Transcript

HENRY WINKLER on Dyslexia, Dreams, and Becoming the Fonz | IMO

From Michelle Obama · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 1 h 3 min · 9,610 words · 87 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "HENRY WINKLER on Dyslexia, Dreams, and Becoming the Fonz | IMO", an episode of Michelle Obama published December 24, 2025 (1 h 3 min, about 9,610 words). It mentions 28 people, works and ideas, including Henry Winkler, Airbnb, Rivian (vehicle), Instinct ("your tummy knows"), Parenting adult children.

What this episode is about

Henry Winkler discusses his experiences with dyslexia, the challenges it presented in his life, and how he channeled his dreams into becoming the iconic character, the Fonz, while engaging in candid conversations about personal reflections and humorous anecdotes. The dialogue also touches on shared moments and interests, highlighting the impact of memorable experiences on their lives.

Key takeaways

  • The Fonz is more than leather: a symbol of cool nostalgia transcending pop culture and generations.
  • Turning car dashboards into home theaters: Rivian dreams of redefining road trips and rent payments, streaming included.
  • Airbnb college tours: Modern parents find comfort in rentals over outdated dorms and campus hotels.
  • Henry Winkler: From jumping sharks to writing bestsellers, proving reinvention never grows old, even at 80.
  • Barry hooked Henry Winkler: Watch out, this timeless icon becomes a binge-watch magnet you never saw coming.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: Henry Winkler, Rivian, Airbnb, Airbnb
  2. – 20:00: Detective Duck, Eastview Park, Henry Winkler, Hyde Park
  3. – 30:00: American Airlines, Joan Scott, Tom Miller
  4. – 40:00: Shopify, Airbnb, Airbnb, Gary Marshall
  5. – 1:00:00: Marian Robinson

Notable quotes from "HENRY WINKLER on Dyslexia, Dreams, and Becoming the Fonz | IMO"

  • This episode is brought to you by Rivian and Progressive Insurance.
    about Rivian · at
  • And speaking of rent, I mentioned to you I'm I'm staying in an Airbnb again this time around.
    about Airbnb · at
  • Our guest today, for Craig and I, Henry Winkler is a household, he was he we grew up with him.
    about Henry Winkler · at
  • On the history channel called Hazardous History.
    about History Channel · at
  • I have a wonderful partner, Lynn Oliver.
    about Lynn Oliver · at
  • Well, w we started narrowing down. We were looking in Hyde Park.
    about Hyde Park · at
  • And Joan Scott said, Wouldn't you just go?
    about Joan Scott · at
  • With Shopify, you can keep track of everything from the palm of your hand. You can tag and sell your products globally and across all major social.
    about Shopify · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

Books & papers

Companies & orgs

Products & tech

Concepts & topics

Places & events

Sponsors

  • Rivian — Sponsor · 3 mentions · first at
  • Airbnb — Sponsor · 3 mentions · first at
    And speaking of rent, I mentioned to you I'm I'm staying in an Airbnb again this time around.
  • Shopify — Sponsor · 3 mentions · first at
  • Progressive Insurance — Sponsor · 2 mentions · first at
    This episode is brought to you by Rivian and Progressive Insurance.

Full transcript with timestamps

So let me tell you who the Fonz was, at least to I would love to hear it from you. First of all, sexy. Now, what did I know about? I'm sitting differently in my chair right now. Right. What at a at that at the age and I can't do the math, but I was young. It did something to me. It's like Woo Yeah. And the Can I just say something? What? Wait a minute. Ha ha. I just want to say something. I'm a human being on this earth. I'm an American. I've watched you over all of these years be this powerful presence in the universe.

And you're telling me, I want to just say, I don't have to say another word. I can go home now. This episode is brought to you by Rivian and Progressive Insurance. Hey, Craig Robinson. So what's the whale thing? This was in your honor. This you I'm surprised you don't know what this is. Okay, tell me. This is a Vineyard Vines shirt from Arthur's Vineyard. And you're trying to get me to be a vineyard guy and I'm I'm trying to embrace it and you don't even know what this is. Well, I noticed the whale and it I thought it was very cute and I thought, Oh, he's got a little whale on Yes, it is a little sperm whale.

Are you sure it's a sperm? I am. I am. I am. I You did you research? I did not research it. That's pretty good that he can tell what a sperm well It's because I did that report in seventh grade on sharks, whales. You still remember that? You barely remember anything I tell you. But that's 'cause I can remember stuff a long time ago. That's what happens to old people. They remember the old stuff and not the new stuff. Got it. Got it. So What else is going on? Well, so you're you're I understand you're moving the Rivian that we got from Martha's Vineyard Rivian folks.

Yeah yeah. The Rivian folks gifted both of us r cars folks to drive around in and it's been fantastic. But my sister's moving her car from the vineyard. From the vineyard to D C while we're in D C because we're just in the vineyard for the summer. Yeah. No. DC No, DC would be a hard place for me to drive because I still I still drive in a motorcade when I do drive. So it's just the only place you can do that is on a small island when it's quiet. Right. So but I think we're we're gonna have it there so that when the girls come home to visit, there's a car for them to drive.

They complained about that the last time because we realized we don't we don't have a car. Yeah. We didn't have a car until we got these Rivians. Yeah. Yeah, well they're gonna really like there so there's a really neat feature that I would like to say that I figured out, but it's really Aaron figured out, my youngest. Yeah, this takes kids to it takes kids with all this technology to figure out what's going on. Well tell me because I'm I n I never know what the feature all the features 'cause there's so many. When you're Your car is in park.

