Transcription
Oh, I just got the heat from that. I want the "With Love" take on. Why does this taste so good? What's so special about this? It's the squishy bun. It's the crunch in the onion. It's the texture of the meat. It's...They're perfect. It's kind of a perfect meal and I'm thrilled that you're having it with me. Yep.
This is me, in Santa Barbara devouring smash burgers with a Duchess. This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. One of the most talked about women in the world. You know, or you may think you know Meghan Markle the royal, the tabloid subject, the actress. Then there's what the media has told you about Meghan, the divider who traded the trappings of life in the monarchy for the comfy coast of California. But on this episode of The Circuit, we'll try to understand Meghan, the business woman. Just this year, she's launched a Netflix show, a podcast, and a lifestyle brand that sells jam, rose, and those much talked about flower sprinkles. It's a new chapter.
So fittingly our morning started with a walkthrough a bookstore, a location. in the latest season of her Netflix series. We talked big decisions for her business, And suddenly the conversation goes from a few thousand jars and lids to we need to do a purchase order order of a million. I got her response to feedback on her show, the good and the bad. Are they saying negative things and then secretly going home and making single skillet spaghetti? Possibly. And things got real, all before noon on a Tuesday.
When do you feel the least Duchess of Sussex? Oh my God. Sitting here eating a smashburger with you being asked these questions. The big question is, can Meghan have a second act as an entrepreneur and a taste maker? Can she succeed on her own terms? And will a highly skeptical world even let her? If you could choose one thing for people to know the truth about you, what would that one thing be? The one thing, oh gosh, what's the one thing?
Hi. Hi. This is my friend's place. This is Godmothers. It is so beautiful. Oh gosh. Yeah, it's, I mean, they did a spectacular job with it. This is their wall of godmothers who lit the way. I love it. Yeah. And you'll love the space in here. I mean, they have such a beautiful curation of fantastic books. Hi there. And the kids section upstairs is amazing. Yeah. Oh, I love a kid section. What's your guilty pleasure? Are you like a thriller? Oh my gosh. Trashy romance? Well, I spend so much time reading children's books and you have four kids? Yes, yes, I do, I do. So, you know, our kids are four and six, and so at the end of the night I do that. And then I haven't really, I haven't really gotten into a book in a long time. I know it's hard. I, I also read a lot of books, kids with parenting books. These books, parenting self-help. Yeah. Yeah. And then my late night indulgence now is just a lot of Duolingo. Do you ever do that? Oh, it's great. When I could find the time. What are you Duolingo-ing? I'm Duolingo-ing French. Yeah. I committed to relearning it. Oh my goodness. And so, Yeah, I'd love to do that. It's really fun.
So I saw that you were at the opening of this place with Oprah, and you talked about how bookstores felt like a safe space. Yeah. Tell me about that. You know, I think bookstores, you can find your story there. You can find some version of your story or what feels true to you in it. And within all those pages, it's just such a great space for discovery and I think that makes people feel safe. What can I get you today? Morning. I'd love a little latte. How are you doing? I'm doing good. How are you? Good. Great. And early. It's misty today. I know. What would you like? Can I get an oat milk chai tea latte? Of course, please. Yeah. Yeah. Great. All right, one. Thank you.
So what is it about Montecito? Like what made this place feel like home more than other places? Well, we moved here five years ago. Oh, we're just so happy because we can take our kids to school and have a really supported sweet life running around and doing the things that I think everyone maybe has part of your day to day, but if you don't think about what life would be like without those moments, right. It's easy to take them for granted. So I love it. We have such a beautiful embracing community. Yeah. And been able to really create and dream here. Yeah. All right. Coffee. Coffee. Yes. Yes. How important is it to own your own story? It's the most important thing in the world. Do you feel like you own your own story? I know I do. And if you know me, you know that I do. I think there are always going to be moments where you feel as though a story is being told about some caricature of you that actually has nothing to do with you. And that can be really hard to reconcile. Yeah. But I think the more comfortable you get with yourself, certainly age helps. I'll be 44. It's great It's great. It's great. And I, and I just think there really is a lot of value to when you anchor into your own knowing, then you're telling your own story. Yeah. You're telling your own story and how you show up in the world, what you do. You actually don't need to say anything. You can show who you are.
