now listen unless you've been living under a rock you know that the single most exciting and anticipated sporting event in the world is currently underway in Paris the Olympic Games there have already been so many memorable moments that have happened from an unfor forgettable opening ceremony to record-breaking performances from some of your favorite athletes and what's happening in competition is only a teeny tiny bit of what Mark the Olympics and the athletes will make out in the world Our Guest today of course knows this better than anyone Beyond her performance on the track Allison Felix made big waves when she publicly took on Nike in 2019 for their lack of maternity protection Allison now runs her own footwear company s is a staun supporter of gender equality and one of the most influential voices out there on maternal rights joining us live from Paris please welcome Olympic icon Allison Felix hi thank you so much for having me hi Allison it's great to see you and thank you for being here with us we have so much to talk about but before we get into all of that I know that this has been a really big year for you both professionally which we'll dive into but also personally and we all were really thrilled to see the birth of your your son and you expanding your family to now having two kiddos and so how how is life been with as a family of for well thank you so much um it's been amazing definitely an adjustment for sure we're finding our way but um I'm just so happy that I had um a beautiful birth experience and you know didn't face the same complications and really blessed to to now be a family of four that's awesome well of course these are your your first Olympic Games um since retiring from track and field and I know the games are just getting started um but how has this year so far compared to your past Olympic experiences it's such a different experience you know um it feels a a little bit odd being at the games and not competing um I often times feel like I should be doing something preparing getting ready her race um but at the same time you know it is very nice to be on the other side of it I'm able to take it all in I have all of my family here and so um that experience is great but of course there's a a bit of a loss there um as I'm finding my my way into new roles and new positions um and I'm really excited to to talk more about all of that um but I think one thing people are really eager to know just sort of in this new space is as a spectator uh for the first time what have you really been enjoying most what what events have you been attending what have what has been most exciting for you so far gymnastics has really been the top of my list um I bumped into the women's team right before they went out last night um and you know got the the gold and it's just incredible to see them you know so confident um so much joy a lot of them have been through such adversity so to to see that just displayed in such a strong powerful performance was incredible um of course swimming is underway and that's been incredible um watching that um and then yeah just seeing some beach volleyball like a lot of things happening um and there's just an energy here in the city and that's something totally different that I've been able to experience you know just being able to be out and about with the crowd and the people and really feeling like there's something special here it must be a very special experience for you having been on the other other side of that and to to sort of know what that um that energy is like for for people who are as you mentioned like the women's gymnastics team are you know experiencing a win that that's uh that special moment I'm sure can't no one else can relate to that if if you haven't actually been through that well I I know part of what you're focused on in Paris is thinking about the impact athletes are having outside of competition um which is obviously something that you know very well um and I'm curious just why why do you think so important that we highlight the work athletes are doing beyond the sports that made them famous yeah I think for a long time you know athletes really felt in myself you felt like you had to like fit in this perfect box and you really had to stay in your lane and you know your only value that you had to add was the contributions to the sports that you did and I think we're seeing a really different time right now for athletes that their voice is loud they have impact and they have work that they're passionate about and I think it's really important to highlight them as a whole and so um for me I think we're seeing more and more just a different um generation of athletes who are willing to speak out on things and I think it's it's really important to highlight that as well to that point you know I think in many ways you're sort of a Trailblazer in this space of of speaking out on on things and in 2022 we were really lucky to have you come to Ted and give a talk about the work that you were doing uh in the maternal right space uh stemming that that was stemming from your own struggles and and of course you made a big impact at this year's games I I know you've erected what is the first Nursery um in the Olympic Village for for parent athletes and so I'm just curious how you think attitudes toward working parent athletes and working mom athletes specifically um has changed since you gave your talk a couple years ago I feel like we have a lot of momentum and we're moving in the right direction when I went through my experience um these weren't conversations that we were having you know pregnancies were being hidden I hid my pregnancy so many teammates and colleagues who had just a struggle really difficult time um right now I'm so happy that there are so many examples of incredible moms that are athletes and that are competing here at the games um having the space in the village the family space um for families to come together to bond to spend time um to me it really sends a message to women that they are absolutely capable after they have children to still be at the top of their game to still be