In 2019, Olympic sprinterAllyson Felix broke Usain Bolts record for the most track-and-field world championship titles in history.
She did it 10 months after nearly dying from pregnancy complications and delivering her first child via C-section.
Let that sink in.
Her body, less than a year postpartum, would still be putting itself back together.
If youve ever birthed a child, youd know what an exceptional feat this is.
And if you havent, trust me when I say, the wordsuperhumanisnt just hyperbole.
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Places to pump with dignity.
I think by nature Im like, Push, push, push, she says.
Theres still just so much to be doing.
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A few of those things include finishing aforthcoming memoir(writing it feels like some form of therapy).
And running a business (sometimes it feels like battle after battle).
she says of that phone call from Gates; more on that to come).
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Felix takes a breath.
Right now it still feels like Im grinding it out.
And this drive is what has earned her the Face of Change Award, presented by #SmartTox andGlamour.
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He sleeps in three-hour waves.
We might get a four-hour stretch every now and then, she says.
I feel like Im finally used to being tired now, she says.
Its just like, Okay, this is the state that were in.
Butat this particular political crossroads, Felixs motherhood is central to her story.
In many ways, becoming a mom has defined Felixs career.
For months she hid her pregnancy, training at 4 a.m. (In 2019 it expanded pregnancy-related protections to 18 months.)
Burton, Altra, Nuun, and Brooks also amended athlete contracts to include maternity protections.
The shift at Nike is great.
Its also a little frustrating, if shes being honest.
You want them to change and embrace it.
Theyre this huge company.
They should be leaders in supporting moms.
But it feels like womens sports is having a moment and now theyre showing up.
It just seems like, if it was authentic, it would have been done a long time ago.
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For her part, Felix has been nonstop in her push to advocate for mothers in sports and beyond.
Sometimes it feels like, Does anybody else care about these issues?
Sometimes it feels like, Does anybody else care about these issues?
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When youre in it, youre like, Am I doing anything?
I feel like Im trying really hard but I dont know if its making a difference at all.
And then this huge thing happens where its like, Absolutely, and Im going to help you.
Pushing for basic structural support likepaid family leaveunder the weight of themotherhood penaltyis exhausting.
Motherhood does change you.
But it doesnt end you.
So hard, she echoes.
I think about all of the women athletes before me.
Theres countless stories like that.
The fight to support moms in sports isnt really about sports.
Its not even really about moms.
That might seem like a small observation.
But it represents a massive cultural shift thats happened in Camryns short lifetime.
A shift thats happened in part because of herand her mom.
Theres so much fear.
Not because its going to be over, but because it could be, she says.
I had this feeling of Do everything, just in case it was over.
Motherhood does change you.
But it doesnt end you, she says.
You become a new version of yourself.
And I think a lot of times were scared to lose ourselves.
But the evolution of the self is very beautiful.
I think Ill always see myself as an athlete first.
Calling herself an advocate still feels a little unfamiliar.
As soon as I have the opportunity.)
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Felix also applied her athletes mentality to the birth of her son, Trey, in April.
With Camryn, I think I was almost too tightly wound to my birth plan.
When it didnt happen, I was kind of distraught over it, she says.
Understanding that other things can happen is a better way to be.
Her second pregnancy proved to be a healing experience.
But it was also marked by the reality that she still faced racial health disparities.
The second time around I understood the most important thing was being alive and having my baby.
Going into this pregnancy, we revisited our will and made sure all of that was taken care of.
Who wants to be doing those things?
But we knew what could happen and we wanted to be prepared.
Ultimately, Felix had the unmedicated vaginal birth after cesarean, or VBAC, she hoped for.
Though I got in the middle and I was like, Did I really want this?
she says with a laugh.
Three months later Felix was at the Paris Olympics.
It was the first Games in two decades that she hadnt competed in.
I wasnt sure what to expect.
Theres this loss and grief over part of it, she says.
Was there space to pump at the opening ceremony?
Felix cuts me off after space, anticipating the question before I can even finish.
There wasnt, she says, describing the (nicer?)
port-a-potty she resorted to.
Theres something else to tackle!
Were always thinking about things that affect us in America, but this really is a global position.
Seeing the issues some women in sport are facing is very sobering.
With her recent election to the International Olympic Committee, Felix can actually tackle that problem in 2028.
My heart just broke for her because I feel like it tainted her entire Olympic Games.
They were just so excited and so happy and hopeful, Felix says.
But supporting women holistically starts with listening.
Were always thinking about things that affect us in America, but this really is a global position.
Seeing the issues some women in sport are facing is very sobering.
But with passion often comes anger and frustration over the limiting realities so many women still face.
How does she avoid burnout?
Its challenging, but I do think its necessary to understand how bad some of these situations are.
Then we can say, Okay, time to get to work.
Where do we begin?
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