🔑 Key Takeaways
- Transitioning from one identity to another can be challenging, but defining your purpose beyond initial accomplishments and fighting temptation with fact and purposeful work can lead to creating change, advancing your field, and inspiring others.
- Preparation for sports takes time and patience. Mental preparation includes a process of visualization, warming up, and reflecting. Learning from mistakes and experience is essential for success.
- Allyson Felix's success is a result of her unwavering determination and relentless hard work, coupled with focusing on technical thoughts to stay present during races.
- Success can be achieved with the support from those who believe in you. Do not be afraid to make changes in your career and seek help from your support system during times of doubt.
- Allyson Felix showed that women can excel in motherhood and sports despite societal pressure and a lack of support from companies like Nike. She created her own brand and continued competing, proving anything is possible.
- Advocate for change and speak out against discrimination, even if it means parting ways with a company. Female athletes deserve equal protection and support during pregnancy and motherhood.
- Women need to support and create opportunities for themselves, as demonstrated by Allyson Felix's perseverance and creation of Saysh, a shoe company specifically designed for women.
- Believe in yourself and stand up for your rights. Surround yourself with positive people who uplift and validate you. Build your self-image on values beyond your career identity. Create policies and products that support women in all aspects of life.
- Celebrate achievements, but don't define your worth by them. Find purpose and fulfillment in the journey, managing expectations and understanding that success does not define you.
- Success is not just about achieving the ultimate goal, but also enjoying the experiences and growth that come along the way. Acceptance of setbacks and committing to new goals are essential in pursuing dreams.
- Success is a journey that teaches valuable lessons and requires a supportive team. Don't let fear or judgment hold you back - focus on the positive and the end result. Success is about mindset and impact, not just physical outcome.
- Allyson Felix believes in having a bigger purpose beyond just winning and wants her brand to impact people's lives, especially women who face hurdles like unequal pay and pregnancy discrimination.
- Celebrate and amplify other women's stories, pursue the process and embrace failure. Success is measured by impacting those around you. You are enough, have purpose and should support and serve each other.
📝 Podcast Summary
Allyson's Journey to Discovering Her Post-Athletic Identity
Transitioning from a professional athlete to a new version of oneself can be challenging due to the sense of loss felt and the need to redefine one's identity. Despite having fulfilled other roles through motherhood, helping women, and advancing the sport, Allyson had to work on discovering who she is beyond her track and field accomplishments. She copes with the temptation to fall back into her old identity by fighting it with fact and purposeful work. Allyson recognizes that her purpose goes beyond winning medals or setting records. It also manifests in creating change, advancing the sport, and being an inspiration to women.
Mental Preparation for Sports: Allyson Felix's Journey
Allyson Felix, a successful athlete, learned to mentally prepare for sports, and it takes time to get there. She started her sports journey as a teenager and had to make mistakes before learning how to focus and block out distractions. She had a process of preparing herself, including visualizing and warming up before a race, and she looked back on her training log to feel confident and calm. However, there were still times when she didn't feel ready, such as when she got injured two months before the Rio Olympics. Despite the challenges, she performed well and got second place in the 400 meters race. The process of preparation takes patience and experience to perfect.
Allyson Felix's Journey Towards Achieving Her Goals Through Hard Work and Mindfulness.
Allyson Felix shares how she rehabbed around the clock to elevate her performance and throws light on how focusing on technical thoughts helped her stay present and execute perfectly during races. She also shares her closest to perfect race, the Olympic trials in 2012, where she was ready and excited to get the gold medal she'd been missing and had a drive within her that was undeniable. Her excellent start and explosive energy got her a lead and eventually the victory. This incident shows how determination and hard work can help one achieve their goals despite facing challenges throughout the journey.
Overcoming Doubt and Disappointment with the Help of a Strong Support System
Allyson Felix, an Olympic medalist in track and field, shares her experiences of doubt and disappointment, and the importance of a supportive team. Despite winning a silver medal, she felt devastated and embarrassed during the Beijing Olympics. Her family, coach, and friends encouraged her to keep going, and she eventually regained her self-belief. Allyson emphasizes the significance of having a strong circle of people who believe in you and help you achieve your goals. She had to make changes after 2008 and started working with her brother as her manager. Doubts are common in anyone's career, and Allyson had to fight through them throughout hers.
Overcoming Doubt and Negativity While Mothering and Competing
Allyson Felix faced self-doubt and criticism from the world, including Nike, when she became a mother and qualified for her fifth Olympics. Despite feeling pressure and listening to negative comments, she showed that anything is possible by qualifying and competing in the Olympics. Nike didn't support Felix as a new mom, and it made her afraid to start a family. The company offered Felix a 70% lower salary before she was even pregnant, and she hid her pregnancy to avoid negative ramifications. Felix's experience highlights the culture of silence around pregnancy and starting families in track and field. She decided to start her own brand and continue competing, proving that women can dominate both motherhood and sports.
