$80M-worth Danica Patrick responds as Gary Vee shares raw advice on finding happiness

IndyCar legend Danica Patrick has shared her reaction to Gary Vaynerchuck aka Gary Vee giving unfiltered advice about happiness. On Sunday, the American businessman and speaker shared an Instagram reel discussing how many people seek happiness from material pleasures instead of turning inward.

Vaynerchuck said:

"Everyone's trying to figure out how to be f*cking happy and they think it's the bag, cash, the wallet, sneakers and sh*t. They think it's stuff, they think it's a relationship, a validation, like a blue f*cking checkmark, they think it's all this outside sh*t!

The only way you can get happy, which is what you're all asking for is to go f*cking inside with yourself. Outside validation is a zero-sum game. People are gonna boo for you if they're in a bad f*cking place, people are gonna cheer for you if they're in a good f*cking place. That has nothing to do with you and your process to get yourself happy."

Patrick, who also owns a wine business like Vaynerchuck and boasts a net worth of $80 million (via Celebrity Net Worth), reshared the reel on her Instagram story.

"Always an inside job. Damn it.🤪 " Danica Patrick wrote.

A snapshot of Danica Patrick's Instagram story (@danicapatrick)

Patrick and Vee previously interacted in 2020, on episode 54 of her "Pretty Intense" podcast. In 2024, the retired IndyCar and NASCAR star also appeared as a speaker at Veecon 2024, a multi-day conference hosted by Vee in Los Angeles.

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When prioritizing herself became one of Danica Patrick's biggest life lessons

Danica Patrick at the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico - Qualifying - Source: Getty

Danica Patrick has achieved a level of success in American open-wheel racing that no other woman has. On her debut at the iconic Indy 500 in 2005, she became the first woman to qualify and finish the race in the top five, coming fourth in both. She also led 19 laps, becoming the first woman to lead the "Greatest Spectacle of Racing."

In 2008, Patrick won the Indy Japan 300, again rewriting the history books by becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar race. Though she couldn't replicate similar success in NASCAR, she retired as a motorsport legend. In 2021, when she appeared on the Jay Shetty podcast, he asked her about the biggest life lesson she learned in the 12 months preceding their conversation.

"That I was supposed to be choosing myself all along," Danica Patrick replied. "When we treat ourself a certain way, that's how we teach others to treat us, and I didn't choose myself all the time and didn't prioritize myself enough in certain aspects. That was the lesson." [56:40]

Since retiring from racing in 2018, Patrick has been extremely vocal about health, wellness, and personal growth. She has hosted top voices and experts from various fields on her podcast "Pretty Intense" while continuing to be involved in motorsport as an F1 analyst for Sky Sports.