Allyson Felix on Breaking Olympic Records, Shattering Stereotypes & Unleashing Greatness EP 1456

The Summit of Greatness is back! Buy your tickets today – summitofgreatness.comToday we sit down with Allyson Felix to discuss her remarkable track and field career and her impact beyond the sport. As the most decorated American Track & Field Olympian, Felix retired in 2022 with an astounding thirty-one global medals and multiple world records. The episode highlights her groundbreaking achievements at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, where she not only won medals but also made history by wearing racing spikes from her own lifestyle and footwear brand, Saysh. Felix's commitment to promoting change, equity, and acceptance for women and girls is evident as she runs in her own spikes, challenging the status quo. The episode also discusses Felix's advocacy for maternity rights, including her public call-out of Nike for its lack of protections for pregnant athletes. The public response to Felix's stance brought attention to pregnancy discrimination in athletics and sparked a conversation. Alongside her sponsor Athleta, Felix created the Power of She Fund: Child Care Grant, supporting mom-athletes with childcare during the Olympics. Additionally, Felix's passion for children extends to her involvement with the Right To Play board, where she raises awareness for underserved children in developing regions. The episode concludes by mentioning Felix's current residence in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter, showcasing her balance between family and her impactful pursuits. In this episode you will learn,How to stay motivated and push past obstacles to achieve your goals, both in your personal and professional life. What drives the most decorated American Track & Field Olympian in history to continue breaking records and pushing the boundaries of her sport. How to bridge the gap between athletics and advocacy. The defining moment when Allyson realized the impact she could make went far beyond winning gold medals. How to balance being a dedicated athlete, entrepreneur, and advocate while also prioritizing your role as a mother and wife. For more information go to www.lewishowes.com/1456The Ultramarathon Man, Dean Karnazes: https://link.chtbl.com/1280-guestLindsey Vonn, Olympic Gold Medalist: https://link.chtbl.com/1132-guest Get more from Lewis! Get my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Get The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyText Lewis AIYouTubeInstagramWebsiteTiktokFacebookX

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• 2:16Allyson Felix?

  Success doesn't always mean the gold medal, you know? Like, you can do a lot of work along the way, and you can be successful without having the thing that is typically defined as the ultimate.

• 2:30Speaker 00

  Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week, we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin.

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• 4:26Lewis Howes?

  I'm so pumped about this because I'm a fan of track and field and I'm a fan of you and all you've done to really inspire not only the United States, but the world in your last 20 years of competition, showing up as an elite, world-class athlete, representing the USA proudly, and also representing women around the world and empowering women to be great in their own endeavors as well. So I'm grateful that you're here. Congrats on everything.

• 4:56Allyson Felix?

  Thank you.

• 4:58Lewis Howes?

  I was talking to you just off camera, how I was a decathlete and just an average track and field athlete myself. So I just love being around people that are so disciplined, like you've been your entire life. It's been 20 years you've been a professional at the highest level. One of the things I wanted to ask you is about now that you've had a little bit of time off from being a professional, how have you navigated the identity you once had that is still there in your past of all your records and all the medals and all the accolades you have and the memories, but you're not living in that currently anymore?

• 5:39Lewis Howes?

  You've transitioned your identity into a new stage of life. How are you navigating shifting the old you into the new version of you?

• 5:49Allyson Felix?

  It's hard. I mean, I have a lot of friends who have gone through it and I always heard that it was hard, but I didn't realize how challenging it would be. In one sense, I feel really fulfilled with the work that I'm doing now. And so that's great. I feel really blessed that I kind of moved right into that. But I didn't realize just the sense of loss that I would feel and just like this thing that I've loved and I did for the past 20 years, like all of a sudden it's just, it's gone. And I would have loved to, you know, to keep competing and, you know, if I could have done it forever, that would have been amazing. But I think it does, like I've had to do work on identity and like who I am apart

• 6:31Allyson Felix?

  from like what I've done. And that part has been hard, just, you know, showing up. As me, not the Olympian, not the runner. And just understanding actually who I am. So I think I'm still very new into it.

• 6:45Lewis Howes?

  You're figuring it out.

• 6:46Allyson Felix?

  I'm figuring it out, yeah.

• 6:47Lewis Howes?

  There's an amazing documentary called Weight of Gold. Have you seen this?

• 6:50Allyson Felix?

  I have seen Weight of Gold, yeah.

• 6:52Lewis Howes?

  It's it's essentially about Olympic medalists or gold medalists that have trained their whole life to have the chance to win the gold, but then go through a lot of depression and anxiety and sadness. Unfortunately, some of these Olympians take their lives after, you know, because they can't manage the pressure.

• 7:09Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 7:10Lewis Howes?

  They don't know what to do once everything's done.

• 7:13Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 7:13Lewis Howes?

  Once they're not training for the Olympics anymore. And it seems like you're in a very good state mentally and emotionally, but how have you navigated that, like seeing other athletes struggle?

• 7:23Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 7:25Lewis Howes?

  Whether they're training or they're done with their Olympic journeys, how, what have you seen? And how have you been able to make sure that you're in a healthy state mentally?

• 7:32Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, I mean, I understand it because for the majority of your life, you focused on this one goal, you know, you've trained year after year for this opportunity that comes every four years. And you've given everything and when it comes to the end, the sports just keep going. It's on to the next. And so I think that can be really challenging to kind of understand. For me, I think something that helped, I think earlier on, I I did feel like my purpose was like winning medals and it was like, okay, can I get this world record? Can I do this or that? And then I came to a place where I understood that I was here for more than that.

• 8:13Allyson Felix?

  You know, like that's amazing, but I think I have more to offer than just running fast. And I think I can have some impact in this world. And so now as I'm transitioning, like I'm holding on to that, like I know that I have a purpose here and it extends beyond just like what I've done. And I think it's hard because. Constantly you're pulled back into that, you know, because it's what you've done. But I think what I try to do is just fight it with fact and fight it with work that's purposeful. And you just, sometimes you gotta keep pushing.

• 8:44Lewis Howes?

  So if you're not the most decorated American track and field athlete of all time, who are you?

• 8:51Allyson Felix?

  My favorite title is mom. I'm Cameron's mom and I love to show up in that way. I also love to show up for other women. I love to try to create change to, I really found my place, you know, being passionate about that and pushing there. So those are two places right now that I love showing up and I'm really enjoying, you know, fulfilling those titles.

• 9:15Lewis Howes?

  But if everyone wants to keep putting you in this old identity, this old box where you've been celebrated so much in, how do you navigate that?

• 9:23Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, it's difficult, but I appreciate that. I mean, I still, I love the sport. I want to advance the sport. So there's all of those things. But I think I have to also, you know, be authentic to who I am in the moment. And I'm really, I think also I needed a break.

• 9:40Lewis Howes?

  20 years is a long time.

• 9:42Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, so being so just like tunnel vision, hyper focused, I had to step away, you know, that's, it's really demanding mentally, physically. And so it's almost refreshing also to like, be in these new phases where I'm learning. Like as an entrepreneur, like I'm, there's so much to learn. And I think it also fulfills some of those competitive drives as well.

• 10:04Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. How did you learn to mentally prepare for something as simple as a practice, to prepare and train in one individual practice like a champion, but also to prepare four years out for a goal? Eight years away for a goal? 10 years away for a goal? How did you stay so focused day in and day out on being great today? And also to prepare four years away?

• 10:33Allyson Felix?

  I didn't always. I think it was experience over time. I started, you know, in this sport as a teenager, as a professional, and I got it wrong a lot.

• 10:42Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 10:43Allyson Felix?

