Being an Olympian isn't just about winning medals – for many athletes, it's also about being a role model and balancing their personal lives. For women in particular, the pressure to excel on the sport field while caring for young children can be overwhelming.
Take Ashley Caldwell, a professional snowboarder who recently gave birth to her son at just 33 weeks into her pregnancy. Caldwell is now training to compete again, but she's not alone in facing these challenges. Fellow Olympian Faye Gulini, also a mom of two, has been navigating the same waters after giving birth to her second child.
While there isn't much guidance available on how to balance motherhood with elite athletics, these women are forging their own paths and finding ways to make it work. For Caldwell, the decision to start a family was motivated by a desire to be a role model for her future children – to show them that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.
However, this newfound responsibility has also made Caldwell more aware of the sacrifices she's made in the past. She recalls how her parents enabled her athletic career, allowing her to spend long hours training as a teenager. Now, she's re-evaluating what that means for her child – would she have let them leave home at 13 to train? The answer is no.
As Caldwell navigates this new chapter in her life, she's also finding ways to prioritize her family while still pursuing her passion for snowboarding. Her first priority is giving birth to a healthy baby and emerging healthy herself, but she can't help feeling the itch to compete again. By July, she had mapped out a breastfeeding schedule that would coincide with the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
This balancing act isn't unique to Caldwell – many female athletes face similar challenges. Allyson Felix, an Olympic sprinter, once revealed that her sponsor proposed paying her 70% less after giving birth. It's a sobering reminder of the stigma surrounding pregnancy in professional sports.
For these women, being an Olympian is about more than just winning medals – it's about female empowerment and showing young girls that they can push boundaries and achieve their dreams. As Caldwell puts it, "It's my thing my entire career, is you can push boundaries of what people expect."
Take Ashley Caldwell, a professional snowboarder who recently gave birth to her son at just 33 weeks into her pregnancy. Caldwell is now training to compete again, but she's not alone in facing these challenges. Fellow Olympian Faye Gulini, also a mom of two, has been navigating the same waters after giving birth to her second child.
While there isn't much guidance available on how to balance motherhood with elite athletics, these women are forging their own paths and finding ways to make it work. For Caldwell, the decision to start a family was motivated by a desire to be a role model for her future children – to show them that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.
However, this newfound responsibility has also made Caldwell more aware of the sacrifices she's made in the past. She recalls how her parents enabled her athletic career, allowing her to spend long hours training as a teenager. Now, she's re-evaluating what that means for her child – would she have let them leave home at 13 to train? The answer is no.
As Caldwell navigates this new chapter in her life, she's also finding ways to prioritize her family while still pursuing her passion for snowboarding. Her first priority is giving birth to a healthy baby and emerging healthy herself, but she can't help feeling the itch to compete again. By July, she had mapped out a breastfeeding schedule that would coincide with the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
This balancing act isn't unique to Caldwell – many female athletes face similar challenges. Allyson Felix, an Olympic sprinter, once revealed that her sponsor proposed paying her 70% less after giving birth. It's a sobering reminder of the stigma surrounding pregnancy in professional sports.
For these women, being an Olympian is about more than just winning medals – it's about female empowerment and showing young girls that they can push boundaries and achieve their dreams. As Caldwell puts it, "It's my thing my entire career, is you can push boundaries of what people expect."
and I saw a squirrel trying to steal food from a little kid's picnic blanket 
. Anyway, back to Ashley Caldwell... I feel for her, balancing work and parenthood is hard enough without the added pressure of competing in an Olympic sport. It's like she's trying to be a superhero mom 
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Ashley Caldwell's story is so inspiring - she's like super brave for getting back into snowboarding after having a baby 
and what if she wouldn't have let her own kid do that? 
anyway, it's so cool to see these female athletes forging their own paths and being role models at the same time 
They're expected to be superstars on the field while also taking care of their babies, which is just too much pressure. And it's not like they can just put their kids aside and focus on training... no one does that! 
But seriously, these women are finding ways to make it work, which is awesome.
Women should be able to do their thing and still take care of their families... why can't we just support them? 
. IT'S SO HARD TO DEAL WITH THE PRESSURE OF WINNING MEDALS WHEN YOU HAVE KIDS TO CARE FOR, BUT THESE TWO LADIES ARE PROVING THAT YOU CAN DO BOTH AND STILL CRUSH IT 
. IT'S ALL ABOUT FINDING THAT BALANCE AND Prioritizing YOUR FAMILY WHILE FOLLOWING YOUR PASSION 
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. IT'S TIME WE CHANGE THOSE RULES AND SUPPORT OUR FEMALE ATHLETES EVERY STEP OF THE WAY 
. I mean, it's not easy balancing being a mom and an athlete, especially when you're used to pushing yourself to the limit 
. But at the same time, I think it's amazing that she's taking control of her life and finding ways to make it work. I wish more people could see that being a mom doesn't mean giving up your passions or who you are as a person 
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It's all about finding that balance, but what if she wasn't so focused on competing again right away? Maybe her kid comes first, then she gets back into the game when she's feeling more energized. Let her be a role model in her own time, instead of rushing back onto the competition scene too soon 
! I mean, who else can balance being a mom and an elite athlete at the same time? It's not easy, trust me, I've seen so many athletes struggle to find that balance. But Ashley Caldwell and Faye Gulini are killing it right now 
. I mean, who wouldn't want to grow up seeing themselves on the cover of Sports Illustrated or competing in the Olympics? It's so empowering!
. And can we talk about how messed up the sponsor thing is? 
Paying 70% less after giving birth is just not fair 
. It's all about female empowerment, body positivity, and being true to themselves 
. And let's be real, it's also about showing the world what moms can do 
. It's like they're expected to be superheroes in two worlds at once 
. And I think it's so true what she said – "It's my thing my entire career, is you can push boundaries of what people expect" 
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. We need to recognize that this is not just about individual women, but also about creating a system that allows them to thrive in all aspects of life 
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And she's already back on the snowboard, planning to breastfeed during competition... that's dedication! 
I'm so inspired by these amazing women 
. Ashley Caldwell and Faye Gulini are total rockstars for finding ways to balance their families with their careers 
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and showing us that it's possible to do it all 
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... she's also a mom of two, but I don't think we've heard much about her struggles outside the competition arena 
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. But maybe we need to start thinking about how we can support these women in different ways? Like, do we really need to pay them 70% less after giving birth? 
Caldwell's breastfeeding schedule is genius – I wish more of us could do that too! 
. They need to be more accepted like Allyson Felix's sponsor thing was crazy 
It's crazy! I think Ashley Caldwell and Faye Gulini are total inspirations - they're not just killing it on the slopes, but also crushing motherhood. 
. Ashley Caldwell's breastfeeding schedule that coincides with the Olympics is genius 
But seriously, it's refreshing to see women taking control of their lives and finding ways to make it work