People think they know who you are. Your story has been told a thousand ways, but I wanna hear it from you. So when you were 11 years old, you protested an ad that you thought was sexist. Oh. And I found it. With Linda Ellerbee. Yes. I want you to watch it. Oh gosh. I remember these, my classmates too. Let's see, Commercial, and I knew something would be done because I was furious I still make that face. And I said, wait a minute, how could somebody say that? I think I'll write a letter I did. I wrote a few. Tell me about that girl and how she grew up. Yeah. I grew up in LA and I had a great childhood. That time was really fascinating because that day that we were watching that commercial at school was also when the LA riots were happening. And so you have this contrast of the city was going on lockdown, we're very young and don't fully understand what's going on. It was a very tense time in Los Angeles with race relations. And they put on the TV because all of us kids had to stay there until our parents could come and pick us up. That commercial happens to come on. And I remember, look, the boys in the classroom said, yeah, that's where women belong in the kitchen. And that's really what upset me. It was a very turbulent time in our city and a lot of uncertainty. But the one thing I was certain on, you know, in all of this was, that's wrong. Let's do something about it. And it was just so empowering to know that at a really young age, your voice could be heard, well before social media where everyone doesn't just have a soapbox. And then I went into middle school feeling very confident because I was able to affect change for good. That is to say that girl has been in you since the beginning. Yes. I think, I think our character, who we are at your core, I don't think that shifts, I think a lot of behaviors and habits and roles that you end up playing in your life can bring out the best or or worst in a lot of people, but you're still who you are.
Is there an inherent tension in trying to be relatable while also being a duchess? No, I don't find, I'm just being myself. So I think probably it was different several years ago where I couldn't be as vocal, and I had to wear nude pantyhose all the time. Let's be honest, that was not very myself. I hadn't seen pantyhose since movies in the eighties when they came in the little egg. That felt a little bit inauthentic. But that's a silly example. But it is an example of when you're able to dress the way you wanna dress and you're able to say the things that are true and you're able to show up in the space really organically and authentically, that's being comfortable in your own skin. And that's, of course, had different chapters in my life. But right now, no, I don't feel, I don't feel that I need to prove anything.
That said, Meghan and Harry are trying to establish themselves on new ground and they're taking some big swings. After coming to California. They dropped a hit tell all documentary series on Netflix. But a podcast Meghan launched with Spotify had a short run. She returned to the screen in March with a show "With Love, Meghan" where she alongside friends and celebrity guests, shares her tips for cooking, gardening and hosting. It was lit for a just released season two. What's your vibe on launch day? Are you zen or are you like gritting your teeth? Oh, no, no, no. Very zen. Yeah, because it's done. Yeah, It's done. So I think I, I sort of approach that with anything that I pour my heart into and create is you've done everything you can and then you have to let it go. How much preparation would go into a "With Love" shoot? Like are you memorizing recipes? Are you sharpening your knife skills? Are there hours of taste tests? It's a great question. A lot of prep and a huge crew, which I think people often forget. That was a crew of 80 people. So most of it in the pre-production was inspired by recipes that I love to make, who I was entertaining, and then test it all out. Yeah, it's a lot. The show hit the Top 10. Yeah. Globally, globally. And yet there were mixed reviews. I watched every episode of the Meghan Markle Netflix show. So you don't have to me, Today my guest is a dear friend who I've known for about 20 years. So welcome in Fabian Meghan, right? Yeah, Meghan. Right. I saw so many people recreate her recipe. So like, where's the hate coming from? How did that land for you? I think I knew who I was trying to meet. And so if you know your audience, you know your demographic well, they love the show, and my partners love the show, and that's why we have a season two and why we have more fun coming. So I think oftentimes the negative voices, are they saying negative things and then secretly going home and making single skillet spaghetti possibly. And that's all right. They're trying to pay their bills, and that's for them to sort out if they're comfortable doing it at someone else's detriment. From my standpoint, the intention of the show was to share more of myself, to share tips that I love in my life and to have fun.
But there's this take that you're glorifying homemaking or glorifying trad wives. Oh, really? That feels odd to me. Yeah. How do you respond to that? That feels odd to me. I mean, I, I hadn't heard that, but I am really unapologetic about the fact that I though, would it be lovely to go and churn your own butter? Sure. Maybe I don't have time for that. I don't have time for that. And I don't think you get an extra gold star if you do that. So for me, a lot of it is how do you show up thoughtfully? I don't have time to make dinner every night. I wish I did. I don't have time for that. I'm great at ordering takeout and plating it beautifully and look, and yes, do I have small things where even on my kids' plates, I wipe the side of the plate. Someone might go, oh my gosh, that's so ridiculous. For me, that's two seconds where I get to present something that looks a little bit more beautiful. I have absolutely no judgment on trad wives. If that works for them, then they should do it. But for me, I think there is an in-between. And joy for me comes in finding that sweet spot in the middle.
