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Allyson Felix is finding a new speed. The superstar athlete is best known for her performance on the track, of course — the most decorated track athlete in history, her resume includes no fewer than 11 Olympic medals, 7 of them gold — and she’s also been a fierce and vocal advocate for moms. But ever since she ended her competitive career last summer at the 2022 World Athletics Championship (with bronze- and gold medal-winning runs no less), Felix has had to get comfortable living life at an altogether different pace.
“It’s definitely been a shift in focus,” she admits. “It’s been a period of transition. There have been bumps in the road of just getting settled and [used to] the new norm. At the same time, it’s really an exciting time period…I’m really loving and enjoying the things that I’m doing now.”
No longer planning her life around training and competition schedules, Felix is focused on Saysh, the sneaker brand she founded in 2021; partnerships, like the one she’s currently working on with Clorox; and of course, being a mom to her 4-year-old daughter, Camryn.
So retirement — a word that in Felix’s case deserves air quotes — is certainly still keeping her busy, but it’s also giving her more time for the little things; time that she didn’t have before. “I love being at drop off and pick up for my daughter,” she says. “I love being able to go into her classrooms, and take her to dance class, to tennis, to the park — just things that were harder to do before.” As an elite athlete for more than two decades, Felix didn’t always have time for family functions like weddings and birthdays and admitted that she feels like she missed out on a lot over the years, so she’s relishing these special moments. “That’s been the best gift of it,” she says, “[the] very small things that most people probably don’t think twice about.”
With Cammy in school now, Felix is especially conscious of germs and trying to keep sick days at bay, which is one reason she partnered with Clorox. One brilliant mom-hack of hers that we’re totally borrowing: having a “drop zone” at home. When Cammy gets home from school, everything — lunch box, backpack, jacket — stays in one spot and gets a spray with the brand’s disinfecting mist.
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She’s also teaching Cammy good hygiene habits, like proper handwashing. “I just keep trying to reinforce it,” she says. “It’s not an overnight process.” What’s most important (aside from getting rid of dirt and germs) is that she’s teaching her daughter “to really take ownership of this herself.”
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Felix is also enlisting her daughter’s help with her own least-favorite chore: cleaning the playroom. “I just feel like it’s overwhelming at times,” she says. “But I am teaching my daughter that is her responsibility. That is one of her chores. She needs a little help sometimes, but we’re getting there. We love chores in our household!”
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