Track and field star Allyson Felix has astounded sports fans since she burst on the scene in 2004 for the Olympics in Athens, Greece. Throughout her outstanding 18-year career, she has amassed 13 gold medals, three silvers, and three bronze medals. By all means, Felix is the most decorated track and field female athlete in the sport’s history. She endorses nurturing an “unstoppable mindset” as one of the reasons for her longevity, ” I feel like it’s been this theme throughout my career. I’ve always had to deal with these invisible barriers, whether that has been people thinking that I couldn’t do it, whether it was going into motherhood, and I couldn’t be both an athlete and a mom. To me, it’s not letting these limits get in your way.”

In April 2022, she announced she is hanging up her track shoes to focus on her family and Saysh her athleisure business. She ran her final race in July 2022. She is now directing her competitive athletic prowess to help parents guard their children against germs now that the school season is in full swing. Also, as the country embarks on what most epidemiologists consider the most severe cold-flu season, they fear a “twindemic,” a combination of Covid-19 and influenza; Felix wants to provide a holistic germ-prevention strategy.

Based on a survey conducted by Clorox®, millennial parents of color are more anxious about the school season (42% vs. 33%) than their white millennial parental counterparts. Parents of color are affected by an illness more than 85% when they have to alter their lives to care for a sick child, often taking a sick day or unpaid leave from their place of employment.

Clorox® is collaborating with the 11-time Olympic medalist to empower and educate parents on properly sanitizing their households when their kids return home from school each day for the 2022-2023 academic year.

“I know how busy of a time it is in my own life, with all the different hats that I’m wearing and the stress and anxiety around it, and to be able to help parents with a clean start to that season, we all know how hard it is to keep our kids in school being affected by illness. I loved shining a light on the products that help parents in general,” said the 36-year-old mother.

Felix is a total fan of the tools and products Clorox® offers parents to guard their children against germs and bacteria, such as the Disinfecting Spray, which is compatible with soft surfaces, particularly a backpack which Clorox® found hosted 31 times more germs than the average cell phone. The clothes that children wear to school can occupy 28 times more germs than the average toilet seat.

“I’m always thinking about things my daughter will come into contact with, and so that’s one that I love. My go-to is the disinfecting wipes. I love that because I can use it around the house on hard surfaces. You can also use it on the couch. If [my daughter] is doing an art project, it’s great to disinfect and wipe up afterward, and I’m thinking about all these things. As we [begin the school year],” she says.

Felix wants parents to prioritize health with the impending cold and flu season and stresses the importance of teaching and preparing their children about disinfecting. “Also, divide and conquer with whoever your support system is; dividing those responsibilities up to me always takes down the stress level. So I’m all about that, asking for help. I don’t know why it’s so hard, but I’ve always tried to do it all myself. [However], understanding that I do have a support system. I do have people who want to help me. I’m trying to lean into that more and setting some time aside for myself. Even though this is like a super busy time, making sure that I have even 15 to 20 minutes to meditate and write in my gratitude journal. At the end of the day, to take a bubble bath to do something that makes me happy is key,” says the Olympian about her tips to other parents.

In addition to her work with Clorox®, Felix is steering her company Saysh, as president and co-founder, and said she created the company to fill the void for better products designed for and by women.

“We have performance footwear coming next year, and [we have] better ways to support women. We have a maternity returns policy, as women’s feet change sizes due to pregnancy; oftentimes, that change in size is permanent. So offering them their new size, and just ways to try to push the industry not to have women be an afterthought, but having them be the priority,” she affirms.

As she settles comfortably into retirement, Felix discovers she has not figured out how to balance being a mother and an entrepreneur. Still, she is imparting to her daughter the honor of work. Yet, she prioritizes time with her family because she believes being present at home is essential.

“I’m just excited to be present as a mom at home, as some of the small things I missed out on, school drop off and pick up, making dinner together as a family, all those things. And I’m excited about continuing to advocate for women in sports and all the business goals. But I’m most excited about a little less travel, a little more time with the family.”