Meghan Markleis sharing the message she received from a “very, very influential and inspiring woman” ahead of her royal wedding to Prince Harry.On a new episode of herArchetypespodcast, released via Spotify on Tuesday, the Duchess of Sussex welcomed Jameela Jamil, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Ilana Glazer to talk about why activism from women often draws criticism. To close out the episode, Meghan recalled a piece of advice she received “just a few days” before her May 2018 nuptials from “a very, very influential and inspiring woman, who for her own privacy I won’t share who it was with you.““She said to me, I know that your life is changing, but please don’t give up your activism. Don’t give up because it means so much to women and girls,” Meghan, 41, said.Meghan Markle.Samir Hussein/WireImage"And I kept doing the work for women and girls because it matters, yes. But also because she encouraged me to do so,” she said. “And the collective voice of all of us telling each other that matters is perhaps the point. There’s safety in numbers. But there’s also strength in numbers.“Meghan’s fight for women started at a young age, notably when shecalled out a Procter & Gamble commercialthat advertised its Ivory dishwashing soap solely to women. “I don’t think it’s right for kids to grow up thinking these things, that just mom does everything,” the then 11-year-old Meghan said during an interview withNick News.Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving for their wedding reception in 2018.Steve Parsons/GettyJust a few months ahead of her wedding toPrince Harry, she used her platform to encourage people to listen to women at an event alongsidePrince WilliamandKate Middleton.“I hear a lot of people speaking about girls' empowerment and women’s empowerment — you will hear people saying they are helping women find their voices,” she said in 2018 at the first annual Royal Foundation Forum. “I fundamentally disagree with that because women don’t need to find their voices, they need to be empowered to use it and people need to be urged to listen.“Supporting women remained a key cause in Meghan’s charity work after becoming a member of the British royal family, including becoming a patron ofSmart Works, an organization that helps unemployed and vulnerable women regain the confidence they need to succeed at job interviews and return to work.Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!After Meghan andPrince Harrystepped back as senior members of the royal family and relocated to her home state of California in 2020, the Duchess of Sussex has continued to advocate for women, from wearing a shirt with the words “Women, Life, Freedom” written in Farsi to call attention to the ongoing protests in Iran at the Women@Spotify event in October to a teenage girl with avirtual mentoring sessionin March 2021.

Meghan Markleis sharing the message she received from a “very, very influential and inspiring woman” ahead of her royal wedding to Prince Harry.

On a new episode of herArchetypespodcast, released via Spotify on Tuesday, the Duchess of Sussex welcomed Jameela Jamil, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Ilana Glazer to talk about why activism from women often draws criticism. To close out the episode, Meghan recalled a piece of advice she received “just a few days” before her May 2018 nuptials from “a very, very influential and inspiring woman, who for her own privacy I won’t share who it was with you.”

“She said to me, I know that your life is changing, but please don’t give up your activism. Don’t give up because it means so much to women and girls,” Meghan, 41, said.

Meghan Markle.Samir Hussein/WireImage

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends a Reception hosted by the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, Governor of Victoria and Mr. Anthony Howard QC

“And I kept doing the work for women and girls because it matters, yes. But also because she encouraged me to do so,” she said. “And the collective voice of all of us telling each other that matters is perhaps the point. There’s safety in numbers. But there’s also strength in numbers.”

Meghan’s fight for women started at a young age, notably when shecalled out a Procter & Gamble commercialthat advertised its Ivory dishwashing soap solely to women. “I don’t think it’s right for kids to grow up thinking these things, that just mom does everything,” the then 11-year-old Meghan said during an interview withNick News.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving for their wedding reception in 2018.Steve Parsons/Getty

meghan and harry wedding reception

Just a few months ahead of her wedding toPrince Harry, she used her platform to encourage people to listen to women at an event alongsidePrince WilliamandKate Middleton.

“I hear a lot of people speaking about girls' empowerment and women’s empowerment — you will hear people saying they are helping women find their voices,” she said in 2018 at the first annual Royal Foundation Forum. “I fundamentally disagree with that because women don’t need to find their voices, they need to be empowered to use it and people need to be urged to listen.”

Supporting women remained a key cause in Meghan’s charity work after becoming a member of the British royal family, including becoming a patron ofSmart Works, an organization that helps unemployed and vulnerable women regain the confidence they need to succeed at job interviews and return to work.

Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates onKate Middleton,Meghan Markleand more!

After Meghan andPrince Harrystepped back as senior members of the royal family and relocated to her home state of California in 2020, the Duchess of Sussex has continued to advocate for women, from wearing a shirt with the words “Women, Life, Freedom” written in Farsi to call attention to the ongoing protests in Iran at the Women@Spotify event in October to a teenage girl with avirtual mentoring sessionin March 2021.

source: people.com