  I, yeah, in, in my mind, like, it wasn't like just an instant thing where everything clicked. And it's like, okay, I know how to do all these things. Early on, I was figuring it out. Like, I'm, I'm a teenager. I'm, this is a new sport for me. I started in high school. And so I'm just trial and error. And then eventually, you know, obviously I had an amazing coach who helped guide and lead me. But I had to make mistakes before I started really dialing and clicking in and understanding like, okay, this is what works for me. This is what allows me to focus. This is how I block out distractions. So it was definitely a process of getting there. And then once I kind of got, you know, my team together and what was good for me, then I could keep taking it further.

• 11:24Lewis Howes?

  When were you the most nervous in competition?

• 11:26Allyson Felix?

  I'm always nervous, like every single time.

• 11:29Lewis Howes?

  What was the one where you were like, inside you were just shaking so much? Or maybe externally, you were like trembling?

• 11:35Allyson Felix?

  Well, probably every time I raced the 400. But I mean, I'm, being nervous is like a part of just the process for me.

• 11:41Lewis Howes?

  Uh huh.

• 11:41Allyson Felix?

  But

• 11:42Lewis Howes?

  But you always looked so calm.

• 11:43Allyson Felix?

  Do I? I mean,

• 11:44Lewis Howes?

  I mean, you're like kind of pacing your breathing, but you're not like scared looking.

• 11:48Allyson Felix?

  I mean, not to the point where I don't know how to handle it. But butterflies, like excitement, like this is the, like every four years, 21 seconds, like this is the moment.

• 11:58Lewis Howes?

  Oh man.

• 11:59Allyson Felix?

  So, um, yeah, I, I definitely was nervous for sure.

• 12:04Lewis Howes?

  What would you do to prepare in that hour before the race? At the, at the world championships or the Olympic trials or at the Olympics?

• 12:12Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, I had a process. And so, um, I would get in my zone. I would kind of like to be away from everybody, put headphones on, listen to my music. Um, I would start to visualize. I, I love to run the race through in my mind. And I would just think of like, what is the perfect race? How does that look? How do I feel? Run that through. And then I'd start warming up, you know, I'd get into, you know, the, the drills and the blowouts, put my spikes on. And, um, I always had this moment where I would think back on all the work I've done. And I'd log everything in like a training workout and I would go back through that and look at it, like physically look back through the pages and just be like, I'm ready.

• 12:54Allyson Felix?

  Like I have done the work. Like this is like, it's already done now. I have to just execute. And that always gave me a sense of confidence and calm, even though I had the nerves, it was like, okay, I'm done it. Like, let's just go out here and put it together.

• 13:08Lewis Howes?

  Would you look at that like the night before the race or the morning of?

• 13:12Allyson Felix?

  Kind of like leading up and so like while we're tapering, like those two weeks, you know, where it's like, okay, the workouts are in. Like, you're just, you just have to, you know, put it together now. And that always like made me feel like, okay, I'm, I belong here and I've done the work.

• 13:27Lewis Howes?

  Did you ever feel not ready for a race?

• 13:29Allyson Felix?

  There were definitely times, I remember in 2016, when I was at the Olympics in Rio, I got hurt right before that Olympics, like two months before Olympic trials. And training was going so well up until that point. And then I had this horrible ankle injury. And I tore all these ligaments in my ankle. I couldn't run. I couldn't even walk. I was literally in the, in the pool and on the bike and all this stuff. And so that time, I was like, the work isn't all there, you know, like I'm relying on trying to go off of conditioning. And so in moments like that, it's like, okay, I have to do the best I can with what I have. But it doesn't feel great getting on the line like that.

• 14:10Lewis Howes?

  How'd you feel, or how'd you perform during that, though?

• 14:13Allyson Felix?

  I got second in the 400 meters at the Rio Olympics and yeah.

• 14:17Lewis Howes?

  After being injured two months prior?

• 14:19Allyson Felix?

  Yeah. My coach always says like, for him, that's one of the greatest performances just because of what I had to overcome and what challenges we, you know, we had to face.

• 14:28Lewis Howes?

  That was like your Michael Jordan flu game.

• 14:30Allyson Felix?

  That was my flu game.

• 14:31Lewis Howes?

  Right?

• 14:31Allyson Felix?

  Absolutely.

• 14:32Lewis Howes?

  I'm not trained, I'm not prepared.

• 14:34Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 14:35Lewis Howes?

  What do you think was able to get you to to deliver that type of result? And how was your time compared to the rest of your times?

• 14:42Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, I mean, my time was was pretty much up there consistent with what I had been doing around around that. And I think it was, we had a great base, great conditioning, and then we rehabbed around the clock. Like, it was, that was my job, like, every single tedious thing, you know? We had to make up for what I couldn't do on the track, you know, in the rehab facility.

• 15:04Lewis Howes?

  In the pool, yeah.

• 15:05Allyson Felix?

  Pool, Alter G, like, all of these different, like, tools that we had. And I think, you know, obviously, being led by a great coach and putting all those things together. And then just running with a lot of heart and trying to, trying to get it done.

• 15:19Lewis Howes?

  That's incredible. Now, when it's 15 minutes before, and there, you know, you're out on the track and you're ready to warm up for it, what else are you thinking about to to visualize the race? You run through the race in your minds. Are you thinking of anything else?

• 15:37Allyson Felix?

  Really, technical thoughts, because, you know, when I do have these nerves and, you know, I know it's a big moment, like, the technical thoughts really help me to focus in and block out the distractions. So, you know, when I'm there, I'm in the blocks, you know, I'm thinking about, like, what am I doing with my arms? Like, what do I need to be 10 meters, making sure my angles are right? And like, by thinking about those things, I'm not thinking about, like, oh, all these people are watching me. Or if I mess this up, I gotta wait for such and such to do it again. So that was kind of like one of the, the, the things that really helped me to stay present in the moment and to execute.

• 16:12Lewis Howes?

  What was the perfect race for you that you did?

• 16:15Allyson Felix?

  I would say the closest to a perfect race, Olympic trials in 2012. It was my fastest 200 meter time.

• 16:23Lewis Howes?

  Can you set the scene and walk me through the entire moment of that?

• 16:29Allyson Felix?

  It was a really dramatic Olympic trials for me. I had, I had competed in the 100 meters earlier in the week. And we, I tied with my teammate. We had like this dead heat and we were supposed to have a runoff. And so everything was like geared for that. They were gonna like broadcast this and they had never had a tie before. And there were no like rules in place to have a tiebreaker. And at Olympic trials, only the top three go. We both got third.

• 16:59Lewis Howes?

  Come on.

• 16:59Allyson Felix?

  So it was like this crazy.

• 17:01Lewis Howes?

  So they can't send four?

• 17:03Allyson Felix?

  No.

• 17:03Lewis Howes?

  It had to be a tiebreaker.

• 17:04Allyson Felix?

  Yeah. It was either, never happened. And they actually had to go back and like put rules in place to figure out what they're gonna do.

• 17:11Lewis Howes?

  And they're not gonna flip a coin.

• 17:12Allyson Felix?

  Well, that was one of the options, so.

• 17:14Lewis Howes?

  Oh, no.

• 17:15Allyson Felix?

  We actually, you know, we all met and like decided which thing we wanted to do. One of them was flip a coin. We could have a rerun. I don't even, or someone could just offer to relinquish their position.

• 17:26Lewis Howes?

  Who's gonna do that?

• 17:28Allyson Felix?

  Exactly.

• 17:28Lewis Howes?

  You go to the Olympics, my 20 year dream, I'll just sit back, yeah.

• 17:32Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, so we decided to have this runoff and it was gonna be like this huge thing. And my teammate actually just decided that that's not what she wanted to do. And so it was just very emotional and dramatic and all of that. So that was like the first part of the week. And then I come to this race, which is the 200 meters. It's my favorite race. I, I called it my baby. Like I had two silver medals at my first two Olympic games. So like here is the moment where, you know, I wanna make the team to get that gold medal that I've been missing. And I just, there was just such a drive within me.

• 18:12Allyson Felix?

  I think just everything that I had been through, I just wanted to just make it clear that I was gonna make this team.

