“Failure does not need to be forever…People are bigger than their mistakes in life and it doesn't define who they are,” Jones told ESSENCE.
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00:00I'm so excited about what this season of my life looks like and what potentially 10 plus years
00:07looks like because I'm in a space right now where one, I'm happy in my skin. I know that the choices
00:14that I'm making now are truly intended to help people live better, stronger lives. And so currently
00:24what I'm doing, I've partnered with this incredible company whereby we coach and mentor and teach the
00:34tools to entrepreneurs on how to come back from tough times and find and win in life. Hi everyone,
00:45I'm Raina Reid-Rayford, a contributing news editor at Essence Magazine. The 2024 Summer Olympics are
00:51underway and I am extremely excited to be here talking to former world champion track and field
00:57athlete, Marion Jones. So thank you so much for agreeing to be here. I would love to jump right
01:04in. You just revealed your LGBTQ plus identity. What led to you making this decision now?
01:13Well, thank you so much for giving me this platform to share where I'm at, where I was,
01:21where I'm headed. And so much has transpired over the past decade in my world. But the news
01:29that I identify as gay is not new to my family or to me or to my community. But I know because I made
01:37the choice to step away from the spotlight for over a decade, the world wasn't up to date on my
01:45goings on. And I suppose that I shared that I identify with the community is because for so long
01:57I hid certain elements of who I am, who I was, and all that. And where I'm at now in my life,
02:07it's full transparency. I share with people that their failure is not forever. I share with people
02:16that their comeback from hard stuff is bigger than their setback. And I needed to be fully
02:25transparent because if I'm going to ask people and coach people, give them the tools on how to pull
02:32themselves up from hard times, I was needing to be fully authentic. And I haven't been in regards
02:40to that. And there were certain reasons and choices that I made years ago as to why I wasn't.
02:48But I am happy in my skin now. I'm comfortable in my space. But more so, I want and need to be a
02:56living example, not only to the people in my world, but to my kids. I have three of them.
03:03They're older now. But they also need to see mom as a living example of authenticity. And
03:12it was time. It was time for people to hear who I am. But even more so than that, for people that
03:18might be struggling with their own identity, seeing that they're not by themselves, and that
03:26I understand the struggle and the challenges of failure, of not being fully authentic,
03:37and how hard it can be. And that they also have a voice, right? And they also deserve to be heard
03:44and seen. And so that's the reason that I shared it. I am at a wonderful space right now, whereby
03:52I want to teach people that their failure does not need to be forever. I want to share and teach
04:01people that they are bigger than their mistakes in life, and that it doesn't define who they are.
04:10Speaking of comebacks, the media's treatment of Black female athletes can be extremely harsh.
04:17For instance, we can look at the coverage of Sha'Carri Richardson over the past couple of years.
04:22You've dealt with this personally. What is your take on creating your own narrative?
04:28Oh, it's a simple one that I like to share. It is be who God intended us to be, which is
04:37incredible, powerful, strong, confident women of color. And be prepared. And I share this with my
04:48clients now and the people that I coach and teach. Be prepared for hiccups. Be prepared for doubters.
04:55Be prepared for critics. And know that that's going to propel you, get you a step closer to
05:01the greatness that our God intended us to step into. Is it fair? No. Are we equipped with the
05:12tools and the ancestry and the ancestors that stand with us and walk alongside us? We sure are.
05:21And we can do this. And we can shine as we are, as you see that right now with the current
05:28female athletes, color, they're just exploding and shining and living strong and beautifully.
05:35And I am here for it. I am here cheering them along, praying for them, and really,
05:44really hoping that they use this platform of theirs, which is a very, very short season.
05:54I know. It's a short season that I hope they realize that sport, their events, their disciplines
06:03is for a short time. But if you start to create this idea of life is bigger than sport,
06:12right? And you start setting yourself up for life after sport, making sure that people know
06:18who are around you are pouring into you because of who you are, not because of what you can do
06:25for them. And success and a life really of true purpose is in store for them.
06:36So we've been seeing a meteoric rise in the popularity of women's sports over the past
06:41couple of years. Alison Felix has been making headlines talking about what it meant for her
06:48to be both a mother and a track star. Can you share more about your own experience with motherhood
06:55and what it was like trying to also compete as an elite athlete?
