Meghan Markle Debuts Podcast, Details Postpartum Struggles with Preeclampsia
April 8, 2025, 4:55 AM PDT — Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has launched her latest venture, the podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, with its first episode dropping Tuesday, April 8, via Lemonada Media. In a candid debut, the 43-year-old opened up about a “scary” postpartum health ordeal—revealing she suffered from postpartum preeclampsia after one of her pregnancies—while chatting with her first guest, Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd. The disclosure, paired with the podcast’s focus on female entrepreneurship, marks a bold return to audio storytelling for Markle, whose last series, Archetypes, ended with Spotify in 2023.
In the episode, Markle and Wolfe Herd, 35, bonded over their shared experience with the rare condition, which involves dangerously high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine post-delivery, per the Mayo Clinic. “We both had very similar experiences—though we didn’t know each other at the time—with postpartum, and we both had preeclampsia,” Markle said, per People. “It’s so rare and so scary. You’re still trying to juggle all these things, and the world doesn’t know what’s happening quietly.” She didn’t specify whether it followed the birth of her son, Archie, 5, or daughter, Lilibet, 3, whom she shares with Prince Harry. Wolfe Herd, a mother of two sons, called it “life or death, truly,” recalling Markle’s poised Archie debut in 2019: “I could barely face a doorbell delivery for takeout.”
The podcast, an eight-part series releasing weekly, sees Markle pivot from Archetypes’ stereotype-busting lens to exploring business-building with “notable female founders,” per Variety. Recorded from her Montecito home office—where Lilibet sometimes joins Zoom calls—it blends personal vulnerability with professional insight, a move praised by Lemonada co-founder Stephanie Wittels Wachs as “way more breakroom than boardroom.” Markle’s Instagram teaser promised “tips, tricks, and tumbles” as she grows her lifestyle brand, As Ever, which sold out its debut jam line in hours last week.
Fan reaction on X is mixed but fervent. Supporters cheered, with posts like “Meghan’s back and baring her soul—love this queen,” while detractors jabbed, “Another ‘all about me’ snooze fest.” The launch follows her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, renewed for a second season despite a 35% Rotten Tomatoes score, and comes amid Trump’s tariff-driven market chaos—a $5 trillion S&P 500 hit. Markle’s candidness about preeclampsia, which can lead to seizures or stroke if untreated, per the NHS, adds a raw edge to her entrepreneurial narrative, resonating as Nigeria’s First Lady donates N1 billion to fight cervical cancer. For now, Confessions signals Markle’s intent to reclaim her voice—one story at a time.
