Building a Legacy with Ayesha and Stephen Curry

The Curry’s are here! On this episode of IMO, Ayesha and Stephen Curry join Michelle and Craig to chat about adjusting to life with four kids, approaching 15 years of marriage, managing their individual and joint pursuits, their new animated movie GOAT, and partnering with Michelle’s PLEZi Nutrition. Have a question you want answered? Write to us at imopod.com http://imopod.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  We're kind of like in the same circle of friends.

• 0:03Speaker 01

  Friendly.

• 0:03Speaker 00

  But all our conversations in high school were about either church or what are you going on Wednesday or Canadian candy. It was like, talk about sweet tooth stuff.

• 0:14Craig Robinson?

  So no.

• 0:15Speaker 00

  It was no.

• 0:16Craig Robinson?

  No rap, no, no.

• 0:18Speaker 00

  I don't know if I ain't have any game or if she was nervous or like vice versa. And like neither one of us really kind of, it was just, you know.

• 0:23Speaker 01

  I feel like this is something that gets misconstrued.

• 0:27Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 0:27Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 0:27Craig Robinson?

  Let's un-construe it.

• 0:28Michelle Obama?

  Let's clear it up.

• 0:35Michelle Obama?

  This episode is brought to you by Chase Home Lending and Theraplu. Well, it's been a while since I've seen you.

• 0:44Craig Robinson?

  It feels like a whole year.

• 0:47Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, you doing okay?

• 0:48Craig Robinson?

  Doing fine.

• 0:49Michelle Obama?

  That's good. You look good.

• 0:50Craig Robinson?

  I feel good.

• 0:51Michelle Obama?

  Have you been losing weight?

• 0:52Craig Robinson?

  I have been.

• 0:53Michelle Obama?

  Is that what I see or is that just a big jacket?

• 0:55Craig Robinson?

  No, no, no. I've actually, remember the last time my knee was bothering me?

• 1:01Michelle Obama?

  Oh, yeah.

• 1:01Craig Robinson?

  It's all better so I can do more stuff, be more active, get my workout in, you know?

• 1:06Michelle Obama?

  That's good. That's good.

• 1:07Craig Robinson?

  And then I'm coaching, so.

• 1:09Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 1:09Craig Robinson?

  Running around with these little children.

• 1:11Michelle Obama?

  And how many teams are you coaching now?

• 1:13Craig Robinson?

  So I'm coaching Aaron's eighth grade team.

• 1:16Michelle Obama?

  What's the name of their team?

• 1:18Craig Robinson?

  Junior Highlanders.

• 1:19Michelle Obama?

  What does that mascot look like?

• 1:21Craig Robinson?

  It looks like a guy with big sideburns dressed in a kilt.

• 1:29Craig Robinson?

  That, you can't laugh at that. That's a serious mascot.

• 1:33Michelle Obama?

  It's like, so what's his story? Is he a Sherpa or something?

• 1:37Craig Robinson?

  No, he's more like a Scottishman. That's with, hence the kilt.

• 1:45Michelle Obama?

  The kilt.

• 1:46Craig Robinson?

  Hence the kilt. I'll do some research and find out.

• 1:49Michelle Obama?

  Please, please.

• 1:49Craig Robinson?

  But I'm coaching the eighth grade team.

• 1:51Michelle Obama?

  For our listeners, we are going to find out about the Highlanders and I'm sure all the folks in Mequon will be reaching out to give you information because I want to know.

• 1:59Craig Robinson?

  They will. They will.

• 2:00Michelle Obama?

  So you got the Highlanders.

• 2:01Craig Robinson?

  And then I'm the assistant coach for the high school team, which are the actual Highlanders.

• 2:08Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 2:08Craig Robinson?

  They're not called senior Highlanders. Highlanders, they are the Highlanders.

• 2:11Michelle Obama?

  Okay.

• 2:11Craig Robinson?

  And they happen to be playing right now, so.

• 2:14Michelle Obama?

  So you're missing the game, coach?

• 2:15Craig Robinson?

  But that's okay, cuz we have a.

• 2:18Michelle Obama?

  It's a good excuse why Coach Robinson is absent.

• 2:23Craig Robinson?

  I, I'm.

• 2:23Michelle Obama?

  And the whole team will be ecstatic.

• 2:26Craig Robinson?

  And, and I'm very excited because, see, you know these two, and I'm just meeting him for the first time, if you can believe that.

• 2:31Michelle Obama?

  I didn't realize that you hadn't met.

• 2:33Craig Robinson?

  I mean, I, I worked in the NBA for five years, and I would come out before the games when we would play Golden State, and I'd see him doing his workout.

• 2:42Michelle Obama?

  Mm-hmm.

• 2:42Craig Robinson?

  And I always wanted to go introduce myself and say, you know, I'm Michelle Obama's brother, but I didn't have the nerve to interrupt his workout. I, I, I'm, I'm looking forward to talking to Ayesha because I probably, other than them, I'm the only person who's been to international spoke at this table.

• 3:02Michelle Obama?

  Oh, you've been to international smoke?

• 3:04Craig Robinson?

  Oh, yes, I have.

• 3:05Michelle Obama?

  Okay, well, let's, let's bring them on.

• 3:07Craig Robinson?

  Okay, let me, let me give them.

• 3:09Michelle Obama?

  Give their proper introduction.

• 3:10Craig Robinson?

  I will do that. All right, so Stephen Curry, on and off the court, legacy is underscored by transformation and innovation. He is a four-time NBA champion, 12-time All-Star, New York Times bestselling author, and Olympic gold medalist. And, uh, and, and now I have to say he's like an, he's an actor because, did you see Goat?

• 3:34Michelle Obama?

  I sure did.

• 3:35Craig Robinson?

  That was fun, wasn't it?

• 3:36Michelle Obama?

  I sure did. But the real, the real star of the couple is.

• 3:40Craig Robinson?

  The star of the couple is Ayesha Curry.

• 3:43Michelle Obama?

  My girl.

• 3:44Craig Robinson?

  A renowned restaurateur, chef, two-time New York Times bestselling author, actress, producer, and CEO of Sweet July Skin. Her accessible approach to cooking has made her one of the most sought-after experts in food and lifestyle. So without further ado, please welcome Ayesha and Stephen Curry.

• 4:07Michelle Obama?

  The Currys are in the house.

• 4:11Speaker 00

  What's going on?

• 4:14Craig Robinson?

  Thanks for being here.

• 4:15Speaker 00

  Absolutely.

• 4:15Craig Robinson?

  Thanks for being here.

• 4:16Speaker 01

  Hello. Good to see you.

• 4:20Craig Robinson?

  Come on in.

• 4:21Speaker 00

  Great to see you too.

• 4:23Michelle Obama?

  Welcome to IMO.

• 4:24Craig Robinson?

  You don't even have to move the chair.

• 4:28Craig Robinson?

  I usually have to scoot the chair out.

• 4:31Michelle Obama?

  Well, welcome, you guys.

• 4:32Speaker 01

  Thank you for having us.

• 4:34Michelle Obama?

  And taking the time. Y'all got busy lives, but you're here with us. And we are grateful, excited. Ayesha and I are text buddies.

• 4:43Speaker 01

  We are.

• 4:44Michelle Obama?

  Because you're too busy.

• 4:46Speaker 01

  I'm not too busy.

• 4:48Michelle Obama?

  You are just too busy.

• 4:50Speaker 01

  You know, I know we've become friends, but sometimes I'm still teetering on the line of, I don't want to send too many texts.

• 4:57Michelle Obama?

