Michelle Obama brought IMO to SXSW London with her brother, Craig Robinson, and used the live podcast taping to talk about impostor syndrome, parenting, and the way people learn to handle pressure.
The former first lady and Robinson recorded IMO With Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson on June 2 at the Truman Brewery on the SXSW London Stage. The festival described the session as a live recording built around personal stories, leadership, and everyday challenges.
Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, hit #SXSWLondon for a live recording of their podcast ‘IMO’! 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/rmevZLQRw1
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 2, 2026
Obama Talked About Impostor Syndrome in Powerful Rooms
One of the most quoted parts of the session came when Obama discussed impostor syndrome.
According to The Guardian, Obama said she had sat “at every powerful table there is” and had seen many women, minorities, and people from underrepresented backgrounds question whether they belonged there.
She said she wanted to “demystify” what those rooms are like, adding that many people who are qualified still sit there feeling like impostors.
Obama also said she had not heard powerful white men talk about impostor syndrome in the same way, a line that quickly became the most widely circulated quote from the SXSW London appearance.
She Used Childhood Alarm Clocks as a Parenting Example
Obama also talked about how she and Robinson were raised.
The Guardian reported that Obama said their parents made them take responsibility for getting themselves up for school from about age five, including using an alarm clock.
She compared that with what she described as “helicopter parenting,” where adults try to prevent children from experiencing failure, fear, or frustration.
Obama said that too much intervention can send children the message that they cannot manage without an adult stepping in. She said her parents gave her and Robinson food and care, but did not try to manage every high and low in their lives.
IMO Gives Obama and Robinson a Sibling Format
IMO is built around Obama and Robinson answering listener questions with personal stories, advice, and humor.
The podcast’s official site says the siblings are joined by guests each week to respond to questions about “life and the everyday challenges” listeners are facing.
That format gives Obama a looser public setting than a campaign speech, book event, or formal interview. Robinson brings the conversation back to their Chicago childhood, their parents, and the family habits that shaped both of them before politics became part of the story.
The Live Taping Fits Her Media Work After the White House
Obama’s post-White House work has included books, speaking events, podcasts, and productions through Higher Ground, the media company she founded with former President Barack Obama.
The Guardian noted that Higher Ground has produced work including Rustin, Crip Camp, Ada Twist, Scientist, Waffles + Mochi, and Leave the World Behind.
The SXSW London session kept that media work in a more personal lane. Obama was not announcing a campaign, a new office, or a formal policy project. She and Robinson used the live podcast taping to answer questions about confidence, responsibility, and the way children learn to trust themselves.