Different people celebrate their birthdays in different ways. For some, the ideal birthday celebration would be a party with everyone they know. For others, a great birthday means a relaxing day, a vacation, or a delicious meal with close family and friends.

Milestone birthdays are often cause for an extra special celebration. For example, some people go all out for a 16th birthday. Others do something special for each decade, like turning 30 or 40.

Meghan Markle is celebrating her 40th birthday in a special and unique way. Instead of a huge party, what she really wants for her birthday is a little bit more thoughtful. She’s calling it the 40 x 40 initiative. Her goal is to inspire as many people as possible to spend 40 minutes of their time helping a woman get back in the workplace.

Markle announced the new initiative with the help of Melissa McCarthy. The two were on a video call together, and McCarthy tried to guess how Markle wanted to celebrate her birthday. Eventually, Markle just told her the answer. Watch the video below for more about this new initiative and a very special cameo by Markle’s husband, Prince Harry, that came at the very end of the video.

In addition to the video, Markle also wrote about the 40 x 40 initiative on the Archewell Foundation website. She wrote, “In the past two years, and in large part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, TENS OF MILLIONS OF women around the world have left the workforce, including over two million women in the U.S.” She added, “I believe mentorship is one way to help women regain confidence and rebuild their economic strength, and for my birthday, I have asked 40 friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders to help kickoff a global effort by contributing 40 MINUTES OF MENTORSHIP to support women re-entering the workforce.”

She ended the message with a call for anyone who can to join the initiative. “If you are able, please JOIN US and pledge 40 minutes today in service of others in the way that feels right to you. The time that you donate can contribute to a GLOBAL WAVE OF SERVICE and set in motion meaningful impact in our own communities, and across the world.”

What do you think of Markle’s 40 x 40 initiative?