News feed
Credit: Getty Images
By Samantha Brett & Steph Adams
When news broke about Prince Harry dating Suits actress Meghan Markle, we were flabbergasted. Not for the same reasons as the rest of the world, (she was relatively unknown, devoid of any royal blood and an actress!) but because only weeks before the headlines ricocheted around the world, Markle had signed off on not only being a part of our new how-to coffee table book for women titled The Game Changers, but she’d even agreed to appear on the cover!
The idea for the book came from us both having access to some incredible women around the world through our day jobs (Samantha as a news reporter; Steph as a global influencer and creative director). Knowing the women’s stories of rising to the top of their game and the struggles they overcame, we felt they needed to be shared to inspire the next generation of game-changing women.
As we looked further into Markle to see if she fit the criteria, we quickly realised that she wasn’t just the pretty paralegal Rachel Zane. Among her many accomplishments, she has her own business “The Tig” (a website focused on food, fashion, lifestyle – www.thetig.com), and is the United Nations Women’s Ambassador who is deeply passionate about helping less fortunate women around the world.
Rather impressed with her ability to forge her way as a Game Changer while being a star of one of the most successful US television shows on air, we approached her to be a part of the book. (We had already secured women such as Elle MacPherson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Arianna Huffington and Rachel Zoe.)
When she sent back her essay, we knew we’d picked the right woman.
“Markle describes spending her childhood volunteering in soup kitchens on Skid Row in Los Angeles.”
She says; “The first day (of volunteering) I felt really scared. I was young, and it was rough and raw down there, and though I was with a great volunteer group, I just felt overwhelmed. I remember one of my mentors telling me that ‘life is about putting others’ needs above your own fears’. That has always stayed with me.”
Credit: Instagram @meghanmarkle
“Markle told us her motto is, ‘Don’t give it five minutes if you’re not going to give it five years.’”
This is how she approaches her life; with passion, determination and the willingness to put in the hard yards rather than giving up at the first sign of diversity.
When the media discovered she was dating Prince Harry, it was easy for us to see why he picked her. Parallels with Princess Diana were made (the Princess famously took William and Harry to volunteer at homeless shelters when they were young). She says the main lesson she wants to share with other women is that “it is really important for us to remember that someone needs us, and that your act of giving/helping/doing – can truly become an act of grace once you get out of your head.”
And we quickly realised that what we’d had a hunch about all along was indeed true; what makes Meghan Markle successful and a really inspiring woman actually hangs outside her television career.
THE GAME CHANGERS: SUCCESS SECRETS FROM 40 WOMEN AT THE TOP: How To Be A Fearless Fabulous Girl Boss, is out now. Purchase here. Or find out more here.
