Melinda French Gates on “The Next Day” and the Beauty of What Comes Next

About this sermon

In a lifetime filled with change, the moments in between can define us just as much as the milestones themselves. At 60, Melinda French Gates is stepping into what she calls “the next day”—a tender, powerful space between what was and what’s yet to be. In this rare and intimate conversation, Jen and Amy sit down with Melinda to explore the heart of her new memoir, The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward. With honesty and grace, Melinda shares stories she’s never told before—on motherhood, grief, reinvention, and how she’s learning to trust herself more deeply than ever before. Together, they unpack what it means to let go of perfection, embrace uncertainty, and move forward with hope. Whether you're navigating the end of a relationship, the shift into a new career, or simply wondering what comes next, Melinda’s hard-won wisdom will meet you where you are and walk you gently forward. In this episode, we explore: • The sacred in-between: learning to honor endings and beginnings • How Melinda’s upbringing shaped her values and mission • Letting go of perfectionism and leaning into self-compassion • What gives Melinda hope—and what she’s building next Standout Quotes: “I needed to listen to my inner voice because my inner voice knew something wasn't right.” – Melinda French Gates “There is no such thing as a perfect mom... Once I learned the concept of being a good enough parent, I could just relax and let go.” “To see that my granddaughters will have fewer rights than I have, just shouldn't be. I felt called to try and do something about that.” “When you lift women up, they lift families and societies up.” “Women don’t tell each other enough that we’re proud of them—so it’s good to hear it, no matter who you are.” – Amy Hardin Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Melinda Gates: The Power of Lifting Up Women - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-18/melinda-gates-the-power-of-lifting-up-women/ Sara Bareilles - She Used To Be Mine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53GIADHxVzM Adele - Easy On Me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3ASj1L6_sY The Gates Foundation “Make Me Care About… with Jen Hatmaker” podcast - https://www.gatesfoundation.org/podcast/make-me-care-about The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward by Melinda French Gates - https://amzn.to/3FBDoTV The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World by Melinda French Gates - https://amzn.to/3FIW98c Gates Foundation - https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ Pivotal Ventures - https://www.pivotalventures.org/ Guest’s Links: Website - https://www.pivotalventures.org/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/melindafrenchgates Twitter - https://x.com/melindagates Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/melindagates Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/melindagates TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@melindafrenchgates Connect with Jen! Jen’s Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker Jen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen’s Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker Jen’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.