Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, recently spoke about her July 2020 miscarriage. Here’s what she said about this resonant experience on an episode of her podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder.” This heartbreaking announcement expands on her previous public disclosure of the miscarriage. She documented her experience in a wonderful personal essay for The New York Times Opinion, published in November of 2020.
Wednesday, on the podcast episode released on Tuesday, Markle found herself in a similar conversation with Reshma Saujani. Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, bravely opened up her own struggles with numerous miscarriages due to autoimmune conditions. Themes from their conversation included reimagining the workplace for women and handling the emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy loss. Saujani found Markle’s reflections on how to cope through these difficult times to be striking and relatable. She called them “really profound” and said it was like Markle was “reading my diaries.”
Markle, the mother of two children, is now parenting five-year-old Prince Archie and three-year-old Princess Lilibet. It was deeply personal, as she revealed how hard it is to deal with grief. She recounted times she needed to pretend and power through her sadness in order to deliver the show must go on routine.
“And I should have just gone home and gone to sleep and curled up with my husband, but I would just take a breath and I would just show up in a living room, in a stage and just perform,” – Meghan Markle
In addition to sharing their own stories, Markle encouraged young professionals to bring authenticity to whatever leadership roles they step into. She noted that sometimes, to be an example for young women, you have to be real yourself. You can’t hope to be a catalyst for change if you can’t keep your own house in order.
“There is no way to continue to show up and role model for these young women… if you are not doing it with complete authenticity because you are so close to being burned-out,” – Meghan Markle
Markle was able to put herself back in her own experience and convey an authentic depth of acuity and loss. She underscored the need to release the attachment to outcome based on future fantasizing.
“I think in some parallel way, when you have to learn to detach from the thing that you have so much promise and hope for and to be able to be OK at a certain point to let something go, something go that you plan to love for a long time,” – Meghan Markle
It is Markle’s specific openness to demystify her story that encourages society to better discuss mental health and its complexities. Her experience fuels her dedication to helping women overcome those same barriers. What was clear throughout her insights was her own journey. They’re the ones that most powerfully touch others who are experiencing their own journeys through grief and recovery.