Ayesha Curry on the Difficulties of a Career with Children

Ayesha Curry is a New York Times bestselling author and a cooking television personality. She also runs a magazine and a foundation to end childhood hunger.

Ayesha has three children with her husband, NBA star Stephen Curry: daughters Riley, 8, and Ryan, 5, and son Canon W. Jack, 2.

In a new interview, Curry revealed that having her kids at a young age meant that she struggled to get her professional career off the ground.

“What I started to realize was I was becoming this woman at such a young age when other people would still potentially be in college or just figuring out who they want to be,” she explained during this week’s podcast episode of Skimm’d From the Couch.

“I was getting married and having kids and it got to a point when I was like, I’ve spent my whole life since I was a little girl attempting to play these other people and auditioning to be these other people that I don’t even know what I like or who I am because I’ve spent my whole life, trying to figure out how to be somebody else,” Curry said.

data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version=”4″ style=” background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% – 2px); width:calc(100% – 2px);”>

Curry said that she loved being a mom—but wanted more for herself, too.

“I always had this feeling of like, I think that there’s a double duty that I could be playing here as I was like, I have hopes and dreams for myself and there’s gotta be a way to do both,” she said. “I felt this weird bug, like this entrepreneurial bug.”

The Food Network star said that she sat down with her husband, mom and mother-in-law to have a “long conversation” about how she could serve her family and her dreams.

Ultimately, she decided to start a blog to share her recipes, which she says started to “grow and grow and grow.”

“And it kind of became my career very naturally and organically. And my husband was like, ‘Hey, I think you can do this.’ I was very scared and frightened and gently dove in and now it’s become a whole career, which I love,” she added.

data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version=”4″ style=” background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% – 2px); width:calc(100% – 2px);”>

We appreciate Curry’s honesty here. We often discuss the best parts of parenting—like how much we love our children and the joy they bring to our lives. We don’t always talk about how motherhood can be all-consuming and leave little time to grow professionally.

If you find yourself reflected in her story, know that you’re not alone, mama.

You’re not a bad mom for wanting to have a career or meet personal goals outside of raising your children. You’re a person, like Curry said, with hopes and dreams for yourself.

We love the idea of having a family meeting, too. If you’re feeling unfulfilled or just need to talk through your next steps, gather the people who love and support you. Maybe that’s your partner, your parent, or your best friend—surround yourself with the people who know you best and let them help you make a plan for yourself.

After all, when mamas thrive, we all do.