Mm-hmm. That big screen that you use for navigation and for all the the functions of the car. Mm-hmm. Becomes like a television. So he can watch, you know, if he if he actually logged into our T V network, he can watch whatever we hear. So you can get all your So you can get all your streaming apps on on there too? Every single thing on there. That sounds dangerous. It does sound dangerous. Sounds like Rivian doesn't want you ever to leave the car. Rivian's like, you can live here, get a Rivian, save on rent. And speaking of rent, you know, I I mentioned to you I'm I'm staying in an Airbnb again this time around.

First, let's stop on that segue. That was a smooth segue. What do you think? Speaking of writ. I'm like, all right. Okay, speaking of rent. I like that. It was impressive. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, a compliment from you is So rare. So rare. So I'm gonna I'm gonna savor it right now. Just savoring it. But no s you know, we are with Austin being a sophomore, we are embarking on these college trips now. Oh yeah. Are you have you all started that already? We did. But it it's just I think now that we have grown accustomed to the Airbnbs, it's just a much more comfortable way to have a a a a main place to camp out, have meals, do laundry, and then go see school, you know, go see school.

Well then you can definitely be because not all college campuses have great hotel amenities. You know, 'cause sometimes they're in small towns and they're off the beaten path. Anyway, let's not digress. We we are Yes, you go ahead. I We we're so excited we can't even talk. Our guest today, for for Craig and I, Henry Winkler is a household, he was he we grew up with him. Yes. We we literally Yes. Grew up with Happy Days, the Cunninghams, the Fonds and that was just sort of a part of

Oh man. And to have him here joining us on IMO is is such a It is such a treat. And and and we're gonna talk about this when he comes out, but all the way from happy days to now, he's an author. And but I wanna I mean he's he's in a a show that I happened upon very Mm-hmm. Yeah, you've been telling me about that. I've been telling you about it and I I said to Henry when when I met him, I got a chance to meet him and say hello and I was I was like fanboying all over the place. But I I didn't know he was in it originally.

Mm-hmm. And so I I went to watch it and lo and behold, he's in it. And then I watched all the up it's like four seasons. I was just off and running. Off and running. All right. Well I'm looking for I'm All right, well I'm looking for I'm I'm gonna catch up on Barry because you've been raving about it. But let me give him a the proper introduction. Henry Winkler has over 50 years, 55 years of success in Hollywood and continues to be in demand. And not only as an actor and a producer, but as I said, an author. He's is a best selling author of children's books that are wonderful.

His autobiography, Being Henry, The Fonds and Beyond, was a New York Times bestseller for 11 or 10 or 11 weeks there. And then we just found out he is gonna be celebrating his 80th birthday. Major milestone. Major milestone. But And he looks just as handsome. He I mean, he looks the same. I mean I I mean he could have worn a leather jacket here. We should have asked. Yeah. Well now that well well let's let let's just stop talking and bring him out. Henry Winkler, please come on down. What a handsome man. Oh my god.

Oh yeah. So nice to have you here. Oh my gosh. Now he feels so short. Yeah, most people don't realize we are a tall people, the Robinsons and Obamas. My husband is tall, of course. But I just wanna say if you grew up with De Franz, you grew up really good. I did. Yes you did. I really did. We you know, we we lived a wholesome life and happy days and the Fonds were a part of that. And you you should know we were only allowed an hour of T V a day. So on Thursday night I'm I'm honored. Tuesday night. Tuesday night. Doesn't matter what day of the week, as long as you were there.

As long as you were there. Tuesday night, our hour was dedicated half of our hour was dedicated to you. Thank you. Well, thank you for being here. For asking. We're and and spending your birthday week with us. Yes. How's it going? Well, this is a great way to start on on my birthday week and part of the celebration. You said to me I should celebrate now for the entire year. That's what yes. This is the kickoff. Eighty is one of those that's where you you deserve a year of celebration. Year of celebration. Well you were moving you're moving around pretty yeah pretty well.

Yeah. Pretty well. But I get out of the I get out of bed and I go make a cup of coffee. Okay. And then I have to go back to the bed and invite my knees to come with me. You know. They're still lounging. Oh man. Yeah, that's great. How are you feeling? How I mean, what what what is what is entering your eighties feeling like for you besides waiting for your knees? Okay. S I'm very grateful. You know, people keep asking me, Am I gonna retire? Or have you retired? And I think that is like the furthest thing from my imagination.

I will retire when I am not able to do that's right. Again more. Right. You know, I I just I I think that it is deadly. Yeah. Do you w get up every day with a schedule? Are you working I need I I work a lot. Mm-hmm. I have several jobs. I do a wonderful show. Yeah. On the history channel called Hazardous History. Which when they presented it to me, I just loved Mm-hmm. The facts of it. I thought th this is out. Courageous. And Let's tell the listeners the premise just so that they know because you just got us picked up for a second season.

Yes, we did. We we did a Mm-hmm. It and did it did so nicely because people watched. We were now picked up for thirty. Yeah. And okay, so here is the premise. I hope it's not a a sponsor. Seven up. Mm-hmm. Nineteen twenty seven. Yep. Bubbly. Citrusy. Yeah. And the Refreshing. Refreshing supposedly. And the the tagline was we will take the edge off because it was laced with lithium. Oh no. So just one fact of what we did either to make money or thinking we're helping human beings. Yes. Yeah. And that was legal. And that was at that time legal.