  I know. And I tell you, it's like, I'm not that nice. So if I don't want to talk to you.

• 5:04Speaker 01

  You're like, I won't respond.

• 5:05Michelle Obama?

  So I will not.

• 5:06Craig Robinson?

  She ghosts me sometimes, so.

• 5:09Michelle Obama?

  I do not. That's not true.

• 5:10Craig Robinson?

  No, that's not true. She texts me back right away.

• 5:14Michelle Obama?

  But we've gotten to know one another on so many different levels. Barack loves you to death, loves you both. But excited because we're partners.

• 5:26Speaker 00

  Yes, we are.

• 5:26Michelle Obama?

  You know, and our wonderful new venture, Plezi, Plezi Nutrition. And Stefan and Ayesha, you guys are the key behind the formulation of our new hydration drink. So so glad to be working with you on that. And I want to just start by asking why? What makes you excited about Plezi? I know what makes me excited, but.

• 5:50Speaker 00

  You want to say it?

• 5:51Speaker 01

  Sure. So I think for me, it was our kids.

• 5:55Speaker 00

  100%.

• 5:56Speaker 01

  So our kids really gravitated towards all of the samples when we were doing the sampling. And we looked at each other and they were like, no, they really like this. And then we started to try and we were like, wait, we really like this. And then when you have something that can be for the kids, it can help you on the court. And then if you mix it with a little tequila, it's nice as well.

• 6:20Michelle Obama?

  Mixer action. You're winning.

• 6:23Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 6:24Speaker 01

  So that really was the key component for us. Did our kids love it?

• 6:30Speaker 00

  A hundred percent. And to that, like the energy we got from them, obviously, our first conversation with you about how much time and energy was put into what was in the bottle, in the can, the roadmap of, you know, a full-scale offering from, you know, a nutritious, or nutrition standpoint. And then now with hydration being a key focus. It's exciting to bring it into the world of sports in a way, but there's such a much more educated, you know, kid and family consumer now in terms of what's going in the bottle. That obviously the taste has to be great, but we're trying to check all of those boxes. And I think, I mean, we're all biased, but I think we accomplish that for sure.

• 7:10Craig Robinson?

  I would say you're not biased because the Robinson boys, I've got sixteen and fourteen, both play hoops, play others. They play sports. When Meech sent us a case of it, I was like, no way they're gonna drink this because they don't like other hydration drinks. And they were like, whoa, what is this? And it was gone in a week, so.

• 7:35Speaker 00

  We can't keep it in our fridge.

• 7:36Craig Robinson?

  Kudos to you guys.

• 7:38Michelle Obama?

  Speaking of kids, y'all got a lot of kids.

• 7:41Speaker 00

  We have a lot. We do. We have a lot.

• 7:42Michelle Obama?

  Four.

• 7:44Speaker 00

  We got that same amount.

• 7:45Craig Robinson?

  Y'all got a right amount of kids.

• 7:49Michelle Obama?

  Thank you.

• 7:49Craig Robinson?

  A right amount of kids.

• 7:52Speaker 00

  It's a blessing.

• 7:53Craig Robinson?

  It's wonderful, but yours are closer in age, so it's.

• 7:58Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 7:58Michelle Obama?

  Although you got that, the baby outlier.

• 8:01Speaker 00

  We do.

• 8:01Speaker 01

  He is the outlier. He's a year and a half.

• 8:04Michelle Obama?

  Because you all have three and three and three and then.

• 8:06Speaker 01

  Yep, and then six.

• 8:07Speaker 00

  And then six, big gap. It's a high school in diapers, right?

• 8:11Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 8:12Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 8:13Craig Robinson?

  So now, given the way, so you're, you're both come from multiple sibling families. Did you always want to have a lot of kids? Or did this sort of just happen organically? Or I'm sure it happened organically.

• 8:30Michelle Obama?

  That's like, that's a good Craig. Do you, do we have to start with the birds and the bees?

• 8:34Speaker 01

  No, I'm just gonna. Growing up, I never saw myself there. But as an adult and like when we fell in love, we always said three.

• 8:44Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 8:45Speaker 01

  Then we had the three.

• 8:46Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 8:47Speaker 01

  And then we kind of got that itch and we were looking at each other like it feels like some someone's missing. It's like we would get in the car and be like, everybody in here and feel like someone wasn't there.

• 8:59Speaker 00

  It was more of the conversation.

• 9:00Speaker 01

  Setting at the table.

• 9:02Speaker 00

  On a daily of just having that like, do we want another one? And I was more, if I remember correctly, I was more on like, yeah, let's do it. But then, you know, the cat would flip too.

• 9:12Speaker 01

  Yeah, it would flip.

• 9:13Speaker 00

  Every six months be like, ah, nah, I'm not, I'm off of it because, you know, the schedules are crazy.

• 9:17Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 9:19Speaker 00

  The juggling of the three kids. And then she had some rough pregnancies too.

• 9:23Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 9:24Speaker 00

  It was a part of the consideration of putting her through, you know, something that's, you know, severe. Even with our third kid, Cannon, she had hyperemesis pretty much the whole time. And so that was another consideration, but.

• 9:39Michelle Obama?

  And just so people know, because we can do some education on that front. Because that, you know, more and more women, particularly women of color.

• 9:47Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 9:48Michelle Obama?

  Can you talk, do you feel comfortable talking a bit about?

• 9:51Speaker 01

  Of course, yeah. I feel like with the four kids, I maybe am well versed.

• 9:56Michelle Obama?

  Yes, yes.

• 9:57Speaker 01

  But I, you're speaking to the hyperemesis, right?

• 10:00Michelle Obama?

  Yes.

• 10:00Speaker 01

  Oh, so it's interesting, especially as a black woman within our community. It's oftentimes the pain, the sickness is kind of written off.

• 10:12Michelle Obama?

  Yes.

• 10:12Speaker 01

  Within the healthcare system. And so women will go in and won't be taken seriously because they'll look at you and be like, well, you, you don't look like you're in pain. Or you don't look like something's wrong.

• 10:24Michelle Obama?

  And when you say pain, what was, what were you experiencing?

• 10:28Speaker 01

  On top of the dehydration, just constant sickness.

• 10:31Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 10:32Speaker 01

  It's essentially morning sickness, all day amplified times 10.

• 10:36Speaker 00

  Oh.

• 10:38Speaker 01

  And sometimes your blood pressure can.

• 10:40Michelle Obama?

  Of the pregnancy.

• 10:41Speaker 01

  Throughout the entire pregnancy, up until delivery. And so I would encourage like any women who are expecting, if you're feeling that way, to just continuously advocate for yourself.

• 10:54Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 10:55Speaker 01

  If you're feeling, if you're feeling like something's not right. Keep going back.

• 10:59Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 10:59Speaker 01

  Until, until somebody listens. Cause it's not great to sit in agony like that.

• 11:05Michelle Obama?

  No, no. And Stefan, how were you a support in this? What did you do?

• 11:12Speaker 01

  Okay, you were great.

• 11:14Speaker 00

  Especially because with, with our third child, Cannon, and we had the blessing, I was, most of all, all three of our babies are July babies. And so our season, especially that last six weeks, eight weeks, I was fully available. And then, you know, throughout the season, just trying to be as supportive as I could in the sense of if she, she had to go in and out of the hospital countless times. Especially for, for with our, with our last one.

• 11:43Speaker 01

  Splendid stays.

• 11:44Speaker 00

  What's the, you know, um.

• 11:46Speaker 01

  Antipart.

