Michelle Obama ‘Divorce’ Confessions: How She Made Choices That 'Were Right for Me' and is 'Owning Her Life' — as Marriage to Barack Teeters on the Brink

Michelle Obama has opened up on the real reason she decided to skip Donald Trump's inauguration and how her choice to "own her life" sparked divorce rumors in her marriage to husband Barack, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The former first lady noted going to therapy after she "made it out alive" following eight years in the White House allowed her to see how she needed to live her her for herself – and embrace "intentionally practicing the word no."

Michelle and her older brother Craig Robinson, 63, sat down with actress and mental health advocate Taraji P. Henson for the latest episode of their IMO podcast.

As the trio reflected on the pressures of being "overachievers" and falling into the "habit of that constant striving and constant proving," Michelle confessed at age 60 she "had to convince myself that I had done enough."

She added: "After all that I'd done in the world, I still felt a guilt.

"Struggling with like deep guilt that maybe I needed to do a little bit more."

She noted she's finally reached a "stage in life where I have to define my life on my terms for the first time."

Part of defining her life on her own terms meant going to therapy to unpack her time in the White House.

Michelle said: "So what are those terms? And going to therapy, just to work all that out, Like What happened that eight years that we were in the White House? What did that do to me internally? My soul, we made it through. We got out alive. I hope we made the country proud. My girls, thank God, are whole. But what happened to me?"

The former first lady noted therapy helped her "look at the fact" that she's "good enough" while also teaching her how to "unlearn lessons."

Therapy enabled Michelle to make choices that were best for her, including skipping high-profile events like the inauguration, which she confessed was very "hard" for her to do.

The 61-year-old explained: "My decision to skip the inauguration you know, what people don't realize, or my decision to make choices at the beginning of this year that suited me were met with such ridicule and criticism, like people couldn't believe that I was saying no for any other reason, that they had to assume that my marriage was falling apart, you know?

"It's like, while I'm here really trying to own my life and intentionally practice. Making the choice that was right for me. And it took everything in my power to not do the thing that was perceived as right, but do the things that was for me, that was a hard thing for me to do.

"I had to basically trick myself out of it."

As RadarOnline.com reported, Michelle sparked divorce rumors when Barack made back-to-back solo appearances at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter and Trump's inauguration.

At the time insiders said Michelle had been "checked out" of Washington D.C. life for several years – and had no intention of returning, even for events.

One source said: "You cannot tell Michelle what to do – no one can. That's why she could not be persuaded to stump for Joe Biden during the last election."

The added: "Certainly nonstop chatter that Michelle is fed up with the political circus, and pretending everything is OK with Barack all the time.

"What this will all lead to is to be revealed in time."