So you so you've got hazardous history. Right. So you're still working a lot. You knew it's what else is. Our newest children's book came out on September thirtieth. Is this your fortieth? This is the fortieth. The fortieth. Children's books. Right. Now here's something. I did not know I could do this. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And what I learned was that there's more than one way to do anything. I have a wonderful partner, Lynn Oliver. Yeah. She types, I talk. Then she has an idea. I wait. She types. Then she reads it to me and we argue over every word.

And since 2003, we have 40 children's books. The newest one is Detective Duck. This little duckling who dreams about being a detective and she's an environmentalist. And she, it's she's a she. She's a she. I love it. I love it. And powerful. What age group are you targeting? Is for emerging readers. So I would say five, six, seven. Mm-hmm. Then the next series is seven eight and then we have fourth grade. To seventh grade. Well congratulations. And you know, let's just to put that in context, when you talk about that you were doing something that you never thought you could do.

Right. And that is writing because you reading and reading because can please share with our Like until the cows come home, but I am dyslexic. And I could not read. I read my first book at thirty one because I said I have to I have to read a novel like everybody else on the earth. Right. And th you find out, and I I tell children, every child I meet, whether they want to hear it or not, how you learn has nothing to do with how brilliant you are. Mm-hmm. Yes. There are so many dyslexic human beings on this earth. One out of five children have some sort of learning challenge that are doctors and dancers and plumbers and Everything.

Yeah. Well tell us about little Henry Winkler. I mean, d your parents tell us about their background, where where you grew up, what you know, what life was like for you. We lived above our means. Mm-hmm. We had an apartment in New York City. What part of New York? Seventy eighth and Broadway. I went to PS eighty seven. Right down the block. Yeah. The little boy that I wrote about first, Hank Zipser, went to PS eighty seven, lived in my apartment. Did you did you feel accepted? Did you did you feel like a part of that community?

That is a great question. I never felt accepted, but also part of it must be the learning challenge. Yeah. And part of it must be my delayed emotionality. Mm-hmm. Which I now know is true, because I had to protect myself because every time I left my bedroom with a smile. Yeah. Thinking, hey, okay, here we go. Let's create the day. I was in a war zone. Yeah. I was yelled at for something that I wasn't even I had no idea what I did. Yeah. And and it and I'm not saying, oh my god, woe was me, because I'm having a pretty great life.

Right. I'm just saying this was the way it was. So I s stayed in my room and pretended I was Paul Anka. Paul Anka? Yes, I pinned rubber bands around pencils and I sang, put your head on my shoulder. Oh I lip synced it, you know, and of course gave a lot of speeches as I won Academy Awards. I wanted it so badly back then I could taste it. Did you articulate did you tell your Every minute of every day. And Why do you think I bought my business over here? And I said, besides being chased by the Nazis dad, was there like a bigger reason than that?

I he wanted me to take over as a family business buying and selling wood. He wanted me to buy and sell mahogany. The only wood I was interested was Hollywood and I was told I would never get there. Wow. So how did you I'm here? You are sitting at this table. How did you keep your dreams alive through all of that? That is a good question. I'm not sure. All I know is I just kept it. Yeah. I kept the fires burning. Somehow I I found enough wood to keep that fire burning.

This segment is brought to you by Progressive Insurance, a brand that believes home ownership is more than just a place to live. It's about fulfilling your dreams, unlocking a future full of possibility, and building the life you've always imagined. So, what was the most exciting thing for you about buying your first home? You know, I think it was the fact that we could do it, you know. I r remember it fondly. Right after we got married. Barack and I fortunately were in a position where we had enough money saved where we could buy our first condo.

And I think the process of looking for it, you know, going from house to house, I I hadn't even really lived on my own until then because I lived above mom and dad's house in the rental ab above the house. So I hadn't I had never gone house hunting. And that process was was a lot of fun. Yeah. And I did it with Barack. We were newlyweds, it was exciting. It felt like the beginning of the future. So Yeah. And and w do you remember the the highlight of when you found the con the f that first condo? Well, w we started narrowing down. We were looking in Hyde Park.

We knew we we knew the neighborhood in Chicago that we wanted to live. And so, as we looked, we were able to narrow down to a specific development. That we really loved. We saw a couple of units in that development. It was called Eastview Park and it was right off of the lake. And after a couple of outings, we decided, you know, this area, because it was enclosed, it was private. There was a private, you know, driveway area. So it felt quiet. But it was still a series of apartments. We could imagine the girls playing out in the yard and well, the children, because then we didn't know we were gonna have girls, but we knew we wanted to have a family.

Right. So yeah, we were able to narrow it down to that unit and then we started really asking our realtor to find really good places in that unit and we saw two. Okay. And we narrowed it down to the one that we have. And the big exciting part about that was it was really right down the street from where you lived. Four houses down. Four houses down. Four apartments down. Yeah. It it reminds me of what I found exciting about our first place was very similar to just the fact that you're looking for a place to live. But I remember our place, if you remember, it was a duplex condo and it had the spiral staircase to go down to the family room.

I remember going to visit that before we I 'cause I went to one of the when you guys were closing in, you brought I think me and mom to come see it. That's right. And I thought that duplex piece was very sophisticated. Yes. Yes, it was very sophisticated. And it was really neat having that feeling of homeownership, you know? And buying your first home gives you the freedom and control to build the life you've always imagined. And Progressive is here to support that journey every step of the way. Owning a home isn't just a financial milestone.