This year, alongside her Netflix series, Meghan made her first move into online retail with, As Ever. It's an evolution of her passion for lifestyle content, which dates back to The Tig, a blog she launched in 2014 that touted fashion, beauty, and travel tips. That shut down shortly after she started dating a prince. Meghan wouldn't share sales figures for As Ever, but so far, most of its inventory has quickly sold out as ever. As Ever is also cooking. Just had another launch. Yes. The rose sold out also in, in less than an hour, 44 minutes. I was, I was shocked. How do you keep up with demand? When you sell out that quickly? You actually, it's a double-edged sword because it's an incredible thing to happen for any small business and any startup. And at the same time, you don't get the same metrics and learnings about which SKUs and products are the most coveted because it's all gone immediately. So then we prepped for the second seasonal drop and 10x'd our inventory and thought for sure, for sure, that would at least last for a couple weeks. That sold out in a couple hours. And suddenly the conversation goes from, at the start of this year, talking about a few thousand jars and lids, to we need to do a purchase order order of a million. And that's a huge jump in just a few months of starting a business. And the plan is to go global. Yes. Yes. Absolutely.
How long does it take to develop each product? What's that process like? Oh goodness. I, I exas, I'm exasperated in some ways by that, only because it is such a tedious proposition to scale your own home recipe to something at mass and maintain the same, not just quality, but the same flavor that you're able to do at home. And I think any home cook would say that if you say, great, can you make your cobbler that I love? I said, great. Of course I can make my cobbler great. Can you make a million cobblers? Can you teach someone how to make a million cobblers that tastes just like the one that you have at home? I also have to be conscious of, you know, people who really understand canning can say the Brix method when you're going at scale. I mean, now I'm gonna get a little nerdy, yeah, yeah. and jammy with you. I can tell the details, but there's a lot of detail in it. There's lots of tiny nuances that I don't think people would think about. And then make sure that it can come out the way that feels reflective of what I make at home.
What about pricing? Like how did you determine your pricing strategy? Like what are the margins? Yes. The pricing, I think, is key from my standpoint. I know where I came from. I remember being in high school and having my afterschool job. And all I wanted to do was save up to buy a shirt that said Bebe. Yes. Right. That just said a Bebe. And if you could get the one with the rhinestone Bebe you really made it. And my, I always think about that version of me who, there might be a brand or a person that you look up to and you wanna have a piece of what they're sharing in the world. And that can't be something that is out of price range. That can't be something that is so aspirational you're never gonna be able to afford it. So there is something I think really important in that the first hero product was this $9 jar of jam, which my 15-year-old self would've been able to buy. And then after you finished the jam, you could use that to put your flowers in it, little jar or your pens on your desk. And I liked the idea of having something that just felt signature in that way. And keepsake packaging and affordable Celebrity brands are all the rage right now. What's gonna make yours stand out? I think the authenticity is probably what will help it stand apart. Also, the price point. I think certainly when we're looking at economically what's happening right now, you really want things to be in a range that people can still have a piece of whatever ends up happening with our economy more than anything. I've just poured so much love into this brand. And I, I would say the same for so many of these celebrities who probably have dreamed of something for a long time. And at at the same time, when they see it come to fruition for a lot of them, are they writing copy and doing all these things? Maybe they are, which I think is incredible. Everyone is putting out something unique in the world, even if it feels like there's a million tequilas. I'm sure they all have a different point of view in some regard. And I really do believe that a high tide raises all boats. I believe that. I think there's room for all of us. It's a very crowded room.
Celebrities like Rihanna, Selena Gomez and Ryan Reynolds built billion dollar businesses by capitalizing on their fame to influence consumer behavior. It's creating something of an entrepreneurial arms race. In Hollywood, the most popular verticals are beauty, fashion and alcohol. Meghan's rose, while getting good reviews, is joining a pretty packed celebrity shelf. To build a brand that endures beyond the viral launch. Some celebs have partnered with operators or raised capital from outside investors. Meghan is taking a different approach. The Netflix of it all. You have a really unique relationship with them. How does it work? Like, take us behind the curtain. Sure. Who has the last word? Creatively? They're, they very graciously said, no, this is your baby and this is your brand. So all creative decisions and final decisions like that end up with me. The CPG division might be newer for a lot of people to hear about. They have been doing that with a lot of shows and brands that they've had and been in the consumables territory and market. Stranger Things, they've introduced a line of ice creams or pizzas. So they have a lot of incredible suppliers and manufacturers that they are comfortable working with. And then I'm able to try the products, work with their, those teams as well. And then sort of green light While you can go to Netflix's website and buy Bridgerton pickleball paddles or Squid Game Plushies, Meghan's jam inspired brand is not just an extension of her series, but a separate standalone business.