Allyson Felix's Fight for Better Maternal Protections
Allyson Felix, a world champion athlete, faced discrimination and a pay cut when she became pregnant. She asked for maternal protections in her Nike contract to recover and take care of her child, recognizing the lack of protection for female athletes. Although Nike initially agreed, they were not ready to set a precedent for all women. Felix made the difficult decision to part ways with Nike and speak out about her experience. Her New York Times op-ed and the support of her teammates resulted in Nike changing their policy to offer 18 months of protection for female athletes. Felix's fight for better maternal protections highlights the systemic discrimination women still face in the workplace and the importance of advocating for change.
Allyson Felix's Journey to Creating a Shoe Brand for Women
Allyson Felix faced challenges when her sponsor Nike didn't renew her contract. She found a new apparel sponsor, Athleta, but was unable to find a footwear sponsor. Frustrated with the shoe industry's lack of focus on making shoes for women, she decided to create her own shoe brand with her brother. This led to the formation of Saysh, a women-led shoe company that focuses on making shoes specifically designed for women's feet. The experience taught Felix the importance of women supporting women and creating opportunities for themselves. Despite the challenges, she persevered and made a positive change. The story highlights the need for equal opportunities for women and the power of determination in the face of adversity.
Building Empowerment and Self-Worth within Women's Industries
S(H)E's importance of standing up for women's rights within industries. Saysh believes in offering policies for pregnant women, creating shoes that fit women's forms and building community for empowering women. Owners must believe in their self-worth and not let the criticism around them dictate their decisions. Allyson Felix lost some of her self-worth because she started listening to the world rather than her own mindset. Surround yourself with positive, uplifting people who will uplift and pour into you. Personal validation can come from more than one place, especially outside of your work role. The self-image should be built on values other than only a career identity.
The Importance of Finding Fulfillment Beyond Achievements
Celebrating achievements is important, but it's not a guaranteed path to lasting fulfillment. It's crucial to realize that there is more to life than just achieving goals, and that cultivating a sense of purpose and meaning is equally important. It's normal to have high expectations and build up goals in your mind, but it's important to manage expectations and be okay with the possibility of not feeling a certain way after achieving a goal. It's important to focus on the journey and not just the destination, and to find fulfillment in the process of working towards something. Success does not define us, and it's important to remember that we are more than our achievements.
The Journey to Success is More Important than the Destination
Success doesn't always mean achieving the ultimate goal, it's also about the journey and the experiences one has along the way. It's important to allow yourself to feel all the emotions that come with disappointment and setbacks, but also to accept that sometimes the thing you want may not be for you. It's about committing to a new goal and giving your all, regardless of the outcome. Pursuing a dream and being on the journey towards it, even if it doesn't come true, can still be a dream come true because of all the experiences, people, and growth that come with it.
Success is more than just a medal - it's about finding purpose and making an impact.
Success isn't just about winning medals or achieving your initial goal. It's also about finding your true purpose and making an impact that leaves a lasting legacy. The journey towards your goal can teach you valuable lessons and help you become the person you are meant to be. It's important to surround yourself with a supportive team of mentors, coaches, and family who can challenge and encourage you to become your best self. The fear of failure and what others may think should not stop you from pursuing your dreams. Instead, focus on the positive and envision the end result. In the end, success is more about the mindset and the journey than the physical outcome.
Allyson Felix on the Killer Mindset of Athletes and Why Impact Now Drives Her Passion
Allyson Felix talks about the killer mindset of athletes and the ultimate competitors in sports. She mentions Kobe Bryant as the ultimate competitor in basketball. She also talks about how seeing Usain Bolt's seemingly effortless greatness fascinated her. Now, she focuses on impact and wants her company to change things for people and make them feel seen. She believes people struggle with being seen, especially women who face hardships like unequal pay and hiding pregnancy. Her mission is to have a bigger purpose and a community behind her brand, impacting people's lives.
Supporting and uplifting women: creating a ripple effect
We need to celebrate and uplift other women in our lives who aren't feeling seen. It can be a small act of encouragement or something bigger like amplifying their story. Pursuing the process, embracing failure as a part of success, and honoring the journey are all key aspects of Greatness. Success is about impacting the person next to you and being a good person in order to create a ripple effect. You are enough and you have purpose, which is bigger than your past identity and can be found in the spaces you inhabit. We should all support and serve each other by celebrating women and amplifying their stories, as well as supporting their brands and messages.