The Duchess of Sussex has opened up about her "scary" experience with post partum pre-eclampsia and her everyday life with Archie and Lili as the first episode of her new podcast series was released on Tuesday.
Meghan's first guest on Confessions of a Female Founder was Whitney Wolfe Herd, who founded the popular dating app Bumble.
The Duchess spoke about her postpartum journey, as she and Whitney had their children around similar times.
"We both had very similar experiences, although we didn't know each other at the time, with postpartum, and we both had pre-eclampsia. It's so rare and so scary and you're still trying to juggle all of these things and the world doesn’t know what's happening. Those things are huge medical scares," said Meghan.
Whitney agreed, adding: "I mean life or death, truly."
Postpartum pre-eclampsia is a serious condition where high blood pressure and protein in the urine develop after childbirth, potentially leading to seizures and other complications if left untreated.
Whitney was full of praise for her friend as she recalled how she faced the world just two days after welcoming her son Archie in May 2019: "I'll never forget the image of you after you delivered Archie and the whole world was waiting for his debut and I was either just becoming or about to become a new mom and I was like 'Oh my god, how is this woman doing this? How is this woman putting on heels and debuting a child in this beautiful outfit in front of the entire world?'."
The Duchess also spoke about the importance of being present for her children while building a business.
"We became moms in the pandemic, post-pandemic culture where there is so much working from home… I don't leave the house to go to an office, my office is here. Lili still naps, she gets picked up early and she naps, she only has a half day in preschool.
"If she wakes up and she wants to find me, she knows where to find me, even if my door is closed to the office. She'll be sitting there on my lap during one of these meetings with a grid of all the executives…I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't want to miss those moments. I don't want to miss pickup if I don't have to. I don't want to miss drop-off."
Meghan recalled her first meeting with Whitney, and Archie's sweet reaction to Whitney's cowboy-themed New Years outfit.
"We were having one of those quiet… we have young kids, we aren't having a night out kind of a New Years. I'd call it an 'East Coast New Years' so that ball is dropping for our 9pm and I'm going to bed. But you guys came over with our other friends and it was the first time we'd met the two of you.
"To this day, Archie still will say: 'When do I get to see the cowboys again?' That first impression for him is so ingrained that even though, yes your husband is a cowboy and yes, that is a huge part of your life, but to see a real cowboy as a… what was he at the time, two or three?"
Whitney chimed in: "Oh my gosh, he was so tiny and they were so sweet. They were the sweetest. I think Archie ran out in a Batman suit or no it was PJ Masks and that was the beginning of our friendship."
The podcast launch comes less than a week after Meghan's first products from her As Ever brand dropped on her website, selling out in the US within an hour.
Inside Meghan's new podcast deal
The Duchess signed a deal with Lemonada Media, a female-founded company, in February 2024.
The eight-part series, which will see episodes released weekly, is the first original podcast for the audio company, which was founded by Jessica Cordova Kramer and Stephanie Wittels Wachs.
© InstagramIn a trailer for the show, Meghan promised "girl-talk" and advice on how to create "billion-dollar businesses".
Introducing the series, she said: "I'm Meghan, and this is Confessions Of A Female Founder, a show where I chat with female entrepreneurs and friends about the sleepless nights, the lessons learned and the laser focus that got them to where they are today."
© Getty ImagesIn between excerpts of guests speaking, the Duchess said in a voiceover: "We're diving into the highs… and the lows… and the kind of advice that turns small ideas into billion-dollar businesses… and of course, we're gonna get some girl talk."
She added: "And through it all, I’m building a business of my own and getting all sorts of practical advice along the way that I’m very excited to share with you."
What happened to the Sussexes' Spotify deal?
Meghan's Archetypes series about female stereotypes in 2022 ran for just one series, and was part of the Sussexes' previous multimillion-pound deal with Spotify, which ended the year after.
© JUSTIN COIT/NETFLIXGuests included tennis star Serena Williams, singer Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and actors Mindy Kaling and Constance Wu.
Lemonada Media has also re-distributed Archetypes on its platform.
