More than a housewife: Sanya Richards-Ross talks about balance, business and branding

Sanya Richards-Ross is a woman of abundance.

This respected four-time Olympic gold medalist, serial entrepreneur and hit reality show alum is a self-confessed perfectionist and is able to embark on the subsequent vital phase of her profession.

“I’m really hard on myself and I’m always overthinking everything,” she tells me in a follow-up message a few hours after our first interview. “I wanted to make sure my gratitude was clearly expressed.”

Indeed, she has something to be thankful for.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Richard-Ross’s early running talent took her and her family to the US, where she subsequently emigrated help the country win gold within the relay on the 2003 World Championships after naturalization. She repeated the identical act throughout the 2004 Athens Olympics. Over the subsequent almost decade, she established herself as a globally respected athlete, which gave her a high public profile, which she properly used to secure deals and partnerships with brands including Wells FargoNike and the wellness company TechnoGym amongst others. Now she’s venturing into the world of fashion along with her latest enterprise.

It recently announced a collaboration with a global casual fashion brand SHEIN for the Sanya Richards-Ross collection, a capsule line inspired by the strong women in her life, in honor of International Women’s Month. The collection is on the market for purchase from now until the top of the 12 months.

Both her mother, who can also be her manager, and her sister, stylist Richards-Ross, say the gathering embodies true strength.

“The collaboration made sense because they fully supported me in bringing in the most important women in my life to help make the collection a reality,” she says, explaining that the three of them worked to hand-select the items. The size inclusive collection includes tops, jackets, dresses and trousers that move with the ladies of their lives.

“We wanted to make sure women had pieces in their wardrobe that they could wear for a morning party, breakfast, going out with the girls or dinner. We are very complicated. I wanted this collection to reflect the fact that we are not a monolith. It can affect someone from any generation.”

Her intention to create a clothing range that covers a wide age range is sensible because average Sheina customer is female, average age is 35, and her annual salary is roughly $65,000. Additionally, she spends about $100 a month on women’s clothing.

“It is so accessible and affordable.”

While the corporate has been praised for its cost-friendly products, environmentalists have also raised concerns about SHEIN’s sustainability efforts as a result of its significant carbon footprint.

In recent years, SHEIN has taken steps to cut back its environmental impact and promote fashion sustainability.

“We are paving the way for our company to continue its growth trajectory and demonstrating what we can do as a company to drive change,” said Adam Whinston, global director of ESG at SHEIN, in the corporate’s latest report impact report. “Our sustainability and social impact strategy builds on our existing programs and initiatives across our value chain. evoluSHEIN aims to lead SHEIN on the next stage of its journey towards a more desirable and sustainable future, accessible to all. We are embarking on a long and exciting journey: the journey of our evolution.”

Richards-Ross said that due to the company’s commitment to innovation, it was a business partnership for her, especially at this point in her profession when she was almost 10 years away from retirement.

“Most athletes don’t talk or think about {financial stability} until they’re this far along in their career,” Richards-Ross tells ESSENCE. “I tell young athletes that it is very vital to think about the top result in the beginning of your profession because unfortunately you will not have the option to be a high-level athlete perpetually. It’s certainly one of those belongings you devote a lot of your life to. And after 20, 30 years at most, you’ve gotten to modify to something else. I tell young people to search out other things they’re passionate about while competing at a high level. I tell them to network. When you’ve gotten the amazing opportunity to be in rooms you would not otherwise be in, meet the opposite people within the room. Find out how you may contribute to society in other ways. I feel that is certainly one of the things that I used to be lucky enough to do at a young age that allowed me to actually finish my sports profession successfully.

Her advice follows a recent increase within the variety of NIL (name, image and likeness) transactions involving college athletes, with the number reaching seven figures for some.

“One of the things you bring up that I think is very different from when I was growing up is that young people now have the opportunity to get NIL deals and start building their brand and making money earlier. I love watching it.”

Richards-Ross makes it clear that he wants everyone to succeed, which is why it is easy to see why he keeps winning in life.

“I balance everything that’s going on because I’m just trying to flow from a place of gratitude,” she shares. “I am very grateful and fortunate to have become a wife, mother and entrepreneur. Being gracious makes everything go well for me.”