here at the Olympics um and really Shifting the culture to to show everyone um that doesn't mean that you have to start another chapter in your life so I think we've come a long way but of course there's still more work to be done and it's work that we have to That No One Singular person is going to do on their own we have to all collaborate to do it but I do feel like we are moving in the right direction yeah that's amazing I mean and I think when you think about just female athletes in general it feels like there's really been a big moment this year um and I'd love to know if you feel like is this just a trendy thing that's happening this year or do you think that women's sports are finally getting getting their due yeah I think that it's been a long time coming a lot of us have been screaming about this you know many years ago so it feels really good to see you know some of the world take notice to it and I think that if we continue in this path this will be here to stay I think we have a lot of work to to broaden the sports that are getting the attention obviously women's basketball is really at the Forefront right now um but there's no reason that other sports can't follow in the same path and you know we have to show up for them we have to watch them we have to buy the gear and the mer all the things um in order to continue this trajectory well I want to Pivot for a second to something else that you've been really vocal about which is connected to maternal rights but specifically thinking about um the black maternal Mor mortality crisis which is I know an issue that also has arisen from your own experiences um and and the the challenges you face around childbirth and you know we've seen headlines about this for years about how black women are disproportionately at risk for experiencing birth as excuse me experiencing death rather as a result of childbirth um and I'm just you know what are what does it seem like we're what are we missing here why why do we keep seeing these headlines over and over again we have to do something about it and until we do you know there's not going to be an improvement and I think a lot there's a lot of different reasons you know why we are in the situation that we're in but to me the most glaring always comes back to the statistic around um I believe it's 80% of the complications and deaths you know that women of color face are preventable and that just always stops me in my tracks because that means that we can do something about it and it also makes me hopeful because there's you know there's change there um a lot of it is around implicit bias a lot of it is around you know medical professionals listening to women of color and I hear these stories over and over from women about them knowing their bodies and bringing things up and their pain not being perceived or not being taken serious and so that's a huge issue also policy change and um getting different things past um raising awareness you know there's all these different angles that we can come at it from but the main thing is that we have to take action and to me it's really unfortunate that it's more um it's more dangerous for me to give birth today than it was for my mother and you know that's just not the path that we want to be on it's scary it feels like um all of these things so you know thinking about maternal mortality thinking about maternal rights and and women's sports and sort of the rise in that space that it's uh your impact in all of this is um is is so huge and and we saw earlier this year that um we are not the only ones who think that obviously Melinda French Gates uh you know she committed a billion dollars to advancing women globally and granted $20 million to a small handful of activists and you were one of those recipients uh to do work that um advances Women's Health and um what was it like for you to learn about that major gift and and what are your plans for that money it was super humbling I mean I just stopped me my tracks first of all to to get an email from her and um I think also just that she's been following the work that I've been trying to do and she was just so encouraging and I think you know really being able to deploy These funds to organizations that might not otherwise get the funding that they needed is is really important and so um I'm excited to focus on black maternal health and I've just been learning more about organizations in the space who have been doing urgent work and excited to to get these funds to them and excited about the impact that it will have on the most at risk individuals and hopefully begin to turn things around and so I'm really looking forward to what um these funds and these organizations are going to be able to accomplish and the influence that you're having in the maternal right space is one thing and then there's also thinking about the influence on the Olympic Games themselves and we know you're you're currently campaigning for a seat on the international Olympic committee's athletes commission um so I think for most of us we we may not know exactly what that what that means so would you first tell us what is what is the athletes commission so the athletes commission is basically having representatives of the athletes voice and so I was appointed a a member um and that is how the nursery the family space came into existence by bringing that issue up before the commission and it was well received and I was thrilled about that because um usually you think things like that take even more time especially dealing with the Olympic games um but it was well received so I would love to stay on that commission and so that's why I'm up for election and really just to listen you know to what are the concerns what are the things happening and how can we have an impact how can we try to create some change um for those athletes who are you know representing their countries at the highest level and what does that change look like for you like what are some other things that you think can be evolved when you think about the Olympic Games yeah I mean I would love to grow this family space you know even more