EXCLUSIVE Entrepreneur who interviewed Meghan says the Duchess is 'not rushing to meet outside expectations' and gushes she has 'clarity, conviction and honestly genuine wisdom'
Meghan Markle was praised for her 'clarity, conviction and honestly genuine wisdom' today by entrepreneur Emma Grede after they sat down for a 90-minute podcast.
Grede hailed the Duchess of Sussex for 'building something with purpose, precision and with a lot of heart' as she lauded her in a follow-up video on Instagram last night.
The British businesswoman, a founding partner of Kim Kardashian 's shapewear brand Skims, spoke to Meghan for her Aspire podcast which came out on Tuesday.
Their chat saw Meghan say she would 'ask people to tell the truth' if she was able to rewrite her public narrative from scratch and refer to a 'lie' told eight years ago.
The Duchess also used the podcast to deny that her personal Instagram account, where she shares behind the scenes footage of family life, is a tool to promote her business – adding that she uses it for 'authentic' sharing such as her twerking video.
The interview was released three days before Meghan's As Ever brand is due to restock and launch new products later today at 8am Pacific Time (4pm UK time).
Reflecting on the podcast, Grede said: 'When I sat down with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, I expected a great conversation, but what I didn't expect was how much clarity, conviction and honestly genuine wisdom that she brought to the table.
Grede, who co-founded denim company Good American, added: 'Meghan doesn't just talk about building a brand - she's building something with purpose, precision and with a lot of heart. And there were a few moments that really stayed with me.'
She cited the first one as being 'trust your timeline', praising Meghan for saying 'someone else's urgency is not my urgency'.
Grede said 'She's not rushing to meet outside expectations. She's building with care on her own terms, and that discipline shows in every move that she makes.'
The second one was labelled 'own the vision, share the work', with Grede telling how Meghan talks about 'creating something where you feel her fingerprints all over it'.
Grede added: 'She believes in collaboration but not at the expense of intention. You can delegate, but you still have to show up.'
The third point was to 'protect what matters the most'. Grede said Meghan 'spoke about being present for her kids and having to ask herself if she could do it well enough or if she should just do a few things exceptionally well'.
She continued: 'And that idea really resonates with me, because it's not about balance, it never is, it's about priorities.'
Having to 'make your message unmistakable' was cited as the fourth point.
Grede said: 'For Meghan, influence just isn't about visibility, it's about intentionality. And even in silence, she used her platform to elevate others.
Meghan said she would 'ask people to tell the truth' if she could rewrite her public narrative
'Every choice was a signal, redirecting attention, value and visibility towards people and principles that matter. Her reminder was that influence is power, but how you use it, that's purpose.'
The final point she mentioned was Meghan saying 'success starts small'.
Grede added: 'As Ever started with homemade jam. Not a splashy rollout, just a personal gesture, and it grew because it was real. And that's the reminder that you too can start small. Just start with what you love.'
She concluded: 'So let me know which moment stuck out to you, and if you haven't listened to the full episode, Aspire with Emma Grede is available now on Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts.'
During the podcast which has already had 140,000 views on YouTube, Meghan spoke about asking 'people to tell the truth and referred to a 'lie' told eight years ago, adding: 'A lie can't live forever. Eight years is a long time, but not forever.'
Eight years ago, in 2017, former actress Meghan was dating and became engaged to the now-Duke of Sussex, and began preparing for life as a member of the royal family.
The year also included Meghan's first meeting with the now-Princess of Wales and the beginnings of the Prince of Wales's fall out with Harry after William urged his brother not to rush into the relationship.
Grede asked Meghan: 'I want to say this to you in the best way, because I wonder if you could rewrite your public narrative from scratch, is there anything that you would do differently?'
Meghan replied calmly: 'Yes, I would ask people to tell the truth.'
The Duchess gave no specifics about to whom who she was referring, but later referred to a 'lie' told eight years ago - in another apparent dig about her life in the public eye as a member of the Royal Family since she began a relationship with Harry.
Grede said: 'You're very measured about it. I would just get so angry if I felt like everyone was lying about me all the time …'
Meghan said: 'Peaks and valleys… Of course, I've gone through those chapters and you do a lot of work, you do a lot of self work and go, what's the why? It's happening for a reason.'
She added that her 'dear friend' tennis champion Serena Williams told her 'a lie can't live forever'.
The Duchess said: 'She told me years ago, a lie can't live forever. Eight years is a long time, but not forever.'
In her 2021 Oprah interview, Meghan said she could not be expected to stay silent if 'the Firm' 'is playing a part in perpetuating falsehoods' about her and Harry.
She also publicly singled out Kate as having made her cry in the run-up to her wedding and said it was important for people to 'understand the truth'.
It was a disagreement over flower girl dresses, but according to Harry's memoir this happened in 2018 in four days before the wedding, with Meghan saying the Palace failed to correct reports which said she left Kate in tears.
In the YouTube footage of the podcast, which was peppered with numerous ad breaks fronted by Grede, Meghan acknowleded her life now was 'very different' from when she was an actress.
She also addressed her recent twerking video, which showed her dancing to the Baby Mama song in a bid to bring on labour with Princess Lilibet, describing it as a reminder of a 'real authentic fun life.'
The Duchess said it felt liberating to back on social media where she can share things on her own terms.
'That wasn't yesterday. That was four years ago so it's also a really great reminder that with all the noise or whatever people do, there's still whole life, a real, authentic, fun life that's happening behind the scenes,' Meghan said.
'I'm just grateful that now, being back on social as well, I have a place where I can share it on my own terms.'
She added: 'It feels liberating.'
Grede asked Meghan: 'Would you ever do something just for the money?'
Meghan replied: 'I have turned down a lot of opportunities that do not feel value-aligned.
'It's very easy to say no, no matter the price, if you aren't gonna be able to sleep well at night.'
The Duchess was also asked whether she any sense of imposter syndrome, but she said she had no fear of failure.
'I don't feel imposter syndrome. I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be right now,' Meghan said.
She added: 'I don't see the possibility of failure, not when you can learn from everything you've done.'
Meghan also said she wanted to speak to Grede about diversifying her own brand into fashion at some stage.
The Duchess said: 'I think there'll certainly be a time for fashion. You and I can talk about that later.'
She also claimed in the podcast that she struggled to get acting roles early in her career because she is mixed race.
Meghan told how she would get plenty of auditions but was regularly rejected by directors - which was a 'lot to chip away at your self-esteem'.
The former actress, who eventually rose to fame in US legal drama Suits from 2011, said she was often put forward for 'girl next door' roles because she was 'half white'.
But she said these characters were 'typically blond-haired, blue-eyed and a certain look' – and if they 'had any sort of ethnicity, there was always a bit of an edge'.
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