This message comes from CBS.

Survivor 48 is here, and alongside it is a new season of On Fire with Jeff Probst,

the official Survivor podcast.

It's the only podcast that gives you inside access to Survivor.

New episodes are available every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts.

This is Fresh Air.

I'm Tanya Mosley, and my guest today is Melinda French

Gates. Five years ago, she stood at a crossroads. After 27 years of marriage to Microsoft

co-founder Bill Gates, she decided to walk away, not only from a relationship that it defined

much of her adult life, but eventually the philanthropic empire they built together.

Last spring, Melinda left the Gates Foundation,

the organization that had become the heartbeat of her professional identity.

In her new book, The Next Day, Transitions Change, and Moving Forward,

Gates reflects on these seismic shifts, not just the end of her marriage

or the reinvention of her public life, but the deeply personal evolution that came with those

transitions. She takes us inside the moments that have defined her, becoming a mother, grieving the

loss of one of her best friends, and grappling with the hard-earned lessons of

philanthropy. Melinda French Gates is the co-founder and former co-chair of the Gates Foundation,

the world's largest private charitable organization. She's also the founder of Pivotal Ventures,

which focuses on social progress for women and families in the United States. Melinda French

Gates, welcome to fresh air. Thanks for having me, Tanya. Melinda, I want to talk for a moment

about your philanthropic work because we all have been hearing about the ripple effects of the

...