leading into um La 28 and so that is top of my list um and then we deal with things as far as you know doping and uh how athletes deal with you know fair play um we also deal with you know issues like Russ Ukraine and um how that impacts athletes and you know their performance um at the games and so really wanting to listen to what are the issues that are most prevalent and being able to address those and also bring new things to the table as well what you've highlighted makes um so much sense and and makes a really clear point about the fact that these Olympic Games aren't happening in a vacuum right these are happen these are real people coming from from these countries experien ing whatever is happening there whether it is conflict or you know any sort of hardship and I'm curious how you you think the Olympics could also do a better job of sort of reflecting what those experiences are like um also outside of the the competitions themselves yeah it's been really interesting you know as I sit on this commission that it is it's it's Global and I think a lot of times you know we have a perspective of where we come from and one of the things that was put into action was a refugee Olympic um team and so you have these refugees who are now able to compete under that flag here at the Olympics and just hearing the different stories of what that means and having a a place to still be able to compete in the hardship I think it just really gives a face to some of those issues and also just the challenges around the world of what's Happening you know you have War happening and you know people fleeing and all these different things and you think you know we're all here to play game or you know to run a race but it really puts in perspective um just the the issues around the world and how the Olympics you know the goal is that we all put everything aside for two weeks but um on the commission we're working to help those individuals who are dealing with those things every single day to that point for a lot of us who who watch the Olympics myself included you know I think there's not really a real appreciation for what it takes to compete at the highest level um in any sport and you you sort of get used to seeing Olympians perform seemingly superhuman uh Feats again and again um and then there's just begins to be this expectation uh for professional athletes that you're just going you're going to do that um and so I think a question here is just how uh does that pressure impact um athletes um and and how are you able to sort of maintain that Focus um amidst all of the things that might be happening in your life yeah I think it'd be very difficult I know for myself um you know there is a pressure there is an expectation and I I do think that when you have longevity it almost becomes that these performances like you said are expected and so you you win a gold metal and it's what everybody expects you to do but when you don't that's really when you feel the weight of the world and I think it really can wear on you especially when you're at the very top and I think we've seen examples you know of this and it can really you know your mental health and and all of it and I I'm really excited now that we're having more conversations um about it and I think athletes are being more transparent well at the height of my career I don't feel like even the way that I approached it was really healthy there was really this mentality of you just you got through it at any cost you know um there you didn't take time off you didn't step away you didn't talk to someone you just you went forward because as an Olympian you have two weeks where the world takes notice of you and so you don't want anything to get in the way of that but now even you know with what Simone did in Tokyo I I think we really saw um an amazing example of stepping away and prior prioritizing your mental health and so I hope that we continue to understand that athletes are just people and they have the same issues and the same challenges as everyone else and um I hope that we continue to provide resources for athletes as they deal with you know the very real struggles that happen when you're competing at the top level and you know we had so many questions uh that are coming in from the audience um around this idea of mental health and how to take care of that and I'm curious for you um you know as it relates to thinking about like being a mother and and um I love what you're saying around resources how does that look different for for people who are coming off of but no matter what is a a really um life-changing experience of you know giving birth to a child like how does that affect uh your mental health and the way you think about your sport I think it's all in that same kind of theme I think it's understanding when it feels like too much I think any big change in life comes with that you know um that feeling of possibly needing some help um and in recognizing that and understanding that that's not a weakness you know that is just a way of life that so many people go through and I know that for me it has been a lot to you know to go through a retirement to have another child to have all these kind of new life moments um in understanding that I have to give myself Grace I have to sometimes take a moment um and I think we have to bring that to a place where it's normal and where we extend that same Grace to to everyone and that's just on a professional level no matter what your industry is sort of specific to the Olympics and you talk a little bit about this when you when you think about like the sort of influence you'd like to have um with the athletes commission uh you know every year we're seeing stories too about uh the growing popularity of like performance-enhancing drugs and other other ways that people are aiding um themselves in performing better um as an elite athlete um and I wonder what role you think this culture of um perfectionism and um and you know how we're you know sort of sort of putting mental health aside how what role does that play here I think there's still that very real pressure that