Meghan Markle Shares How Theater Studies Shaped Her Leadership Skills as a Founder

May 13, 2025: In a recent episode of her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan Markle revealed how her college background in theater unexpectedly equipped her with the tools she now uses to lead a team.

The Duchess of Sussex, 43, spoke with Heather Hasson, co-founder of FIGS medical scrubs, in the May 13 episode of the Lemonada Media series. Reflecting on her time at Northwestern University, Meghan shared how studying acting—and every behind-the-scenes element of theater—provided her with a foundation for leadership.

“I was a theater major, and part of the program was that you couldn’t just do the acting,” she explained. “You had to do soup-to-nuts, every part of what a production would entail, which I actually think is incredible training for when you’re running a team. You appreciate what the sound person does, what the lighting person does.”

She added that the hands-on experience extended to costume design and sewing: “Wardrobe department and sewing were part of it too, so I am comfortable with a sewing machine,” she said, linking her past experience to Hasson’s fashion-focused journey with medical scrubs.

While at Northwestern, Meghan double-majored in theater and international relations, combining her creative and academic interests. She later gained fame for her role on the legal drama Suits before stepping away from acting in the lead-up to her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.

This wasn’t the first time Meghan offered glimpses into her college life on her podcast. In the April 22 episode, she spoke with friend and hair colorist Kadi Lee about navigating hair care as a Black woman in a predominantly white sorority house at Kappa Kappa Gamma.

“I don’t even think they made plug-in flat irons at the time,” Meghan said. “I had the little stove, with the flat iron that would go in, have a paper towel on the side… You’d pull it out, it would have the little scorch marks.”

She remembered reactions from other sorority members unfamiliar with textured hair routines. “Most of the girls who were not Black would say, ‘What’s that smell? Is hair burning?’ And it was just what you would do to figure out how to grapple with this texture of hair.”

Through candid reflections like these, Meghan continues to connect her past experiences to her present roles—both as a media figure and as a modern leader carving a space in entrepreneurship and advocacy.