Good morning. Today I’m going to sidestep the hard finance topic and talk about how NBA great Stephen Curry and his wife Ayesha Curry built a business empire, and what leadership these two superstars learned along the way. I recently caught up with them to learn about their latest venture as co-founders and brand ambassadors of Plezi Hydration, a line of sports drinks owned by Plezi Nutrition, a public benefit corporation co-founded by former first lady Michelle Obama. We discuss the brand’s relaunch and the business case behind nutritional sports drinks. You can read more here.
The Curries bring serious entrepreneurial credentials to the partnership. Stephen is a four-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors and the founder and CEO of business group Thirty Ink. Ayesha is an actress, cookbook author, restaurateur, and founder and CEO of lifestyle company Sweet July. They also co-founded Eat. study. Play. is a non-profit organization founded in 2019 to support children in Oakland.
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So I asked them how to succeed in business and philanthropy. “You want to be as true to your core beliefs and mission values as possible,” Stephen told me. He said it may look different depending on each person’s interests, but “eat”. study. Play. “Building on a core of service, but then realizing how we can use the resources and platforms we have to have a meaningful impact on the community.” He said it’s also important to understand the value you bring to the opportunity and “stick to it because there’s no straight line to success.”
Ayesha points to a different but equally important skill—listening. “I think success depends on how willing you are to listen rather than talk,” she told me. She said many people are quick to comment and offer their own ideas without taking enough time to understand what people really want. “I think it’s really important for us to ask questions like: What do you like? What do you enjoy? What do you want to hear? What changes do you need to see in your environment? I think we do a good job of being quiet and listening to people.”
Research backs up her claims. A 2025 peer-reviewed study on supervisor listening found that leaders’ active empathic listening, processing, responding, and sensing improves employees’ relationships with the organization and reduces the disconnect between them and leadership. Perceptyx’s The State of Employee Listening 2026 found that organizations that connect listening to business strategy and act on feedback at all levels continue to outperform their peers in engagement, retention, innovation and financial results.
I also asked the Curries about the best business advice they’ve ever received. “I would say in leadership or in managing businesses and people, you never stop learning,” Stephen said. To see the rest of their solid business advice, watch the video here.
Cheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
This story originally appeared on Fortune.com
