Overview

• Michelle Obama revealed on her April 23 podcast that skipping Donald Trump’s inauguration was a deliberate act of self-care and personal agency.
• She disclosed that she avoided the event by ensuring she had no dress prepared, calling it a strategy to resist societal pressure to conform.
• Obama addressed viral divorce rumors tied to her absence, clarifying that her decision was unrelated to her marriage to Barack Obama.
• Therapy has been instrumental in helping her prioritize herself and learn the “art of saying no,” a skill she says she is still developing.
• She hopes her actions inspire her daughters and other young women to set boundaries and reject the expectation of constant self-sacrifice.