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That reminded me a lot of what our mom used to say is that you have to treat every child as an individual. She used she used to say that and she said, you know, I'm not raising children, I'm raising people. Mm-hmm. So Just that phrase alone is the beginning and the end. Yeah. If you look at it that you're not raising children, you're raising people. Yeah. Yeah. It will completely change the way you approach. Exactly. That job. Exactly. And having a philosophy of parenting. Yeah. Is important. I mean, you know, we live in a society, people, you know, they peep people want folks to procreate.

They want to stop people. They want to take choice away because they want us to have be parents and and and bring forth life. But rarely do we have conversations of about what it means to be a parent. Right. Why do you want to be a parent? Because you have to know your own motivations for why you're bringing life into this world. Yeah. I think that is probably rare. Yeah. I I actually I've never considered that. Yeah. I just did you know because it just seemed like the right To do. Yeah. I never looked at it in that way before.

No and I never heard other people say that before, really. Why am I a parent? Why am I doing this? It it becomes a thing you want. Like a car and right. You you want and and it your philosophy of parenting changes based on your reason. If you're having a child because you want to be loved, well, now you're looking for a friend. You're looking for this baby to be something for you. Right. If you are looking for somebody to live out your dreams to be what you weren't. Now that means that you are not gonna see who this child is because you already have a sense of what you want them to be.

Right. So you other than who they are. You're not gonna leave them any room because you need them as your father. I wanted you to run the business. Right. Well he had made up that his that he his decision up before he even got to see who you would be. Right. And I don't even know how the decision of what I wanted came to me. It I always say that i i it was just a thing I needed to do. Yeah. I don't know why. Well, because kids are snowflakes. They all we're gr we're all grains of sand. Right. Yeah, we come here with I think a certain level of temperament built into our DNA.

Right. Because I we I think if everybody looks inside, we figure out, well, how did I know how was I that person? How did I know as a kid to be that? How did I know? A person grow up and invent corduroy. Right. How did they know? That's right. That's right. And they might have been thinking as a three-year-old, Corduroy is my thing. And I don't know where it came from. But I'm it feels good. It feels so good. I'm gonna turn wear it inside out. But if you have more than one kid, you realize that that they are different.

I mean different planets. Craig and I, we were raised in the same household, right? From the same parents, same set of experiences. He's a boy, I'm a girl. We are very different people. And our parents would say that was apparent the minute we could come even before we could communicate. But if you're not looking for that difference, if you're not looking to understand your baby. Right. To understand that part of parenting is that you have to be listening to them and watching them because they are telling you who they are.

Yeah. Very early on, which is why you knew, because you came into this world, I believe, as an actor, as a creative, as a and maybe that's why your learning is different right? My learning is through my ear. Yeah. So when you say listening, I I I have to listen because that's how I learn. I it reading is so difficult, even Yeah. Now because you don't lose your dyslexia, you just learn to negotiate it. Yeah. It's and it's fascinating that you developed into an actor where you have to Read Oh. I chose a profession. Yeah, how did you do that?

When where there's a will, there's a way. Yeah. You want it bad enough, you figure it out. I write it over and over. And I when I get a script. Now, if I do one script, I must read it and read it and read it, underline it in yellow, let it go in. When I'm doing a series, it's like you're you're working a muscle. Yeah. All of a sudden, by the eleventh show, I can rub the script on my body and it goes in. You know, it oh, it's an amazing process. So you're you so the Fonds role, let's talk about that 'cause that that was that It changed my life.

It it changed your life. It changed our lives. Thank you. But it it really did. So you're you're let's go before you get that role. You're how how did it come about that you auditioned for that and then And were you acting before? Did you start in high school? I was in New York. I was in New York City. I went to I have a master's degree in acting. I don't know where I got the nerve, but I applied to with with I've got into one college out of 28. I'm in the bottom 3% academically. I applied to the Yale School of Drama. Wow.

I just thought it was really important to know as much as I could so that I had some kind of foundation. I stayed for a year and a half in the repertory theater. I got $172 a week. I'm a professional. Went to New York, couldn't get hired, did commercials. Okay. А форм супермаркети, Санка Кофі. American Airlines. And then I did the Lords of Flatbush. And then somebody said, You wanna be known to New York? Stay here. You wanna be known to the world? Go to California. Big decision. Went to California, second audition.

How old were you when you I am in nineteen it this is nineteen seventy three. Mm-hmm. I landed terra firma, California, September eighteenth. My birthday is October thirtieth. Mm-hmm. I have no idea how old it is. I know, right? It's like Craig, you're the math guy. No or it's someone with math. Well tell me. Somebody is gonna write in the They're gonna write in and you're gonna know in a couple of weeks. You were in your twenties. You were in your twenties. All right, twenty-seven. Okay. Let's just say that. I said, well, you know, I I can't go and I can't be in a a series because I was trained for the theater.

And Joan Scott said, Wouldn't you just go? Okay. I drive to Paramount in my rented capri. It's green because I love green. It's like a little sports car. I walk in the room. Everybody is famous. I've seen them all on TV. Wow. My heart sunk. Now it's my turn. I go in. My hair is down to my shoulders. I have a sweat stain that looks like the Hudson River is under my arm. And I said. And I see the man, Pascual. He's going to read with me. He's going to read the other role. I only have six lines. And I don't know where it came from, but here is another lesson I learned.