Do you have any backers other than Netflix Or are you looking for other investors - At the moment? No. Netflix is my partner and investor. - Why not raise money on your own? You know, where you might have more control, you might have more financial upside. That - Had been my plan and, and I thought that it would be great just to build out my own team and really do it purely on my terms. But then I also would say Netflix made a really compelling sell. We began our relationship with Netflix five years ago, purely as a production company with R 12 productions. And we've managed to have some wonderful shows and docuseries that we're really proud of. And then with the evolution of our partnership now is them doubling down in their supportive as ever.
Just days after this interview, Netflix announced that following its initial five-year, $100 million deal with Harry and Meghan, they've signed a reportedly far less lucrative first-look deal, similar to the Obama's. Her ever present critics seem to view this as yet another setback, but really what it means is Harry and Meghan can shop their shows elsewhere if Netflix doesn't bite. Recently released viewership. numbers reveal "With Love, Meghan" did hit the top 10 initially, but ultimately only had 5.3 million views and ranked 383rd on Netflix's watch list A season three is TBD. But Netflix is promising a holiday special with Meghan and will continue to back As Ever. Meghan said in a statement that she and Harry are proud of the new deal, which celebrates their shared vision.
So what is the grand vision for, As Ever? Like what do you want it to be? What don't you want it to be? I don't want it to feel generic. I don't want it to feel cookie cutter. I don't want it to feel, I don't want it to feel like it was phoned in. And I know that you, it would be impossible to feel that way. 'cause I know how much time I spent on it from soup to nuts. But I want it to be something that people feel excited to have in their home. And especially that people feel excited to gift. So what is the path to profitability? The scaling is gonna be key. And certainly shifting out of D2C, not necessarily into brick and mortar of our own, but in finding the right retail partners that make sense to be on the shelves. Do you wanna see it at Target or Williams Sonoma or? I think a, a key retail partner is going to be very valuable. And also look, if you look at the categories, it might not just be one. We might have exclusivity in certain ones that make sense for the consumables, but as you expand into candles or things throughout the home, where do those live? That it makes sense.
So between the show and As Ever, the podcast, it's been a busy year. It's been a busy year. You were off social media for years and now you're back on. Do you feel like you're sort of launching a new you or rebranding yourself? No, I think, how funny, no, I think I finally get to share the me that's been here for so long that people maybe haven't had the same visibility to coming back on Instagram was a really big decision. But also it's just been joyful. And I'm really intentional in using it as a platform to share joy and to have fun as well. And so I, I get to play and explore. I just, yeah, I play in public.
Meghan has now spent nine years on a very public, often unrelenting world stage. In 2018, she was the most Googled person in the world, for better or for worse. My wife in 2018 was the most trolled person in the world. So that, so there was, there was a lived experience in that, but at no point we suddenly think, okay, well let's go on, Let's, you know, let's take, take this industry on. Do you feel like it's hard to sort of show your whole self I waffle with some of my choices before I make them? I'm generally very decisive, but social media is a great barometer for this for me, because putting out a video of myself, nine months pregnant was a really big choice. But I also wanted people to see themselves in my story and our story. And to be able to show that with all the noise that might happen in the world on a day-to-day basis, real life is still happening behind the scenes, really real life. But you put that out there and some people like they, they tear it apart, You know? I'm sure they did. I don't know. But I also protect myself from seeing that.
It's been interesting preparing for this interview because every day you search for your name and there's like a thousand different new stories about, a thousand different things. Yes. And so. But I have, but I guess the distinction there is those people don't know me and they're not talking about me. And that's a really hard place to come to, to terms with. Yeah. But that's the truth. So if you can really compartmentalize it and go, oh, right, there is a very, very powerful machine and it's all about generating income. Those stories aren't just appearing because it's fun. Clickbait has a huge financial implication. And so if I'm part of an SEO and that gets them more clickbait, then yes, they're incentivized to churn out as many stories false or damaging or whatnot to feed the beast, because that's paying them. And I think a lot of people forget the economic element of it. And I think from my standpoint, that's why I don't look at it. It would be very hard to see anything about yourself that isn't true. But equally, it's not me that they're talking about. It's some caricature they've had to create to get clicks. And I'm very clear on the difference between the two.