• 18:18Lewis Howes?

  Undeniable.

• 18:19Allyson Felix?

  Yes, I just didn't want any question about it. And I felt ready, I felt prepared and I felt excited. Like I'm ready to go. God in the box. And typically I, the start is not like my thing. That's, it's just never been a strength for me. And I remember getting a really good start. And

• 18:40Lewis Howes?

  Just like boom explosive.

• 18:41Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, and I'm with everybody. So usually like I'm I'm back there, but if I'm with everybody, I know like this is good. So I I get out and I'm with everybody and I'm coming off the turn and I'm like, I think I'm already in the lead. And for me, usually I'm like, I'm always coming from behind. It's the last fifty meters and I'm in the right with the leaders, you know, coming off the turn and then I just get stronger and stronger and start to pull away at the end. And I crossed that line. I was like, I'm going to the Olympics like I

• 19:11Lewis Howes?

  That's amazing.

• 19:12Allyson Felix?

  I'm gonna be there to try to get this gold medal.

• 19:15Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 19:15Allyson Felix?

  And that was a pretty, yeah, amazing race for me.

• 19:17Lewis Howes?

  That's amazing. Whatever happened to the the tie?

• 19:21Allyson Felix?

  So she, because she didn't come to the runoff, I got that position to run. And it was just so bittersweet for me because this is also my teammate that I've trained, like we're in the same training group. So

• 19:35Lewis Howes?

  So wait, you ran, did you run that race by yourself?

• 19:38Allyson Felix?

  I know they didn't, we didn't have to run it.

• 19:40Lewis Howes?

  She just disqualified essentially because she didn't show.

• 19:42Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, and I just like, yeah, so I went and I just felt bad about the whole thing and it was just kind of weighed on me and it was, yeah.

• 19:51Lewis Howes?

  What was the event that you had the biggest letdown? Like the, like that you were so set on accomplishing this and for whatever reason, maybe you slipped or maybe you just didn't perform as well, or maybe something happened, the conditions threw you off.

• 20:08Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 20:09Lewis Howes?

  That you didn't reach the result that you were like, I was supposed to get this.

• 20:13Allyson Felix?

  Um, Beijing, so my second Olympics, that was probably my most devastating outcome. And it probably sound crazy because I got a silver medal.

• 20:22Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 20:23Allyson Felix?

  And so, you know, that's amazing. Yes. So that's not lost on me. But also, this is what I do. And my first Olympics, I was a teenager, I got a silver medal. So I am thinking like I'm

• 20:37Lewis Howes?

  Four years stronger.

• 20:38Allyson Felix?

  Giving everything for four years. I've done everything that I could. And I'm also the favorite and, you know, everything was set up for me to win this race, you know? It seemed like it should happen. And I didn't. And for me, it was so Embarrassing like I just felt like, man, I'm supposed to be like this phenom like I wanted to make my country proud, like everyone is rooting for me. And so I just remember feeling like I just want to disappear. Like I failed like on the biggest like stage and for me, that was like the darkest kind of place I had been in and feeling like, okay, well,

• 21:20Allyson Felix?

  do I keep doing this? Like, I don't know. Do I commit myself? Like, at this point, I've already been to two Olympics. Like, what if it never comes together? Do I really want to give another four years of my life? So I think I had the most challenging time afterwards, trying to like make sense of all of that and figuring out like, do I still even want to like do this?

• 21:39Lewis Howes?

  How did you, how long, how long did it take for you to get back to a place of either peace or acceptance? Or, okay, I'm still good enough. I'm gonna keep going.

• 21:48Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, I, it was a couple of months and it was, it wasn't me. It was the people around me. It was my family. It was my coach. It was my friends. Like, they were the ones that could still see the vision. Like, I was too in my feelings, like, just down on myself, just like, and it was them pulling it out of me. Like, you can still do this. Like, you know, if you dedicate yourself, like, you can still get there. And so eventually, I started listening to, you know, my circle and people around me and went back at it.

• 22:22Lewis Howes?

  How important is it to surround yourself with a powerful circle of people that not only believe in you, but helped you build your own self-belief?

• 22:31Allyson Felix?

  It's everything. Like, for me, I, there's nothing that I accomplished by myself. Like, I lean on so many people. I mean, track is seen as like this individual sport, but like, we absolutely have a team. Everything from your training partners, your coach, your management, like, everyone is working for this common goal. And so, yeah, I go out there by myself, but I've been prepared. Like, everyone has poured into me. And so, I, it's, it's critical. And I didn't always have the right team. Like, I had to make, especially after 2008, that's when I kind of reevaluated everything. I was like, what changes can I make? Like, I've been doing this now, and I, if I keep doing the same thing, I don't think I'm gonna have the result. So I looked at everything. I started working

• 23:14Allyson Felix?

  with my brother. He became my manager. And then we just started putting the pieces together. And for me, that was like a huge turning point.

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• 24:59Speaker 00

  When was the time that you doubted yourself the most?

• 25:02Allyson Felix?

  I think I've had to fight doubt throughout my career.

• 25:06Speaker 00

  Really?

• 25:07Allyson Felix?

  For sure. I'm trying to think, I would say probably like the last Olympics is when I had the most doubt, for sure.

• 25:15Speaker 00

  On a scale of one to 10, 10 being you've got 100% confidence in yourself, you're, you know, zero doubt, one being you're doubting yourself all day long. Where were you on that scale?

• 25:26Allyson Felix?

  I was probably like... A four, I think.

• 25:30Lewis Howes?

  Really? Going into your last Olympics.

• 25:32Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, I think, and even before, like trying to get.

• 25:36Lewis Howes?

  You just won a world championship, didn't you, like a couple of years prior and?

• 25:38Allyson Felix?

  But I had become a new mom, like I had all of my, the whole ordeal with Nike, like I had what I felt like the whole world saying like, you can't do this. Yeah, and so I felt like it was only like my circle where I felt that like support and like belief. And other than that, I felt myself listening sometimes to the voices of like, you're too old. You're on to another chapter, you're a mom now, like you need to focus on that and that trying to combat that with like, you know, fact of like training and result, like that's a hard thing to to navigate. So I definitely felt the pressure of that.

• 26:20Lewis Howes?

  So you felt like you were at a four in terms of self-confidence and belief, leading up to the last Olympics. Did it, were you a four at the Olympics or did it start to shift and go a little stronger?

• 26:32Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, once I finally, once I made it to the Olympics, sounds cliche, but like that was the victory. Like that was the thing.

• 26:39Lewis Howes?

  Qualifying.

• 26:40Allyson Felix?

  Qualifying because nobody thought I could do that, you know, like at this point, I'm thirty five, like I have this new baby. Like there's all these things.

• 26:49Lewis Howes?

  What, how many events you qualify for?

• 26:51Allyson Felix?

  I qualified in the four hundred and then I was on the relay.

• 26:55Lewis Howes?

  And the relay.

• 26:56Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 26:57Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 26:58Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, so that was just like such a relief even to be there. And then it really shifted for me. I think that was the first Olympics I ever wasn't solely focused on like the time or the medal. Like that was the first one where it was like, wow, like I'm representing women, like I'm representing mothers and like anybody who has been told they couldn't do something, like I am showing them that that's possible. And that just gave me a different outlook and a different purpose than ever before. Cause always when I came before, it's like, I am, I'm hyper focused on like, the only thing that matters is a gold medal.

• 27:34Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 27:34Allyson Felix?

  Anything else than that is like failure. So this gave me a shift in that.

• 27:38Lewis Howes?

  Interesting. And also right before then, you know, I don't know the full story, but essentially Nike wasn't in support in some ways because you've become a new mom or they weren't.

• 27:47Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 27:48Lewis Howes?

  What was the whole situation that happened there that led you to saying, I need to do something for women with? My own vision of this, this brand that you have now.

• 27:57Allyson Felix?

