‘We can’t afford to be hopeless:’ Former First Lady Michelle Obama, Alongside Brother Craig Robinson and Dr. Laurie Santos Address Crowd in Live “IMO” Taping at SXSW 2025
By Payton Cavanaugh
On Thursday, March 13th, former first lady Michelle Obama along with her brother, Craig Robinson, held a live podcast session at South by Southwest, 2025.
“Because she’s so iconic, people think I’m her little brother,” cracked Michelle’s older brother, Craig, “I call him the president of the ODC… the old dad’s club,” Michelle joked back.
Between playful banter that only the bond of two siblings could bring, Obama and Robinson brought forth heartfelt discussions on life, loss, and the importance of remembering the roots that raised you.
“It’s daunting to know that we have to step up in our family & be that wisdom,” said Obama as they recollected on the recent loss of their mother, Marian Robinson, preceded in death by their father, Fraser C. Robinson III.
In a conversation about handling adversity, the two recollected their childhood growing up with their dad, who suffered from multiple sclerosis.
“While we lived with that underlying level of uncertainty… We learned to deal with adversity by watching our father persevere. Our father, despite his disability, got up everyday and went to work,” said Obama, “He was resilient, and he was positive in his life. He was a joyful man because adversity was relative in our house… If you could live with honor and decency, who cares if you couldn’t walk… He saw the blessings.”
The pair began their podcast, “IMO” to offer candid conversations on life experiences, frequently bringing in guests to discuss the raw emotions of life’s moments. Today, they were joined by the director of Yale’s Comparative Cognition Laboratory, and host of The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos.
In an in-depth and emotionally raw discussion, they examined the mental health crisis in young adults, and the importance of finding the silver linings in a world that can sometimes seem dim.
“If we want to make changes we have to have the emotional bandwidth to do that, and to do that we have to find our light,” said Santos, “One of the ways to find a balance is just to realize that what we’re exposed to affects us” said Santos as they discussed the negative impacts of social media, “you can make the choice to put that away. We actually have more agency than we often remember.”
Obama shared more about her experience in the public eye during her time as the first lady, and how important it was to not allow social media commentary to bring you down.
“In our household we use the motto that going high is important… It’s easy to get on a big platform to rile people up and say hateful things… that’s the easiest way to lead. The strength and the power comes when you can harness that and understand that if you have a platform, you now have an obligation not to spread hate, bitterness, and anger” said Obama.
During the session, the pair took one question from the audience, which followed with a discussion of how young people can remain hopeful despite the endless stream of uncertainty.
Obama shared her experiences in the spaces where high stakes decisions are made.
“Yes there is large power… but the truth is that the small power that each of us has… outweighs anything some big leader somewhere can do,” asserted Obama, “We can’t afford to be hopeless.”
Through discussions of social media’s impact, to confidence and resilience in the face of adversity, she left the crowd with a call to remain hopeful, determined, and optimistic.
“That’s what makes me feel better.. Directing my energy at a real purpose,” said Obama.