EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle Slated for Telling Ordinary Working Women How to 'Ask for Help' If They're Experiencing Burn-Out
Meghan Markle gave advice to women experiencing 'burnout' on her most recent podcast episode.
April 16 2025, Published 3:35 p.m. ET
Meghan Markle's tips for the 9-to-5 crowd earned her a 0 out of 10.
On her latest podcast episode, the Duchess of Sussex tried to lend a helping hand by calling on women battling burnout to "be courageous" and "ask for help" – but she was quickly waved off for lacking relatability, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Duchess of Sussex was slammed for 'not knowing anything about working women' after the episode's release.
The 43-year-old sat down with longtime friend and Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani on Tuesday's episode of her new show, Confessions of a Female Founder.
During the emotional chat, Markle responded to Saunjani opening up about her health struggles by urging "burnt out" individuals to prioritize self-care.
The wife of Prince Harry also opened up about suffering a miscarriage in 2020.
However, not everyone was on board with her advice – as some critics pointed out Markle’s glaring difference in wealth and status compared to everyday working women.
A source told RadarOnline.com: "Who does this millionaire think she is, and what does she know about working women?
"It's easy for her to access therapy and have a cry, but most people have to keep working."
During their conversation, Saujani opened up about her physical hardships – revealing she kept pushing forward with cross-country travel and public work, even in the wake of hospital visits and heartbreaking miscarriages.
Saujani further admitted she developed a "scary habit" of pushing through emotional pain after hearing devastating news about her pregnancies.
Despite being told there was no heartbeat, she continued to work and perform, even in front of children she longed for. Eventually, she asked her team to step in and take over her organization to give her a break.
Markle, after listening to her friend’s struggles, spoke about the importance of prioritizing self-care during times of mental exhaustion and burnout.
The former royal said: "The courage that it takes for a female founder, for a woman, when you're on this path, you're on this grind, you've set expectations... The courage that it takes to say 'I need help' or 'I need a pause' is tremendous."
She added: "And there's no way to continue to show up and role model for these young women all the things that you aspire for them to have, that you wanted to have when you were a young girl, if you are not doing it with complete authenticity because you are so close to being burned out."
Markle then shared a quote from a children's book to emphasize her point, quoting: "'What is the bravest thing you've ever said?' asked the boy. 'Help,' said the horse."
Markle's podcast, along with her new Netflix cooking show, have received criticism following their releases.
Markle launched her brand-new podcast last Tuesday – just weeks after releasing her new kitchen series, With Love, Meghan, on Netflix.
Elsewhere in the second episode, the Suits alum opened up about her 2020 pregnancy loss, describing the emotional struggle in "letting go."
She explained: "I think in some parallel way, you have to learn to detach from the thing that you have so much promise and hope for and to be able to be okay at a certain point to let something go, something go that you planned to love for a long time."
The mom-of-two currently resides with husband Prince Harry in California after the pair stepped down from their roles within the British monarchy in 2020.
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She has particularly been put under scrutiny this year, as accusations of being "difficult" and "bossy" came out in January.
But Markle has been pushing through, launching her own As Ever lifestyle brand, a show, and a new podcast in the months following.
Unfortunately for the Duchess, the premiere episode of her audio show was met with ample backlash from listeners calling it "stomach-turning."
Markle has been accused of being 'difficult and tough to work with.'
One major complaint was that listeners likely expected to hear valuable "wisdom" from Markle's guest, Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd – but instead, they got little of that, as the former actress continuously directed conversations back to her own experiences.
Likewise with her Netflix series, critics slammed it as an "exercise in narcissism."