  Yeah. So in track and field, for as long as I can remember, there has been this like culture of silence around pregnancy and starting families. It's been really difficult.

• 28:09Lewis Howes?

  In track and field.

• 28:10Allyson Felix?

  In track and field specifically.

• 28:11Lewis Howes?

  In, in America or over the world?

• 28:14Allyson Felix?

  I think all over, you know, in the sport, for sure in America. That's who I was in contact with. So basically I was seeing my friends struggle through motherhood. I saw them either hide pregnancies if they needed new contracts. I saw their contracts get paused. I didn't, there wasn't like this shiny example of like a mother who's like dominating and like killing mother, like doing all the things. It was more so like the struggle, not because they weren't capable, but because the support wasn't there, it wasn't in place. And so for me, when I felt like I wanted to start a family, I was really scared because I was like, I don't, I think that this could happen to me too.

• 28:54Lewis Howes?

  Even as one of the top stars?

• 28:56Allyson Felix?

  I was scared. Yeah. But I did feel like I had waited, you know, I had already gone to four Olympics. I felt like I had accomplished enough where I'm like, okay, maybe I'm safe. That was like my mindset. And so I'm like, I'm gonna go forward with this. But my negotiations with Nike, who at that time I had been with almost a decade, even before I said I was pregnant, the negotiations already were 70% less than what I had been making previously.

• 29:23Lewis Howes?

  Interesting. So it wasn't a good deal already?

• 29:25Allyson Felix?

  Already, you know, whether it was I was too old or whatever the thing was, we were already at that place.

• 29:31Lewis Howes?

  Okay. So they were kind of like, hey, you know, we'll keep you around essentially with this.

• 29:35Allyson Felix?

  On to the next.

• 29:35Lewis Howes?

  But we're, we're investing in the

• 29:38Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 29:38Lewis Howes?

  A generation that's coming up now.

• 29:40Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 29:40Lewis Howes?

  Essentially.

• 29:41Allyson Felix?

  So that just amplified my fear. I'm like, I've already seen what happens. And so I made the decision to do what a lot of women in my sport had done before. I hid my pregnancy.

• 29:50Lewis Howes?

  Wow, really?

• 29:51Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, and it was crazy. I-

• 29:53Lewis Howes?

  For how long? And now, how old are you at this time?

• 29:55Allyson Felix?

  So, um, I'm thirty-three and I am still competing. Like, I, at the beginning, I still try, I'm like- We're coming up the hills of like Serena, and I'm like, I can do this, like-

• 30:06Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 30:07Allyson Felix?

  So I'm still, you know, racing a bit, I'm training. Um, eventually I get to the point where I can't continue to do that. And I still, I train in the dark. Because at this point, I don't, I don't have an offer on paper. So I have a verbal seventy percent less, but there's nothing on paper. And so, my fear is that they find out that I'm pregnant, and then that just disappears. Yeah.

• 30:29Lewis Howes?

  So you're like, two months pregnant, three months pregnant?

• 30:32Allyson Felix?

  I started, so I stopped competing about two months. And then, I'm still training and, you know, this is, this is ongoing. So this is going over a long period of time. So I'm four months, I'm five months, I'm still in the dark. I'm rarely leaving my house, I'm wearing baggy clothes, like, all of this. For someone who's always wanted to be a mother, it was so hard because all these moments I had dreamed of, it's like, I'm not experiencing any of that. The baby shower is like, any of, any of that, so-

• 31:01Lewis Howes?

  You're almost living in shame.

• 31:03Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 31:04Lewis Howes?

  To have-

• 31:04Allyson Felix?

  I'm hiding-

• 31:05Lewis Howes?

  The thing that you're most excited about. Which is starting a family. You're living in shame, you're hiding it, you're going out, you're sneaking around in the night.

• 31:11Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 31:12Lewis Howes?

  It's like, you're like, you're like, you're like a kid trying to like, break the rules from your parents, almost like, you know, sneaking around.

• 31:17Allyson Felix?

  Because I'm growing a life inside of me.

• 31:20Lewis Howes?

  Wow. How did that make you feel, hiding it?

• 31:23Allyson Felix?

  I, it felt horrible, you know? It felt like it should have been this moment that was celebrated. And I felt like so much was taken from me, you know? So many, you, you never get to have your first child again. And, so it was really challenging. And in that time, I decided to really shift my ask away from the financial aspect of it. And what I asked for was maternal protections. And basically, what that means in track and field is our contracts are performance-based. And so, the Olympics, the world championships, you go, you medal, it's a bonus. But you don't, it's a reduction. Now, if you have a baby during that time, or if you just had a baby, there's nothing in place to protect you. So essentially, what was happening in the sport

• 32:07Allyson Felix?

  is that women were just, their salaries being cut and cut, and they were pushed out of the sport. And so I asked for time to be able to recover.

• 32:17Lewis Howes?

  You asked Nike?

• 32:18Allyson Felix?

  I asked Nike. I asked Nike because the sponsor is your, that's your main income. We don't get paid, you know, from our federation, so.

• 32:27Lewis Howes?

  So you asked them in the contract, there wasn't a new contract yet. So you're still finishing.

• 32:31Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, I'm asking for a terms in that contract.

• 32:34Lewis Howes?

  Interesting.

• 32:34Allyson Felix?

  That it be laid out maternal protection.

• 32:37Lewis Howes?

  Even the 70% less. You were like, give me.

• 32:39Allyson Felix?

  The money was just like, I could take the disrespect of that. But like, I felt like this is something that could change things, you know? This could change the culture.

• 32:48Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 32:49Allyson Felix?

  So I focused on that. I asked for that, and they told me, yeah. Like, I'm like, this is great. This is what I'm asking for.

• 32:56Lewis Howes?

  That's nice.

• 32:57Allyson Felix?

  But when the contract came back, it, there was no legal terms that tied the time that they were willing to give me for other female athletes. They weren't ready to set that precedent.

• 33:07Lewis Howes?

  So they're willing to do it for you, but not for all female athletes?

• 33:10Allyson Felix?

  They said they wanted to take it on a case by case basis.

• 33:12Lewis Howes?

  Interesting, okay.

• 33:14Allyson Felix?

  For me, that just, I couldn't, I couldn't accept that. Like, I felt like, you know, we need to change this for all women, for all female athletes. And I think also, because this went over such a long period of time, I ended up having my daughter. And I had, I had a very traumatic birth experience. I gave birth to her two months early. And I think all of that, just like having a daughter and thinking about, like, her life and what she's gonna go through. And that just made me feel like, I can't, I can't like, accept this. And so I made the decision to, to write a New York Times op ed and to speak out about what I was, what was happening for me. And also, other teammates of mine had done the same.

• 33:58Allyson Felix?

  And yeah, we pushed for change. And after that op ed came out, it was about two weeks, a little over two weeks later, that they ended up changing their policy, so.

• 34:08Lewis Howes?

  Nike did.

• 34:09Allyson Felix?

  Nike did, yeah. So I had parted ways.

• 34:12Lewis Howes?

  Pretty soon. You had already parted ways.

• 34:13Allyson Felix?

  For me, it was, you know, but for the women that, you know, were there and came after, it's amazing. And today they offer 18 months of protection. Um, so, yeah, it was great, you know?

• 34:25Lewis Howes?

  So they were trying to, they were trying to, it sounds like they were trying to do it for you, but they weren't ready to

• 34:30Allyson Felix?

  Do it for everyone.

• 34:30Lewis Howes?

  Yet, yeah, until you kind of pushed through in this message and the platform and speaking out and then more women started to

• 34:37Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 34:37Lewis Howes?

  Get on board with that as well, which is amazing.

• 34:41Allyson Felix?

  Yeah. So it was terrifying.

• 34:43Lewis Howes?

  Congratulations though.

• 34:45Allyson Felix?

  It was scary.

• 34:46Lewis Howes?

  I can imagine. Cause it's your livelihood. It's your, it's your income.

