You may not think we share a lot in common with world-famous female athletes and players, but we do. Fame, fortune, and athleticism aside, women in sports struggle in their careers, much like every other woman on the planet. According to CNBC, female athletes face unequal pay and unfair treatment, when it comes to their travel arrangements, work conditions, and medical care.
For example, despite generating $20 million more in revenue compared to the US men’s team in 2019, members of the US women’s national soccer team were paid almost four times less than their male counterparts. And the same story plays out in almost every other field.
And yet, they continue to persevere. So, with that in mind, here are some things we can learn from professional female athletes, and on how we can achieve major career wins as well:
Simone Biles: Your overall condition matters
Decorated gymnast Simone Biles made headlines during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when she withdrew from most events due to “the twisties,” a condition that causes gymnasts to lose their spatial orientation when performing aerial moves.
Her decision not to compete during the Olympics sparked discussions on how athletes and professionals should set boundaries when it comes to their health. To excel in our careers, women face high expectations regarding their performance. However, Simone Biles offers us inspiration through her honesty and courage. Rather than treating her health concerns as a weakness to be hidden away, she showed it was okay to prioritize your body and your welfare over your job. No one should be afraid to take a break for their own well-being, even on a global stage like the Olympics.
Serena Williams: Carve out your own path
Tennis legend Serena Williams is well-known for her prowess on the court, which have won her 23 Grand Slam singles titles, but not everyone knows about her business acumen. Her company Serena Ventures has funded over 30 startups, collecting an investment portfolio worth over $10 million. Although she began this trajectory with a steep learning curve, Williams eventually found the right strategy specific for her. She mostly funds companies that belong to women or people of color, which is a niche for venture capitalists.
Much like Williams, women in the workforce should challenge themselves to do something different and leverage what they have. It’s easy to follow what everyone else is doing, but pursuing an alternative path can lead to richer, more rewarding experiences. We need to ignore how other people view our success, and focus instead on goals we’re passionate about.
Maria Konnikova: Don’t let your ego get in the way
Psychologist-turned-international poker champion Maria Konnikova is at the top of both her fields. While conducting research for her book The Biggest Bluff, Konnikova inadvertently got into professional poker and won over $300,000 in tournament earnings. This is no small feat, as poker is a difficult game and you need to develop your skill over time. As outlined by Poker.org, professional poker players improve their odds by signing up for additional training, networking with successful pros, and analyzing their play after every session.
Even though she experienced some struggles, Konnikova took the above on board and pushed through to find success. However, in an article on Nature.com, she advises everyone to keep a level mindset. Rather than evaluating success by the outcome, Konnikova believes we should take a look at our mental process during each situation. A successful outcome can breed complacency, and our egos tend to ignore how luck and chance factor into our wins. We have to brush our egos aside to think clearly and perform to the best of our ability.
Liv Boeree: Take responsibility for your decisions
As the number one ranked female poker player in 2016, science communicator and writer Liv Boeree’s experience in the international poker circuit has taught her a lot about skill and luck. More importantly, however, she discusses how women need to take responsibility over their decisions to be successful. In a podcast with NPR.org, Boeree talks about how her streak of wins in 2010 led her to assume she was “brilliant” at the game; her mindset led her to become lazier in studying the game, but also pushed her to get more risky in major tournaments. Her luck eventually ran out, and she didn’t win anything for nine months.
Boeree only recovered once she realized that she had to take responsibility and work hard to be the best player in the game. Younger generations are starting their careers now, and everyone is gradually getting better. To win in your career, you have to be responsible for each choice you make.
Stephanie Harvey: Challenge the status quo
Competitive eSports player Stephanie Harvey is a five-time world champion in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. eSports, organized, competitive computer gaming, is a fast-growing industry, where players earn money from championship winnings, sponsorships, and live-streaming games. It is also a male-dominated industry, and Harvey, who plays with the screen name missharvey, says she had to build a strong shell in order to succeed. While she has already retired from playing, Harvey is still working on her advocacy of addressing the underrepresentation of women in geek culture.
There is a distinct lack of women competing in top-tier eSports tournaments, partially due to the volley of verbal, misogynistic abuse women players receive online. Harvey is trying to push against this tide by setting up an inclusive community and streaming site called MissCliks, where she aims to educate users instead of banning them for inappropriate comments. Like Harvey, women in positions of power should aim to challenge the status quo, not just for their own careers, but for other women as well.
Allyson Felix: Consider losses as new opportunities
Olympic sprinter Allyson Felix is best known for breaking Usain Bolt’s gold-medal record at the World Athletics Championships, 10 months after undergoing an emergency C-section. One of the most defining moments of her career, however, was when she spoke up against ex-sponsor Nike and accused the company of being unsupportive towards pregnant athletes and new mothers. When she was pregnant and negotiating contract renewals in 2017, Nike offered Felix a 70% pay cut in her new contract and failed to explicitly support the maternity protections she requested. Ultimately, she left Nike and signed with woman-focused apparel company Athleta. Later on, Felix began her own shoe and lifestyle brand called Sasyh. She continues to advocate for providing adequate childcare help for athlete-mothers so they can continue to train and compete professionally.
Career success often requires women to stay adaptable to change, and a variety of new experiences can help us grow and learn. We have to develop our talent for spotting those opportunities in the losses we face. As we discussed in our previous post ‘5 Things I've Learned from Losing’, we have the power to make our careers incredible. Although the loss may seem bad at the moment, there could still be bigger and better things waiting for us. We can still ‘win’ in our careers, but only after we pause and examine the setbacks in the meantime.
