Allyson Felixis redefining how she measures her worth.
Afterparting ways with her former sponsor Nikein protest of the company’s maternity-leave policies last year, the Olympic gold medalist, 35, came to the realization that she is more than just the sum of her achievements.
“It used to be really easy for me to tie my value into what a company or someone else saw,” Felix tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday. “So really trying to redefine that has been interesting. I’m just constantly reminding myself that even if I never win another medal or choose to run again, I am still enough.”
Though Felix — whomade history at the Tokyo Olympicsover the summer as the most decorated U.S. track and field athlete of all time with 11 medals — has said she is done competing in the Olympics, she isn’t ready to throw the towel in on her athletic career just yet.
“We have the World Athletics Championships coming up in 2022, so I’m training daily,” she says. “After dropping my daughter [Camryn, 2] off at school in the morning, I’ll head to the track and do conditioning for three hours. Then I’ll have some lunch and go to the gym for strength work for another two hours.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out if this will be my last year [competing],” she adds, “but I haven’t made any final decisions.”
Allyson Felix and her daughter Camryn.Ashley Landis/AP/Shutterstock
Beyond her athletic career, Felix has been focused on growing her shoe companySaysh, which she launched in June after ending her relationship with Nike.
“I didn’t have a footwear sponsor, so I needed shoes to wear in the Olympics,” she says. “My brother was like, ‘What if we do this ourselves?’ It sounded crazy. But the more I sat with it, I was like, ‘Wow, this is an opportunity.’ "
For all the details on what Allyson Felix’s life is really like, pick up the latest issue ofPEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.
“Instead of asking for change, actually becoming that change,” she continues. “Being an athlete, I always felt like I needed to focus on performance. But getting older, I’ve realized the power of my voice.”
Allyson Felix.Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty
In the coming months, Felix plans to continue using her voice to advocate for the “passions of my heart,” including maternity protections and women’s rights.
source: people.com
