The wait is finally over. Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has dropped the first episode of her highly anticipated podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, which features a candid, in-depth chat with her long-time friend, entrepreneur and founder of Bumble, Whitney Wolfe Herd.
Markle promised her listeners that the new podcast would centre around “fly-on-the-wall conversations” between her and “amazing women who have scaled small ideas into successful companies,” and while on paper, there’s nothing ground-breaking about the premise, it’s also not exactly one we hear as often as one might think.
After all, between founder-focussed deep dives like Diary Of A CEO or How I Built This and business how-tos like My First Million or Masters of Scale, the world certainly has enough podcasts to placate those looking for entrepreneurial inspiration and industry insights. So why exactly does the new Meghan Markle podcast need to fit within this MBA-heavy mould the public seem to be demanding of her? Is it because she – with her newly launched lifestyle brand As Ever – dared to call herself a female founder in a world that still wants to refuse her a seat at the table – no matter how many chairs are free?
Almost as soon as the first episode was published, so too were the predictable stream of rage-baiting headlines that eschewed balance in favour of banal ‘hot takes’ that – spoiler alert – aren’t so hot when they’re just part of the same tepid take down machine she can’t seem to escape. Despite headlines calling episode one “sycophantic,” “stomach-turning,” and “inane,” or “vapid” and “out-of-touch” – which is a particularly common catchphrase employed by the anti-Meghan army – we’re here to tell you that there was nothing nauseating about it.
In fact, during the 45-minute episode, the chemistry between Herd and Markle provided a perfectly enjoyable environment for exactly what the podcast’s synopsis claimed to offer. “I hope ‘Confessions of a Female Founder’ reminds listeners they’re not alone,” Meghan told The New York Times in an interview about her content goals. “These are honest conversations with women who’ve built from the ground up, faced challenges and kept going. Whether you’re building a business or building self-belief, I hope these stories serve as tools for growth — and feel like you’ve pulled up a seat with us to learn, laugh, and rethink what success can look like.”
Still need convincing? Below, we’ve rounded up five standout moments from episode one of the Meghan Markle podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder.
On Shifting Perspectives & Parenting
Speaking about the constant juggle of balancing work commitments and priorities, with parenting duties and expectations, Herd speaks openly about how her mindset shifted once she had her children. “Prior to Bobby’s birth, I mean even up until I was literally delivering, I was opening my eyes at, you know, God knows what hour, hitting it immediately on the laptop,” said Herd of her pre-baby work schedule. “And I could just burn myself out, right? Because it was just me…”
“But when you have these little angels and they need you and they need a good version of you, it literally forces you to make choices and to prioritise,” she continued, before reflecting on how different things are now. “I have zero issue now saying no to things that don’t matter… if that thing is not going to add to the lives and the well-being of my children, meaning it’s going to enhance the outcome of the business of it’s going to enhance the member experience of the business, like why would I do it?”
The two agreed that boundaries were the key to unlocking a more balanced and sustainable life in all aspects of their worlds, Meghan added: “I’ve talked to a couple other founders about this, the pressure that they feel to be the cheerleader for everyone. And all of that makes sense to a certain extent, but also, who’s cheerleading you?”
“Lili still naps. She gets picked up early and she naps,” Meghan continues. “She only has a half day in preschool. If she wakes up and wants to find me, she knows where to find me, even if my door is closed to the office. She’ll be sitting there on my lap during one of these meetings with a grid of all the executives.… I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t want to miss those moments. I don’t want to miss pickup if I don’t have to. I don’t want to miss drop-off.”
“I don’t either,” says Herd.
On Keeping Up Appearances
During the conversation, it was revealed that both Herd and Markle suffered from preeclampsia – a pregnancy complication that causes high blood pressure and can lead to serious complications for both the mother and child.
“It’s so rare. And so scary,” the two share. “And you’re still just trying to juggle all of these things. And the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly,” says Meghan. “And in the quiet, you’re still trying to show up mostly for your children. But those things are huge medical scares.”
“I mean life or death, truly,” admits Herd. “I mean, I’ll never forget the image of you after you delivered Archie and the whole world was like waiting for his debut. And like I was, you know, either just becoming or about to become a new mom… postpartum is wild. It’s so wild, and it’s almost like one foot in one world and one foot in another world.”
On Media Scrutiny
Speaking about the experience of media scrutiny and online bullying Herd received after she left Tinder, she revealed just how scary it was to go from relatively unknown to “the front page of every global newspaper,” overnight. “I just got dragged into this swell again. It was like, you know, getting beat up in the ocean and you couldn’t catch a breath.”
“You’re like, of my gosh, no one wants to leave me alone… that’s why when I see the way that, you know, you’ve been treated in the media, which is a magnitude I’ll never understand… my heart breaks for you,” she told Meghan.
Herd spoke about realising just how overwhelming the media criticism was for Meghan, when she saw an entire newsstand covered in Meghan Markle covers showing just what a “different beast” the media’s crusade against her was.
“No matter whatever scale they’re at, there’s going to be a point where you’re going to take a hit,” responds Markle. “There’s going to be a point where you have to decide if you’re going to cower or if you’re going to conquer, or if you’re going to rise about it.”
For all the headlines that might have told you otherwise, Markle’s ability to converse and extract meaningful insight from Herd was apparent throughout, as she continued to offer examples of how she managed to overcome that time in her life and move into the next phase of her career.
Focusing on the highs and lows of building a business shouldn’t just be a conversation about numbers and strategy. It could be argued that what benefits people most is hearing about all the mundane details or misfortune experienced along the way. What this podcast does well is provide a platform for those details to be worked through in a way that offers comfort to those who might be feeling like they’re facing an impossible task – and is that really so bad?
Related articles:
- Meghan Markle Has Officially Rebranded
- You Don’t Have To Like Meghan Markle, But You Should Rethink Why You Hate Her
- Meghan Markle’s Fresh New Start
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