06:59It is a very, very hard juggling act. I think that
07:10female athletes of color really have a more challenging time with it all because
07:18we come into it whereby we already know that we have to protect our kids, right? And
07:32not that any other mother doesn't, but I think generally moms of color have an extra burden
07:40to make sure that our kids know that they live in a world, live in a space, in a society where
07:49many places they could easily be targeted, right? And that added pressure for us is something that
07:58not every other female athlete has to deal with, right? And so it is not an even playing field,
08:07really, when it comes to that. And makes it very, very hard for female athletes of color to not
08:15only have to juggle motherhood and that added pressure to make sure that our babies are safe
08:20and teaching them a certain way, and then you have to train, right? And then you have to compete at
08:26the highest level with this same pressure, right? Do I put my kids first? How much time do I put
08:33into that? How much time do I put into my training? Allison has been a wonderful example on how to
08:39really not be easily swayed into making choices when it comes to branding and really stepping
08:53up to the plate in terms of all of that. And it sets such a wonderful example, hopefully,
08:58right, to the other current female athletes of color that you don't have to go along with what a
09:05manager or a company says it needs to be. If you determine that it's your time to become a mother
09:12and raise your kids, you make that decision. And if a company or a brand doesn't align with that,
09:20move on. Other opportunities will open its doors. Great. So switching gears, can you share any
09:29insights, you know, from your professional expertise that you might have about the
09:34upcoming track and field events in Paris? Some people are surprised to hear that I have such
09:40good positive memories of my Olympic experience. I have kids who are athletes. I have a daughter who
09:48plays volleyball and runs track. And we love watching the gymnastics and Simone Biles and
09:53all that. And I have a son, my youngest son is also a track and field athlete. And we just love
09:59watching the games. In regards specifically to track and field, because my son competes and has
10:07been very successful, we watch and I cheer on the athletes. I don't necessarily follow it very,
10:13very closely simply because I'm really on a mission. My challenge right now is my business
10:22and my platform to share all it is that I'm sharing. And so I don't follow it too, too
10:29closely. But I am supportive of the current athletes and of USA track and field and what
10:37they're trying to do with the sport. Great. So can you tell us more about your ventures and
10:44what are your goals for the next 10 years? Oh, how much time do we have now? I'm so excited about
10:54what this season of my life looks like, and what potentially 10 plus years looks like, because I'm
11:00in a space right now where one, I'm happy in my skin. I know that the choices that I'm making
11:08now are truly intended to help people live better, stronger lives. And so currently,
11:16what I'm doing, I've partnered with this incredible company, whereby we coach and mentor
11:25and teach the tools to entrepreneurs on how to come back from tough times and find and win
11:35in life. Right. And we do that by balancing the body. So fitness, the mind, mindsets,
11:44and our beliefs. And so I get an opportunity to do what I love and I train people in fitness,
11:49but then I also get to coach people in the mindset on how to get up from hard times,
11:55how to pull yourself up, deal with consequences, get past it, identify the steps needed to.
12:03Because I share with people all the time that not many people can
12:11understand or relate to being an Olympic athlete, an Olympic champion, or a convicted felon.
12:20But everybody on this planet has dealt with some type of failure.
12:28Failure looks very different for everybody, but everybody understands it. And everybody
12:34at some point has struggled with how to get past it and how to get on with it and how
12:40to eventually wind up winning in life. And that's where we relate. Because one,
12:48I've had success, the highest level of success, but I've also been knocked down a lot because
12:54of the choices that I made. I get it. Right. But what I do know is how to pull myself up.
13:00I do know the tools right on how to win again. And I think that's what I share now and what I'm so
13:08passionate about sharing with people that we don't have to stay stuck. It is a choice many times
13:15to stay in it. You don't have to stay there. It's a hard, hard place to be. I was there for a certain
13:21amount of time. And I decided, you know what? God has bigger things for me than being stuck.
13:29And I'm not going to stay there. And this is how I got out of it. So that's where I'm at. That's
13:35where I see the next 10 years. Loving life. I'm happy that my kids are happy and healthy.
13:42I am in a thriving, healthy relationship and my world is bright.
13:52Great. So we're at our last question. I know you mentioned that both of you better bring it.
13:58You better bring it. Both of your children are athletes. All three. All three of your children
14:06are athletes. Do you see Olympics in their future? And would you be their coach?
14:18All three of my kids are incredible humans, right? Like that's what I am most proud of.
14:26And all of them are incredibly physically gifted. It's very obvious. Genetically,
14:37it's just there. And all three are very different. Different sports,
14:41different mindset, their approach to things and work is unique. And potentially, right?
14:51There is the potential that they can see greatness in sport. And I see great things
14:59happening just generally in their lives. And if they decide to pursue an Olympic dream in whatever
15:05sport, volleyball, track, I don't know, badminton, archery, who knows? I will be,
15:13and their dad will be their number one cheerleader. I do not know if I can coach them.
15:21I think my role as mom is a hard role to play, right? To exist in. And I would like to say
15:33that that would be the role that I would step up to unless there is a need, right? Unless we
15:40identify that this needs to happen. Of course, I would step into that space, but I love being mama.