• 34:50Allyson Felix?

  Nike, like, you know, this massive, yeah. And so for me, I didn't know what was on the other side of that. Like I, I was terrified. I, I knew I still wanted to compete. I wasn't sure what was next. Um, so it was a really difficult time. I was, you know, obviously grateful. I wish it wasn't such a fight to get to that point, but grateful for, for that outcome, but that, that's what happened, um, before my final Olympics.

• 35:16Lewis Howes?

  Wow. And so how were you able to bring in an income after that?

• 35:21Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 35:21Lewis Howes?

  If they weren't sponsoring you anymore, what did you do?

• 35:24Allyson Felix?

  So after that, um, I had this meeting with, um, Athleta, they're owned by Gap and just, I kind of didn't think anything of it. I was like, you know, at this point, I'm just, you know, I'm, I believe in what I'm doing, but I'm not sure if I'm gonna have another sponsor. And so, um, our missions just really aligned. They're, they're a female company, female led. And I was like, oh, this is, it's feeling really great. And so we partnered together and they're my apparel sponsor and that was amazing. It felt really empowering because I saw just a different way to do business. Um, but I didn't have a footwear sponsor. So at this point, you know, I'm training for the Olympics and I don't have shoes to wear in the Olympics. And for me, I think I was just,

• 36:07Allyson Felix?

  just upset and just tired. You know, I'm having this conversation with my brother who's my manager and, but I'm speaking to him as just like my big brother.

• 36:15Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 36:16Allyson Felix?

  And I'm like, I am so just tired of begging companies to see my worth and value. Like I can't believe I'm at this place in my career and I don't feel like I'm seen. Like I don't feel like anybody believes in me. Um,

• 36:33Allyson Felix?

  In that aspect. And so he was like, I think that we should just do this ourselves. And I'm like, like, do what? Like, like, like, create shoes? Like, how does that work? Like, it's, and the more that I sat with what he was saying, I'm like, no, you're right. Like, we, we could do this ourselves. Like, here is our opportunity. Instead of begging somebody else to create the change, like, we could be the ones to create it.

• 36:58Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 36:59Allyson Felix?

  And so that's what we did.

• 37:01Lewis Howes?

  What year is this?

• 37:02Allyson Felix?

  So this is, at this point, this is 2021, 2020, when we're having like these ideas.

• 37:09Lewis Howes?

  Like a year before the Olympics?

• 37:10Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, we're right.

• 37:11Lewis Howes?

  In the middle of pandemic, too.

• 37:13Allyson Felix?

  Exactly. Which is crazy to think of forming a company, a shoe company during a pandemic with, you know, the supply chain issues and all, just all of the things. But I think the thing about it was that, yeah, shoes, but also purpose. Like, this is about women deserving better. And if we have to be the ones to go there, then we have to do that. And what we thought we were doing was just making shoes that I could wear in the Olympics. Like, that's what our understanding of it was, and maybe other women would want to wear those shoes, too. But what we learned as we went down this research and, you know, this new industry is that shoes haven't been made for women, tennis shoes.

• 37:55Allyson Felix?

  So a tennis shoe is made off of a, a lass, which is just a mold of a foot. And it's been the mold of a man's foot to make women's sneakers. And when I learned that, I was like, no, we cannot be an afterthought. And I think it took me time to even really like, understand that concept. Because, you know, you go into a shoe store and, you know, we've all been in, in a foot locker and you see, there's like a women's, a wall, right? There's like men's and women's, or we've been to the women's department. Like, we've seen shoes for women, right? And like it took breaking down, understanding that that's just marketing. Like it's the exact same shoe, like they might throw some pink on it.

• 38:34Lewis Howes?

  Right, it's just smaller.

• 38:35Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, it's not even, it's not even proportionally small, like it's, and there are differences, significant differences between a man's and a woman's foot. And so just understanding that and, you know, being able to run with that. It was like, okay, we're, we're doing this.

• 38:50Lewis Howes?

  So you, you built the shoe for the Olympics was kind of like the first stage, right? It's like, how do I build it so I can have my own shoe and be able to tell the story? But then launching a company and building something beyond that, that's, that's a lot of work though.

• 39:05Allyson Felix?

  It's a lot of work.

• 39:06Lewis Howes?

  How did you, how have you navigated this?

• 39:08Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 39:09Lewis Howes?

  And how can people get involved?

• 39:13Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, I think the first thing is not, we didn't know how much work it was gonna be. And I think there's a beauty to that, you know, had we known, who knows?

• 39:21Lewis Howes?

  No, just launch a shoe company, yeah.

• 39:23Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, you know?

• 39:24Lewis Howes?

  Nike did it, let's just.

• 39:25Allyson Felix?

  We can do this. But it, it's been challenging, you know, um, for sure. But I think knowing why we're doing it, you know, that we see women and we want to be different. Like we have a maternity returns policy, which when a woman becomes pregnant, her shoe size often changes and that change in size oftentimes is permanent. And so in our company, if you have that happen to you, we'll give you a new pair of your shoes, of our shoes in your size. And so just saying like, we want to push the industry, we want to do things differently. Obviously we're making shoes specifically for women to fit the form of a female foot. But our purpose, we believe is much deeper than that. It's to say that we see women and that we want to do more.

• 40:06Allyson Felix?

  We're all about community, that's a huge, it's just as important as the shoes that we create, you know, bringing women together and learning for them. And so I think the way that we can, people can get involved is to support, buy our shoes. To me, it's a, it's signifier that like I stand with women and I want, I'm a change maker and I'm about this and be a part of our community. And we just, we want to push things, we want to push the industry and really say that women deserve better in, in all aspects.

• 40:35Lewis Howes?

  I love that. I'm gonna, what's the, how can we go buy a pair?

• 40:38Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, so it's saysh.com, S A Y S H dot com.

• 40:42Lewis Howes?

  I'm getting four today for my, for my mom, my two sisters and my girlfriends. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna make sure.

• 40:49Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, I appreciate the support.

• 40:51Lewis Howes?

  I'm gonna make sure to get those today for you.

• 40:54Lewis Howes?

  Something you mentioned there a minute ago about owning your worth. Now, as a five-time Olympian, is that right? Five times? How many gold medals have you won?

• 41:05Allyson Felix?

  Um, seven.

• 41:06Lewis Howes?

  So a five-time Olympian, seven-time gold medalist, but more medals beyond that. World championships. How do you, how did you lose sight in owning your own worth? After accomplishing so much?

• 41:22Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 41:22Lewis Howes?

  Not even the accomplishments, but just the daily efforts you put in. Which I think a lot of people forget, like you have put in so much daily effort.

• 41:30Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 41:31Lewis Howes?

  To get those results. Whether you got the results or not, you still put in the effort.

• 41:36Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 41:36Lewis Howes?

  Which is meaningful. And I'm curious, how did you learn to remember your own self-worth? When you started to lose it? And for women watching who are thinking, if Alison Felix lost her self-worth, with all these accomplishments, I have no chance of gaining my self-worth.

• 41:59Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 41:59Lewis Howes?

  With all the struggles that I might be facing. What advice would you have to women? Who maybe don't believe in themselves, that don't feel like they have worth, or people aren't giving them what they feel like they're worth? How can we learn?

• 42:14Lewis Howes?

  To own our worth, no matter what anyone else does or says?

• 42:17Allyson Felix?

  Yeah. For me, I think I was losing it because I was listening to what the world was telling me. Like when Nike offered me the 70% less. I think I got to this place where I was like, well, maybe that is what I'm worth. You know, maybe it is beyond me. Maybe I'm not capable. I start feeding into like these criticisms and I'm not listening and remembering, you know, what I've done, what, like you said, what I've put in. I'm starting to get distracted by.

• 42:48Allyson Felix?

