This May 11, 2019 file photo shows former first lady Michelle Obama during "Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama," in Atlanta. The Obama’s Higher Ground and Spotify announced Thursday that the former first lady will host “The Michelle Obama Podcast” on the streaming service. The podcast will debut exclusively on Spotify on July 29. (Photo by Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP, File)
By Jonathan Landrum Jr.
Michelle Obama will let her own voice be heard on a new podcast.
The former first lady will host The Michelle Obama Podcast from Obama's Higher Ground production company, Spotify announced Thursday. The podcast will exclusively debut on the streaming service on July 29.
"My hope is that this series can be a place to explore meaningful topics together and sort through so many of the questions we're all trying to answer in our own lives," Obama said in a statement.
The new podcast is the first title in the ongoing collaboration between Spotify and Higher Ground, a production company founded by Barack and Michelle Obama. Last year, the former president and first lady partnered with Spotify to produce exclusive podcasts for the platform.
Michelle Obama's new podcast expects to hold candid and personal conversations with a focus on topics concerning relationships and health. She expects to have several guests on the series including talk-show host Conan O'Brien and Valerie Jarrett, businesswoman and former senior advisor to Barack Obama.
"Perhaps most of all, I hope this podcast will help listeners open up new conversations — and hard conversations —- with the people who matter most to them," she said. "That's how we can build more understanding and empathy for one another."
Obama released her Netflix documentary Becoming in May. The project was an extension of her 2018 best-selling memoir of the same name and a kind of authorized filmic portrait of Obama.
Last year, she embarked on a rock-star-style tour of more than 30 cities to promote her book.
Paulina Likos, Investing Reporter at US News & World report, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to break down how the U.S. reopening its borders to foreign travelers might provide a big boost to the hard-hit travel and tourism industry.
Jill Wagner and Baker Machado break down the state of the Opioid Crisis in the U.S. The CDC reported a 30% increase in overdose deaths from 2020 to 2021, but in recent months pharmaceutical companies have drastically raised the price of Naloxone or 'Narcan,' affecting the response of community harm prevention groups.
Jill and Carlo discuss the scenes of joy at American airports as borders reopen, another tool in the Covid toolbox, the latest in the Astroworld crowd crush tragedy and more.
The two biggest names in the ride-sharing industry reported earnings this week. Uber and Lyft both beat Wall Street expectations on their top and bottom lines, as the companies and the ride-sharing industry have recently faced several challenges like the pandemic, the supply chain crisis, and driver shortages. Johnson Research Group CEO Chris Johnson joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Gaming technology studio Mythical Games recently raised $150 million in a round led by Andreesen Horowitz, bringing Mythical's valuation to above unicorn status at $1.2 billion. Mythical Games' mission is to create a new generation of gaming with play-to-earn games that allow players to play to win actual cryptocurrency. Now the company is taking it to another level with NFT technology, allowing players to play with characters they can truly own. Mythical Games CEO John Linden joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Jacob Channel, Senior Economic Analyst at LendingTree, joins Cheddar to discuss the most popular reasons to refinance a mortgage, and when the right time is to consider refinancing.
The pandemic caused chaos in the wedding industry after ceremonies were postponed last year. But now couples face a new problem as they look toward their big day: supply chain issues. Tim Chi, CEO at The Knot, joined Cheddar to provide some additional details about the supply constraints affecting everything from venues to flowers. Chi also talked about The Knot celebrating its 25th anniversary and how the business has transformed over the years.
Entertainment journalist Scott Evans joins Cheddar News to discuss his latest hosting gig on 'America's Big Deal' and play a little game with Baker called 'Deal or Dud.'
Living in 2021 brings a lot of distractions from mindlessly scrolling down your timeline for hours, to stretching yourself thin by multi-tasking daily. How do we find the ability to train our brains to focus on being present in the moment? Author, Dr. Amishi Jha joined Cheddar to discuss her new book “Peak Mind,” that tackles these issues.