The tennis phenomenon opens up about “retired” life, becoming a business mogul and perhaps her most important role of all: being a mom.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I want to be the best at everything I do,
00:02whether that's being an athlete, a businesswoman,
00:04a wife, or a mom.
00:05I want to be the world's greatest mom,
00:07and I push myself to do that every day.
00:10However, I work for me, you know,
00:12and I feel like my goals are for me,
00:13and my kids all have their own goals,
00:15and I think that it's important for them
00:16to have their own goals and let them be for them,
00:19and I do what I do because I actually enjoy it.
00:22♪♪
00:26Hello, everyone. I am Serena,
00:28and this is a behind-the-scenes look
00:29at my Essence cover shoot.
00:31♪♪
00:33I think my role in sports
00:35obviously reflected things that I could do on the court
00:37in terms of fashion
00:39and kind of pushing myself to just be so different
00:43and not only stand out,
00:44because I look different on the court,
00:46so kind of making that representation
00:48in the clothes that I chose to design
00:49and to wear out there.
00:52And then sport business.
00:54So business, I also try to make an impact
00:57on investing and starting different companies
01:00and incubating those companies,
01:02so I love to invest in everyone.
01:04I really believe that diversity
01:06is a huge part of my investing story,
01:09and I invest a lot in women.
01:11I have a venture fund.
01:12We have over 14 unicorns,
01:14which means companies that are worth over a billion dollars.
01:17So, yeah, I really believe that investing in people of color,
01:21investing in women really can amplify those voices
01:24and change the stigma of, you know,
01:27only one type of person can have a huge company.
01:30♪♪
01:32I hope that young women take from my journey
01:35that, you know what, you can be an entrepreneur,
01:38you can believe in yourself, you can do multiple things,
01:40and you can be successful at multiple things.
01:43And I think a lot of people are kind of telling that story,
01:45but to see it being done so many ways
01:48by so many amazing people
01:49has also been an inspiration to me.
01:51And never let people stop inspiring you,
01:54because I feel like everyone's story
01:56can be the inspiration to your story.
01:58And honestly, if I can do it,
02:00you can do it probably 10 times better.
02:02Being an entrepreneur is definitely not easy.
02:04I learned that if you want to start something,
02:06it literally takes 25 hours,
02:08and you only get 24 hours in a day,
02:10so it's super intense.
02:12So for me, it's really about building a great team,
02:15having great people around that I can work with,
02:17and I feel so fortunate that I can do that,
02:19because being a mom is what, like, I want to do.
02:22You know, I really love spending time with my girls.
02:24I do so much for them, and I do so much with them,
02:27and with them every day.
02:29Today is a little tough, because I'm not with them today.
02:31I was with them this morning, but, you know, it's okay.
02:35But we spend so much time together,
02:37and for me, that's so important,
02:38for them to see me as a constant in their life,
02:41you know, for as long as I can be here for them.
02:47You know, it's interesting.
02:48Motherhood has really not actually changed my perspective
02:51on my career or my life.
02:53Like, on my life, yeah, it's changed my perspective
02:55in terms of I want to be the best at everything I do.
02:58A lot of people do things, you know, for their children,
03:01but I kind of started my career before all that.
03:04You know, I started playing tennis,
03:05and I started doing business,
03:06and I started having companies way before that,
03:08and so I continue.
03:10I let them fit into my life.
03:12I haven't really changed my life to fit into theirs.
03:19My culture upbringing has really shaped me
03:22as people that I want to invest in,
03:25you know, giving people a voice,
03:27people that look like me giving a voice,
03:29and often we don't have that voice.
03:31Not only people of color, but also women as well.
03:33That means a lot to me, like, having people have that voice.
03:37It's really influenced everything that I do,
03:39everything that I teach my children,
03:40everything that I, you know, want to be and talk about
03:43on a greater scale,
03:44and things that I do that a lot of people
03:46don't really even know about.
03:47A lot of people don't know this other side of me.
03:49I always say I'm like an onion.
03:50There's so many layers.
03:52But yeah, I think growing up honestly in Compton
03:55has definitely made me see culture
03:57in a completely different way,
03:58and respect and also demand that I'm treated a certain way
04:02when I walk into a room.