Ever since Michelle Obama stepped into the spotlight during her husband's 2008 presidential campaign, she's become an inspiration to millions of Americans.
Through her several successful crusades such as her Let's Move! campaign, The School Lunch Program, and Reach Higher Initiative, we've seen what makes Obama such an incredible role model.
But even though Obama's terms of being First Lady has ended, that doesn't mean she's retired from the public eye.
On November 11, the 54-year-old appeared on ABC News special with Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts, where she opened up on feeling "lost and alone" after suffering a miscarriage nearly 20 years ago.
"We sit in our own pain, thinking that somehow we're broken."
Although Obama spoke about a handful of topics with Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts, it was the revelation of her fertility struggles that was most poignant of all.
"I felt lost and alone and I felt like I failed," Obama said, which is further explained in her upcoming memoir, Becoming.
"I felt like I failed because I didn't know how common miscarriages were because we don't talk about them," she continued. "We sit in our own pain, thinking that somehow we're broken."
Obama said she felt her "biological clock" ticking, which led to her and Barack, 57, eventually turning to in vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive their daughters Malia, 20, and Sasha, 17.
Now she hopes her story will help other women realize they're not alone.
"That's one of the reasons why I think it's important to talk to young mothers about the fact that miscarriages happen and the biological clock is real because egg production is limited "” I realized that as I was 34 and 35, and we had to do IVF," the Harvard Law School graduate said.
"I think it's the worst thing we do to each other as women: not share the truth about our bodies and how they work and how they don't work."
In her candid interview, Obama touched on more meaningful topics, such as her husband's monumental presidential run.
"I don't think we do each other a service by pretending like hurtful things don't hurt."
Although Barack was becoming a rising star in politics, Obama admitted she didn't think her husband would win the 2008 election due to his racial background.
"I think I did what a lot of black folks were doin'," she told Roberts. "We were afraid to hope because it's hard to believe that the country that oppressed you could one day be led by you, you know?"
"I mean, my grandparents, you know, lived through segregation," the mother-of-two continued.
"My grandfather, his grandfather was a slave, you know? So this, these memories were real. And they didn't think the country was ready. And, and so my attitude was a reflection of that skepticism."
To make matters worse, Obama revealed she had faced a significant amount of abuse while on the campaign trail.
"I write about those, you know, those nasty times where people, you know, called me Barack's 'baby mama,' you know? Accused me of not loving my country... Told me I was angry," Obama shared. "And, I was, like, 'This isn't me. Wait, wait, people. This isn't who I am.'"
Obama added that while the criticism gravely upsetting, she didn't let their words define her.
"I don't think we do each other a service by pretending like hurtful things don't hurt," she said.
"And, that's what I've come to. ... I need to own that hurt. I need to talk about it. I need to put it out there for myself so that I can heal from it. But at the time, oh gosh, you know? I wasn't gonna allow myself to feel victimized from it because there was no time to hurt in that role."
You can read more on Obama's personal life, when her book Becoming is released on November 13.
[H/T: Good Morning America, USA Today]
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