Second Life Podcast: Allyson Felix

last updated 2 January 2023

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.

Perhaps one of the most celebrated female athletes, 11-time Olympic medalist Allyson Felix has made quite a name for herself on the track. At the age of 18, Felix won her first Olympic medal in Athens and later won what would be her last during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she won bronze and gold. Then, in the summer of 2022, Felix officially retired from her competitive running career with incredibly impressive, groundbreaking records, holding a total of thirty global medals — further cementing her place as one of the most beloved track and field Olympians of this generation.

As no surprise, Felix’s success off the track is just as remarkable. After contending with an inequitable sponsorship deal with Nike regarding pregnancy protections—or lack thereof—she made a monumental decision to part ways with her longtime sponsor. Today, she is sponsored by Athleta. Allyson continues to push the industry forward, using her platform to inspire real impact as her activism led Nike to eventually change their policy regarding protections for pregnant athletes and new moms — marking a historical industry shift.

Felix has also added "entrepreneur” to her list of accolades with her footwear and lifestyle brand, Saysh. A brand that echoes Felix’s ethos, Saysh aims to create an encouraging and supportive community for women through the power of movement seeking out women-led, women-funded partners for the brand’s recent Series A fundraising round, which brought in $8 million. As most entrepreneurial journeys begin, Felix saw a gap in the market and decided to make a running shoe for herself first to compete in at the Tokyo Olympics. Now, Saysh manufactures two types of running shoes—the Saysh One, and the Saysh Two—with more product innovation on the horizon.

Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how Felix continues to evolve beyond her sport and continues to inspire women around the world. To shop the Saysh collection, keep scrolling.