Podcast Review - Michelle Obama Podcast

Michelle Obama's podcast, The Light Podcast, had an episode in 2020 with Dr. Sharon Malone called What Your Mother Never Told You About Health. Michelle begins with, "How many men do you think could deal with the severest form of cramps, which literally feels like a knife being stabbed and turned, and then released, and then turned, and then released? And you gotta do that, and you gotta get up and keep going. It's like, go to work."

She and her OB-GYN friend discuss how it used to be (and was for me). She talked about wanting her daughters to be comfortable talking to her about their bodies. My junior high school had a short film; mothers came to the school and watched it with their daughters.

Michelle remembered getting the little package that we all got. Prettily and discreetly packaged, it contained the belt and the big pads - before tampons existed. The belt was elastic and went around your waist to hold the menstrual pads in place. When I was young, our mothers told us to keep the kit in their room so the males wouldn't be - gasp - exposed to it. They taught us to wrap the used pad in tissue and stuff it into a bag separate from the regular trash. We also ensured it was taken out to the garbage promptly.

The two women discussed hormones, with Michelle noting that females are unique. Our bodies have to prepare for a baby, carry the baby, birth the baby, and then keep it alive. There was discussion about the pressure and control that is exerted over women all of our lives. Women give birth and protect the baby. Women have something inside them during sex; women have the baby inside them when pregnant; women are the main caregivers right after birth. We nurture the husband, the children, and our friends for so long that we forget to take care of ourselves; we forget to say "no" if we don't want to do something, whereas men learn to say no when they are very young.

The doctor says that maybe the women should put the podcast on so the men in their lives can hear it and better understand the mood swings and other issues the female hormones create. The mood swings can be horrible during the monthly cycle for some women, putting them into a rage (I was like that).

On menopause, Michelle tells the story of a Marine One flight when a full-blown hot flash hit her as she needed to exit and address a large crowd while her entire body felt like it was in an oven, and she was sweating visibly. President Obama had a Cabinet full of menopausal women, and when he took note of the issue, he said, "Turn up the air conditioning" to make the women more comfortable. Michelle mentions that society needs to acknowledge hot flashes and account for this by accepting a different dress code to accommodate women. Post-menopause is after your very last menstrual period, plus one year, per Dr. Malone. They both agree they want menopause viewed as not an ending but a beginning.

Michelle and Dr. Malone discussed the phases of being a woman, and the entire podcast was humorous and full of information on many subjects. Michelle recounted a physical exercise boot camp she created for her women friends, where they went to Camp David and had three workouts per day for three days. (That exhausts me hearing it!)

The funniest part was Michelle partially jesting that a birthing channel should be created. There are sports channels, so why not one that praises women and says things like, wow, did you see her push out that ten-pound baby? She should get a medal or an Espy or something. Driving and listening, I was engaged, chuckling, and contemplating everything discussed.

I listened on Apple Podcasts and plan to queue up all of her episodes. She is delightful, funny, and down-to-earth.

#podcast #michelleobama #obgyn #motherhood #womenshealth