Barack and Michelle Obama in Their Most Personal Interview Yet: "We Are Each Other's Counterbalance"

Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively, Barack and Michelle Obama get candid about "ups and downs" in their nearly 34-year marriage, their "cooler and smarter" daughters and their legacy. The former president shares his first impressions of Michelle, calling her “a one-of-a-kind woman” whose integrity, intelligence and values made him a better person, while she explains why they have always been “each other’s counterbalance.” Together, they look back on the life they built—from raising Malia and Sasha in the White House, to Barack’s reflections on becoming America’s first Black president, the hopes he carried when he was first elected and the optimism he still has for the future. The couple also reflect on the Obama Presidential Center and their deep connection to the South Side of Chicago, the neighborhood where they married, celebrated milestones and mourned losses. Emotional, funny and heartfelt, the Obamas share intimate stories about love, family and the belief that the next generation has the talent and potential to remake the world.