• 11:47Speaker 00

  Yes, the antipart. But I was trying to, obviously just be as supportive and understanding of if I need to pick up some of the other, you know, responsibilities, especially with the kids or, um, that was my, I know it's hard to say it because you were going through agony, but it was my favorite part of it in terms of she could be as focused on taking care of herself and, and baby Kias at the time, and I could kind of, you know, be there to, you know, support and take care of and run the, you know, kids around and make sure that they knew what was going on also, but, like, we're gonna let mom, you know, handle this and she's gonna be good and she's in the right place. So, that's the hardest thing I know. You feel like you're always like missing out or like one of the kids has a, you know,

• 12:26Speaker 00

  they all want attention, right? And they all deserve the attention, but it's hard to kind of manage all of that, especially through her, her last pregnancy. I was trying to do my part there, but, however, I have no idea what hyperventures feels like, but I've seen her face. I've seen her go through it and it's like, to the point of that amplification, what she said, morning sickness times 10, I, I saw it up close and personal.

• 12:48Michelle Obama?

  What's your community of support, period, right? I mean, you guys are so busy and with the season. Look, I had a husband who was in the state legislature and then DC, right? And it's almost like a season. He could come home on the weekends, right? But we had our kids in the midst of that. And Barack was really hands on. I mean, the one reason why I always say, like, I slept in those early years because we would divide up the time. I mean, I would go to bed at eight, you know, or nine, do that last feeding and then pump. And I would just go to sleep, cover my ears and just let him have the night, right?

• 13:30Michelle Obama?

  Up until the last feeding, because he stayed up late. How, how did you guys, how do you guys manage that? And as kids?

• 13:42Speaker 01

  So with our first three, I, and people would advocate for me and be like, get some help, get some help. I, I had this strange sense of pride and this need to prove that I could be super mom. And so I didn't do those things and I was exhausted. And then with his line of work, his games go so late.

• 14:08Speaker 00

  Normal day to day schedule.

• 14:10Speaker 01

  Also, he's a bit of a deep sleeper.

• 14:15Speaker 00

  When you said Barack was up all night, I was like.

• 14:17Michelle Obama?

  He was like, oh, that wouldn't be me. So like, kids are screaming and.

• 14:22Speaker 00

  You can sleep right there.

• 14:23Speaker 01

  Hello? Literally, yes, yes.

• 14:26Speaker 00

  Oh, man.

• 14:27Speaker 01

  So then you just kind of give up on that. And so I was, it was.

• 14:32Michelle Obama?

  Saves more work trying to wake him up.

• 14:35Speaker 01

  I paid for it, though. I paid for it like mentally and physically. So then with Kai Kai with our fourth now, I said, you know what? We are so fortunate to have the resources to have a little bit of help. So I actually got, this time around, got Pat a night nurse to get those six, eight hours.

• 14:55Michelle Obama?

  Rip Van Winkle over here.

• 14:58Speaker 00

  And then I, yeah, and our last one, and then I decided. I decided to go to the Olympics like, what, six, four weeks after Kai's was born. So that added a little wrinkle into the, uh, the support.

• 15:10Speaker 01

  Six week old.

• 15:11Speaker 00

  She did, she did.

• 15:20Craig Robinson?

  Our family is starting to plan for trips this summer. Aside from all the basketball travel you've heard me talk about, we want to make time for a family vacation. And we're hoping to travel internationally this year, maybe Spain, France, or Italy, because we really love to eat and Italian food is our favorite. We also want to invite our older children and their families to come with us. If they all say yes, we're talking about at least eight adult-sized people and their luggage, so we could use the extra space. Traveling with family is so much better when staying at homes on Airbnb. There's more space and it's so nice that we get to explore

• 16:02Craig Robinson?

  new neighborhoods and cities, thanks to hosts who open their homes so families like ours can explore. And boy, do we like to explore. This episode of IMO is brought to you by Chase Home Lending. What if your home buying journey came with a promise you could trust? With Chase Home Lending, you have a partner who understands that every move is about more than just changing addresses. It's about your plans, your future, and the people who matter most. Committed to helping you move forward with confidence, offering local support and guidance you can count on every step of the way. Because when it comes to your next chapter,

• 16:43Craig Robinson?

  you deserve a partner who's as committed as you are. There was a time when we moved that things didn't go as planned. We were moving to Oregon for a new coaching position. And as always, I went ahead and my wife Kelly stayed behind to get the packing done and get the kids' school year finished. I was tasked with looking for potential homes for us to move into. I usually found a few for Kelly to pick from, but this time I was having a hard time finding something I liked. Finally, Kelly came out with my mom and after seeing two or three places they liked, my mom pulled me aside and asked me if I needed some money to help with the purchase.

• 17:27Craig Robinson?

  We still laugh about that to this day. I just needed help deciding on what was right for us. When you're ready for your next step, having a local Chase home lending advisor by your side brings real confidence. With their support, you can focus on what matters most, your future and the people you share it with. Get started at chase.com/IMO. Member FDIC, equal housing opportunity.

• 17:58Craig Robinson?

  This episode of IMO is brought to you by Theraplu. Theraplu, makers of fast-acting cold and flu relief, believes everyone deserves the right to rest and recover when they're sick, no matter where they live or how much money they make. When I was coaching, if I got sick, I found it hard to choose between taking time for myself to rest and heal and showing up for my family and my team. Luckily, I had the ability to take paid sick time when I really needed it, but not every American has that option. In 2021, Theraplu launched the Rest and Recover Fund, and they've committed more than $1 million to provide micro grants to families and individuals,

• 18:40Craig Robinson?

  helping offset the cost of taking a sick day for those that don't have coverage. Everyone should be able to prioritize their health without risking their ability to put food on the table. That's why Theraplu is committed to keep fighting, because rest and recovery is a right, not a privilege. Learn more or help someone apply for the fund at theraplu.com/RightToRecover.

• 19:11Craig Robinson?

  So when I was doing my research, I heard the story of you all meeting, which I had never heard. Can you talk a little bit about you guys meeting first as youngsters? And then how you remet? Because I have some questions.

• 19:27Speaker 00

  It's crazy. So the long story short is in high school, I lived in Charlotte and her family had moved down to Charlotte. She's from Toronto to start high school. And so I'm a year older and we went to the same, ended up going to the same youth group at the same church, Central Church of God in Charlotte, North Carolina.

• 19:51Michelle Obama?

  Shout out.

• 19:52Speaker 00

  Yeah, Pastor Levinson, the whole crew. We ended up eventually getting married there and he officiated our wedding. So it was awesome, full circle. But we met there, we were kind of like. In the same circle of friends, but all our conversations in high school were about

• 20:11Speaker 00

  either church or what are you going on Wednesday or Canadian candy. It was like, talk about sweet tooth stuff.

• 20:16Craig Robinson?

  So no.

• 20:17Speaker 00

  It was no.

• 20:18Craig Robinson?

  No rap, no, no.

• 20:20Speaker 00

  I don't know if I ain't have any game or if she was nervous or like vice versa and like neither one of us really kind of, it was just, you know.

• 20:26Speaker 01

  I feel like this is something that gets misconstrued.

• 20:29Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 20:29Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 20:30Michelle Obama?

  Publicly.

• 20:31Speaker 01

  Let's clear it up. So, no, it's not that you didn't have game. I was 14 years old. I'm not allowed to talk to boys.

• 20:40Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, that, that, that does make a difference.

• 20:43Speaker 01

  That is the difference.

• 20:44Speaker 00

  Yeah, no, I'm putting you in.

