00:00I really had a steely mentality from the beginning because I knew I moved for a purpose.
00:05I wanted to build on a dream with a lot of hope, but also recognizing that it might not go
00:12our way
00:12and you might take a path that might not get you to the very top.
00:17But ultimately, with a few twists and turns and a little bit of good luck and hard work, we persevered.
00:23And I was able to win a Grand Slam when I was 17 years old and really build from that.
00:28It took me a little bit of time to adjust to fame and getting my confidence and performing week in,
00:35week out.
00:35But, yeah, it was a beautiful journey.
00:37And speaking of the journey, the International Tennis Hall of Fame, that is quite the accomplishment there.
00:43And you were introduced by Serena Williams.
00:45Yes.
00:45You guys have had this interesting relationship back and forth.
00:49Talk a little bit more about it and how that relationship has evolved over the years as women.
00:54Well, I had some of the toughest matches against Serena.
00:58And she was the ultimate competitor.
01:00I got to become a better player because of the level that she performed at every single day.
01:04And I had one of my biggest victories in my career at Wimbledon.
01:08I also had some of my toughest losses against her.
01:10So we went through a lot.
01:12And I, you know, when the Hall of Fame called and said, you know, is there someone that you'd like
01:16to introduce you on stage?
01:18Well, at that stage, she was the first person I thought of because of our rivalry, because of the respect
01:22we have and everything we've gone through.
01:25What I love about you two is your competitive edge.
01:27Yeah.
01:28Everyone knows you for it.
01:29You even had this name tag along with you, the Ice Queen.
01:35Yes.
01:36Well, I pumped my fist from a very young age.
01:39Like I had a very steely mentality.
01:41I was focused and I was on a different path.
01:44The truth is, is even when I trained at, you know, academies with many other children, I recognized that I
01:50was like the odd one out.
01:52I would train extra hours.
01:53I would get extra attention from coaches.
01:55I played every single tournament I could.
01:58Like I was the first one in bed at night, the first one awake in the morning.
02:01So I knew from an early age that I had, I had a goal.
02:05Like I was there to do something different and to be a champion.
02:08Whether that would happen or not, who knows?
02:11There are no guarantees in life.
02:13And I, I like the idea of being different.
02:15You know, I now have a mother of a three and a half year old.
02:18And, you know, I see a little boy who wants to be part of the pack and part of, with
02:23his friends.
02:23And sometimes I think, well, I want to encourage him to be unique and find things that, that makes him
02:28stand out and not be discouraged, you know, to, um, to appreciate things that make you different.
02:33And it seems like it goes right into what you're doing now, into your podcast.
02:37Yeah.
02:38Pretty tough because women out there, if we strive for something, you know, it, it seems like we're kind of,
02:44I wouldn't say put down, but just like we're told, you know what, take it easy.
02:48Yes.
02:49Is that the reason behind how you started this?
02:52Yeah.
02:52So I've been working on, on the podcast, um, pretty tough for, for many months, um, with Vox Media.
02:58And the idea really resonated.
03:01Well, first of all, with so many of my mom friends, like coming off of careers, having children and always
03:07being identified with one thing and one trait.
03:10And from a young age, I was identified with that fist pump, like the steely mentality that I was cold.
03:15And then I'd go into a boardroom and I'd have, you know, an opinion or I'd have a joke and,
03:19and someone would say, oh, well, you have a sense of humor.
03:22And so you're, you know, I always found that you were identified with one or the other and you had
03:26to soften your filter for whichever identity, um, wasn't appreciated as, you know, part of your characteristic.
03:32Um, and so when I spoke with my friends and I was building the concept, it really resonated with a
03:38lot of women.
03:38And this podcast is for women by women.
03:41And I now get to sit and ask questions, which was, you know, I had to unlearn and learn.
03:47And I, you know, I love preparation.
03:49That's what I did for my entire career.
03:51And now I get to learn about incredible women.
03:54And hopefully we can draw these wonderful lessons, um, from these amazing females.
03:59Who are some of the women that, that you plan to speak with?
04:02And, and what are some of those stories that, that really resonated with you?
04:06I want the stories to be honest, to be authentic.
04:09Um, I want to hear, I want to hear the story before the success.
04:13Cause we all see, you know, we all see someone accepting the Oscar and we think, you know, we just,
04:17we launched pretty tough with Zoe Saldana.
04:19And, you know, she speaks about the Oscar, but the moment until that point is, that's the, that's the part
04:27I want to learn about.
04:28I want to know how her about, you know, how her ballet and dance informed the movements of all her
04:32move, of all the movies that she's performed in, um, aging, you know, what is it like to be a
04:38mom?
04:38What is it like to, you know, to have guilt as we navigate careers and motherhood and all the things
04:43that, you know, society throws at us.
04:45And yeah, I, you know, honesty is the first thing that, um, I, I want, I want the conversations to,
04:51to have.
04:52Podcasting, it seems like it's, it's a category that's, that's dominated by men.
04:56I know a lot of statistics point to that figure.
04:58Why do you think that is?
05:00I mean, I consume podcasts that are hosted by men and I think there are phenomenal podcasts that are, um,
05:05hosted by men.
05:06But I do think there's a lot of room for female hosted podcasts.
05:10And they're, I mean, when I think of Kara Swisher and Mel Robbins, um, these are icons in the field,
05:17but I think there's more room in the sandbox.
05:19No.
05:20And you also, um, have another name as entrepreneur at the same time.
05:24Yes.
05:24Um, you work with brands, you invest in companies.
05:27What's more nerve wracking for you?
05:29Is it walking onto the tennis court or walking into a boardroom?
05:32Well, I, I've appreciated walking into a boardroom because it's a different kind, it's a different energy and, you know,
05:38there's no match point feeling, you know, when everything's on the line in that meeting, um, or, or, or that
05:43tennis court or that arena.
05:45Um, I love the teamwork, that business, you know, I feel like so many of the lessons that I learned
05:49through my career, I get to apply to the boardroom.
05:52But coming in and speaking with Co-Fertility or Amulet or Tonal or Therabody, all the brands that I've been,
05:58you know, fortunate to be a part of, Bala Bengals, um, and just feel like I can participate and incorporate
06:04some of the ideas and, and the education and knowledge that I've learned along the way.
06:09And what does a win look like for you today?
06:13Oh, um, a win is when my son is happy, when I'm with my family.
06:17Um, you know, I, I spent 28 years, um, on the tour, uh, training, you know, day in, day out.
06:25And it's, it's been nice to have a zoomed out view of that.
06:28And now I'm invested into this, the podcast base.
06:31Um, I'm, you know, I'm, I'm competitive, I have a competitive spirit and I want to do it right and
06:37I want to do it well.
06:38And so I'm pouring all my time, um, into it to make sure that I have quality content to produce,
06:43um, for the audience.
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