Meghan Markle Debuts Podcast ‘Archetypes,’ Talks About Women, Motherhood And Ambition With Serena Williams

Meghan Markle Serena Williams podcast Archetypes motherhood parenting career woman

By Jo Anne Hubert , Parent Herald Aug 28, 04:43 am

Duchess Meghan Markle's long-awaited podcast has dropped after two long years of anticipation. Announced in 2020, the "Archetypes" podcast released its first episode Tuesday via Spotify. The Duchess of Sussex opened up the episode by narrating how her voice as a woman, especially now that she's a wife, and a working mom, has grown, become a little more confident and, "maybe a little louder."

The 41-year-old and mother of two recalled how, when she was just 11 years old, she became so "furious" when she saw a Procter & Gamble dishwashing soap advertisement that was solely reaching out to women. Her rage led her to do a "letter writing campaign" to authorities and influential individuals during that time; then-first Lady Hillary Clinton was no exemption. The campaign of that 11-year-old girl was victorious, with the company changing the language of the commercial.

Markle defined the experience as an "awakening to the millions of ways, big and small, that our society tries to box women in, to hold women back, to tell women who and what they should and can be." And this podcast she is hosting reflects that she has never lost touch with this reality towards women and is an avenue of her desire to do something about it continually.

As Spotify revealed, Archetypes is a series that will discover, explore and look into the origin and cause of the labels that are trying to hold women back and how these labels are defining and generalizing women today, especially through the lens of pop culture and social media.

First episode: Struggle of motherhood & 'negative connotation' of ambition

The "Suits" actress invited close friend Serena Williams to guest in her first episode, USA Today reported. Both a wife and a mother, they vulnerably yet bravely talked about the hardship for women in having ambitions, how it is a "dirty, dirty word when it comes to women," and the scrutinizing eyes of the public when one is trying to balance it with motherhood.

Markle revealed that she did not feel the negative connotation behind the word "ambition" until she started dating Prince Harry, her now husband. According to some people, she realized that ambition is a "terrible, terrible thing" for a woman. She further expressed that since she felt the negativity, it was difficult for her to un-feel it or unsee it in the numerous girls and women who try to make themselves smaller in their daily lives.

Williams, who recently announced her retirement from tennis, expressed her concern about society's double standard by sharing how once she read an article describing a male athlete as "passionate" while at the same time saying that she had a "meltdown." She cannot help but question why a man can be called passionate, and a woman expressing and acting the same level of emotion suddenly is described as having a meltdown.

The tennis star further shared other double standards, like since she had her daughter Olympia, everybody asks her how she gets to maintain the work-mom balance, and yet her husband, Alexis Ohanian, is never asked.

The Duchess also talked about the pressure of upholding an image to the point of compromising motherhood. She revealed an instance during the 2019 Royal Tour in South Africa, which she never went public until now, when she and her husband needed to dutifully appear on their official engagement while the nursery of their son, Archie, who was just five months, caught fire. Fortunately, she said the nanny and the baby weren't in the room, and the fire was immediately extinguished.

Williams, opening up about balancing her tennis career with the pressures of motherhood, was also able to recall one circumstance when her daughter broke her wrist the night before her competition at the French Open. She won the match but revealed that she was emotionally spent and drained. She noted that the situation was crazy, yet the moment she went home, she spent the entire night with Olympia, accepting that being a mother is like that, and she would not change it for anything.

'Uncensored conversations with women'

Archetypes will have "uncensored conversations" with brave and inspiring women who know all too well how these labels and stereotypes are thrown at women and shape their narratives, People reported.

Markle announced that her next guest would be the Songbird Supreme, Mariah Carey.

The Duchess and Prince Harry production company, Archewell Audio, has an existing multi-year deal to produce and host podcasts for Spotify. This is just one of the numerous "high-profile" deals the couple has accomplished, including a deal with Netflix.