Go with your imagination. Whoever is listening to us right now, go with your imagination. I looked at Pascual and I said, Hey, don't look at me like that. I changed my voice. I'm looking at him. I'm a scared short Jew. I'm playing a tall Italian. I threw the script up in the air. I walked out of the room on my birthday, October 30th, 1973. Tom Miller calls me, one of the producers from Milwaukee. He was set in Milwaukee because of Tom Miller. And he said, Would you like to be part of the show? I said, if you let me show the emotional side to this guy when he takes off his jacket, who does he have to be cool for?

They said yes. I said yes. Oh wow. The Fonz was born. The Fonz was born. So you were nothing like the Fonz. I am looking like people like the Fonz at school dances, and I immediately became blind. And I said, I hear you. You sound so tough. I cannot see you. I'm just gonna feel my way right out the door. Yeah. Please. Whoa. Well but for listeners, people because now generationally we can't assume everybody knows what happy days is and the fonts. So let me tell you who the Fonz was, at least to me. I'd love to hear it from you.

First of all, sexy. Now what did I know about I'm sitting differently in my chair right now. What did at that at the age, and I can't do the math, but I was young, right? I was under 10, right? To think, okay. You were 11. No no no. Yes. So I was young. I was young. Pre-teen. And I I saw on the screen the the coolest. You did you you read tall. I did. You read, oh my gosh, I thought you were tall. Yeah. You read six three. Think and an even cooler version of John Travolta, right? Black, jet black before John Travolta, thick black, luscious Italian hair. Who knew?

Right? I had it imported. Slicked back, right? So the Fonz is on his bike, black leather jacket, gray t shirt underneath. White t shirt. White gray. Yeah. Cool. Just lean enough. Because even before you had the black jacket, at one point you changed to that khaki jacket. No, that was the first jacket. You were right. Very hard to be cool in cloth. Which did you make that change? No, no, no. Gary Marshall went to ABC. And w the network we were in the the network was in the bottom. Mm-hmm. It was n the third network.

There were only three at that time in on television. And he said, You know, d he could be very hyped if he rides his bike and he knocks over in a in cloth. In cloth. They said when he's in a scene with his bike. He can wear leather. He's got that black leather. And I remember that change because I think it did something to me. It's like, woo. Yeah. And the floor. Can I just say something? What? Oh, wait a minute. I just want to say something. I'm a human being on this earth. I'm an American. I've watched you over all of these years, you know, be who you are, be this powerful presence in the universe.

And you're telling me, I wanna just say, I don't have to say another word. I can go home now. Wait till Stacy hears. This. Oh I don't care. I'm gonna play it for her. Just that segment. Ha ha ha. Okay. But Fox was also not only was he handsome, but he was the strong silent. You just said was. Well, we're talking about the Fox. Oh, yes, right, of course. Right. Henry Winkler continues to be. I told you when you walked out. Yes, you did. Very cute. Yes, you did. Very cute. Yes, you did. Yes, I did. And I meant it. But the strong, the the character type, which was he didn't say much until he said something.

That's right. He was usually the moral order of happy days. This sort of you know, stock happy kind of wasn't the bully. He was who I dreamt of being. I but everybody was terrified of him and but he had a heart of gold. Yeah. Right. And you slowly got to see that part of him. Right. So Fonds became was really the heart of Happy Days, you know, in a very interesting way. So that's just the explanation of how powerful your character and how how well you embodied that because it was sexy, cool, good-hearted. Good hearted.

Tough guy. And lawyer. And loyal. I loved my friends. Yeah. I loved the Cunninghams. They were the family I did not have in that mythical place. Yes. Craig Robinson here. And as the holiday season comes closer, it's time to plan our holiday travel. And you know, as our family gets older, it makes it harder for all of us to cram into one hotel room for an extended period of time. So we have six or seven adult-sized people traveling simultaneously now that the kids are getting older. So we need a little more space. We need a little more freedom.

That's why booking a stay on Airbnb makes so much sense for our family. You know, imagine heading to South Carolina with friends for a cozy fall weekend or taking the family to Orlando over the Thanksgiving break. Instead of being stuck in a hotel lobby or eating takeout food on the bed, which can be kind of fun. You've got a living room to gather in, a kitchen to cook these great holiday meals and make memories. You even could cook out outside, which I love doing in the fall weather. It makes the trip feel warmer, more personal, and way more memorable.

It's those little things, more space, more privacy, and staying in the coolest parts of town that make an Airbnb trip better than a hotel. Welcome back to IMO. We made it, folks. It's December. The holiday hustle's just starting to wind down. Which means it's a perfect time to switch into new year, new moves mode. What's one big move you want to make in the new year? Whatever those big moves are, you need a plan. You need a strategy. You need a partner. You need Shopify. The end of the year is when you review your yearly numbers, clean up your strategies, and lay the foundation for what's next.

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For one dollar, it's time to put that business idea into action and start the next chapter. Again, that's Shopify.com slash IMO. We here at IMO are big believers that people never stop growing, that we're all in a state of continual becoming. So much so that Michelle even wrote a book about it. Because you are not one thing. You are all the things, constantly growing and changing into the next version of you. And every day and in every stage of your life, you're only getting stronger, bolder, more confident than you were yesterday. That's why desert tone diamonds are the perfect way of celebrating all that you are and all that you are still becoming.