individuals feel um to cheat you know I think that you see whatever the benefit is and that there's this you know shortcut that you can take for whatever I think you have a number of reasons you know to do that and so um it's really unfortunate and and one thing that always comes to my mind when I think about doping and athletes and a lot of these athletes are young a lot lot of them they they can't go that down that path by themselves you know there are other people who are involved and who take advantage and I really think about that part like who are the coaches and who are it's all about your circle and um I just don't think that that's something that you choose on your just solely on your own you you need help to execute that and so um I think even when I think about you know the athletes commission and how do we really you know change um change things around doping I think about punishing other individuals who are helping athletes you know go down that path and I think we really have to think more about that as well and also the pressure that we put on individuals you know I think sometimes it can feel like you know you like there's so much expectation um that you want to do things out of your control and that's always a bad place to start and what role do you feel like it the public plays in all of this that there's you know this culture is not it starts at the competitions themselves and within sports but how do um we as Spectators contribute to these feelings and how can we help prevent this from from be being a big challenge I think you know we have to realize that athletes are human I think a lot of times even since I've retired and I've been able to take in some events it's really been interesting because I see how this is just entertainment you know for people they're you're watching it you're consuming it and for a spectator after you watch it you go about your day and you're going on to the next thing and I know as an athlete you never feel like you can do that you know if you lose on the Olympic stage oftentimes it feels like the end of the world you know you've put so much attention to it um that that weight and that Devastation can feel so heavy and so I think it's having more conversations um around I think like no matter what happens on the stage you will be okay after a lot of times when I talk to athletes or you know I'm mentoring I really talk about that like what does it look like if you achieve your highest goal or what does it look like if you don't like on the other side of it um you'll you absolutely be okay you know obviously there's disappointment that comes along with it um but you pick up the pieces and and you keep going and so I think we just have to remember and put things into perspective I think with social media there's so much access to these athletes and there's so many nasty comments and things that happen and I think um just being kind you know to to people who are participating in these things and understanding the weight that they have going on as well we're getting a lot of questions that are coming in and many of them are sort of focused around this idea of the of the athletes mentality and mindset and um and how we can think about mental health and and so we have one for instance from from Dana where she says I'm I'm currently preparing for my first New York City Marathon this year go Dana uh so how did you drown out the mental noise during training when there are no crowds and it's just you without any external distractions well that's awesome yeah good luck on that um for me I love the process and I love the part that's away from all the noise and for me it's all about building I I think especially with running there is this beautiful relationship that you have with just you and your training and that environment where you can go from you know not being in shape at all to building a little by little and so I would just encourage Dana to embrace that time um put together your plan and then um go after it and you give yourself Grace you listen to your body you take rest and space as you need it but I think it's beautiful to be able to look back and to see all the work that you've done and what you have built and then when you get to that moment you get to embrace it and enjoy and have fun and be so proud of the work that you did to get yourself there sort of connected to this is this this idea of like what you're suggesting that athletes are they're just people we're you're just you know you're experiencing the world in the same way that everyone else is and the things that are happening and you have people in your life who are important to you and and and how do you use those those people the things you love you know your family your friends your country um especially when you're thinking about the Olympics to to motivate you as opposed to distract you from achieving your goals I just deeply believe that you don't accomplish anything by yourself and that's within sports or without um and so to me my team is everything my family my friends like they pour into me and they help me and there's the moments where you just don't want to think about training or sport or anything and you're able to you know just come and have a a normal evening or a dinner or whatever the thing is and then they build you up but I I remember in 2016 I had a really bad injury right before the Olympic trials and it was my team that got me through it you know they were the ones that uplifted me that that encouraged me you know when I couldn't see the vision of how it could ever come together after this devastating injury um they were the ones who got me through and I ended up making the Olympic team I I ended up still performing and you know coming home with medals but if it was just me by myself there is no way that I would have had the vision and the motivation to continue on thank you for sharing all this and there's so many people who are just saying that they're just so inspired um by you and you're you know they are really appreciate hearing these uh stories about how you've um managed to to maintain you know the sense of calm and