• 20:46Speaker 01

  But did I think you were cute? Absolutely.

• 20:49Craig Robinson?

  But did you, I, I also heard you had a no athletes rule.

• 20:53Speaker 01

  I, that is true.

• 20:54Craig Robinson?

  So tell, tell me about that.

• 20:56Speaker 01

  A very disrespectful comment also on my part. It's so.

• 21:00Craig Robinson?

  Okay, okay. Thank you.

• 21:02Speaker 01

  No, how is that disrespectful? I had very textbook.

• 21:10Speaker 01

  Uh, maybe misconceptions.

• 21:12Speaker 00

  Kind of frame like movie plots.

• 21:14Speaker 01

  Movie plot ideas of athletes, the jock stereotype.

• 21:19Craig Robinson?

  Okay.

• 21:19Speaker 01

  I was a theater nerd, a theater nerd. So I think I was protecting my P's and just, I don't know, the teacher, it was an activity one day in class and she said, write down what you would look for. And it was in capital. Like, God is funny. It was in capital letters and, uh, my parents found it way down the road. I want to say like maybe eight years ago in an old box and they were like, ha, ha, look at this. And I'm like, oh, wow. It's embarrassing. Uh, but yeah, I, I don't know. It was just an activity in class that she had us do, but I, I definitely did say that. And I think I did think that too, because.

• 22:00Michelle Obama?

  I remember our first, he calls it a date.

• 22:04Speaker 00

  It was definitely that.

• 22:05Michelle Obama?

  He calls it a date.

• 22:07Speaker 00

  I worked.

• 22:10Speaker 00

  We were in, I was in L.A. I came out.

• 22:12Michelle Obama?

  Out here.

• 22:12Speaker 00

  My sophomore year in college, I came out here. And I knew she had moved out here to pursue acting, so I hit her up when I was on my way. It was me and my dad coming out. And I actually ditched my dad. We were supposed to like go to this party, have, you know, like this dinner and this party. But I told him, hey, I'm gonna hang out with Ayesha. Like, you cool hanging out here? I thought I was gonna be gone like two hours and come back. And then it was in the rest of the night. She picked me up in the Astro van she had out here. And we rolled around Hollywood, like all the touristy stuff you could do in L.A.

• 22:44Craig Robinson?

  So Stefan, were you always thinking about her?

• 22:47Speaker 00

  A hundred percent.

• 22:48Michelle Obama?

  Really?

• 22:49Speaker 00

  We didn't really talk that much when I went to college.

• 22:51Craig Robinson?

  Right.

• 22:51Speaker 00

  You know, back in the day, the Facebook message type thing.

• 22:54Michelle Obama?

  Were you shy?

• 22:56Speaker 00

  Oh, for sure. For sure.

• 22:57Michelle Obama?

  Would you say that, Ayesha?

• 22:59Speaker 01

  I, he didn't come across, I'm shy. And I'm an introvert. He, he didn't come across that way at, at all.

• 23:09Michelle Obama?

  What was he, what was he like? Was he Mr. Talking Charisma, walking around?

• 23:14Speaker 01

  Super competent, very charismatic, very knowledgeable.

• 23:19Michelle Obama?

  About what?

• 23:20Speaker 01

  Just a cool, any, any and everything. Like, something to say about any subject matter.

• 23:25Michelle Obama?

  Oh, so he was opinionated?

• 23:27Speaker 01

  He could hold a conversation really well.

• 23:29Speaker 00

  That was, yeah.

• 23:31Speaker 01

  But he was funny. And I think that that was the most important thing. Because going into us hanging out, we had never really hung out before. And so going on our own. And so going into that day, I didn't know who I was picking up. I picked him up in my nineties.

• 23:45Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 23:48Speaker 01

  And I, I didn't know who I was gonna get. And it was the second he got in the car, it just felt like we were best friends. And we've literally been together since that day.

• 24:00Michelle Obama?

  That's cool.

• 24:00Speaker 01

  So.

• 24:02Speaker 00

  Shout out to, what is that, 2008?

• 24:05Michelle Obama?

  When, over the course of the date, Ayesha, did you feel like, ooh?

• 24:11Speaker 01

  There was a moment. When, I mean, we were two young kids, so we were just doing, it was silly. When we were looking for the donuts.

• 24:21Speaker 00

  Oh, yeah.

• 24:24Speaker 01

  We were looking in cop cars, see if they had donuts.

• 24:28Michelle Obama?

  What?

• 24:29Speaker 01

  We were kids. And I think the way that we were laughing with each other and how we just got a kick out of such a ridiculous situation. I was like, oh, my gosh, I really like him. But I didn't, this is another thing that gets misconstrued. People, for some reason, think that in the past I've said that he wasn't my type.

• 24:50Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 24:50Speaker 01

  But what I was saying was, I didn't think I was his type.

• 24:55Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 24:56Speaker 01

  Because this was Mr. Cool.

• 24:57Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 24:58Speaker 01

  And so I kind of sold myself short in thinking like, oh, there's no way, he must just like me as a friend. So I won't even take it that, I'm glad.

• 25:10Speaker 00

  She left the door open.

• 25:11Speaker 01

  I'm glad I didn't get friends.

• 25:16Speaker 00

  Every time I texted or called, she picked up the phone after that, after I was on full course pressure mode. After that date, for sure.

• 25:24Craig Robinson?

  See, we, we, we guys know that you're all in charge, so.

• 25:30Speaker 01

  When I finally realized that that was the direction it was going in, I, I verbalized that to him, that I was confused, because if there's one thing I'm gonna do, I'm gonna speak my mind.

• 25:41Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 25:42Speaker 01

  But he looked at me, because he had come to my house for two weeks straight, at the time, my parents' house.

• 25:52Speaker 01

  You think I've been coming over here every, every night for the past two weeks to play video games with your brothers? I was like, oh, that makes a lot of sense. I'm glad it all happened.

• 26:04Speaker 00

  For sure, it was a beautiful, kind of reconnection at that point.

• 26:09Craig Robinson?

  Well, it's, it's really interesting to hear that story and then see you guys now with all the stuff you've got going on, kids.

• 26:19Craig Robinson?

  Businesses, you know, you're still playing. You're doing your thing.

• 26:24Michelle Obama?

  Everything.

• 26:26Craig Robinson?

  All this stuff and you guys feel like, at least it's my perception from the outside looking in, that you work really well together.

• 26:35Speaker 00

  We do.

• 26:36Craig Robinson?

  Can you talk about that relationship now? How that's evolved, given how you met and?

• 26:42Speaker 00

  Well, from my perspective, the biggest thing is we've learned each other as we've gone through. You know, even when things get a little rocky or, you know, there's obstacles you have to go over. People feel stressed out or overwhelmed or whatever the case are. We're, we're always working towards the same goal of being there for each other. And I think that's been such a rewarding experience through these 15 years, almost 15 years of marriage. And, and also acknowledging like you don't know everything either and you're still learning. You're still learning, you're still growing and, and trying to have humility through that.

• 27:16Speaker 01

  I think we try to also approach all of this from like a, it's just us mentality and realizing, like even with the kids, the kids are going to grow up and they're going to leave us. And so we always come back to center like with each other. And even with all of like the business and yes, we're going to try to make an impact. We're going to try to, to, to do decent things in the world. But at the end of the day, all of this is so fleeting.

• 27:46Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 27:46Speaker 01

  And so making sure that we at the center of it all realize that it's, it's us in this together. We've vowed to do this together from day one. And so as long as we keep that, I think, I think that's kind of what's kept us going.

