When Allyson Felix traded in Olympic gold medals for diaper bags and daycare pickups, the world got to see a different kind of champion in motion. Felix, the most decorated female track and field Olympian of all time, is now doing the hardest race of all—motherhood. And like many moms, she’s making it to the finish line with a car full of crumbs, unmatched socks, and a secret stash of Danimals smoothies.
“Perhaps the biggest – and most amazing – sprint of my life has been being a mom,” Felix admitted.
However, Felix isn’t afraid to admit that motherhood shook her to her core, not because of what it took away, but because of how much it revealed.
“I’ve definitely experienced that feeling of not being myself,” she shared, opening up to theGrio about the physical and emotional shifts postpartum. “It’s a really hard thing to deal with while you’re also caring for a newborn and an older child. There’s just so much happening with all the hormones and everything.”
For Felix, healing postpartum isn’t about “bouncing back.” It’s about giving herself grace.
“I try to do things that make me feel like me—and for me, that’s being able to move my body,” she explained. “It doesn’t look the same as when I was training for five hours a day, but even if it’s getting up early to go to a class or just doing crunches at home, understanding everything’s for a season like, ‘yes, right now looks like this, but it won’t always look that way,’ gives me hope.”
In addition to physical care, self-care is also an important part of her routine. Now, self-care as a mom doesn’t always come in the form of green juices or spa days. Sometimes, it’s fast food and silence.
“Some days when it’s all feeling overwhelming and too much, my favorite thing to do is just drive to In-N-Out and sit in the car and eat my Double-Double and fries in silence,” Felix confessed. “Then I come back to it.”
Those everyday reprieves matter. Because like so many mothers, Felix juggles a heavy plate: career, family, identity, all while remembering to make space for herself.
“I really can’t take care of anybody else without taking care of myself,” she said. “I try to structure [self-care] into my day, even if it means waking up early or doing something after bedtime. Just one thing that fulfills me.”
That message of small wins is exactly why her recent partnership with Danimals feels so genuine. Through their Snack Hero campaign, Felix highlights the unsung victories of parenthood: the well-timed snack, the smooth school pickup, the extra five minutes of peace.
“This partnership has been incredible,” Felix said. “It’s all about being the Snack Hero—coming through for parents in a pinch. Every day when I pick up my daughter from school, her first question is, ‘Do you have a snack for me?’ Now I can reach for a smoothie and know that it’s packed with calcium and vitamin D. I feel great about the nutritious snack I’m giving her.”
To kick off the campaign, Felix surprised the youth track and field team, LA Jets, an iconic squad for kids ages 6 to 18, with a post-practice Danimals snack drop, helping other parents feel like Snack Heroes too.
“I had a blast teaming up with Danimals and passing the baton to the parents of the LA Jets athletes,” she said. “I’m super excited that parents nationwide can now get the same experience through Instacart.”
Parents can claim their own Snack Hero moment through Instacart, where users can score $15 worth of eligible Danimals snacks using the promo code SNACKHERO-15 (while supplies last). As the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reminds us, kids need one to two snacks daily depending on their age and physical activity level, an often overlooked task on a long parental to-do list.
In addition to helping make snack time easier for parents with Danimals, Felix says she hopes all mothers and maternal figures “feel seen and celebrated” this Mother’s Day.
“You all do so much—whether it’s as grandmothers, caretakers, or mother figures,” she said. “You know, I think motherhood looks so different, and there are so many ways to show up as a mom in someone’s life, and often it’s thankless work. So I just hope that they feel all the love on their special day.”