um and mental health around uh performance um and there's a question from Faith about you know thinking about all the brave a thetes that are busting the stigma around mental health what do you think needs to change um from the Olympic athletic um competitive world to also make a healthier environment so I guess what specifically can the Olympics offer to athletes to Aid in in this work I think a huge thing is resources as far as like therapy um people to talk to around this because it I think it's really hard at the Olympic level um when you know you just have a moment in time and so so it can feel challenging to step away to do whatever you need to help because you know okay well I don't want this to pass me by so I I just think better resources um I think training for coaches you know making sure that um they have the tools necessary to be able to deal with the things that athletes are going through I think there's a lot of um old school mentality you know when it comes to the coaching that we're exposed to and we have to make sure that you know they're up to dat with what they see as well I think there's there signs where you can encourage Point your athletes to um you know to to the resources also that are available to them and a lot of people are also asking about um this the transition for you and it seems like the work that you're doing now it it didn't just start you know once you once you retired you've been doing this work in different ways um prior to uh to retirement but what what how has this transition for you um been going from professional athlete to what you are now I guess what would how would you describe your work now would you say that you're a full full-time activist full-time business person I guess what how do you see your um how do you define yourself these days I feel like you know entrepreneur is top of what I'm doing now an advocate you know it you know I'm always trying to make things better um for uh for women for female athletes just around some of the things that I went through um but it's definitely been a rocky transition um for sure I think it's interesting because I kind of felt because I have started this work before I before I stopped competing I thought okay well maybe I've always heard that it's really challenging and I always imagined that it was challenging because you're trying to figure out what are your next steps so I thought okay I've got my next steps this shouldn't be too hard um but it's still it it's it's shockingly hard and I've struggled at times um just because there's this great sense of loss you know I've done something for 20 years that I've absolutely loved and it's an interesting feeling to see the sport continue on like without you and so it's figuring out like okay what does that mean and you know working through those different feelings and approaching everything for the first time and so um I've started to find my way but it's taken a lot of work and work that I didn't expect to show up in the way that I needed to do it um and so I think a lot about just athletes as they go through this path and how they're supported I think that you're used to such a structured regimented schedule and a team of people helping you and then sometimes it can feel very lonely and isolating as you pursue different goals um without the same support system so yeah it's an interesting transition for sure yeah I mean and do you feel like there's an element of the training that um that you had that prepared you for for this transition or is are I'm sure there are some things that that carry over in at least how you T tackle or attack your day yeah I think the biggest thing has really been like the adversity that I've dealt with on the track because I have been through all different kinds of things and um it's always been about the long game you know and training and I I feel like that same approach like I know that I will get to the point where I I figure it out you know and I have that that determination and that um perseverance to get there and so um that's really has motivated me and I think helped me coming from the athletic space well Shaban is is really interested um in getting some tips from you on um what it what do you tell yourself to to um push yourself to the next level sort of hearing a little bit of of what that conversation I guess looks like for you inside of your head and um how do you think about how you can go beyond all the amazing things you've already accomplished in track and in life for me I just take it one step at a time and I think that's really been helpful being an Olympian because it can feel very ambitious to have like this very big goal of okay I want to win a gold medal at the Olympics but once I take that and I start to break it down into smaller things and it's okay well this year I want to win World Championships well how am I going to get there I'm going to do X Y and Z and that means that this month I need to do this and this week in some days it's just okay what do I need to do today to get through it and so I think you just make it into manageable bite-sized pieces and then when you put it all together you have this kind of Master Plan of how you're going to get to this very ambitious goal so that's the same way I've taken that same approach you know in business and um tackling you know other issues and it's just kind of how I've always done things and um how I make it not feel too big and do you feel like there's um an element of um the way you you you thought about um tackling goals and and um accomplishing things early on in your career as an athlete um and you know sort of seeing the evolution of that as you mentioned like experiencing hardship and um and adversity that has changed the way I guess you you um you think about this like do you feel that that it becomes easier over time yeah it's definitely shifted for me I think like early on in my career I was very much um just obsessed with this idea of success only looked one way like success is very black and white it is winning at the Olympics and anything else is a failure and that really was my driving force for so