  Other people talking who don't know me, who don't know my work ethic and all of those things, and I start listening to it. But I think more than anything, it's believing that my identity is a track runner. It's believing that all I have to offer is running fast. And I think when I start pulling myself away from that, and I start saying, my value isn't being a mother, my value is being a daughter, or friend, or a partner. That's where I feel most fulfilled. And so I'm absolutely worth, I have so much worth apart from what I do. And I think we have to break down those barriers of our thought process. And what, you know, I think constantly, you know, you talk to people and the first question

• 43:31Allyson Felix?

  is like, what do you do? But it's like, that's not who I am. And for me, it was coming back to who am I, you know, because I'm not just what I do.

• 43:41Lewis Howes?

  Wow. The thing that I'm hearing you say is you're talking about thought process and who to listen to. And it sounds like you were listening to the wrong people, which went back to the beginning of your career, where you started to build a circle of people that believed in you and that spoke into your vision in a positive way. But somehow, along the way, you started to hearing the outside world and the noises and the criticisms of others.

• 44:06Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 44:07Lewis Howes?

  So which goes back to thought process and your circle.

• 44:10Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 44:11Lewis Howes?

  The people you keep closest.

• 44:12Allyson Felix?

  That would be my encouragement for other women is like, it's your circle, it's your tribe, it's your people who, who speak into you, who pour into you, who build you up. Like, you know, you want to have those people on your team. And you want to be able to do that for them as well. You want to be able to celebrate, you know, each other and uplift each other. And so to me, that's like, that's the game changer. You can have people you rely on.

• 44:37Lewis Howes?

  I think you're in a great example to show people, and for people to hear and listen this, that even if you reach the top of the world in something, of an identity, of whatever event that you're in in life, you can still fall susceptible to criticism and voices.

• 44:59Lewis Howes?

  And how hard is it to keep a positive thought process for yourself even when you're at the top? How hard was it for you?

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• 46:07Allyson Felix?

  I think it's difficult. I think also in the moments that you think are gonna be everything and at the ultimate top and the goal that you always had doesn't necessarily feel like what you thought, at least in my experience.

• 46:20Lewis Howes?

  Give me an example.

• 46:21Allyson Felix?

  I remember my third Olympics, I finally win the 200 meters.

• 46:25Lewis Howes?

  Is this London?

• 46:26Allyson Felix?

  I got those two.

• 46:27Lewis Howes?

  Where is this?

• 46:28Allyson Felix?

  This is London in 2012. So those first two Olympics, you know, silver medals. I get to that third Olympics and I'm like, okay, I've done it. Like, I finally put it together. I get that gold medal. And I remember feeling, I think the emotion I felt more than anything was relief. It was like, okay, that weight is off of my shoulders. Like, I finally did the thing that I, you know, that I hadn't done yet. And obviously, like, I'm happy, I'm joyful and all of that. But I had built it up to be so much that I just didn't live up. I thought my life was gonna just be like completely different. I remember coming home from London and, you know, amazing, cool things are happening. But pretty much like, everything is the same, like.

• 47:11Lewis Howes?

  After two months of press and the tour and people celebrating you, people move on.

• 47:14Allyson Felix?

  You move on to the next thing and you're with yourself. And I think that, you know, it took time to unpack, but that was the moment where I really understood, like, it's about so much more than the track stuff. Like, there's got to be more to it than that. And so I think in the moments where you have everything, you know, it's that there's more purpose there, you know, that there's a bigger reason for it.

• 47:41Lewis Howes?

  That's so interesting you say this. I'm gonna, you know, relate in a much lower level than you because I didn't win a Olympic gold medal. But when I, when I heard my, when I was at the national championships in the decathlon, I was telling you this earlier, and I, the last race, the second day of the decathlon, I was at 1500, I was exhausted. Exhausted, I did not want to run and I was not a distance guy. I was like, put me in a hundred and that's about as much as I want to go. And I knew, my coach said, you've got to, you can't let these guys beat you, these certain guys, and you can't let these guys beat you by this much, this many seconds. So you kind of gotta like know where you're gonna be.

• 48:19Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 48:20Lewis Howes?

  And I gotta see, can I even break my PR? Like, I need to get this time. And I remember crossing and it was pretty tight. And she goes, I don't know, like, it's tight. Because I was in ninth place.

• 48:29Allyson Felix?

  Okay.

• 48:29Lewis Howes?

  Going into the final event. In the top eight is the All-Americans. And so I'm just sitting there for about 15 minutes as they're calculating all the numbers before they get the podium up and they start calling everything. And I knew that if my name was not called first, because it went from eighth to first, I wasn't gonna make it.

• 48:47Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 48:47Lewis Howes?

  And thankfully, my name was called right away. So I was like, oh, this weight, this relief.

• 48:52Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 48:53Lewis Howes?

  Because it was like training for so long to try to create this goal to happen. But here was the funny thing. I was happy, but late that night at dinner, I started to get like this, I don't know if it was an expectation hangover. I don't know if I was supposed to feel something different, but I almost got, I got a little mad and angry and had a little bit of an attitude energetically, because I think I was supposed to feel something else.

• 49:17Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 49:17Lewis Howes?

  And I didn't feel it.

• 49:18Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 49:18Lewis Howes?

  This was a dream I had my entire life at that point.

• 49:22Allyson Felix?

  Mm hmm.

• 49:22Lewis Howes?

  As a 22 year old to be, you know, go to the national championships and be an all American. For some reason, I thought like all my relationships would be better with my parents when they were there or they were struggling and I thought things were just gonna be.

• 49:33Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 49:34Lewis Howes?

  Fun and it wasn't.

• 49:35Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, I, I've been there.

• 49:37Lewis Howes?

  Right?

• 49:38Allyson Felix?

  Yeah. And to me, the crazy thing is like, when it was the disappointment, I felt that. You know, that I felt like that was a devastating feeling, but when it was the success, it didn't feel as I thought it should feel. And I, I think, you know, every person is different, but I think oftentimes people who have success feel that way, you know? And you have to unpack what that is for you. And for me, it's like, it's the journey also. You know, it's this process, like that's where the magic happens, like along the way. And I was able to kind of look back and say like, oh, wow, like I've had this amazing road to get to this process and that's where I became like the person that I wanted to be.

• 50:20Allyson Felix?

  Like that was the beautiful part of it. Like this is just the end result, but I think there's something about embracing those ups and downs and for me to silver medals along the way that, you know, that's a huge part of it.

• 50:33Lewis Howes?

  Oh, man. Silver is.

• 50:36Allyson Felix?

  It's, it's hard to, yeah.

• 50:37Lewis Howes?

  Silver is hard to talk about because there's so many people in the world that would dream to have a silver medal.

• 50:42Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 50:42Lewis Howes?

  To go, to just go to Olympics and win a silver medal is like unheard of for the world, most of the world. But when you're the best. A silver is probably one of the most devastating things. I'd rather get a bronze than a silver.

• 50:55Allyson Felix?

  That's what everyone feels, yeah.

• 50:57Lewis Howes?

  Rather get third place and know, oh, I had a lot more training to do, or they were just way better than me.

• 51:01Allyson Felix?

  They always say if you look at the medal stand, like, the silver position is always like

• 51:06Lewis Howes?

  The frowning.

• 51:07Allyson Felix?

  The most unhappy, you know, because the bronze is like really happy.

• 51:10Lewis Howes?

  I'm a baby.

• 51:11Allyson Felix?

  Obviously the gold, but yeah, that silver is, it's kind of a tough one.

• 51:14Lewis Howes?

  You got it twice, back to back Olympics.

• 51:16Allyson Felix?

  Back to back.

• 51:16Lewis Howes?

  Oh, man, that's like a knife that just, oh, the emotional wound.

• 51:20Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, we're talking about hundreds of, you know, like

• 51:22Lewis Howes?

  Oh, no.

• 51:23Allyson Felix?

  How do you improve that?

• 51:25Lewis Howes?

  Oh, gosh, I just want to throw up.

