upworthy

justin trudeau

Democracy

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau shares the big understanding that can make democracies healthy again

In an Upworthy excusive, Canada's "unofficial" first lady shares the root of political dysfunction.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau at the White House.

Going through a divorce is one of the most psychologically stressful things someone can experience, right after the death of a spouse (and divorce is a sort of death of its own). But for mother of three Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, her split with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been even more devastating because it happened on the world’s stage.

The 2023 breakup resulted in Grégoire Trudeau experiencing chronic stress, so she turned to the yoga mat and self-regulation to find strength through the painful transition. "I have never been more attuned and caring of my mental health than through this whole process," she told Yahoo Canada. "I have been pushed to dig into my authenticity and to put my attachment issues aside.”

Grégoire Trudeau documented her struggles and triumphs in a recent memoir, Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other, where she discusses living with an eating disorder, confronting difficult truths, and finding a deeper connection to herself. Ultimately, it’s a story about overcoming adversity to live a more authentic and fulfilling life.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and Justin Trudeau

Sophie Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau, Justin Trudeau, Canada, Prime Minister, HamburgJustin und Sophie Trudeau at the Global Citizen Festival in Hamburg. via Frank Schwichtenberg/Wikimedia Commons

On June 24, 2025, she shared her journey at Aspen Ideas: Health during a discussion called “Sophie Grégoire Trudeau: A Personal Wellness Journey.” After the talk, she sat down with Upworthy to share a fascinating connection she made between mental health and politics: healthy democracies require citizens who feel safe in their bodies.

How to create healthy democracies

“Feeling safe in our bodies is a primal need. We all want to feel safe in our bodies. So, if you look at Abraham Maslow's pyramid, safety and having food on your table, a roof over your head—if safety is not there, it's game over for everything else. So, physical safety and emotional safety allows for better human connection. Better human connection means healthier democracies,” she told Upworthy.

She adds that when we are in survival mode, we don’t have time for our deeper needs and lack the bandwidth to develop or practice tolerance and empathy towards others. “You will not be thriving, but you'll be in more of a survival state, and when you're in that mode, your body is doing what it needs to save you. So you don't have much more energy and acceptance or tolerance to give to anyone.”

Sophie Gr\u00e9goire Trudeau, White House, Melania Trump, Washington DC, first ladySophie Grégoire Trudeau and Melania Trump.The White House/Wikimedia Commons

When we lack the space for empathy, it becomes harder to understand others, which can throw us into an unending loop of negativity. This can lead to constant rumination about how others are making your life miserable. “It goes on and on and on and on, and it never stops, and then you go and consume something on TikTok or on social media that is about how it's others' fault all the time. 'Well, of course you're miserable, it's their fault,' so that reinforces your rumination process.”

Once people stop showing compassion and empathy for one another, the entire democratic process, from how we discuss issues and culture—whether at our kitchen tables or on social media—is affected. The good news, according to Grégoire Trudeau, is that just like negativity can spiral out of control, positivity can do the same. “A negative loop will reinforce a negative loop, but a positive loop will reinforce a positive loop," she told Upworthy. “So, from a psychological perspective, we can help the brain do that by watching what we consume to stop the negative rumination process.”

The connection Grégoire Trudeau makes between politics and safety is a valuable reminder to all of us who wish to engage in the democratic process while promoting healthy discourse. How we engage with the other side in a debate reveals a great deal more about us than it does about them. When we find ourselves engaging in negativity or refusing to listen to another person’s needs, it may be a clear sign that there’s a significant problem we need to address within ourselves.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

How do you know when you've found your best bro?

You know, that special someone who truly makes your chill sessions complete? That bro who you don't even have to invite to anything because, obviously, dude, he'll be there.

The ancient rituals and traditions of dude-dude bonding are not only steeped in storied history, they're important. They're even healthy, according to science.


So how do you to know when you've found the Sam to your Frodo? The Finn to your Poe Dameron? The Ian McKellen to your Patrick Stewart? The Walt to your Jesse?

GIF via Television Academy/YouTube.

Or even ... dare I say ... the Trudeau to your Obama?

After pics of President Barack Obama palling around with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his first official visit to The White House began surfacing online, the Internet fell in love with the way the two heads of state just seemed to click.

Here are the seven undeniable signs you've found your best bro, as demonstrated by "Trubama":

1. You both support the welcoming of Syrian refugees.

Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.

A good sign you've found your bro-4-lyfe is that you both want to welcome Syrian refugees into your country. And sure, it's going to be an uphill battle for you in Congress, and you may have to make strong pleas to the country to shift public opinion, but it's about being on the right side of history, bro. You both understand that, and that's the making of a true bromance.

2. You're both super into the scientific consensus on climate change.

Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.

Climate change is decidedly not dope. But you know what is? The scientific consensus that yes, it's a real thing. If you and your bro have acknowledged that and have made active steps to combat it through powerful initiatives, well, you may have just found yourself a best bro.

3. You can put your differences on the Keystone pipeline behind you and still bro-out.

Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.

Sure, you think the Keystone pipeline is a regressive action that would create a small number of jobs and "undercut" America's leadership when it comes to taking serious action to fight climate change, and he supports it, but if you can put that all behind you and just chill together, that's a damn good bro.

4. You both want mad health care for everyone.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

You love health care so much that your last name is now semipermanently attached to the word "care." You love it so much that healthcare reform will surely go down in history as one of your biggest and most lasting accomplishments. If he does too, that's a solid bro.

5. You both think marijuana laws should be way less mega-harsh.


Photo by Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images.

Hey, he might even support the legalization of marijuana. You can't quite go that far, but you both can agree that locking up kids and individual users for long stretches of time is too harsh a punishment for the stuff. That's the kind of bro-greement that only best bros can come to.