long and then as I went through that adversity those real life issues I started to realize okay my purpose is bigger than running fast I'm here for more than that and I started to understand the platform and how I could have impact and that's really when I started to find my voice and speak out on things but I would say that the way that I define success changed it really evolved you know from being something that was so clear-cut and tangible to being something more associated with purpose and um creating change and so I think just going through the experiences that I did really brought me to that place of having a different definition of success we have a a question also from a member around the added pressure you know sort of speaking to this idea of success and and how you tackle it um for you as a a black athlete and also as a a female athlete like you know do you feel like that pressure is is different um in some ways I have always felt like um a little bit more of a weight because of those things and only because you know we all know that representation matters and you know when you have something like the Olympic Games and you know that the attention is here during this time um you want to be able to to be the best example of that and oftentimes when something goes wrong or you don't do everything that you want you you feel like you're letting people down you know you feel like um wow like I I really miss what this could have been and so I do feel feel that at times obviously you know you try to work work through that but there is that that bit of added pressure well you know I think part of the magic of of the Olympics is that it creates the space for for dreams to really flourish and obviously for the athletes who are are they're living their dreams but really for so many people who are watching um especially I would imagine young people what is the I guess the message for young people who are inspired by what they're seeing at the Olympics um what what do you say to them today yeah I mean if they have athletic dreams you know to go to the games I think that they should absolutely pursue them um and I think oftentimes the motivation can go outside of sports you know I think it is to reach whatever that top level is of the thing that you're passionate about because I think that's what you see at the Olympic Games you see all of these athletes pursuing their passions and we know that there's such a range and so I hope the message really is whatever your passion is to go after it and we see like time after time just through all of the stories that are highlighted through the Olympics is that it's it's never just a straight path you know there are so many ups and downs and that's just life and that's something that every single person is going to face and I think that it's a a great reminder when we're watching some of these amazing Pursuits you know we're seeing all these Glory moments we're seeing you know a glimpse of you know of someone's life and what we don't see is all of the training all of the hard moments all of the tears and the struggles and when it didn't come together and I think we have to remember that as well you know it's not just this picture perfect you know piece of the puzzle but it's all of it as a whole and so I hope that there's this full picture for young people that they see um that no matter what path you choose that you're going to have that and that's good that's healthy to go through all those things but um it's not just the glory moment and to your point of no matter what path um is chosen you know I how do you see this also translating for people who are you know most people will not be elite athletes right even if if that is an aspiration and um but there's so many other places right that where you can make an impact and um and so how do you I think see the impact of what people are seeing um at the Olympics how do you see that impacting the way people make choices about what dreams to go after um outside of sports I think you're absolutely right I think we can all start with where we're at you know we're not all going to be on the Olympic stage but we all have jobs and work that we're passionate about and things that we do and I think that you bring that same energy there and you start with the work that you're doing and the circles that you're in and your own families and um the decisions that we all make there and so I think there's opportunity you know um wherever you're at to be able to to go down that path if if that's what you choose um and keeping sort of with this thread of of inspiration um you know the Olympics are an opportunity for us to also see people from countries um that maybe we we only see in a certain light you know we talked earlier about how these are real people and they're experiencing the real things that are that are happening in in their countries that we see on on the news and it's an opportunity to sort of put a face to what may feel like faceless experiences for people globally you know when you you're not able to be on the ground in many places and and so I I wonder what impact the Olympics can have in um inspiring change in spaces where we need to see change um even if it has nothing to do with sports to to the point of thinking about like how we approach conflict or issues related to you know sustainability or Global poverty or these big big weighty issues that um affect all of us and you know that people return to when you you know sort of cast it out of your mind for two weeks during the olymp like how can the Olympics inspire people to to to make change and think about those issues in a different way yeah I think it really puts it on the stage of thinking about people from other places like you said I think it really brings this human nature to it when you are looking at the person from you know whatever small country it is and you see their uniform and their story is highlighted and it's such a different experience and I think sometimes you know when you're more fortunate or you you come from a a privileged place you don't often stop to think about that but I know for myself