Like many people, Ayesha Curry doesn’t handle setbacks well — but she doesn’t dwell on them either.
In an interview on Inc. “From the Ground Up” podcast with Executive Editor Diana Ransom and Editor Christine Lagorio-Chafkin, the businesswoman, chef, and restaurateur said she gives herself 24 hours to feel the emotions — anger, sadness, confusion — before moving on.
“But I’m never going to suppress. It’s not my thing,” Curry said. “I’m going to let it out and feel my feelings and then move on.”
Curry’s mindset has been a game-changer for her mental health and a key factor in her entrepreneurial success, Essentially Sports reported.
In 2023, the United States had 33.2 million small businesses, which account for 99.9% of all companies in the country, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.
As a successful entrepreneur, Curry’s ventures exemplify the resilience and drive required in this space.
As previously highlighted by AFROTECH™, Ayesha Curry, wife of NBA star Steph Curry, has built her own impressive identity beyond the title of “basketball wife.” With a net worth of $10 million, she is widely recognized for her entrepreneurial success, particularly through her restaurant ventures.
International Smoke is a restaurant co-founded by Ayesha Curry and Chef Michael Mina. It has locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Las Vegas. Curry frequently partners with other chefs to create pop-up restaurants in various locations.
She also has her own product line, Little Lights, and television and film production company, Sweet July Productions.
In 2017, Curry launched her own subscription box service, Homemade, delivering boxes to families in and around the greater Oakland area.
She also released a best-selling book in 2016 called “The Seasoned Life,” sharing exclusive recipes and stories about her life and her faith. She and her husband own several properties.
The power couple is also the driving force behind the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, Steph and Ayesha Curry launched Eat. Learn. Play in 2019 to improve children’s lives by increasing literacy rates, providing healthy meals, and creating opportunities for active lifestyles.
In August 2024, the couple announced plans to invest $25 million in Oakland, CA, over five years. Efforts include building 150 libraries across Oakland and bringing 30,000 books into the hands of the youth.
Additional efforts over the years have included $5 million in grants to support tutoring across more than 20 elementary schools, $2.5 million in grants allocated to libraries and teachers, and the remodeling of two elementary school libraries, according to AFROTECH™.
“When we launched Eat. Learn. Play. five years ago, we set out to provide opportunities to ensure every student in Oakland had the resources they need to be healthy and thrive,” Curry said in a news release, AFROTECH™ reported. “This commitment is about more than just closing the literacy gap—it’s about giving these kids the confidence to succeed in all areas of life. We’ve seen firsthand the impact this level of tutoring support can have on a child’s development, and it is our hope that we can work to close the literacy gap and encourage reading for a generation of students.”
From Wednesday, Dec. 4, to Monday, Dec. 9, the Currys hosted their 12th annual “Christmas With The Currys,” organized through their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. The event aimed to spread holiday cheer while promoting financial literacy in Oakland, California, Curry’s hometown.
According to Essentially Sports, the initiative included donating 100,000 books to 18,000 Oakland Unified School District elementary students. It also contributed $2 million in resources, including a $500,000 donation to the Alameda County Community Food Bank, which provided 1 million meals to families in need.