JES Global Summit: A Moderated Conversation with Michelle Obama

Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, Michelle Obama never imagined that she’d become First Lady of the United States. She never imagined that one day, she would inspire people all around the world and drive historic change. As the daughter of a city water-pump operator and a stay-at-home mom, girls like her aren’t supposed to do any of that.

But Michelle Obama has spent her life challenging us to reconsider where that “supposed to” comes from — and who determines it. Michelle met her husband Barack in 1989 at the law firm Sidley Austin LLP, where she worked immediately after graduating from Harvard Law School. The two fell in love and married on the South Side of Chicago, not far from where she grew up. They stayed on the South Side to raise their two beautiful girls, Malia and Sasha, before moving to the White House. Of all the things she has achieved in her remarkable life, Michelle considers being a mother her greatest accomplishment.

Her life shows us that you don’t have to look a certain way or act a certain way to fit in; you don’t have to make a lot of money or come from a certain group or class or faith in order to matter. Each of us can write our own story. And when we share those stories with one another, we can lift each other up along the way.

That’s why, as an author, Michelle speaks candidly about her experiences as a wife, mother, Black woman, and First Lady of the United States, telling her story in a way that empowers others to see the beauty in their own. Through her advocacy work, she strives to help young people see the power of their voice and the boundless promise inside of them. Through film and television, she elevates stories and storytellers who have too often been ignored. And as a co-founder of a children’s nutrition company, she’s aiming to help raise a healthier generation of children.

Michelle’s passion for storytelling has set sales records and earned her global acclaim. Her memoir, Becoming — a moving portrayal of her life’s journey and path to the White House — spent over 130 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers list, sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, and won a Grammy Award. Her second book, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times also spent months on the New York Times bestsellers list. In it, she shares the lessons she’s learned that have helped her rise above difficult circumstances. In late 2024, she released the accompanying workbook “Overcoming” a guide with practical tools to navigate life’s challenges.

Through Higher Ground, which she co-founded with her husband in 2018, her work to share stories has won awards and accolades. Higher Ground’s first film, American Factory, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2020, and Crip Camp was nominated in the same category a year later. She produced and stars in Waffles + Mochi, a show that teaches children about their food and cooking through an adventurous part-yeti, part-waffle tour guide. Higher Ground’s Ada Twist, Scientist and We The People each won a Children’s & Family Emmy Award. The Light We Carry Netflix special recently earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special. She executive produced Leave The World Behind, one of top ten most viewed films in Netflix history, Rustin for which Colman Domingo was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor and the popular Netflix docuseries The Later Daters that follows singles in their 50s, 60s, and 70s as they try for their second (or third, or fourth) chance at love.

Hoping to reach new, diverse audiences, Michelle joined the world of podcasting with The Michelle Obama Podcast on Spotify and Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast on Audible. At its release in 2020, The Michelle Obama Podcast was the most successful original in Spotify history, bringing in more women listeners over 40 than any other podcast. Last year, along with her husband, she produced The Wonder of Stevie alongside Questlove, Stevie Wonder and Wesley Morris.

At the core of Michelle’s story is a belief not just in telling stories aligned with her values, but in living out those values — especially when it comes to strengthening the next generation. Through the Obama Foundation, she founded the Girls Opportunity Alliance, which supports adolescent girls’ education and empowerment around the world. In 2023, GOA launched a partnership with the Gates Foundation and Clooney Foundation for Justice to promote girls’ education and help end child marriage. As part of When We All Vote, she urges young people to register to vote and get involved in the electoral process — reaching more than 100 million people during the 2020 election. And with Partnership for a Healthier America, she has worked to curb food inequity in our country — in 2022 alone, they helped donate more than one million meals for families in need.