Television personality, activist, mother, and wife to Canada’s Prime Minister, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau discusses her battle with eating disorders, why nature and art play such a huge role in her life, and what unites us as people.
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It is my pleasure to welcome Sophie Grégoire Trudeau to the Knowledge Project. You might recognize her name as the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but that’s almost a side note. Sophie was an accomplished TV personality for years prior to being thrust into the political spotlight, and has long been involved and highly active in charitable organizations that focus on gender equality, women’s rights and mental health. Sophie continues to use her platform to promote positive change in the world.
Regardless of how you lean politically, you’ll draw some powerful lessons from this interview. (In fact, we don’t discuss anything political at all.) Sophie has so much wisdom, kindness and love to share, that it’d be a shame to miss it. This is by far the most intimate interview I’ve ever done. I think you’ll find, as I did, that Sophie’s passion for life, honest authenticity, and deep desire to connect with other human beings is contagious. Let’s hope it spreads far and wide.
Here are a few highlights from our discussion:
The biggest lesson my mummy taught me. I think through her journey it has been the lesson of self love. To be able to see yourself as you truly are, and to be able to accept yourself as you truly are. That is probably the biggest gift a human can benefit from on all levels.
It’s normal, it’s like we’ve normalized this obsession with our non condition. I try to go back to that as much as possible. We’re pulled in so many different directions that it’s tough for, especially young people to find their center. A lot of people say, “Just be yourself.” What does that mean?
I think we live in an era where it’s time to actually speak our truth, and break open and open our hearts and say, “How do you feel? Tell me the truth. Let’s stop putting our heads into the sand, and let’s talk about the real stuff.”
I don’t like to see mistakes as mistakes. They’re opportunities for growth when you see them as opportunities for growth.
People are thirsty for authenticity, truth, connection, intimacy. I think we’re all thirsty for that. A baby comes into the world needing that immensely.
For the ones who can’t save themselves, we need to create what I like to call a tightly knit social net. Where people feel safe to fall back. To know that somewhere along the way, there’s going to be human arms that are compassionate to catch them. That’s what makes me believe that we can make this world better. Even with all that’s happening right now.
I think that nature has allowed us to be present as human beings in ways that you can’t be as present in other contexts. I am in awe all the time, of the subtle intelligence of nature. Which is greater than ours, in many ways. It nourishes us, and not everybody has the time to go for a half hour hike, or walk in nature you know, during the day. But five minutes could do the trick.
Spring to me is interesting, because it’s not beautiful, the transition. It’s not beautiful. That’s kind of a lesson. Transitions are not always beautiful within ourselves, they’re tough. It’s muddy out there, it’s muddy inside. So, I see Spring as a time of revelation, and life is getting back into its shape. And the flowers and everything are starting to grow again.
Every time we open up, it’s a gift. There will always be opposition and people who will judge. But, most people want you to tell your truth.
When you look at the state of the world, you can get totally depressed. But when you actually meet those thousands and millions of individuals who believe in peace and justice, and goodness, you know that a different way is possible. Because you see it happen, everywhere. On the ground, in companies, you know?
I think that we are much more creative than we are thought to be. That we teach ourselves that you have to be an artist to be creative. I really don’t believe that. I think human relationships can be the most, the deepest exploration of our creativity. It doesn’t have to be art.
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