In fact, in the last job I had before coming to the White House - I remember this clearly - I was on maternity leave with Sasha, still trying to figure out what to do with my life, and I got a call for an interview for this position, a senior position at the hospitals. And I thought, okay, here we go. So I had to scramble to look for babysitting, and couldn\'t find one.

I\'ve always tried to make sure that what I do really connects with the broader agenda of what my husband Barack Obama is trying to do.... But I also find that I have to be very passionate myself about the issue to be able to represent it well. One of the big issues that I\'ve talked a lot about...is childhood health, nutrition and obesity.

We have had with Barack Obama some just amazing experiences traveling abroad, being able to introduce our children to the world.... I\'m also humbled by the response and the receptiveness, not just here in America, but around the world. There\'s a part of that warmth and enthusiasm and hope that is surprising and humbling.

My role models were the people in my life. My mom, for sure. My dad. The teachers. For me, role-modeling was immediate, it was touchable. It was rare for me to idolize a movie star or a singer...because, truly, children connect with who is in their lives, present and accounted for.