Olympian Allyson Felix & Misty Copeland Build New Legacies

Allyson Felix and Misty Copeland didn't just break records in their sports. Now they're breaking down barriers for the next generation of women and girls.

The two legends recently shared their post-competition missions at Hearst's Female Force event in New York City. Felix, the most decorated female Olympian in track and field history, and Copeland, the first Black principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, are both 40+ and building futures that matter far beyond their trophy cases.

Copeland's journey shaped everything she does now. "The door opened for me, and I think what I've learned is that we can succeed in spaces that were not built for us," she said at the panel.

Getting in was the easy part. Staying there was the challenge that drives her foundation today.

Her Misty Copeland Foundation now runs BE BOLD, a free twice-weekly after-school ballet program for kids ages 5 to 12 in the Bronx and Harlem. She also created BE BOLDER, offering adult ballet classes for people over 50.

"It's not about creating professional dancers," Copeland explained. "It's really exposing them to live music, exposing them to the technique of classical ballet, and teaching them the tools that by being a part of any sport, you pick up and you learn."

Felix's mission became crystal clear after she became a parent. She famously called out Nike in a 2019 New York Times op-ed after the company proposed a 70% pay cut around her pregnancy and refused to guarantee she wouldn't face penalties if her performance dipped post-childbirth.

"I had a really hard time, and so many of the women before me had an even more challenging time," Felix shared. "Whether it's having to hide a pregnancy, or whether it is having to be on the road with a newborn and navigating breastfeeding and pumping, it was just so hard when it didn't have to be."

Now she's co-founder of Saysh, a women's footwear brand built on a truth most female athletes don't know. Women's athletic shoes are basically men's shoes with different marketing.

"I didn't know. As a professional runner, I always thought that the shoes were for me," Felix said. The research revealed the wall of women's shoes was just excellent marketing, not different design.

Felix also founded Always Alpha, a sports management firm focused entirely on female athletes. "Women's sports marketing is not just the same as men's," she said simply.

Why This Inspires

Both women are proof that the hardest parts of a career can become its most meaningful chapters. Copeland built community with Black women mentors who helped her stay in spaces not designed for her. Felix turned her struggle as a new mother into advocacy that changed Nike's policies and created alternatives for female athletes.

Their advice for aspiring entrepreneurs cuts through the noise. "There's never this perfect moment to start something," Felix said. Copeland added the reminder everyone needs: "Just because there isn't a blueprint doesn't mean it's not possible."

Two athletes who mastered their crafts are now mastering something harder: making sure the next generation doesn't face the same closed doors.