Do you feel like you have to be perfect? Do you feel like you have to curate what you show us or be a more polished version of the Meghan that you, that you are like, you know, just at home putting your feet up on the couch? I did. I did feel that for a while. I felt a lot of pressure to, even though I wasn't seeing it, you could feel the energy of it. So you feel a lot of pressure to go, is this hair out of place? I bet it is, but I'm okay with it. Is, is someone gonna say something about anything? Probably prob, once you make peace with the fact that they're gonna say something about anything, and that's a hard place to get where you can make peace with that, then I think you just settle into being yourself. But whether you're high profile or not, it's hard to be a teenager. It's hard to be in your twenties. It's hard to be a mom for the first time. Every chapter, we're figuring it out for the first time, every single chapter. And then you layer in just the natural change that happens as we get older. I don't think there's anything valuable about trying to be perfect. Perfect doesn't exist. And I guess my version of the closest thing to perfection would be being really comfortable in your own skin. And I do think that comes with time.
And with that, it felt like a perfect time for some fresh air. Megan tipped us off to a great local spot where we continued the conversation from raising kids, to the state of the world, and what's really in a name? Well, a lot apparently. Have you heard of this place? I haven't. I'm excited. I would love an IPA and then I'm having the jalapeno cheeseburger. I'll have a regular smash. Yeah, a cheese, cheeseburger smash. Regular, regular smashburger smashed cheeseburger. Here's our number. Thank you. Okay. So Yum. I know, I think you're gonna love it. I'm hungry and thirsty, so this is perfect. Well, you're in the right place. All right. Cheers.
So, I mean, obviously this is a quieter town. Can you actually get a drink in peace? Yes. Yeah, we go out a lot. I love it. We, I go out my girlfriends for dinner and lunches and obviously my husband and I have a lot of date nights 'cause it's important. But yeah, we go out a lot in our community in Montecito and in Santa Barbara. And people are just really friendly. Are there any tricks to being incognito? No, we're not trying to be incognito. Okay. Different chapter. But if you had total anonymity for a month, what would you do? I would go grocery shopping every day. I miss grocery shopping so much, though I'm very much on Instacart. I would do that. I would travel in a different way. I used to travel so much and we can, but it has a lot of layers. So I would just backpack and road trip and be able to be a little bit more spontaneous.
I was talking with Melinda French Gates about how we're living in such a charged time right now and sometimes it feels like no one is speaking up and that, you know, people aren't using their voices 'cause it's scary to speak up. And she said, I don't think the voices are gone. They're just quietly strategizing. The quiet part of the song is still part of the song. What do you think of the direction our country is going in? I think right now it's a really interesting time for the entire world. I just hope that people are able to maintain the values that they feel are important to them and to feel safe and, and to remember our humanity with each other in all of it. Like how, however polarized the world can be or feel. You go back to the fact that we're human beings and try to find the way that we can connect versus feel divided. I think that's the only way through whatever can feel trying.
On that note, you, you know, you talked about growing up in LA Chaos erupts here in LA County, widespread immigration raids, triggering protests. How does it feel to see your town simultaneously under threat and fighting back? I've seen my town like that a lot over the years. LA has always been so resilient. That's what I know my hometown to be. And so this to me, while it's a different version of what we've experienced, I think the strength of the people in LA coming together has always been paramount. That's not new. You're in a unique position. I saw you do an interview in 2016 and you had some choice words for, for President Trump. I think it was in 2012, like the Republican party lost a female vote by 12 points. That's a huge number. And with as misogynistic as Trump is and so vocal about it, right, that's a huge chunk of it. You're not just.. Are there things you're dying to say or do right now that you feel like you can't? No, I just make a choice of what matters to me and what's important to me. And that was a, a different time in 2016, certainly. But no, I mean, I, what was that, the Larry Wilmore show? Yes. I was so excited to have that. I was so excited to be able to go on that show at the time. Yeah, no, I think, hi, how are you? Very good, thank you. Thanks for having us. Okay, thank you. I've got a Classic and jalapeno, I'm a classic. Okay. Thank you. Perfect. There we go. Thank you. So I got some napkins from you. Yeah, thank you. Okay, we'll wait for the napkins just to be on the safe side. I'll let you finish your answer. Of course. It was a different time. I was excited to be on the show and I think if there's anything that I wanted to say or that felt necessary to say than I would say it, but that's not where I'm at right now. I don't think I've, I haven't said anything since 2016. That was well before I met my husband too. Alright, well here we go. Shall we try the burger? Yes, we can. Here, we can do a burger. You do You want a napkin? Okay. You're gonna want, you're wearing all white. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Appreciate it. I hope you Enjoy. Oh, it's gonna be great. Do you see what they do there? And there's giant pickles. Look at my jalapenos. See? Wow. Yeah, Okay. Okay. Mm. Well, you asked earlier about you feel the pressure to be real. We're human, we eat. Yeah. It's not always gonna be elegant and beautiful, but it's gonna be delicious. We lick our fingers. Wow. Yes. Okay.
