Michelle Obama

In 2009, Michelle Obama became the first African-American First Lady of the United States.

She launched Let’s Move!, a nationwide campaign to combat childhood obesity.

She planted the White House Kitchen Garden, worked directly with schools to improve lunch standards, and pushed the food industry to reduce added sugar in kids’ meals.

She partnered with the Pentagon to improve nutrition for military families.

She also launched Joining Forces, supporting military spouses, and Let Girls Learn, which expanded girls’ education globally.

She was involved in legislation too... hosting the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and advocating for education access, health equity, and gender equality.

When she left the White House in 2017, she turned her public service into entrepreneurship…

In 2018, Michelle and Barack launched Higher Ground Productions.

A media company focused on telling stories that elevate marginalized voices.

They signed a multi-year Netflix deal and hired a leadership team: Priya Swaminathan and Tonia Davis as co-heads, and Qadriyyah “Q” Shamsid-Deen as a creative exec.

Higher Ground’s first film, American Factory, won the 2020 Academy Award for Best Documentary and an Emmy for Outstanding Directing.

They also signed deals with Spotify and in 2020, Michelle launched “The Michelle Obama Podcast.”

Three years later, she founded PLEZi Nutrition, a public benefit corporation dedicated to children's health.

It was the private-sector continuation of her First Lady work.

The company’s first products were juice drinks with less sugar, added fiber, and no artificial sweeteners.

They were designed for school lunches and home pantries alike.

In March 2025, Michelle teamed up with Stephen Curry and Ayesha Curry to launch PLEZi Hydration.

A direct challenger to Gatorade, Powerade, and BodyArmor.

Each bottle contains:
– 500mg potassium (vs. 70mg in typical sports drinks)
– 120mg sodium (half of what Gatorade has)
– 90mg vitamin C (100% daily value)
– No added sugar or artificial sweeteners

Steph was more than a face.

He invested, helped with product development, and contributed to design.

Ayesha used her culinary background to develop flavors.

Michelle led strategy and served as co-founder and brand leader.

The drinks hit shelves at Walmart, Albertsons, Safeway, and were made available nationwide on Amazon for $2.29 per 16.9 oz bottle.

Meanwhile, Michelle continued expanding her influence…

Becoming (2018) sold 11.5M+ copies worldwide and became a Netflix documentary.

The Light We Carry (2022) led to a sold-out live tour and an Emmy-nominated Netflix special with Oprah.

And in November 2025, she’ll release The Look, a 304-page book about how style and presentation became tools of power and self-definition.