IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson

Love the Process with Cynthia Erivo

November 21, 2025

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  • Cynthia Erivo's book, *Simply More*, is intended as a personal sharing of lessons learned rather than a traditional memoir, designed to be a helpful 'workbook in life' for readers. 
  • The creative process, like athletic training, requires consistent practice, continuous learning from others, and embracing the journey of development, which involves necessary failures. 
  • Cynthia Erivo and the hosts emphasize that true success involves becoming the 'very best version of you' rather than trying to emulate someone else, a concept reinforced by Erivo's experience navigating microaggressions in predominantly white institutions. 
  • To better serve others, one must first prioritize self-care and dedicate time to personal passions, even if it means occasionally declining social or family obligations. 
  • Modern distractions like social media and video games actively work against creativity, which thrives in periods of quiet, boredom, and aloneness. 
  • Finding time for quiet and solitude is counterintuitive but essential for creativity, as demonstrated by the guest's childhood experience of filling unstructured time with imaginative pursuits. 

Segments

New Studio and Season Success
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(00:00:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts celebrated the launch of the new IMO studio, noting improved space and sound quality for the podcast.
  • Summary: Listeners and viewers are invited to see the new IMO studio setup, which offers more space for the crew. The improved acoustics were immediately noticeable, sounding professional and marking progress for the podcast. The hosts thanked listeners and viewers for making the first season a success.
Introducing Guest Cynthia Erivo
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(00:02:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Guest Cynthia Erivo is introduced as a Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning, three-time Academy Award-nominated artist who is also a new author.
  • Summary: Cynthia Erivo is joining the show to discuss her new book, Simply More. Her upcoming film, Wicked: For Good, is scheduled for release on November 21st. The hosts recalled meeting Erivo previously at the United Nations summit where she performed ‘I Am Here’.
Motivation for Writing Book
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(00:05:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Erivo wrote her book now because she realized she had accumulated valuable lessons worth sharing through speeches, aiming to consolidate her thoughts for a wider audience.
  • Summary: The book, Simply More, is not a biography but a peek into her diary, offering insights rather than a strict how-to guide. Each chapter concludes with a question and includes poetry to share her creative thought process. Erivo intended the book to feel like a gift that prompts self-reflection.
Creativity as Training
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(00:08:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Cynthia Erivo views creative practice as analogous to athletic training, requiring consistent repetition and continuous self-education to keep the creative well full.
  • Summary: Erivo maintains her voice by singing scales and warming up daily, ensuring readiness for performance. She constantly seeks inspiration by observing other actors and reading diverse materials. This dedication to practice is essential because stopping the use of her voice would cause it to diminish.
Childhood Support and Being ‘Too Much’
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(00:11:05)
  • Key Takeaway: Erivo’s mother recognized her potential early, noting in a baby book at 18 months that she would be a singer and a doctor, while her community in South London provided strong support.
  • Summary: Erivo experienced being labeled ’too loud’ or ’too bossy’ starting in primary school, a contrast to the encouragement she received at home. She recounted visiting her old home in Stockwell, a converted masonette where neighbors fostered a strong sense of community. Her mother’s consistent, subtle encouragement, like asking if she was still singing when she paused at age 18, was crucial for maintaining her path.
Navigating Rejection and Finding Acting
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(00:23:26)
  • Key Takeaway: Erivo’s commitment to her path was solidified at age five by the joy she brought an audience singing ‘Silent Night,’ and later confirmed at age eleven during a performing arts extracurricular.
  • Summary: The path to acting was initially unknown to Erivo until a tutor at Stratford Theatre Royal suggested drama school, specifically mentioning RADA, which Erivo initially dismissed as unattainable. Her determination was sparked when she was challenged to apply, leading her to discover formal training options. Her early experiences taught her the necessity of advocating for herself and knowing when to say no.
Microaggressions in Training
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(00:36:24)
  • Key Takeaway: At RADA, Erivo faced systemic bias, including being denied permission to work to pay tuition while another student was allowed time off for a play, illustrating the need for diverse administration.
  • Summary: Erivo was punished for working to pay tuition by being assigned the smallest role in a musical, despite her known singing ability. She was forced to sing for sick cast members, a moment she regrets not refusing, which taught her the importance of controlling how her voice is used. These experiences highlight the pressure on people of color to be ’twice as good’ to navigate systems that lack full understanding of their needs.
Embodying Difficult Roles
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(00:42:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Embodying a character like Celie in The Color Purple requires the actor to internalize the character’s trauma so deeply that the line between self and role blurs, necessitating significant recovery time afterward.
  • Summary: After hundreds of performances as Celie, hearing words like ‘ugly’ triggered a real emotional response because the character’s pain became her own. This process is physical as well as mental, requiring training to embody roles like a samurai or the physical demands of flying as Elphaba. The challenge post-performance is distilling the character from oneself to re-establish a personal baseline.
The Humanity of Wicked
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(00:53:57)
  • Key Takeaway: The enduring appeal of Wicked stems from its deep rooting in human experience, allowing audiences to connect with the characters’ vulnerabilities, especially Elphaba’s feeling of ‘otherness.’
  • Summary: The film adaptation expands the love story between Fiyero and Elphaba, showing more of Elphaba’s world when she is absent from the stage second act. Erivo noted that the growth of the characters into their power is exciting to see in the next installment. The hosts confirmed that musical expression is a natural human soundtrack, often revealing innermost thoughts when words fail.
Authenticity Through Self-Acceptance
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(00:59:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Authenticity is achieved through a continuous process of trial, error, and distilling external noise to find what genuinely resonates, exemplified by Erivo’s consistent personal style choices like her nails and shaved head.
  • Summary: Erivo realized that small, consistent choices, like keeping her nails done since age 16, are integral parts of her identity. Shaving her head allowed her to show her face fully, leading to the realization that her green scalp under the Elphaba wig was part of her true self. She now exists as one person, whether on the red carpet or in the street, making it easier to maintain authenticity.
Prioritizing Self Over Obligations
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(01:04:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Saying no to external demands to focus on personal work ultimately benefits relationships by creating a more joyous and satisfied individual.
  • Summary: It is necessary to sometimes decline invitations to focus on self-directed work. Failing to make time for personal pursuits over five years leads to regret, even if others around you are happy. Investing time in what you love now makes you a better, more satisfied person for the people you care about.
Creativity and Time Alone
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(01:06:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The scarcity of unstructured time in the modern age, driven by constant digital engagement, stifles the necessary conditions for creativity to emerge.
  • Summary: Time alone, which was abundant when growing up with limited television channels, is crucial for allowing the mind to quiet down and become bored. Creativity happens when the mind is allowed to wander and fill the void left by artificial distractions. Constantly consuming content via phones or social media prevents the necessary space for original thought.
Actionable Advice for Balance
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(01:08:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Individuals must consciously identify and eliminate unnecessary time-filling activities to cultivate essential spaces of quiet and aloneness.
  • Summary: The listener, Courtney, is advised to be counterintuitively selfish by protecting time for personal projects. This requires being comfortable with silence and solitude, which is the environment where creativity is generated. Allowing for these quiet spaces is a necessary step toward personal fulfillment.
Closing Remarks and Promotion
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(01:08:46)
  • Key Takeaway: The guest’s new book, Simply More, offers powerful life lessons and is recommended as a holiday gift alongside viewing Wicked: For Good.
  • Summary: The conversation concludes with congratulations for the guest’s accomplishments, including the book Simply More and the upcoming film Wicked: For Good. Listeners are encouraged to purchase the book as a gift during the holidays. The guest promises to return to the podcast in the future.