So what else? You have lots of burning questions. I have lots of burning questions. What have you learned about yourself since becoming Sussex? Well, interesting. What I learned about myself is no matter what my name is or what people call me, I'm still the same person. So that didn't really, that didn't change who I am. And maybe that's probably the biggest distinguishing factor. Give me a tutorial on royal naming conventions. So like, are you Meghan Sussex? Are you Meghan Duchess of Sussex? Is Markle even on your passport anymore? Is it, we don't use that term anymore. Well, when I got married I changed my name. Yeah. But it's, it's a complicated one for people to understand because a last name is not typical in that construct. I think we expect a last name. But is that a last name or is that actually It's not, but it's, it's used roughly or loosely rather. It sounds so silly to say. And I get it because I'm American. And then I went there and I started to understand, then you come back and as an American, you go, I'm so confused. Yeah, it's a dukedom. A dukedom. That's a new word for me. It's, it's a dukedom. Okay. So, but that's, that's the truth of it. But at the end of the day, you know. Yes. So my legal name is Meghan Duchess of Sussex, but Sussex for us works as our family name and it's the name that we share with our children. Okay. But yes, since we've been married, that's what I've been called. Do you like this? Yeah, I do. I usually see me staring at your necklace. You just totally called me out and I'm definitely not the only one. Taking note of Meghan's fashion choices, there's a blog called What Meghan Wore that's been tracking her outfits and accessories for fans. Ever since her relationship with Prince Harry went public. On one occasion, Meghan's sporting a bracelet spiked an 11,000% increase in sales for the company that made it. There's even a term for this, the Meghan Effect. I don't know if you've heard about this one, but I've heard about that one. This concept that you can transform a small business by wearing or using their products. How do you make decisions about what to wear, what to feature, knowing that you can have that level of impact? It's hugely flattering. And it's also, I take it seriously, up until then there was always speculation on what I might be wearing. And then you'd find different media outlets would put it up with their affiliate sales and, and they might sell out on a shirt. But it wasn't the shirt of that female founder that I was choosing to support. And that was really interesting for me because a lot of my choices, especially when I wasn't using my voice as often, my fashion choices were decisive. And they were really designed to uplift a lot of smaller brands that people might not know about. Especially female founded brands and designers. So from my standpoint, even having shop my on Instagram has been a interesting exploration because I'm able to say these are the actual brands and people can find what they're looking for if they wanted to emulate the style.
I mean, there's speculation. You wanna get into hospitality. Are there, like in what way? Hotels. Oh gosh. Restaurants, beauty, fashion. What's on the horizon? No, that's a lot of stuff. I do not at this moment have any aspiration of getting into hotels and hospitality. That's the first I've heard that one. I'm open to the possibilities of what can happen. Certainly in the expansion of, As Ever, I would not put beauty or fashion out of the mix. I think those are things that people associate with me and it's categories that I really love. I just wanted to start with something that felt a little bit closer to home. You've been doing some angel investing? Yes. I saw that you called it Dolphin Tank. Oh. As opposed to Shark Tank. Well, I love Shark Tank by the way, don't get me wrong. I love watching that show. I just wanted to approach it with friendly waters. Yeah. Well there are sharks out there. Let's be honest. Yes. How do you learn to swim with the great whites? Oh, so eloquent. So cinematic as well. I'm just really, really considered in my approach of who I want to invest in and work with, specifically women at different generations. Equally, it's not just the concept that I'm investing in, it's the founder and really knowing how I can be valuable for them. My association with the brand, yes, it might, it might have that effect and, but I wanna be more valuable than just the clickbait version. I wanna be able to bring really sound investors to their cap table. I wanna be able to open up their network for them. I wanna be able to be a soundboard and a, and just a place for advice and to help them grow.
