‘Bet on yourself in moments of fear’: Allyson Felix

Olympic champion Allyson Felix, an American track and field athlete, believes in the power of betting on oneself. It is believed that for an athlete, getting pregnant means the end of their career, but Felix challenges this. 
“I was pregnant, and I was scared enough to train in the dark, so that no one would see the life that was growing inside of me,” she explains. She talks about how she was worried that her sponsor would change their mind about working with her. 

“I have been watching women that I respect and teammates of mine hide pregnancies since I was 19 years old.” She says it’s time for a change. 
“Women having babies during childbearing years should be celebrated, not punished. It should be a part of a normal, thriving, professional, athletic career. And women in all fields should never feel the need to hide their pregnancy,” she says in the video. 

She talks about her Nike contract, where they promised to offer her protection (that they wouldn’t reduce her pay within 12 months of giving birth) but they weren’t willing to do that for all female athletes. They then wanted her to be the face of a Nike campaign to tell women and girls that they could do anything, even though the contract she signed said the opposite. “I knew I had to leave. I was afraid, but I had to do it anyway.”
“My teammates and I, we helped turn the tide. And now, they offer all female athletes 18 months maternity protection,” she says. 
“I didn’t resign with Nike, but I’m here to tell the tale. But more than that, I’m here to tell you that you can do it, too. Once you find the courage to believe in yourself, your own worth, your own values, it gets easier. It’s when you take a stand you start to understand how to overcome that fear and how to make a change for yourself and sometimes for others,” she says. 
“I have learned that my voice has power, and when I bet on myself, change is possible,” she adds.
On overcoming fear, she says, “It won’t be easy. You will be afraid. Your voice will shake. But what I can absolutely promise you, is that it will be worth it.”
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