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Now I I don't I think I know the answer to this, but I want to ask you, did being the Fonz change Henry at all? No. He did while I was playing him. Okay. I had to, I couldn't believe that people were actually talking to me because I was still Henry with a very low self self-esteem. So I couldn't I I I liked what they were saying, but it went through me because it couldn't be me. So it couldn't help uplift that feeling that your parents. No, when I when I lived my my life, I was still that Henry walking around until lately, about 10 years ago, I I was so confused, I met a therapist who if I were to give a gift to, I would have to give her a skyscraper.

Yeah. Because I was a block of Swiss cheese growing up. And I wanted I knew I wanted to fill in the holes and I want to become a block of cheddar. Yeah. Yeah. What did she do what how did how did she do? It the woman says nothing. The woman says nothing. She sits there and I say, Hey, what about this? And she said, Yes. What about that? What do you mean? I'm not. Don't ask me. And then she forces you to look at you. Yeah. Yeah. And you know what? All of a sudden, it's not so difficult. It's okay. And I have become strong.

I don't know that you brought up Barry. Yes. I don't know that I could have played Gene Kusinao without going through that process. Wow. You finally ten years ago to do therapy. I was completely discombobulated. I just, I instead of walking a straight line, I was psychologically drunk. I I think I was emotionally drunk and I don't even drink. Yeah. And I'm telling you you don't know she asked me a question. In our very first session, she said, Where are you? I had no idea what she meant. What do you mean, where am I?

Sitting here in this chair that's wicker and not that comfortable. What? By the way. I'll all wicker. You can put like a I know, it's the therapy. Where where was the couch? Where was the leather couch? Therapy center. And all of a sudden, I started to answer that question over the years. It takes time. You have to really devote time. But it is the greatest time I've spent outside of my children and my grandchildren. Wha how did how did th therapy, this discovery, the filling up the Swiss cheese holes, creating your block of cheddar, how did it manifest itself in the I the I think the the I I I mean I I really do have that answer because I enjoy it so much.

I'm able to say what I want to say. I'm able to say I really need this. I really want this. I'm not okay with that. I am perfectly okay with that. As opposed to dance around in some sort of crazy chicken dance, you know. Asking for you w what for what you want. Yes, taking my place on my place on this earth. Not having those tools most of your life, but still building a very long and very successful career. I mean, there was the Fonds, but and how many seasons? Eleven eleven. No one has eleven seasons anymore. So you spent the bulk of your adult acting life in one of the most successful shows ever. Right.

Playing one of the most successful characters ever. I am so grateful. And then you go on to produce, direct, continue to act. Produce because I couldn't get hired. Yeah. Produced because people said, Oh my God, he is so funny, he's so lovely, but he was the Fox. But there wasn't a struggle in in those roles of creation to ask for what you wanted. Until about Yeah. Fifteen minutes ago. What? I'm not kidding. What did that look like for you to run something? Would you second guess yourself? Would you This is what I I will tell anybody over and over again.

Your mind, as educated or not as you are, your mind only knows a little. Your tummy knows everything. When you listen to your instinct, you're always in the right place. Oh, I love that. Whether you're at a at a a job interview or you're gonna date somebody for the first time, you get a bad feeling, you go home, you give the flowers back and walk back in the apartment. You know what I mean? Thank you so much and you enjoy your dinner. Yeah. Yeah. So you operated on instincts. You had to learn how to trust Your tummy, as you say.

Yeah. Yeah. You know. Uhhuh. My tummy. And I tell that to everybody who will listen. We're taught the opposite. Think. You know, you have to use your logic. Yeah, there's an answer. There's an algorithm. There's a but But when you come up with it, you let it just date. And then it comes up in your mind, like the magic eight ball. An answer comes. And then your tummy knows if is that answer right? I'm that's it's an answer, but I'm not feeling it. Reason it took me so long to say it, right? Because I I was suppressing a burp.

I just want you to know. That's a natural thing. Oh, okay. Just in real life. I was just impressed. I was thinking I thought that was a metaphor for the thing. No, no, no. I did not finish the the sentence because I was working so hard not to burp. Yeah. Burp in front in front of the jack. True, I was like, this is so deep. He's going deep. And it's like, oh, he's trying not to burp. Thank you. Thank you, Henry. Thank you for that. Thank you for that. I am I I'm fascinated with how you've worked to be a different parent.

And and you are now a different grandparent. Yes. And I think I I would love for you to share that journey because there are a lot of people who grow up in tough circumstances. They were misparented, they didn't know, they were unparented. So you know how that feels. Yeah. Yeah. Right? One knows how that feels. Yeah. So I said that I learned through my ears. So listening, because our children, if you give them a little bit and you say, you know what, I think you're gonna help figure out what the the punishment or the consequence is gonna be for what you just did.

Or you're gonna figure out what your curfew is. Yeah, I can't live with that. Ooh, I can live with that. Okay. And if you don't call, if you're gonna be late, you lose 10 minutes. My daughter, Zoe, went out at eight. She was back at 820. Mm-hmm. She lost all of her That ain't nice. That poor girl got dressed to go nowhere. But it was our own Oh my gosh. Hey, I told ya. All you gotta do. Yeah. Very few rules. Yeah. I I again I think that we were lucky in that we had a mother that was highly adaptable and it it changed the way I parented.

You know, it was really, you know, y you you realize that you have to, even punishments, you know, how you solve problems f b between one child and the next. Yeah. One child will listen, the other child doesn't care. The child doesn't care. That's exactly right. Oh my goodness. I tell this story all the time about Malia and Sasha when they were, they were probably seven and and three at the time. And Barack was traveling. So I was at home trying to get the girls to bed. They were, they were great kids, but this was one night that they were just being rambunctious.