as I've cross pasted I think the beautiful thing about the Olympics um for me you know being here on the ground as the people that you meet um and I've come across you know individuals who they might have 10 members in their team their entire team here and they have a whole different experience and the pride that they feel of just stepping on this Olympic stage is so different like that is a success for them and you know we come from here in America you know such a different mentality but it makes you think about okay what are the issues that you're facing um you know you you might have a whole different kind of background um in real life issues that are that that don't put your goals the same as it's not to get a gold medal but it's being here and being the pride of your nation and all of those things so I think the Olympics you know do a great job of just stopping you your tracks and and making you think about somebody else and the the real life things that they face from where they're from it feels like it's almost a shame that it only happens um every two years for that reason and among others but um I wonder for you like you know when you think about the work that you're passionate about the work that you're you're um really dedicating so much energy to now how has that experience of interacting with people and from other parts of the world um how has that affected the way you approach that work or think about about those the issues yeah I think it just definitely makes me have a heart for them um when I'm exposed to whatever the other issues are that someone is facing and bring them top of mind and I think it's really important when you're doing that type of work to make sure that you're being really inclusive um to everyone I know for like seeing the the family space in the village um and being able to to see athletes responses and um you know videos that they've made interacting in the space has really just brought it home how much it's needed and um and the impact that it's having and so um it's it's motivating for you know a lot of other work as well and just um that we we have a long way to go when you think about what more of an impact you can have and what more you can do uh both in like the space of thinking about um gender equality you know women's rights maternal um maternal rights uh you know where else do you see yourself uh have making an impact in the future I think in the the sports landscape I really want to continue down this path of supporting female athletes with children um I think of what we were able to accomplish here at the Olympics and growing that and then taking out outside of the Olympics um I've always really felt strongly that Child Care should be at all major sporting events um and i' I've seen some good examples of what that looks like I've seen on the tennis circuit the child care that they offer and I would love for eventually one day that just to be the standard across the board um so that's something that's really top of mine for me and then you know kind of in every area when I think about maternal Health um and what we need to do there I think a lot about policy and you know especially speaking um from the perspective of the United States and what we need to to pass to continue to support women in that space um yeah those are things that are top of mine as well so kind of a lot um that I'm thinking about doing but tackling it little by little it seems like the that's the only way you can right you can't go the mountain full um in full um well you know and of course I feel um I'd be remiss not to also bring up the fact that you know we're talking about the United States like this is obviously an election year and there's like a lot of uh conversation happening around a lot of the issues that you know you're that you um are vocal about advocating for um you know we've seen lots of changes uh to things that impacting women and Women's Health and um you know what are you are what are you hopeful about or what do you feel like is a a great opportunity for us um in in the months ahead yeah I mean I think it's going to be really crucial what happens you know I think about women's rights and just what has happened in the past um and I think you know we're going to have to show up um you know we're going to have to show up and vote in order to continue to make a lot of change um I think a about um yeah just our rights being taken and you know how are we going to combat that and so um I think we have to really take it take ownership of that show up and be able to create change in order to make things different I want to sort of leave us with a few uh questions from the audience which uh I think you've addressed so many of them and there's so many um that we won't get to but there's a couple of good ones here um one from Jessica where she asked I was wondering how much your success has impacted your possibilities of making the changes you talk about and and highlighting those important issues I guess essentially um how you feel um your success has positioned you to to really be that change for um for so many people being able to have the career that I've had it's given me opportunities that I want to take advantage of on behalf of others you know I really feel like I I want to use whatever I've been given um to make things better and so that's something that I don't take lightly at all and I'm I'm very you know serious about and so I think I've been put in this position in order um to do some of those things and so I'm going to definitely you know work as hard as I can to make that happen and then when you think about the people who um have inspired you um who I guess who are who are your greatest Inspirations in in doing your work both as an athlete and um and Beyond yeah um I mean as an athlete I have been inspired by Jackie Jordan KY who phenomenal athlete um but even greater person and she to me really sparked I guess some of this desire she has an incredible Foundation that I really grew up around and grew up watching her give back to her community and I think also just my own parents um they're people of service