• 28:00Michelle Obama?

  Ayesha, I, I love that you are plain spoken in life and sort of like me. But sometimes, you know, you're, you're stating what feels like the obvious sometimes in life. And then people interpret that the wrong way, right?

• 28:19Michelle Obama?

  And. You know, I love your vulnerability and your honesty. Because I think that's what helps people. You know, it's like, it's one thing to be hashtag relationship goals.

• 28:33Speaker 00

  Yeah, man.

• 28:33Michelle Obama?

  But it's another to tell the truth about what it takes. And I tend to do that when I talk about the challenges of marriage and that. It's not all that. It's like, I love my husband. I like my husband, you know? But we also want to be a part of helping couples understand that it does take work. And it is hard, even in the best marriages.

• 28:56Michelle Obama?

  Can you talk a little bit more about that? Knowing that this is a safe space of not judgment. Everybody understands humility and blessings, but it takes work. And so you don't want to give up on something when it starts to get hard in the way that it's naturally going to be.

• 29:13Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think anything great takes work.

• 29:16Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 29:17Speaker 01

  So I agree with that. I think we're living in this age right now of everybody wants to romanticize everything.

• 29:25Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 29:26Speaker 01

  And that's a beautiful thing, but I think it's unrealistic in marriage at times.

• 29:37Speaker 01

  Because growth is inevitable and change is inevitable. And I think that's a beautiful thing. Like, if you expect it to stay the same for 15, 20 years, like, that's not...

• 29:49Michelle Obama?

  That's so sad. It's sad.

• 29:50Speaker 01

  Then there's a problem.

• 29:52Speaker 01

  So...

• 29:54Speaker 00

  We don't run away from the tension.

• 29:56Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 29:56Speaker 00

  On the daily of like, again.

• 30:01Speaker 00

  I think I heard somebody say like, neither one of us can quit on the same day.

• 30:04Michelle Obama?

  Mm-hmm, yeah.

• 30:06Speaker 00

  As a philosophy of understanding, you should know you're significant other the best and understand, you know, when they might be, when they might need a little pick-me-up or you to carry a little bit more of the load or vice versa. And I subscribe to that philosophy. But also like the tension in the daily, like, we try not to run away from it. You run towards it because you know that that's going to help you get to that next level of togetherness or just the seasons of life that kind of come at you. And so for us, if you feel like something's not, if your marriage is not perfect... You're probably right and that's okay. Nobody's this.

• 30:46Michelle Obama?

  How, let's talk about how you're raising the kids, you know? The values, how you're thinking about what kind of people you want them to be. Are you parenting the girls differently from, and the boys are babies, so.

• 31:03Speaker 00

  It's an interesting dynamic with the two older girls and the two younger boys.

• 31:07Speaker 01

  I'm grateful that the girls arrived first. Because when the boys get to the girl's age now, I feel like you'll be done playing. And it's very important to me for them to have him around more. Very important. And so I'm just grateful that that's how it worked out. But it is, parenting's hard.

• 31:33Michelle Obama?

  It sure is.

• 31:35Speaker 01

  We're, especially now we have a 13-year-old. She's gonna go to high school next year. We're doing the whole high school thing.

• 31:42Michelle Obama?

  Is she scaring you?

• 31:45Speaker 01

  And I'm in an, I'm in an, I'm in an need you these next couple of years.

• 31:49Michelle Obama?

  I'm here. It gets, cause sometime, well, Barack got scared, you know? He got scared off Sasha, the feisty one, was very scary to her father.

• 32:01Speaker 00

  There's a lot of scoreboard watching going on in our house. I call it where, why can't I do that? And why can't, oh, and how you parent, you have to parent each one a little different. As the older they get, the more they notice that.

• 32:13Michelle Obama?

  You know, that's, it means something to, at all these stages, to, you know, just have these honest conversations where your kids can, they can disagree with you. They can point out stuff because it's like, I think that gave us the confidence that you need. When you're out there and you, and at some point, you've got to advocate for yourself in life.

• 32:37Speaker 00

  Oh, for sure.

• 32:37Michelle Obama?

  And if you don't feel like you've been taught to advocate for yourself at home, like, then, who, you know, where do you get the practice of speaking up for yourself? And demanding a level of respect and then how to do it, you know? All of that stuff is practice at home around the table. Which doesn't require any money.

• 33:00Speaker 00

  Never.

• 33:01Michelle Obama?

  You know, it doesn't require, my parents didn't go to college. They didn't, you know, they weren't wealthy and connected, but they had just a baseline, common sense and a respect for us as humans that just sort of came through. And I say that to all parents because we sit here very privileged, right? Um, with resources and so on and so forth. But we weren't raised, we were raised in a little bitty apartment with a mother that stayed home and a father that was a pump engineer at the water filtration plant all his life.

• 33:33Michelle Obama?

  I think he never had, rarely got a new car. You know, we went on one family vacation every year and drove to this Dukes Happy Holiday Resort. Now, we, we did not have resources, but we had parents who fundamentally liked us. And in the same way that you build that like relationship in a, in a marriage. Yeah. It's like your kids have to know that you like who they are truly for themselves.

• 34:12Craig Robinson?

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• 38:07Speaker 04

  Wayfair, every style, every home.

• 38:15Michelle Obama?

  I want to ask particularly, how you doing? I mean.

• 38:20Speaker 01

  How am I doing?

• 38:21Michelle Obama?

  Yes, because you have a lot on your plate.

• 38:25Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 38:26Michelle Obama?

  You're doing it well.

• 38:28Speaker 01

  Thank you. I had, I had more on my plate. And it came to a head where I was like, okay, I gotta lay it all out and figure out what, what do I really love? What is important to me? What do I value? And so I've like really streamlined things. I'd say over the past four, three, four years. But I'm doing, I'm doing really well. I feel like I'm kind of in a, I don't want to say the word smooth sailing because I don't want to jinx myself in the parenting department.

• 38:58Michelle Obama?

  You'll be doing that until you're 60.

• 39:02Speaker 01

  The parenting situation is feeling really good. You know, we had our, our fourth and so I'm, I'm feeling comfortable in my body again. I'm feeling more like myself and that's such a good feeling.

• 39:18Speaker 01

  And also like allows me to be a better parent in some strange way because I, I feel like I know who I am again. Um, and so that's been really great.

• 39:27Michelle Obama?

  How do you carve out the space to take care of yourself in the midst of it all?

• 39:33Speaker 01

  I never used to do it and now I just make it a priority. I don't know how else to say it. I put it on the calendar. I make it a priority and I get it done. Oftentimes now, even just for getting my, like my body moving and getting outside, I just bring the baby along with me and we get it done. But I, I find I have to like be outside.

• 39:55Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 39:56Speaker 01

  Multiple times a week, I notice a difference from a mental health perspective and so.

• 40:02Michelle Obama?

  Because you can be with four kids.

• 40:05Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 40:06Michelle Obama?

  It's like you could be in the house forever.

• 40:09Speaker 01

  And they have so much going on themselves.

• 40:11Speaker 00

  The house or the car.

• 40:13Michelle Obama?

  I know every time we talk to you all, you all are in the car.

• 40:16Speaker 00

  The first, the first meeting we had or the first call we had. We were in the back of the car.

• 40:22Michelle Obama?

  Do they live in the car?

• 40:23Speaker 00

  Right, right, right, with soccer game.

• 40:27Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 40:27Speaker 00

  We were trying to go to the fence.

• 40:29Michelle Obama?

  It was a soccer game and I was like, we got it. Brock and I go, go, go to watch the game.