And I was like, get ready, it's time to take your baths. And no one was listening. And I was in my frustrated mommy time, and I said, Well, that's it. You know, no one listens to me. I'm done parenting. You you seem like you guys have this all figured out and you can do this on your own. So have at it. My oldest daughter, Malia said, Oh no, mommy, you know, I could I can't do without you. And this is what I'm thinking, yeah, this is what I wanted. I wanted her to realize that she needed me. She said, so she immediately started taking off her clothes. And it's like, mommy, no, I don't know what I could do without you. Sasha, my three-year-old, was sitting on the stairs watching all this.

She took her blankie and she turned around and went back upstairs to watch TV, as if to say, like, thank God. At last, this is what I wanted from you, lady. I am three. I can handle this. I'm going back upstairs. And she got five steps up. And I was like, if you don't turn around and get back down here. And I was like, Well, it worked for one, didn't work for the other. Now let me ask you a question. Are those characteristics in those young ladies now? Yes. Exactly who they were. Yes, they have to m my younger daughter has she wants to learn her way.

Right. Yeah, she she she doesn't want to be told that this is how you do it. We tell her, but she's gotta learn on her own. We have seven grandchildren. They are from sixteen to nine months completely different human beings. Mm-hmm. One I one is a dancer, one is in the theater, one is a mathematician, one of them wants to be an athlete and is on his way. The little three year old is enchanting, knows that she walks through the world and moves air, you know? One is Ethel Merman. It it I'm telling you, it's unbelievable.

How has it been being a grandfather? It's different. Yeah. And it is it's enchanting. Mm-hmm. It's enchanting to hear each one say hi papa and each one gives you a hug differently, but they all give you a hug and they know that I need to have that hug. Oh my God. One of them, you know, the 16 year old, she's beautiful and she FaceTimes me. Say hello to Roy. Ha ha ha. Oh hello Roy. Yeah. Or she wants to put a like a a a mask on me, you know. Don't do it. Don't do it. On your FaceTime you become a rabbit or something?

She loves that, She's like, Don't you dare turn me into a rabbit. Like like my daughter. My daughter used me like a like a gardening tool when there was a young man around. So what? Just walk by him. Just walk by him. You're on television. Let him see that. Yeah. All right, don't say a word. You were in the water boy. Okay. I'm not kidding. Just move through. Do not look. Do not look.

Well you know here on IMO we like to take questions from our listeners. Okay. And hopefully give them a little bit of advice. And I think we have a perfect question from you that's coming from For you. For you. Not from you. Know what you mean. I saw it happen right now. It was just like and do I let 'em? Yeah. Let him let that go. I feel like I'm helping him. You know what I understand and and really, God bless you. Thank you very much. But we have a question from a listener in Colorado. Oh. Terry in Longmouth. Sweater.

Yeah. I have five adult children. They are all married and have their own kids. My question to you is, how do you parent your kids as adults? When my adult children come to me with struggles they are having, I sometimes find myself at a loss as to how to help them or how much I should be trying to help them. I'm curious what you think our place should be in supporting them. Okay. All right. So number one, you really don't have a place in parenting your adult children. Two, it is so difficult to shut up. Yes. You want to say to what are you kidding? You're holding your kid that way?

Ha ha. What are you feeding them? Okay, that's what do you mean she only eats cereal? All right. When you're at a loss, you say, I am so sorry. I'm at a loss. Yeah. Because you don't want to say something that will will not be the authentic. That's th that th that is my my feeling. When they come to you, my daughter also talk in short sentences. A parent will talk in paragraphs. You will watch the eyes glaze over like ham.

Oh, we're all laughing because we've done it. Oh. Oh my god. Short sentences and they will hear you. Yeah. Yeah. And I also say as a as a as a parent, with you know, just at the beginning you your job is to repeat the same sentence for eighteen years. Yes. Every day. Yeah. It's true. It's so true. And then one day in their forties, they're like, Wow, you were listening. I it is that is so true, I cannot even tell you. Well, it's like the toughest thing in the world is to and Craig and I we talk about this a lot, is part of raising people and adults is the hardest job on the planet. The hardest job is that the goal is to as quickly as possible give them the tools to think and problem solve for themselves.

To be who they're supposed to be. Right. And also to give them some confidence that they can do it. And it's a it's a hard thing to do as a parent to try not to fix everything for them before it's I'm guilty of that. Yeah, I I I am too. I mean, Mel Malia was with us. She was she we're staying with a friend and they whenever they have a chance to stay in a nice house, they do. They're just like, We're coming over, you know, we're just to take a bath and to have nice towels. And so they wound up staying over last night because they stayed too long. And so they were sleeping in these beds. She got up and she's like, Oh, sleeping in nice sheets.

It's the best thing ever. I immediately say, You don't have nice sheets? You know, what do you what do you need? My my my baby doesn't have nice sheets. And she was like, mom, my sheets are fine. You know, it's like I my apartment doesn't have air conditioning. If they're too nice, they suffocate. My my point being is that I was immediately I'm with you. I try I wanted I felt her discomfort and I wanted to fix it. Yeah. And you have to resist the urge. The urge. To fix their discomfort. You have to watch them. I say this all the time.