Do you and Harry do deals together? Yes, absolutely. What's the sort of working together strategy? What do we both believe in? What do we think is really gonna move the needle? My husband served 10 years in the military. He's obviously very minded about how we show up and do good, how we can be of service. And he looks at it through, through different lenses as well. So kind of concentric circles. What's the bigger strategy like are you looking at AI or biotech or e-commerce or AI? Man, I aren't you a little bit scared from my AI? Just a little. We have to be just a little, I mean, we have to make peace with it though. The world is changing. Our lives are changing. So there's certain things that I just don't know enough about to want to jump in with both feet. But yes, I mean, when it comes to women, finance, healthcare, and tech, yes. I mean, that is the world that we live in.
Are you using AI? I, you know, last week someone talked about ChatGPT which of course everyone's talking about ChatGPT hadn't experienced it before. I'm shocked. I'm a little bit vintage in many ways because I'm from a time capsule of handwritten notes and putting a stamp on a letter and mailing it. And it's not something that is part of my day-to-day. But you have to imagine Siri not on my phone. I don't have location services. There are things like that that I'm, I'm not caught up in the day-to-day tech things that most people are. But yeah, I'm sure it will end up being a part of our life in some capacity. How could it not? AI recipes? I mean, AI recipes are huge. Thumbs up or thumbs down? This is new. Oh yeah. You can say I have, you know, these five things in my fridge Oh wow. What should I make? No, what you should do is read Tom Colicchio's. Think Like a Chef, which is one of the best books written by a chef, frankly, because it teaches you, oh, I don't want, I don't want people to lose critical thinking. I don't want people to lose critical thinking. I think it's great if AI can help with recipes, but I also would encourage people in the same way that I do. Cooking can be so playful and life can be so serious. And if you can find a moment where you can play a little bit, I think your day will probably be a little bit better.
You've talked about how important it is to be financially literate, especially for women to be absolutely financially literate. You know, talk a little bit about your own journey around money learning how to make it, learning how to manage It certainly as an auditioning actor, you are paycheck to paycheck, so you're very mindful about how you spend. But I grew up clipping coupons. I grew up looking for deals and the sale rack, I always worked. I mean, my first job was when I was 13 at a frozen yogurt shop called Humphrey Yogart. And I've had a lot of jobs over the years. And when you work really hard, you value, you value what you've earned. So I think that translates into how I invest. It translates into how I spend what I teach my children. And I think it's incredibly important for young women especially to have a sense of why it matters for her to earn her own money and to be able to be financially independent. That's not about anything other than being self-reliant. And the more that you're able to take care of yourself, especially as a woman, then you're making practical choices in your life that are not hindered by a need. Being met by someone external, taking care of yourself is so key. And it's the most empowering thing in the world. We actually did our first lemonade stand this weekend. My daughter was asking for it and I think they learned a lot. They're like, oh, this isn't so easy As, I love that you did that. Now you're gonna have your sticky fingers. Yes. Every weekend making lemonade.
We all want our kids to grow up in better circumstances than we did. And your kids are going to live in totally different circumstances than you did. Yes. How do you reconcile that? We normalize as much as we can, but also we're such hands-on parents and it matters so much to both of us. Being a parent matters so much to my husband. Being a parent matters so much to me. And so there's no version of that where in spite of all of the privilege that our children have access to and the life that they have and the opportunities that they'll be given and that they'll work for. I think from our standpoint, it all comes back to values. What do we wanna raise? Yeah, great human beings, kind people present and aware citizens, people who wanna help the world and make things better. And where does that start? That starts in your kitchen, in your home. Being a part of that starts with taking your plate to the sink and contributing and not expecting that things will just be taken care of for you or handed to you.
At some point they're Gonna be able to read what's been written. Like. Do you think about that moment? Do you worry about that moment? I think about it, but at the same time I think my, my children know that I will tell them the truth. And also I would caveat that by saying the truth based on what they can carry in that moment. But also our children get to see the example of who we are as human beings every single day. Yeah. So I know that will be informed by whatever they end up reading, but equally they have the same great community that we do. Is there anything you want for your kids that's different than what you and Harry have had? Like especially when it comes to family? Oh yeah. I want them to have the fullness of life and family and support in a way that we have had and that we do have in many ways. And also I want them to be able to carve out the life that they want for themselves. And that will very much be, not necessarily mimicking, but that'll be very much reflective of the choices my husband and I have made.