• 40:33Speaker 01

  Yeah. We were in the, we were at the soccer game. We were in the Sprinter and the kids were so mad at us because they don't like when we bring the Sprinter to school because it's embarrassing.

• 40:41Michelle Obama?

  Oh.

• 40:42Craig Robinson?

  Really? Are you kidding?

• 40:44Speaker 01

  Oh, they're so embarrassed.

• 40:47Craig Robinson?

  Oh my goodness.

• 40:48Michelle Obama?

  They just want to be regular people.

• 40:51Craig Robinson?

  See, Austin and Aaron are like, can we get a Sprinter?

• 40:54Michelle Obama?

  That's until, that's until their parents come out of one. I mean, Malia and Sasha never wanted Brock to come to their stuff with the presidential motorcade. You talk about Sprinter.

• 41:06Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 41:07Speaker 00

  That's a different.

• 41:07Michelle Obama?

  I mean, they're just like, that just don't come.

• 41:09Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah.

• 41:10Michelle Obama?

  Don't come. Why are those men on the roof with machine guns? But they don't, they don't like the Sprinter, huh?

• 41:16Speaker 01

  No. The girls don't.

• 41:18Speaker 00

  They don't at all.

• 41:19Michelle Obama?

  How do you, how do you manage integrating into normal parent life? I know that was something that we had to work on. I mean, how do you, how do you make your kids feel normal? I guess.

• 41:35Speaker 00

  It's a challenge for sure. You know, worried about, we're at the like sleep overnights or, you know, extracurriculars, especially with Riley, she wants to be a little bit more independent and can you drop me off here and do this? And like meeting new parents and, you know, not making it a big deal, but making sure there's boundaries around, you know, how we move so that, you know, we feel safe. And if we feel safe, then it allows us to take that next necessary step. I feel like to allow your kid to explore, right? You want them to be curious and this is showing up. I think it's the biggest deal that you, you meet people, meet parents. We, we do try to, in terms of like, especially for, you know, sports activities, school activities, that type of thing where,

• 42:20Speaker 00

  for our kids and seeing like, that's how, normal is a weird word, but

• 42:25Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 42:25Speaker 00

  that's a normal experience and we're gonna be at your game, we're gonna be loud yelling, going crazy. We're gonna be embarrassing you after your, your theater production performance.

• 42:35Michelle Obama?

  Yes, yes, we do do that.

• 42:37Speaker 00

  We do all of that.

• 42:39Speaker 01

  Pride myself.

• 42:42Speaker 00

  And celebrate them, right? That's, I think we try to do that. The, the social part of it, there's challenges, there's considerations that we never thought we'd have to, to make or take to, to make sure, you know, you can let your kids kind of go out and thrive. But part of that too is again, still learning, because every year is a little different.

• 43:04Speaker 01

  It's all so weird.

• 43:06Michelle Obama?

  It is weird.

• 43:07Speaker 01

  I, I think we're doing a good job of.

• 43:11Michelle Obama?

  Allowing them to feel very normal.

• 43:13Speaker 00

  I don't know how y'all did it to the point of.

• 43:17Michelle Obama?

  You know, it's all the, it's all the same thing, you know? Like the girls growing up, they didn't want people to come to their house, the White House, because it felt like it's not a normal house. And I was like, I guarantee you, your friends want to come. They want to watch a movie in the movie theater. It's like, why would somebody want to come here?

• 43:38Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 43:39Michelle Obama?

  And I was like, but they do. So it took them a second to kind of understand that it's not, it isn't normal from where they came from in Chicago, but it is their normal. And I think it's like, everything, our kids reacted the way we reacted. So if we showed up special.

• 44:02Speaker 00

  Yeah, exactly.

• 44:03Michelle Obama?

  You know?

• 44:03Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 44:04Michelle Obama?

  If, if, if we just showed up and was like, look the other way, we're just here, it's not a big deal, you know? Then slowly they followed suit. And I also found that the school environment followed suit.

• 44:17Speaker 00

  I said, they meet you where you are.

• 44:19Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 44:19Speaker 00

  They meet your energy.

• 44:20Michelle Obama?

  You know?

• 44:21Speaker 00

  You'd hope so.

• 44:22Craig Robinson?

  Yeah, it's, it's, it's wonderful. And just watching kids develop, giving them what, what we can, it's, it is, it is a joy to go to practice every day with my old self and rickety bones, but it's, it's really been a treat.

• 44:40Michelle Obama?

  You won't even be as old as him when.

• 44:43Craig Robinson?

  I know, you'll be able to get out there with him.

• 44:46Craig Robinson?

  Show him some things. I, I, I show him that I can shoot just for some credibility.

• 44:51Speaker 00

  Absolutely.

• 44:52Craig Robinson?

  And then that's it. It's one of the, one of the kids. Wait, Ayesha, one of the kids asked me today, he was so, I mean, these are high school kids, right? He's a senior and he's like, hey, Coach Robinson, can you still get up there and dunk? And I felt, I felt bittersweet, you know? It was nice of him to think that I could dunk. But not being able to dunk anymore was the bitter part.

• 45:18Michelle Obama?

  It's like, can you still jump?

• 45:20Craig Robinson?

  Yeah. And speaking of basketball, how did you guys decide to do GOAT? How did that all come about? Because your team-

• 45:29Michelle Obama?

  Oh, that was so good.

• 45:31Craig Robinson?

  Was kind enough to let us take a look at that.

• 45:34Michelle Obama?

  It's coming out today.

• 45:35Speaker 00

  It's out today. I know we're dating this beer, it's out today.

• 45:39Michelle Obama?

  So good.

• 45:40Speaker 00

  Thank you so much. It's been a seven year journey, to be honest.

• 45:44Craig Robinson?

  Oh, wow.

• 45:45Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, animation takes forever.

• 45:47Speaker 00

  And then that initial process of working with the Sony Animation and Sony Studios. We had an initial meeting and then the idea of, you know, having an animated story that was sports related, then brought me in basketball and an all animal world was kind of just a starting point. And my favorite part about the whole thing is there's, it's something for the entire family. Comedy is high paced, high action, the visuals are stunning in the all animal world and Aisha is the, she's Carol, the diner owner.

• 46:23Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 46:24Speaker 00

  Who's always looking out for me.

• 46:25Craig Robinson?

  When you guys were sort of working through this, was it always you were gonna be in it as well?

• 46:32Speaker 00

  No.

• 46:33Craig Robinson?

  How did that come about? Because you all aren't darn right good at it.

• 46:37Speaker 00

  I was drafting over her because I've never done voice acting and she's been acting her whole life. And so when we had the opportunity to do some of the characters and look at, you know, how we were filling out the team and Lenny the Giraffe was the exact opposite of me as a player and a person. He's like the laid back, kind of not really focused, just kind of there. He's been cast around the entire Roarball league, he's played for 10 different teams in 10 years. He likes music more than he likes Roarball.

• 47:07Michelle Obama?

  He wants to rap.

• 47:08Speaker 00

  He wants to rap. It was a little bit more on the nose for Aisha in terms of, you know, the culinary kind of connection for Carol the Diner. But that whole, I don't know how you felt from the voice acting perspective. It was so much fun.

• 47:22Speaker 01

  It's so different from being on your traditional set.

• 47:28Speaker 01

  There's a lot that goes into the voice work. I wanted to have a different voice so badly.

• 47:33Michelle Obama?

  You wanted to completely change your voice? To change your voice? What would have been your voice? I want to hear what you wanted.

