such a good one! It’s really that simple. #mindfulparenting

✨ Although she didn’t say this directly, I gleaned that we need to honor who we are at the core. As a young child, she enjoyed her privacy and her own space and didn’t always want to play with the other kids. Rather than make herself play or do what everyone else was doing, she did Michelle. This lesson is as true today as it was when she/us were children. It’s also a great takeaway for parenting. #betruetoyou #doyou #honoryourself

✨Own your smartness and own it with pride. Don’t be ashamed of being intellectual and wanting an education or seeking your next career goals. 

My translation - don’t be afraid to shine. Shine don’t shrink! 🙌🏽✨

✨Michelle talked a bit about the power of networking and how it has helped connect her to people and important next steps in her life. It also exposes you to a different circle and possibilities. 

My takeaway: How can you connect someone else? How can you expand your circle to keep growing? 🔄

✨Marriage is hard. Michelle shared that Barack and her went to marriage counseling. And their marriage grew more difficult after having children. She was really honest about the struggles in marriage and not giving up when it got hard. She really encourages us to take the stigma off a great tool - counseling. 

✨ Michelle discussed her miscarriage and IVF treatments. 

My takeaway: Women need to share these challenges more openly and without shame or guilt. We need to own our journeys and experiences. They are truly a part of who we are. 

✨ Then, Michelle talked about one of my favorite topics: Self-Care. She said, “Men prioritize themselves. Ladies we need to be higher up on our priority list.” 

Honestly, I could have screamed 🗣when she talked about women not taking care of themselves and allowing themselves to be last on the list. It’s one of my life topics that I share about constantly. And it’s the main reason I created the Mama Love Planner. It was equally reassuring and disappointing (being 💯) that women at all levels struggle with self-care and making themselves a priority. 

✨And I loved the explanation around going high. Michelle and Obama often say that when people go low, they go high. She explained that even though people go low and hurt her or them, they acknowledge the hurt. Going high is not about denying the hurt and pain. It’s about going high in spite of the very real pain. 

My takeaway: being the light and taking the high road are not without personal pain. It’s a part of being a bearer of the light. No emotional bypassing!

✨There was this great discussion on the current politics being “tone deaf.” Michelle took great efforts to not draft speeches that simply said what she wanted to say but also aligned to what the country was going through at the time. 

My takeaway: Where is this same understanding and sensitivity now? And if it is not there, what are WE going to do about it? 🤔 (hint: VOTE and take action!)

✨You will always have haters. No one is going to have an 100% approval rating. 

My takeaway was be true to you. Tell your truth. #useyourinnervoice

✨Her motto: use your voice. 

My biggest takeaway: What am I doing to use my voice and who am I becoming - day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, and breath by breath! That’s #mindsoulful for me. What’s it for you?

I hope this quick post on some of my takeaways was helpful. I encourage you to get her book, “Becoming”, and to see her for yourself. It’s amazing to witness a woman fully in her own power yet humble, fighting fears, but always sharing her light! 

I’d love to hear your thoughts below! 👇🏽👇🏽

In presence and gratitude 🙏🏽,
Brooke-Sidney