Hardest question of the day. On a busy night, what is your go-to easy kids meal? Oh, that's so easy. That's so easy. On the longest day where there is no time and you don't want any fuss. Frozen chicken nuggets, frozen tater tots, they both go in the toaster oven. My daughter loves macaroni and cheese, so one of the ones from Annie's quickly whip that up. I do put in some chia seeds or flax and then some broccoli from the garden. They're great about that. I'll say, can you go pick it if you don't? Yes. If you're like, I don't have broccoli for my children to go and pick. That's fine. Take the bag of broccoli from your fridge and I just quickly toss it in with the pasta water at the last couple minutes so it gets a little bit done. Okay. That's it. Alright.
So since you mentioned frozen, you gave me the perfect segue. We brought you some Humphrey Yogart. Oh my god. How does it still exist? It still exists. It still exists. That is wild. So this was your first job, huh? Yes, but it was very inventive at the time because you could take a base flavor. This is sweet vanilla, tart, vanilla and chocolate. I can tell by the colors. Yeah. And you could blend the toppings into it so you would make your own flavor profile. I'm a tart vanilla girl. Yeah, I think it, it's a, it's a really great one. Oh my god. You don't like it? No, I love it. Sorry, I'm making a face. That was my, we take it home. That was my tart face. Did the girl who scooped this ever think she'd be here? No. No. What does she think now that she's here? Life is full of surprises. Yeah. And you can't, you cannot predict anything. You genuinely can't. I just wanted to be on a TV show that would run for 10 seasons and I would've been, but I left at seven seasons because I fell in love. Yeah. So, you know, I just am grateful for where I'm at today.
When do you feel the least Duchess of Sussex? Oh my God. Sitting here eating a smashburger with you being asked these questions. Okay. What have you learned about how you navigate the tough stuff, the tension, the conflict, the things you didn't necessarily ask for? Sure. I think everyone needs to know who their closest friends are that they can trust where the right soundboard can be. I have an amazing partner, so that obviously is very helpful no matter what you're going through. I think it would be very, very challenging to navigate it in a silo and to rely on the support that you have around you to be able to get through things.
Meghan's got a lot of things to get through that are completely unprecedented and so far unresolved. But she also has a lot of things going for her as she grows her business. The real test will be getting beyond the initial hype and criticism to build and scale a sustainable business. It's not just about having a good product and good execution. A celebrity brand is only as strong as the celebrity's image it's built on. Fairly or unfairly, people have a lot of opinions about Meghan Inc. Perhaps she can harness all the attention, welcome or not, to sell a vision that seems to connect to her truth. That she really does just love to jam in the kitchen. The hard part may not be getting customers to buy it, but to believe it.
If you could choose one thing for people to know the truth about you, what would that one thing be? No one's ever asked me that. What a great question. The one thing, oh gosh. What's the one thing? Oh gosh. I just, you know, I, I think when I sit with it for a second here, I just want people to know that I'm a real person. And I think a lot of that gets lost in what can be super dehumanizing. When you look at the clickbait culture and how much is written about someone, it's like, no, my friends have to read those things. Like I have real best friends, the same one since I was 17. You know, like I'm a real mom. I have to go and I choose to go and do school pickup and drop off. But I do that under a landscape that is created that forgets that I'm a real person. And how would you want someone to treat a real person in your life that you cared about or loved or respected? And so there's something about that I think that often gets lost. And even though earlier I was saying you can compartmentalize, like I say, that's a caricature. Yes. But my kids will see those magazines and we all know mom's gossip. And so I, I have to make a choice to move through the world as myself in spite of all the noise that's created. But maybe there would be less noise if people remembered that I'm a real person. You're a real person. Yeah. I can say I'm here and I can attest. Pinch me. I'm real. She's real. She's a real person. This is, yeah. This is one of my favorite. Gosh, we're just knocking books everywhere. It's yummy. We're just, it's Just that one book too. Everywhere. Okay.
Is it okay to be a girl boss? I feel like that was such an of the moment. Term and word. Yeah. And I don't know, I think you wouldn't say, are you being a boy boss? You're just a boss. Do you need me to hold for sound? The birds? No, that was great. I love that answer. The bird song is great though. It's so Montecito Beauty and the It's a Beauty and the Beast. Oh, but it's true. You wouldn't say that. And so I don't know why we have to attribute our womanness to any role that we're taking. Specifically when it comes to business. It's okay to be a boss no matter who you are. Got that.