• 51:26Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 51:26Lewis Howes?

  And you're, it's like eight years of your life for two silver medals, essentially. How did you, after the second one, compose yourself and, and go back into the process and not think about the result?

• 51:41Allyson Felix?

  I, it was really hard not to think about that result. That like definitely, even to this day, like when I see pictures from Beijing, like it takes me back to a very not great place, but um, I think just pulling myself out of that, you know, was hard. I had to allow myself to feel it all.

• 51:58Lewis Howes?

  To grieve, to be angry, sad.

• 52:01Allyson Felix?

  This wasn't what I wanted to be. Like, I, I did, it was a disappointment. Like, feel all, like, all those emotions are valid. But then, once like I make the decision to take on the new goal, then it's like committing to that and saying like, I'm going to show up and give this all. And I think I also had to come to a place where maybe it wasn't going to come together, you know? Maybe that wasn't for me. I'm glad it was, but

• 52:24Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, it's still getting, get that monkey off your back, yeah.

• 52:26Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, but I, I think you have to have the acceptance that like, success doesn't always mean the gold medal, you know? Like, you can do a lot of work along the way and you can be successful without having the thing that is typically defined as the ultimate.

• 52:41Lewis Howes?

  I'm so glad you're saying this. And again, there's people going to be saying, well, yeah, but you got the gold medal, so it's easy for you to say this.

• 52:48Allyson Felix?

  Fair.

• 52:49Lewis Howes?

  However, I was telling you off camera that for nine years I was playing with the USA national team, Team Handball. And the dream was to go to the Olympics and I haven't qualified for it yet. I'm not saying I'm not going to, but it hasn't happened.

• 53:02Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 53:03Lewis Howes?

  And even though in nine years, we didn't qualify for the Olympics.

• 53:09Lewis Howes?

  I have got to live experiences and meet people and travel the world and play against Olympic teams at the highest level. And train and get hurt and get better and all these different things that happened to me. Even though the dream didn't come true, it was still a dream come true.

• 53:25Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, I love that.

• 53:26Lewis Howes?

  And I get chills just thinking about like I pursued it. I was on the pursuit for almost a decade of something that I dreamt about.

• 53:34Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 53:35Lewis Howes?

  That I felt like was calling me forth to go after this thing. And it has been a beautiful journey. Now, there is still sadness that I haven't qualified the Olympics. There's still some let down emotions. There's still some bruises and pain that I've had to experience. However, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's been incredible, the journey and who I became in the journey. So I, you know, there's only one champion.

• 54:01Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 54:02Lewis Howes?

  In the, in the Olympics or in the sports, there's only like so many people who are number one.

• 54:07Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 54:08Lewis Howes?

  At that thing for that season. It doesn't mean you can't become number one in your life in the pursuit of that thing.

• 54:15Allyson Felix?

  Absolutely. And I think sometimes the dream isn't what you imagine. That doesn't mean that it's not fulfilling. It doesn't mean that you're not on the path that you should be. And I think that's true in so many different aspects of life. Like we might set out to do this thing, but maybe that's not the thing that's for us. Maybe it's this thing over here and you don't find that out without, you know, starting off on one path and you end up where you're supposed to be. And, you know, even in my life and my career, like, yes, it was amazing to win a gold medal. Like, do I think that's my absolute purpose? No, like, I think I'm living it now. Like, I think it's advocating for women. I think it's having impact. Like, those are the things that, to me, will leave a greater legacy and impact than, you know, just the, the gold medal.

• 54:59Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. You talked about your circle of, of coaches and mentors and team that you had for the last really 25 years.

• 55:09Lewis Howes?

  Who is the most influential person during that time throughout the whole journey? That really taught you valuable lessons that you still live with today after your track and field career?

• 55:21Allyson Felix?

  Such, I mean, there's, I feel like there's so many people who poured into me and, you know, everyone from my coach Bobby to his wife Jackie Joyner-Kersey, she's been to such.

• 55:30Lewis Howes?

  Oh, man, St. Louis.

• 55:31Allyson Felix?

  Yeah.

• 55:31Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, I lived in St. Louis for a while, so.

• 55:33Allyson Felix?

  An incredible mentor who just like made it real for me. Like, obviously, she's this like iconic athlete, but like the best person who just, when I got that second silver medal in Beijing, just like constantly checking on me, like, are you good? Are you okay? Like, like, that has been incredible. I think my, obviously, my family has just been huge in this, but my brother is someone who like specifically sticks out. You know, we work together. He's my big brother, like, he's a hero to me, but I think about like all the hard parts of my career. He's been that constant and he's challenged me and he's encouraged me. He's, when I was going through the whole Nike thing, like, he empowered me even in

• 56:17Allyson Felix?

  starting, we started Seish together and just him feeling like, you know, why wouldn't I be able to do this? You know, and I, I feel like we all need that person in our life who's gonna like speak into us and challenge us to do the thing that we might be scared to do, but that we're supposed to do. So, yeah.

• 56:34Lewis Howes?

  What's the thing you love about your brother the most?

• 56:37Allyson Felix?

  Gosh, I think his, the way he sees the world. Like, it's a very beautiful way, like, he sees the positives. He's like very much a visionary in the way that, for me, I think I'm like the opposite. I'm like, I see all the negativity and like, oh, well, all the obstacles that could get in our way and like, he sees this beautiful like end result and I think that's what like, we work really well together because we complement each other well with those things, but I love just the way that he sees the world and that he sees people.

• 57:07Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, that's beautiful. I'm curious about, I'm, I'm a huge fan of mindset. I've been studying it for a long time from my athletic days, but also just in the business world and everyone that I've interviewed here for the last 10 years, last 1400 episodes. I've been fascinated by people at the top of their game like yourself. Who have been consistent with it for years? I'm curious, in your experience, what was the greater fear for you to overcome? Was it the fear of failure? The fear of success? Or the fear of other people's opinions about you?

• 57:46Allyson Felix?

  Ooh, that's a heavy one. I think it would be the fear of failure. I think the fear of like dedicating my life to something and not reaching that point. And I think along with that also comes the fear of like what other people think. The embarrassment, like I think it goes hand in hand. But for sure, those were probably the things that stick out.

• 58:12Lewis Howes?

  Were you never afraid of success?

• 58:15Allyson Felix?

  No, success was never, I don't know, I don't know if it's because I never really let my mind like go there. That's not really, the medals never like, the physical medal, like that wasn't really what it was about. It was like, can I do this thing? Like, can I accomplish it? And I, I guess I never really thought too much of what would happen when, if it happened. It was more so like, if it doesn't happen, the weight of all of that.

• 58:40Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. Who was the, the athlete that you either trained with or against? Or, you know, men's or women's team in the world in track and field? That you felt like had the most incredible mindset? Like, just the eye of the tiger, killer mindset? Every time you'd see them on the track? Maybe you, you trained with them, competed against them, or watched them? Men or women? Who was it in the last 20 years that was the ultimate competitor mentally?

• 59:11Allyson Felix?

  I mean, for me, it's, it's Kobe Bryant, like outside of my sport. Like, you know, I've just ever since I had the pleasure of meeting him, just. The ultimate mindset, you know, and just even trying to like break that down a bit. And just the way that he approached and loved the game of basketball. To me, that just fascinated me. Like, there was something just so pure about the pursuit of that and the pursuit of only kind of accepting this greatness and that excellence and just bringing that to every single time he touched the basketball.

• 59:45Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, he was incredible. What about track and field? Who was the athlete that you?

• 59:50Allyson Felix?

  The athlete that in track and field.

• 59:52Lewis Howes?

  That you got to watch or witness or maybe it was just one performance where you were just like, you witnessed an energy before race, during and after that was like unbelievable.

• 1:00:01Allyson Felix?

  I competed a lot against Veronica Campbell Brown in my race like that. When I got those two silver medals, she got gold.

• 1:00:11Allyson Felix?

