Even the former First Lady needs a strong girl squad by her side. Michelle Obama, 56, expressed the importance of friendship — especially during this unforeseen time in America — in a new post on Instagram on Sunday night. She admitted that her girlfriends, Kelly Dibble, Sharon Malone, and Denielle Pemberton-Heard have been a solid support system for her throughout the coronavirus pandemic and the continued fight for racial justice. Michelle, who rocked gorgeous natural curls, tagged all three women in her post, which also included an unidentified fourth friend.
“Time and again, these past few months have shown us how important it is to maintain and strengthen our friendships,” she wrote in the captioned of her post. “Not only are we all navigating life during a pandemic, but we’re also dealing with an unending string of racial injustices reverberating throughout America.”
The Becoming author continued, “I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve leaned on my girlfriends during these moments — including right now. It’s so important to lean on those closest to you to sort through these difficult moments,” she explained before asking her 41 million Instagram followers: “How are your friends helping you get through this time?”
The former First Lady recently expressed her “exhaustion and frustration” for racial injustices after the police shooting that left Jacob Blake paralyzed in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 23. Blake was shot seven times in the back by a White police officer, as seen in video footage from the incident.
The mother of two ended her post with the hashtag, “#MichelleObamaPodcast” — presumably hinting at the topic of her next episode. She launched The Michelle Obama Podcast, which focuses on meaningful relationships and conversations with friends and family, at the end of July. The podcast came to life through her production company with former President Barack Obama, Higher Ground, in conjunction with Spotify.
Michelle’s close friend, Dr. Sharon Malone, MD (mentioned above), was a recent guest on her podcast. The BFFs discussed everything about women’s health — from menopause, to aging and many more relatable topics. Malone, who is an obstetrics and gynecology specialist in Washington, is married to former Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder. Other guests who will join Michelle on her podcast, include: Marian and Craig Robinson, Michelle’s mother and brother, late-night host Conan O’Brien, journalist Michele Norris and more.