You have to watch the the the the person, the being you love the most walk straight into a wall that you see. It's like it's a wall. That's right. And you're going you're moving really fast. You're going to oh, you hit it. Oh my God, I needed to let you do that. That's a hard thing to do. Well the one thing you just said is the is I would put in the beginning. Of all those sentences. Give them the confidence to be when when a baby is here, when they come and they're they come full blown and what you said is the beginning and the end.

Give them the confidence to meet their destiny. And if you do that young right? So to our listener Terry to Terry, if you do all that hard work early. Yes. And early, I mean, I'm talking one, yes, two years old, then the question of how do I parent my adult children becomes moot because you won't have to. Right, because you've already done it. You've given them the tools early on and that that is the beauty about being the apparent of adult children. The only thing is I I have to say that my daughter sometimes comes to me with an insecurity that is from the little girl.

Mm-hmm. In her. And then I talk to her, not as the little girl, but I would say the same thing to the little girl who is that insecure at forty three. We talk it through and she goes, Thanks, Dad. I have to go and pick up Jed now. Yeah. Yeah. I have to go pick up base. Yeah. No, I think that this this is all really good for Terry. The short sentence Did we ever get to meet Terry? No. We're we're working on it. We've talked about following up with our listeners. And having the questioners actually ask the question.

We've talked about that, but So you were talking about authentic. Yeah. So being authentic and and y Mish was saying get the work done early. That's right. And I'm gonna bring up something you said earlier, which is what your therapist does. Sometimes you don't say anything. When they come to you for advice, you ask them what they think. You know what? There is, believe it or not, a book I found when my children were young. It was called Effectiveness Parent Effectiveness Parenting Training. Okay. Something like that.

Take my word for it. And what it was is you only make noise. My son would say, I am not going to school. And I just said. Oh. Yeah. I oh, wow, you sound angry. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And he would screw himself into the bulbs, into the ceiling, and then unscrew himself, get in the car, put on a seatbelt, and say, Hurry up, we're going to be late. Yeah. That's Don't say anything. You are so right. I I'm I'm not kidding. I'm not kidding. That is a that was a Frasier and Marion Robinson tactic. And for and for someone who is a talker like me, yeah, that was a lesson that I'm still learning. Yes to do more Wow oh ooh.

It's hard. But you know what? It's just by making those sounds Mm-hmm. You tell the the child you're hearing them, you're listening without knocking them off their their path at the moment. Yeah. Or telling them how they should feel. That's right. Yeah, our mom was good at that. And you know, she lived with us in the White House. She came and that that helped us get through having a version of you funny sane grounded in that house through that experience. Right. Kept us all to together. For me personally, almost every other day, she she stayed in a suite of rooms on the third floor.

And she would come down to be there for the girls to come home. She never wanted to just have dinner unless we were having company because she wanted us to have family time, just the four of us. So she'd eat dinner upstairs. But every afternoon after I got home, or every other from a busy day at work, I'd walk up before the kids got home and just sat. And I did the same thing that I always did. I just talked. You know, this happened today. I read this, this article happened, and I would, you know, I'd be watched the news and I I just she would just let me talk.

And as the first lady of the United States, just going upstairs to my mommy's room and just letting it all out. Right. With her going, Wow. 'Cause the first lady of the United States is a human first. Yeah yeah. She did that for us our entire life. That's amazing. I never had that experience. Yeah yes. But you turned out wonderfully. Okay. Thank you. Well, you know, like at least eighty seven percent. Yeah. Yeah. But this conversation, you know, we shared a lot of don'ts. Yes. That your parents are amazing this conversation. Yeah.

I had no idea what it was going to be. Yeah. I was a little nervous. Yeah. Were you? Yeah, and I feel like I'm I'm coming for a lamb chops. Yes, that's what we want you to do. Yeah, I just I like I do and I like mint jelly. Oh, but what you do, you were of that generation where the mint jelly and the lamb chops. That's a thing, you know? That's the thing. And if you have Spencer Roast, I like currant jelly. Okay. Yeah. Okay. This has been a delightful conversation. I mean you you are wise. Wow. You are. Well, hey, it's been right eight years of b built up wisdom that you Speaking of eighty.

Oh yes. We actually knew it was birthday. So we had a little bit of a something planned for. Happy birthday to Two To you happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Henry. Happy birthday to you. And then we have to And then we have to sing the black happy birthday. Happy birthday to ya. Happy birthday to ya. This is Stevie Wonder. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. Happy birthday. There go. Don't get ready. Go Henry. Go Henry. Happy birthday. Okay, we can stop there. Woo!

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "HENRY WINKLER on Dyslexia, Dreams, and Becoming the Fonz | IMO"?

Michelle Obama (Host), Craig Robinson (Host), Henry Winkler (Guest).

What is "HENRY WINKLER on Dyslexia, Dreams, and Becoming the Fonz | IMO" about?

Henry Winkler discusses his experiences with dyslexia, the challenges it presented in his life, and how he channeled his dreams into becoming the iconic character, the Fonz, while engaging in candid conversations about personal reflections and humorous anecdotes. The dialogue also touches on shared moments and interests, highlighting the impact of memorable experiences on their lives.

What is mentioned in this Michelle Obama episode?

28 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Henry Winkler, Airbnb, Rivian (vehicle), Instinct ("your tummy knows"), Parenting adult children, Parenting philosophy ("raising people"). Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "HENRY WINKLER on Dyslexia, Dreams, and Becoming the Fonz | IMO"?

The episode runs 1 h 3 min; the transcript is about 9,610 words in 87 timestamped sections.

More from Michelle Obama

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.