• 47:41Speaker 01

  I gave them a sample and they looked at me after and they were like, "Just, I think your regular voice will suffice."

• 47:50Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, what was the topic?

• 47:51Speaker 01

  I wanted to be like, "You don't get in a pie." Or maybe have a Jamaican accent, you're like, "Hey, wagwah, welcome, welcome."

• 48:04Michelle Obama?

  They're like, "No."

• 48:05Speaker 01

  They were like, "No." Your regular voice is great, thank you.

• 48:09Michelle Obama?

  Well, your regular voice was great. Congratulations. Thank you very much. Way to go. All right, just another thing on the cast. How is it working together? I mean, I work with my husband sometimes.

• 48:25Michelle Obama?

  You know, I mean, you are essentially two principals, okay? Right? I mean, it's not like Ayesha's your supporting cast. She's got her own thing. Maybe I should ask Ayesha.

• 48:37Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 48:39Michelle Obama?

  How do you, you know, how do you break through the noise of him?

• 48:45Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 48:46Michelle Obama?

  As you were working to assert what you want your vision to stay seen in it all? Because you have definitely done that and I know it's more than a notion to do that.

• 49:00Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think that's an interesting question. Very multi-pronged. But I think, do I like working with him? Absolutely, I love it. We shot a show years ago called About Last Night and

• 49:14Michelle Obama?

  Oh, yeah.

• 49:15Speaker 01

  We had so much fun on set together. I think where it gets dicey for me is where I never want to feel like I'm inserting myself or like just being thrown into the mix. I think because I work so hard and sometimes I do feel like I have a point to prove and so I like to be able to kind of stand on my own two feet sometimes. But I feel like he's always been so gracious about.

• 49:47Speaker 01

  Either bringing me along or hyping me up or like truly putting me on a pedestal, even when I don't want to be up there. And he's been so great about just being such a support system for me and truly like my partner in crime. He's never been like, stand back here, stand right here. It's always like, no, you're gonna stand right here with me. And I think that's been, that to me is very romantic.

• 50:14Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 50:16Speaker 01

  So I love that he's always done that for me and been that person for me. Kind of my confidence when it's maybe lacking in myself.

• 50:25Michelle Obama?

  And it gets easier over time. I mean, I've been saying this a lot. It's like, I'm 62 now. And it wasn't until my 50s that I felt like I could claim what I know.

• 50:42Speaker 00

  I understand.

• 50:43Michelle Obama?

  You know, and I think that may be a woman thing, right? I mean, men are encouraged to, you know, like, you're a man at 20. It's like, you don't know anything, you know? I mean, you were the men, you both were the men in high school. You didn't know anything, you know? But you're handed that, you know? You're encouraged to be that, right? Whereas us as women, we're always second guessing ourselves and wondering, he doesn't really like me. And we don't get to make the first move sometimes in life, you know? And I'm trying to figure out what that is because it's not that I wasn't confident. But it took me a while to be like, I know what I'm talking about.

• 51:37Craig Robinson?

  You guys are both so accomplished at such a young age. What have you learned from Ayesha? And Ayesha, what have you learned from Stefan?

• 51:52Speaker 00

  I've learned from Ayesha what true like ambition and passion really looks like on a daily basis and that's not just career wise, that's for your family like she lives every day with her full self and like I know it's scary and vulnerable at times because you want to kind of you know protect yourself and she puts herself out there and I'm a little bit more reserved in that in that respect and that fire like I I wish I had more of it. I can get there on the court and like you know you have those moments but on a daily basis like I'm a little bit more kind of even keel and I wish I had that instinct

• 52:34Speaker 00

  like just she has that on a daily basis and it motivates me just you know on when things can get a little drag or you know things aren't really going your way or there's not really a clear path to get what you want like that fire and that passion is a big deal. I definitely have learned a little bit from the way that she shows up in that way in life.

• 52:58Craig Robinson?

  That's a lot from a guy who's got four championships.

• 53:03Michelle Obama?

  Well, that's all he's got. No, I'm just I'm messing with you, Stefan.

• 53:08Speaker 01

  I think I've learned from him on the flip side or what I'd what I'd like what was it what I'd like from you or learn from what I've learned from you. I think on the flip side of what he said about me for me, I he is he is so even keeled and he can compartmentalize really big emotions very well and he does know how to block out the noise. And so I've learned little by little, I think, how to do more of that because like you said, I am I'm very passionate and fiery and sometimes it's works, but sometimes it doesn't and

• 53:48Speaker 01

  vice versa. And then I think I've learned this unwavering work ethic. I've never seen anything like it, but it obviously manifests itself in in. How things work out for him in his basketball, basketball career. I'm like, tomorrow he'll be up 6:30, you know, working on himself when he, he doesn't necessarily have to.

• 54:15Michelle Obama?

  Mm-hmm.

• 54:16Speaker 01

  And so I've just year after year after year seen him do things when he doesn't have to. And then I see the results that come from that and it's extremely inspiring.

• 54:28Michelle Obama?

  Oh, my God. Yeah.

• 54:30Speaker 00

  Thank you.

• 54:31Michelle Obama?

  Let's bottle some of that up and sprinkle it over the man.

• 54:42Michelle Obama?

  That's very sweet.

• 54:43Speaker 00

  Thank you.

• 54:44Michelle Obama?

  I'm so proud of you too.

• 54:46Speaker 00

  Stop, stop, stop.

• 54:48Michelle Obama?

  All right, we're gonna do the listener question because the listener question will lead to a little more discussion.

• 54:53Craig Robinson?

  Yeah, yeah. So a question today is from Vivian in Raleigh, North Carolina.

• 55:01Michelle Obama?

  Oh, Vivian, shout out.

• 55:04Speaker 05

  I am the first of three children, two girls and one boy. It always seems I'm the mother of everyone, from my parents to my siblings, then to my spouse and 12-year-old. I recently lost my dad, so it's been very hard on my mom. She wants me to call daily and respond to all the texts daily. I love my entire family and I want to be there for them. But I'm also a registered nurse and I owe it to my pediatric patients and their families to give them excellent care.

• 55:46Speaker 05

  I am working to go back to school to become a family nurse practitioner or go to medical school. I feel I am not enough, but my husband believes that I am smart and I can do all things through Christ.

• 56:04Speaker 05

  I am also a precinct official. Thanks to your book. Now they want me to take on more responsibilities. And fear is gripping me. But I really wanna do more. I was privileged to go canvassing with my daughter knocking on doors. She was so excited about doing what Mrs. Obama did with her dad. My question is, how can I juggle all this? And still look fly, be a great daughter, sister, wife, and a mom?

• 56:43Speaker 00

  I don't even know where to start.

• 56:45Speaker 01

  The first thing that comes to mind for me is like thinking of the cups and not these cups. But how they say you can't pour from an empty cup. And I think for women, I think that statement is false. Because generally, women have many cups. There are many cups we're dealing with. And so I, like my, is it advice? Would be.

• 57:12Michelle Obama?

  Your opinion.

• 57:13Speaker 01

  My opinion, yes, that's right. Would be, I mean, also, as women, we tend to ruminate on things when we're in a different situation, thinking about all the other things that need to go on. And so I think my opinion would be to realize, separate everything into these separate cups. And realize when you're pouring into that cup, it's just that cup in that moment. And to try and tune everything else out, get to it when you need to get to it. So that you can fully give yourself to whatever it is that you're focusing on at that time. Whether it's, you know, at the hospital, or with your mom, or with the kids, or whatever else it is you're doing.

