But then again, Shriver is accustomed to being an eyewitness to history.

Their influence on her is palpable.

I also want to empower my sons.

Maria Shriver talks to Bustle about the gender bias in medical research and how to be a self advocat…

Youve done so much for women at every phase of your life.

Why focus on health research equity now?

Myreporting, my advocacy, my activism, my storytelling, my political training, my political wherewithal.

Maria Shriver worked with Dr. Jill Biden and President Biden to address sexism in medical research.

In a way, I’ve been in the womens empowerment space my whole life.

I went to an all-girls school, and saw my very empowered, passionate mother going to work.

She had a briefcase.

Maria Shriver learned tips for self advocacy from her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

She was trying to change the world.

She thought, as most people do, Well, they know better.

And I found myself going, No, they dont.

Maria Shriver’s parents were both stalwart advocates for others.

Why are they giving you that?

I dont think thats the right thing.

I started accompanying her [to appointments, and] took my journalism into the doctors office.

Maria Shriver talks to Bustle about teaching self advocacy to her children, including Christina and …

Do you know if this medication youre about to give her conflicts with these other medications?

Why are you giving that much anesthesia?

Why is it this anesthesia and not that anesthesia?

Maria Shriver became interested in women’s health care because of her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver…

I had a card with the list of medications she was on.

Now I have a card in my wallet of the list of medicationsImon.

Im probably a doctors worst nightmare.

For the Shriver family, pictured here, advocacy on behalf of others is a family tradition.

What types of questions do you typically ask now?

Why are you giving me that?

Has that been tested on a woman?

Is that the same dose youre giving my son?

Why dont you give me a different dose?

I dont weigh the same as my son.

We have to advocate for ourselves and those we love.

I did this for my mother and father as their caregiver.

I did this for my children.

I did this for my ex-husband.

So now I have a go at do it for myself.

I keep a journal of,How am I feeling?

I feel tired when I wake up.

Ive kept a food journal.

Ive noticed this and that.

I also dont believe that the doctor is the be-all, end-all.

Going back to your children, how did you instill in them the importance of advocating for themselves?

I always tell my kids that they have to advocate for themselves.

And thats not just in the doctors office.

Thats in your relationship, your job, your home.

This is personal as well as political for you.

When I became first lady, I really focused on women.

I started traveling around the state, learning about what challenges women were facing.

I became more aware of women as caregivers.

Everybody [in the medical establishment] told me, No, women arent more vulnerable to Alzheimers.

Its only because women live longer.

I kept saying, Well, we dont know about Alzheimers, but do you know about MS?

Do you know about autoimmune?

[Doctors at the NIH and elsewhere] were like, No.

Im like, Why not?

They were like, Well, weve never studied women.

Thats the way it is.

That led me to create theWomens Alzheimers Movement, to create the first Womens Alzheimers Prevention Center.

It led me to my work at the Cleveland Clinic.

And it led to more reporting on womens health.

How did we get here?

Traditionally, women werent seen as equal citizens.

They were seen as hysterical people who lost their minds once a month.

I brought this to the White House, and I kept saying, Does anybody see this?

Why arent we changing this?

I told Dr. and President Biden, We can change this.

you’ve got the option to be historic.

They were like, Lets go.

Tell us what we want to do, and well take it.

Theyve allocated more money toward womens health research than any other presidency in history.

Youve written a lot about the difficulty of balancing being a professional person and a mother.

No one can be in two places at once.

Id love to hear how you navigated that.

I just did the best I could.

I knew my priority had to be my kids.

So my career, which I had spent a lot of time building, definitely dropped down.

I wanted to change the world with my storytelling.

So I quit so I could be home more.

Now theyre adults and, remarkably to me, [my career is] in high gear again.

I didnt stress out that it had dropped down.

I just recognized, OK, thats the way it goes.

And thats what happened.

If you could write an additional chapter today, what would you write about?

The importance of human connection.

There is no substitute for that.

Its going to come from taking a walk with someone.

Sitting at a dinner table with someone.

Having a coffee with someone.

I would say to invest in human connection.

And also understand that going slowly doesnt mean you wont be able to achieve what you want.

Life is a marathon, and going slowly through it is a gift.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.