Michelle Obama recalls going through rough patches with Barack
Michelle Obama has spoken about the realities of going through a rough patch in your relationship on the latest episode of The Michelle Obama Podcast.
Revealing to her listeners that her relationship with Barack hasn't always been smooth sailing, she shared the lessons she's learned and advice for young couples currently going through rocky times in their relationship.
The former First lady, who shares daughters Malia, 22, and Sasha, 19, with the former US President revealed that – despite their 'power couple' status, after nearly 30 years of marriage – the pair have faced their fair share of romantic difficulties, just like everybody else.
Sitting down to chat all things marriage and relationships with comedian and late night host Conan O’Brien, Michelle spoke openly about the challenges she and Barack had faced throughout their relationship – and shared some powerful advice for young couples going through difficult times.
LISTEN TO THE MICHELLE OBAMA PODCAST ON SPOTIFY NOW
'People aren’t perfect. Marriage is hard. It’s a struggle for everyone,' she said.
'You’ve got to know that there are going to be long periods of time when you can’t stand each other. I said it on the book tour as a joke – there were times that I wanted to push Barack out of the window.
'And I say that because it’s like, you’ve got to know the feelings will be intense. But that doesn’t mean you quit. These periods can last a long time – they can last years. But we don’t talk about that, so young couples, they face these challenges and they’re ready to give up because they think they’re broken.'
Admitting that despite being regarded as one of the most stable marriages in the limelight, the two have had their fair share of ups and downs, but that if either of them had simply 'given up' and 'walked away' during those turbulent times, then she would have missed 'all the beauty that was there as well.'
'If that breaks a marriage, then Barack and I have been broken off and on, throughout our marriage, but we have a very strong marriage,' Michelle said.
The Becoming author encouraged young couples to see their potential partner in 'an array of situations' when initially dating:
'There’s no magic way to make that happen except getting the basics of finding somebody, being honest about wanting to be with them, to date them seriously, to plan on making a commitment, to date them, seeing where it goes, and then making it happen," she said. 'You can’t Tinder your way into a long-term relationship.'
This isn't the first time Michelle has opened up about challenges she and Barack have faced in their marriage, previously revealing that the pair had even taken part in couple's counselling in the past, during a particularly tricky period.
'Sometimes you need an objective person to just hear you out. It taught me that I was responsible for my own happiness. I didn’t marry Barack for him to make me happy. No one can make me happy,' she told Oprah recently.
'If I’m going to show up equal in this partnership, I have to be able to make myself happy and so I had to stop focusing on what he wasn’t doing and start thinking about how to carve out that life that I wanted for myself, with or without Barack. The more I succeeded in defining myself for myself, the better I was in a partnership.'
We couldn't agree more Michelle, and it's so refreshing to be reminded of the everyday realities all couples face, famous or not!
LISTEN TO THE MICHELLE OBAMA PODCAST ON SPOTIFY NOW
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