The Duchess of Sussex opened up about being courageous, saying "sometimes making the best decision for yourself and your family might not be the most popular one," as she sat down to discuss how she's learned to "chase her convictions with actions," during the Fortune Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit.
Speaking from her home in Santa Barbara, Meghan continued: "But when you really know who you are and you know what your belief system is and you live by truth, then I think that can start to peel away the layers of where the fear comes in."
She recommended remembering the phrase "my faith is greater than my fear," when taking action or making decisions.
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Speaking from her home in Santa Barbara, Meghan was asked by Fortune's Emma Hinchliffe how she overcomes fear.
"If you live knowing the truth, regardless of what anyone says, you'll be able to go to sleep with a clear conscience," she said before adding: "Most people are afraid of the unknown, but sometimes you need to take that leap."
When she was asked about being limited in what she could talk about, which appeared to allude to her time as a working member of the royal family, Meghan said: "I think there's an incredible opportunity for everyone to recognise that your voice matters and I think you realise it more when you are not able to exercise it, so regardless of my experience over the last few years compared to anyone's experience, you can't take for granted the ability you have as a woman to be able to be heard and now with the platform that people have on social media, to actually have that voice heard for a larger audience is a huge responsibility. It's a privilege but it’s also a responsibility."
As she admitted that hasn't had her own personal social media account for a long time, the Duchess touched on people using their voices on social media, saying: "If you don't agree with [something], don't be part of the problem, be part of the solution. Don't hate share; share something from the right side of the issue so that that's what goes viral."
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© FortuneMeghan spoke with Fortune's Emma Hinchliffe
Meghan also opened up motherhood and being Archie's mum, saying: "It makes you more courageous, it makes you so concerned for the world they're going to inherit."
The Duchess spoke about doing her part within her work, saying: "I think so much of the focus that I have had since I was very young from the age of 11 I was interested in gender equity and in women having a seat at the table and having their voices heard, I think that is of fundamental importance certainly now more than ever.
"Racial justice resonates for me on a personal level being a woman of colour, but outside of that I think it just goes back to fundamental human rights which should be important to all of us. So when we look at it through that lens, every day if you do one small thing to help someone else, you do one small thing that's going to move the needle in the direction of good, then you can go to sleep well knowing that you’ve accomplished something not for yourself, but for others".
Meghan previously made an appearance at the Fortune Most Powerful Women virtual summit last month, where she spoke about the importance of creating "humane tech".
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© FortuneMeghan also spoke about how motherhood has changed her
Over the weekend, Meghan and her husband Prince Harry revealed insight into their family life with son Archie, as they recorded a special episode with the Teenager Therapy podcast to mark World Mental Health Day.
During a video chat with Malala Yousafzai to mark International Day of the Girl on Sunday, the couple also spoke about their 17-month-old son's milestones during lockdown, with Harry saying: "We were both there for his first steps, his first run, his first fall, his first everything".
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