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IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson

Trust Your Kids with Mara Brock Akil

IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson

Higher Ground

Relationships, Society & Culture, Education, Self-improvement

4.49.1K Ratings

🗓️ 22 October 2025

⏱️ 73 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On today’s episode, Girlfriends and Forever creator Mara Brock Akil joins Michelle and Craig to talk about her incredible career, and how her children have inspired her current projects. The group discusses navigating the teen and early adult years, giving their teenagers more freedom, and figuring out how to build and improve on your personal foundation. Plus, Mara spills on the possibility of a Girlfriends movie!


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Transcript

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0:00.0

Well, there are a lot of young black people that they get into college and they've never had a boyfriend or girlfriend.

0:08.0

I don't think that's healthy. I totally agree with you. I don't think. And a lot of that comes from being in all white environments as black kid.

0:15.6

Not to be felt like someone who likes you, even if it's for a week. Yes. There's no memory of a mutual desire and how to negotiate those feelings.

0:26.6

There's no place for them to even practice those practice that we're talking about.

0:30.6

I always thought that black boys had it easier.

0:33.3

This is my ignorance because I grew up with daughters.

0:41.6

Yeah. this is my ignorance because I grew up with daughters. This episode is brought to you by Rivian.

0:46.7

You got on your island wear.

0:48.7

I got my vineyard wear on.

0:50.3

Well, howdy-duty.

0:51.9

How you doing?

0:52.4

I'm good. I'm good.

0:54.0

We are in this beautiful barn.

0:57.6

On Martha's Vineyard.

0:58.6

Up Island in Chilmark.

1:01.0

And it's just a beautiful, beautiful place to record.

1:06.4

And would you do me the favor of explaining Up Island like you explained it to me because I was thinking up meant over, but up actually means up.

1:14.6

Up met high. This is the higher elevation of the island. So you have more rocky cliffs over the ocean. If there are beaches, they are rocky and sandy, whereas, you know, down island where

1:29.0

Edgartown, Oak Bluffs are, it's flatter, it's more, you know, the elevation is closer to the

1:34.7

ocean.

1:35.4

So, you know, it's sort of the sandier beaches, beaches are there.

1:39.7

So we are up island.

...

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