my dad is a pastor and my mom was a a teacher and so I've watched the impact that they've had on people's lives and I think that I've just had a lot of that around me um I've had I've seen the people who have pave the way so that I can have an opportunity and so that has never lost on me and um it inspires me to to want to do the same for someone else and Miriam um asks you know how do you um prepare for competition um at a world class level if you come from a place where there's not necessarily you know I think to the we're discussing a little moment ago where maybe you're in a country where there's not as much support uh for for um for athletes um how how do you uh think people can really uh find a way to excel I think the incredible thing about sports um for the most part is you still can Excel and I think that sometimes it can be a way out a way to bring attention to your situation and I think a lot of times that's the motivating factor um but I think you prepare as best you can you do the best that you can with what you have and um and you just carry on that way until it it brings about change but I think um that's the thing about the Olympics is it it highlights a lot of those issues and brings attention to some of those areas that maybe we wouldn't be on our radar otherwise and also to the point of like you know thinking about um this this moment for women sports we have a question um from from IO where um they ask about um the 2024 Summer Olympics and sort of the impact that that's having on the way you view the future of of women's sports and um and you know do you do feel like obviously the games are still going on but that there's an opportunity for that this me this work that's happening there to advance even further yeah I really think about the young girls and boys as well who are watching these games um this is the first time that we have an equal number of men and women participating um I think about even my daughter is 5 years old and I think about the images and you know what she sees and I think that I well I hope for her and her generation that are watching that it's not out of the norm to see a woman who's doing incredible things to see a mother um who is out there just excelling and so um that's what I love about the games is is that you do have these incredible examples um of Fascinating People doing amazing things and I think it begins to become the norm so right now obviously there's so much momentum in in women's sports and hope that it carries on much further than the games but I I'm really thinking that it's going to have a lot of impact on those who are at that really impressionable age right now and are able to witness all of this this happening and to that point you know speaking of your your own family is that something that that you encourage for your own children to um to sort of follow in your Footsteps in this way do you hope that they'll become Olympians as well one day not necessarily okay I mean I I will support them in whatever path they choose and I'm sure there's a good chance because they are growing up around Sport and being exposed to it that they'll want to go down that path but as a mom I really want to expose them to a a really diverse Sports and art and all the different things and hopefully they can find what they're passionate and what they choose I find sport to be very difficult at times especially you know the track and field and all of the things that I went through and so I think that's why I'm very protective um of that but also you know my daughter has grown up on the track and so she's constantly asking about racing here and there I've tried to get her to do every other thing before we land on that but um whatever she chooses you know I'll be right there as her biggest cheerleader my son as well I love that well you know these final minute minutes I'm I'm curious just if there are you know things when you think about you know the the work that um that you've done that you're doing right now and sort of the the lasting impact that this can have on um on folks who are both athletes you know experiencing like the benefits of the things that you've brought to the Olympics and and people outside who are just sort of watching your impact and thinking about how it's changed the way they think about their own um experiences as working mothers or um the way that they see uh they might feel empowered as um as as women what is your Lasting Hope for how this work impacts and influences uh people out there in the world who are um admiring and are inspired by you yeah I really hope that it does all the things that you just mention because um it's such collaborative efforts you know I think it it happens at the level of you know where I am and the rooms that I'm in but it absolutely happens for everyone in the space that they're in and so I hope that you know someone might feel empowered at their job or um you know within their their family to have these conversations to bring things up whether it's with maternal Health sharing stories amplifying them um if it's talking about you know the nursery in the village and maybe where there should be Child Care somewhere else um pushing the limits and pushing what we have accepted previously and saying okay we don't have to go down that same traditional route we can do things different and and maybe we should I love that it feels like there's an opportunity for us to to finally make make this change that there's momentum here and we just have to keep riding riding that wave and pushing things forward it sounds like I agree I agree with you well um Alison thank you so much for um taking the time to to to talk with us and for answering um questions from our our members I feel like um we've received so many uh received so much love and and I don't know if you can even see like people are sharing so many hearts in the um the the zoom um webinar here um but we appreciate you and we're grateful to you for everything you've shared and everything you're doing um so thank you so much thank you so much for having me and for all the members who joined appreciate it [Music]