6. You both want to invest in infrastructure.

Photo by Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images.

Both of you know you can't have crumbling highways and out-of-date bridges AND have people unemployed. That's just lame. So that's why you passed a $305 billion spending bill in 2015. Look into your bros eyes. If you see that he also wants to boost government spending to support public transit infrastructure, social infrastructure, and even green infrastructure, then that's a true bro.

7. You both want to raise taxes on the wealthy.

Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.

You're two of the most powerful people in the world. But even you can clearly see that the income gap has gotten a little ridiculous. That's why you proposed a budget in 2015 with tax hikes on the wealthiest citizens, and your bro openly supports a tax hike on the rich. In fact both of you know that it's not class warfare. it's about paying your fair share. That's pretty chill.

If you and your bro share any of these beliefs, you may have found a best bro.

So raise up your glass...

Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images.

And lets all toast to the besties in our life. The number 1 bro's. The got-your-back-no-matter-what bros.

Even if you have bros already, bro, you should probably get some more. There are endless hockey games to attend, video games to play, craft beers to drink, and Magic: The Gathering tournaments to win, and there's no one better to do those things with than with your best bros.

They complete us. They make us stronger. They lift us when we're down. And lets face it.

You look damn good together.

Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images.

More

Justin Trudeau is marching in a pride parade. Yeah, it's a big deal.

If you're a fan of human rights, you probably like Justin Trudeau.

This week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an unprecedented move when it comes to LGBT rights and visibility.

If you're someone who's paid close attention to his record on LGBT issues, the news likely isn't all that surprising. It might not seem like it's that big of a deal, but it's still historic.


Photo by Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images.

Trudeau will be Canada's first prime minister to march in Toronto's Pride Parade.

The popular PM plans to participate in the event this coming July alongside the country's first openly gay premier, Ontario's Kathleen Wynne, BBC News reported.

Trudeau — who's in favor of expanding protections for transgender Canadians and is seeking to end the outdated, homophobic barriers that prevent gay men from donating blood — is "very much look[ing] forward to being there again, this time as PM," he tweeted on Feb. 22, 2016.

“[It’s] big news in Canada, but big news around the world,” Mathieu Chantelois, Pride Toronto’s executive director, told BuzzFeed Canada.

If you're a big fan of social progress, you're probably a fan of Trudeau.

Of course, he hasn't been without his fair share of criticism throughout the years — like when he got called out for flip-flopping on gun laws or, more recently, caught flak from some political opponents for using taxpayer funds to pay family nannies (a move he defended).

By and large, however, Trudeau has been heralded as a leader moving Canada forward on human rights and equality.

Like when he appointed women to half his cabinet because, well, "it's 2015," as he put it.

Or when he called on more men to embrace the term "feminist."

GIF via the World Economic Forum.

And remember that time he welcomed Syrian refugees to Canada with open arms?


GIF via BBC News/YouTube.

Yeah, that was great too.

He's also been an advocate for mending Canada's divisive relationship with its indigenous peoples and he made sure that his gender-equal cabinet was ethnically diverse as well.

Trudeau's decision to march may not seem like a very big deal in a country often seen as America's more liberal friend to the north.

But it is — even for Canada. Because pride parades aren't just about rainbow flags and colorful floats. They're symbolic of a community embracing its queer brothers and sisters as one. To have a world leader fully embracing that idea is history worth remembering.

Photo by Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images.

More

Canada's prime minister on the importance of raising feminist sons.

The Canadian prime minister joins a growing chorus of men fighting for gender parity.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes in gender equality.

Last year, when asked why he made a point of selecting a "gender-balanced" cabinet, he replied with a shrug and a simple line: "Because it's 2015."


GIF from CBC.

He recently touched on another important gender-related topic: men's role in supporting feminism.

On the Progress Towards Parity panel during the World Economic Forum's annual meeting this year in Davos, Switzerland, Trudeau shared an important story about how he's raising his own children.

He'd taken special care to raise his daughter in a way that allows her to feel empowered and confident, but it wasn't until his wife, Sophie, said something to him that he realized how important it is to take the same care raising his 8- and 2-year-old sons to be just as aware of gender issues.

GIFs from World Economic Forum.

Because an equal society is one in which we're all working to break down walls of oppression.

And that absolutely includes men's role in acknowledging their own position in the world and how they can use that privilege to dismantle society's patriarchal structure.

Now, fighting for gender equality already has a name: feminism. And as the prime minister is quick to say, it's not a word we need to be afraid of.


Prominent men around the world are joining the fight for gender equality.

In 2014, President Barack Obama famously said, "If you're a strong man, you should not feel threatened by strong women," in response to a question about gender-based violence, adding, "All the men here have to be just as committed to empowering women as the women are."

Obama poses with Girl Scouts/superheroes during the 2015 White House Science Fair. Photo by Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.

Last year, New York Magazine asked 15 male celebrities whether they consider themselves feminists. The answers were pretty encouraging.

"Oh, absolutely," said Matt McGorry of "Orange Is the New Black" and "How to Get Away With Murder." "Ultimately, if there were as many male feminists as there are female feminists, we wouldn’t need to be fighting for equality."

"Yeah, because I like women and I respect women," responded Harrison Ford.


Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images.

The good news is that things are getting better.

The bad news is that progress is still going way too slowly.

If we continue at the current pace, gender equality — in terms of economic, social, and legal aspects — won't be achieved until 2133. That's way too long to wait, which is why it's more important than ever that people of all genders, and especially men in positions of power, help support and create a level playing field where people of all genders can thrive.

Interested in more gender equality awesomeness? Check out the full video of Trudeau's panel.

It also features Melinda Gates, Jonas Prising, Sheryl Sandberg, and Zhang Xin.