• 57:55Speaker 01

  I think there will be so much peace of mind if you can just compartmentalize those moments.

• 58:01Speaker 00

  You gotta applaud her and her.

• 58:04Michelle Obama?

  For sure. Yes.

• 58:06Speaker 00

  The responsibility that she's carrying for so many people that she knows and she doesn't know or she's beating on a daily basis at her, at her, at her work. Have grace with yourself too, I'd say too. Cause there's days where you don't feel like you're, you're killing it. Probably the days that you're killing it the most.

• 58:25Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, but it's also okay not to kill it.

• 58:27Speaker 00

  That's true, that's true. But having grace with yourself, I guess, is the biggest piece of. And hopefully she can set healthy, healthy boundaries for herself as she goes to aspire for. What does that mean?

• 58:43Michelle Obama?

  Like what, cause what, what is grace to you?

• 58:46Speaker 00

  People should be able to support her and her endeavors as well in the sense of like, I don't know how much her mom reaches out or feels like it's maybe a burden at times or maybe not, but.

• 58:58Speaker 00

  But if there's moments where she can have the space to go after the things that she wants to and she creates that room for herself, the boundaries, other people respect that and allow her to, you know, go pursue what she wants to and that it's okay. Even if somebody else gets the short end of the stick for a day or a week or a month. That's, that's kind of, it's not, it's not a bad thing.

• 59:21Speaker 01

  Actually, I think I read that in your first book. And you said, say no, they will be okay and we'll move on.

• 59:29Michelle Obama?

  That's exactly.

• 59:31Speaker 00

  That's just what I wrote down, learn to say no.

• 59:33Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, yeah. Well, and you know, look, Vivian sounds like, and I say this less, she sounds like what I call a 120 percenter, you know, like everybody around this table. Like you don't think you're killing it when you were doing everything. It's like that extra percentage and you feel like, okay, now I'm putting it in. When, you know, life can be okay at 70% and sometimes at 40% and at 30%, you know.

• 1:00:07Speaker 00

  I'm learning right now.

• 1:00:08Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, you're starting to, to learn and it's, it's a sort of a conglomeration of what we've all said. It's like. You can't do everything at 120%. And you can't, you can't and you don't have to. And you learn that over time. Like, maybe you can't be there for your mom in the exact way that she wants you to be there for her. And it's okay, right? Because maybe if you're not giving 120% to your mom and 40% at times, somebody else will come in.

• 1:00:44Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:00:44Michelle Obama?

  But if she's trying to fill all the cups herself, you know, you know, there's no vacuum for need, right? If you're doing it all, and some people who aren't 20%, 120%ers, they'll, they'll be a 20%er a lot. And she may be surrounded by other siblings that are just putting in 20% because Vivian's gonna do it all. You know? If you don't need, say you need help, nobody is gonna help you, you know? So, I say do less.

• 1:01:15Craig Robinson?

  Write that down.

• 1:01:15Speaker 01

  Do less.

• 1:01:16Michelle Obama?

  Do, do less and learn to be okay with it.

• 1:01:20Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:01:21Michelle Obama?

  That's...

• 1:01:23Speaker 01

  No, actually, I was just sitting here thinking.

• 1:01:27Speaker 01

  I was just sitting here, every time you say 120, I'm like, dang, people probably don't even see the 20.

• 1:01:33Michelle Obama?

  No, they don't.

• 1:01:34Speaker 01

  They don't even know it's there.

• 1:01:35Michelle Obama?

  That's all in here, that's in your mind and heart, and you're measuring yourself.

• 1:01:40Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:01:41Michelle Obama?

  And people are like, you know, like, you say no, and they're like, okay, fine, next.

• 1:01:46Craig Robinson?

  Yeah.

• 1:01:47Michelle Obama?

  You know?

• 1:01:47Craig Robinson?

  But I, I, I like the cups metaphor because people don't see all the cups you see. Right? You, you see all these cups and they're like, ooh, those three cups, you're handling things.

• 1:02:03Michelle Obama?

  They don't even know you got six others.

• 1:02:06Craig Robinson?

  Yeah, a table full of cups.

• 1:02:09Speaker 00

  That's a good point.

• 1:02:11Michelle Obama?

  Yeah.

• 1:02:11Craig Robinson?

  Well, Vivian, I hope that was helpful.

• 1:02:13Speaker 00

  Absolutely.

• 1:02:14Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, but like, like you said, Stefan, props to you for, for holding it down. You know, it's like there are a lot of people out in the world who are trying to do it all. And hopefully, this, you know, gives you some guidance, takes a load off, and you don't, don't feel guilty about, you know, looking out for yourself every now and then.

• 1:02:38Craig Robinson?

  Good advice.

• 1:02:39Michelle Obama?

  Okay.

• 1:02:41Speaker 01

  Great advice.

• 1:02:42Michelle Obama?

  Well, what's next for the Currys? Now, like, there has to be, because we just talked about that, but...

• 1:02:50Speaker 00

  I know, we're...

• 1:02:51Michelle Obama?

  What are you looking forward to? Like, not even projects, but just life.

• 1:02:57Speaker 01

  We have our 15-year wedding anniversary this summer. Very happy about that.

• 1:03:03Michelle Obama?

  Yay, congratulations.

• 1:03:06Speaker 00

  But, um, 17th year in the league. See how many more years on the court, and hopefully it's not over too soon. But it is at that stage where you start to think about, you know, appreciating every year, because, uh, but then after that, who knows?

• 1:03:25Speaker 00

  We're very bad at predicting the future. At least I am. I said, "Oh, next year's not gonna be that crazy."

• 1:03:30Michelle Obama?

  Right, right.

• 1:03:31Speaker 00

  Okay, I said that, alright, next year.

• 1:03:34Michelle Obama?

  Has it been like that for 15 years?

• 1:03:36Speaker 01

  And then you gotta hear about it.

• 1:03:39Speaker 00

  I'm the master at that.

• 1:03:40Michelle Obama?

  Yeah, I have, uh, I'm married to one of those. It's like...

• 1:03:44Speaker 01

  You just get so optimistic.

• 1:03:45Michelle Obama?

  Right, oh my God, I call it poor executive function. It's like, you know, it's gonna take a lot of work to do that. And everything is so big. Every, every idea is so big. It's just, it's just exhausting.

• 1:04:06Speaker 00

  I'm fine with that.

• 1:04:08Michelle Obama?

  Well, it's been great having you guys spend some time with us.

• 1:04:13Speaker 00

  Absolutely.

• 1:04:13Michelle Obama?

  Thank you so much for dropping all the knowledge and being vulnerable and open. And Ayesha, take care of yourself, your sanity.

• 1:04:23Speaker 01

  I will.

• 1:04:24Michelle Obama?

  It's just noise.

• 1:04:25Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 1:04:26Michelle Obama?

  Alright, the truth is right before you. And I will fight somebody.

• 1:04:31Speaker 00

  Yeah, that's it, that's it.

• 1:04:35Michelle Obama?

  Thank you.

• 1:04:36Craig Robinson?

  It's Stephen.

• 1:04:38Craig Robinson?

  Take your time, you don't have to leave soon.

• 1:04:41Speaker 00

  I got you, I got you.

• 1:04:46Speaker 00

  I hear you.

• 1:04:47Craig Robinson?

  No, this has been great, thank you.

• 1:04:49Speaker 00

  We appreciate the time.

• 1:04:50Speaker 01

  Thank you for making us feel comfortable.

• 1:04:51Speaker 00

  Absolutely.

• 1:05:13Craig Robinson?

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