  But I always just had a really great respect for her. I felt like the way she approached it, like always bringing her A game and in return, I felt like it pulled more out of me. And so to me, there was always just a mutual respect there and of the craft and of how you approach like the sport, like that's something that I could really appreciate and that I, that you didn't always see.

• 1:00:36Lewis Howes?

  Sure. And what about on the men's side?

• 1:00:38Allyson Felix?

  The men, I mean, obviously, I think the way that Usain ran, like there was always something that was like, that I just couldn't grasp because like there is obviously like just the talent level alone was blows you away.

• 1:00:53Lewis Howes?

  Because would, would they race first and then you guys run afterwards?

• 1:00:57Allyson Felix?

  It's not flip flop sometimes, but I've been in the-

• 1:01:00Lewis Howes?

  But if you're doing the 200, it's right after each other, right?

• 1:01:02Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, yeah, usually. I mean, but I've been in the stadium, you know, some other times when he was competing and I wasn't and, you know, just to be able to like witness the things that he did. I think the thing that always stuck out to me is like, it seemed so effortless. Like it was such a different experience than myself because I was like, I gotta be like dialed in in the zone, like one thing can't go wrong and like- You know, he's having fun.

• 1:01:27Lewis Howes?

  He's fist bumping people right before the blocks. He's hanging out, he's falling over himself.

• 1:01:32Allyson Felix?

  His hands are up before, you know, way before the finish line. So I just, to me, I was always fascinated by like how he was so great and did it so effortlessly and had so much fun. Like, I just, yeah, it just really was interesting to me.

• 1:01:48Lewis Howes?

  Did you ever ask him or get to connect with him on his philosophy or just his mindset?

• 1:01:53Allyson Felix?

  I think he was having fun, you know? I mean, I don't want to speak for him, but yeah, we, you know, came into the sport at the same time and competed against each other. I mean, not against each other, but at the same time for a very long time. And I think that's what stuck out to me is like, that's who he is. Like, he's genuinely just like being himself and showing up in that way. And it was a really cool thing to be able to see.

• 1:02:14Lewis Howes?

  That's amazing. What's the vision for you now? Again, after this, you know, 20-year inspiring career accomplishing so many different things, now you've got this, this women's shoe brand that you're, which is more than that, it's a bigger purpose and a community behind that. You're a mom. What is the, what is the mission and the purpose you have for your identity and your life moving forward?

• 1:02:37Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, to me now, it's, it's about impact. Like, that's, to me, impact is success now. It's really shifted away from these performance things. Of course, like, I want my company to be successful, obviously, but I think deeper than that, I want it to have impact. Like, I want it to change things for people. And to me, if I can, if that can be successful, if, if people can feel something different, if they can feel seen, that's what I want it to be about. And so, moving forward, I think that's really where my focus is.

• 1:03:09Lewis Howes?

  Why do you think people struggle with being seen?

• 1:03:12Allyson Felix?

  I think that's just hard in this world, you know? As a woman.

• 1:03:17Allyson Felix?

  There are so many hardships, you know, whether it's you're doing the same job as a man and you don't feel seen, you're not making the same amount of money, you don't feel seen. You're having a baby and you have to hide it because you don't feel like your worth is going to be seen. So I think that there's all these different ways that comes out. And for me, like, I've been able to talk to so many women. When I wrote that op ed, there was just a pouring out from people who had their own stories. And to me, that was encouraging in one aspect, but heartbreaking that so many people aren't being seen, you know, aren't being able to show up as their full selves. And I think that was just the eye opening experience that like, there's, there's more work to be done here.

• 1:03:58Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, it's beautiful. I've got a few final questions for you before I ask them. Is there anything we can do to be of service to you today besides making sure we support the brand, buying some shoes, getting the message out? How else can we support and serve you?

• 1:04:11Allyson Felix?

  I think celebrating women, you know, celebrating other women. For me, like, that's something that I really enjoy now, coming from a sports background of like, a feeling that there could only be one and there's so much competition. Now I like to uplift other people, you know? And I think that's something that in our circles, we can all do. You know, we can support the women in our lives who aren't feeling seen. That can be a small act of just, you know, an encouragement, or it can be something bigger, you know, and amplifying someone's story. So I think that's something we all can do every day.

• 1:04:44Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, that's beautiful. S A Y S H dot com is where we can go. We'll have that all linked up for you guys to get some shoes and support there. This is a question I ask everyone at the end called the three truths question. It's a hypothetical scenario, but I would like for you to imagine for a moment that you get to live as long as you want in this life, but then it's your last day. You get to accomplish, be, do, create, whatever you want to create from here moving forward. But for whatever reason, in this hypothetical scenario, you've got to take everything with you that you've shared with the world. So this conversation is no longer here. Every interview done is done. Anything you write is no longer around. Hypothetical.

• 1:05:28Lewis Howes?

  But you get to leave behind three truths, three lessons that you've learned from all of your experiences up until now, but then for the many years that you're going to live. And that's all we have to remember you by are these three lessons. What would be those three truths for you?

• 1:05:45Allyson Felix?

  I think I would say you are enough. I would leave that.

• 1:05:53Allyson Felix?

  Embracing failure is a part of your success. You know, I think that's been a theme throughout my life. And you have purpose. You know, we, we have a bigger purpose and why we're in the spaces that we are.

• 1:06:17Lewis Howes?

  I love those. Those are beautiful.

• 1:06:20Lewis Howes?

  I would acknowledge you, Alison, for being purpose. You know, not, not letting your past identity be your purpose today, but being a generous human being, being kind, being giving, being thoughtful,

• 1:06:36Lewis Howes?

  being a great mother, a great friend, being creative, using your gifts in other ways than your physical talents. So I really acknowledge you for being purpose, which doesn't have to be tied to an athletic talent.

• 1:06:55Lewis Howes?

  And before I ask the final question, when I had Kobe on, he, he gave an answer to this question, which I thought was really powerful. And he talked about greatness being the impact you make on other people. You mentioned impact as equalling success. He said greatness is about impacting the person next to you by essentially being a good person and then them impacting someone next to them and just being in that ripple effect. And I, I see you doing that in so many ways over the last 20 years, but also doing it in another way now through your brand, through your message, through the community that you're building in a different way. So I really acknowledge you for the gifts you're bringing,

• 1:07:40Lewis Howes?

  these unique gifts you bring beyond your athletic talents.

• 1:07:44Allyson Felix?

  Had to share that.

• 1:07:44Lewis Howes?

  As a human.

• 1:07:45Allyson Felix?

  Yeah, encouraging.

• 1:07:46Lewis Howes?

  Of course. And I'm curious for you, what is your definition of greatness?

• 1:07:52Allyson Felix?

  I think my definition of greatness is.

• 1:07:56Allyson Felix?

  Pursuing the process, you know, I think it looks so many different ways because we all have different journeys. And I think that when you honor how you get there, when you honor the things that you go through, I think that's a part of the greatness, you know? And I think doing more of embracing that and more of accepting the different definitions of like what greatness is for you. You know, it doesn't have to just look like one simple way. You know, I think there's so much greatness all around us. And for me, it always comes back to that journey and to the path that you're on.

• 1:08:36Speaker 00

  I hope today's episode inspired you on your journey towards greatness. Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a rundown of today's show with all the important links. And if you want weekly exclusive bonus episodes with me as well as ad free listening experience, make sure to subscribe to our greatness plus channel on Apple Podcast. If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend over on social media or text a friend. Leave us a review over on Apple Podcast and let me know what you learned over on our social media channels. At Lewis Howes, I really love hearing the feedback from you and it helps us continue to make the show better. And if you want more inspiration from our world-class guests and content to learn how to improve the quality of your life,

• 1:09:16Speaker 00

  then make sure to sign up for the greatness newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox over at greatness.com/newsletter. And if no one has told you today, I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy and you matter. And now it's time to go out there and do something great.

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