Catching up with the Austin Woman August 2016 cover woman
By Deborah Hamilton-Lynne
In 2016, Sanya Richards-Ross had just begun to contemplate what her life would look like post Olympics. One of the fastest women in the world, she joined an elite group of American track and field stars bringing home the gold from the London Olympics in 2012. When an injury prevented her from qualifying for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Richards-Ross began her journey as an entrepreneur. At the time she and her husband, Aaron Ross, former UT football star and NFL standout, were calling Austin home. Coming into another Olympic season, we caught up with Richards-Ross shortly before she headed to Paris for the 2024 games.
As we began our conversation, Richards-Ross held her adorable son, Asani, born on December 19, 2023, while husband Aaron bustled around in the background with a stroller and diaper bag, getting ready to take the kids out for a walk so that she could talk uninterrupted. The power couple partnership that began at UT has only been strengthened by the arrival of their two sons and his retirement from professional football.
AW: You have been married 14 years. How does that feel?
RR: Just yesterday we were in Austin, and we couldn’t believe that it was 22 years since we stepped foot on that campus. I can’t believe how quickly the time goes by, but it has been one of the most fun rides of a lifetime to be on this journey with my husband. We’ve seen it all and done it all, and now as parents we’re happy to have a newborn and be the mom and dad of two boys. It’s been incredible. I couldn’t ask for it to be any other way. We planned it right when it comes to giving sports our all and then being able to give that same kind of energy and love to our children.
AW: You did the Mommy Challenge to get fit after the birth. Talk to us about the challenges of staying in shape postpartum and seeing yourself as a mother and an athlete.
RR: You have to stay true to yourself. Obviously for the larger part of my life I dedicated myself to sports, training and staying healthy. As I transition away from sports, although I am still connected to sports professionally, I have been trying to find my rhythm, what’s my “normal,” and my motivation. Five years ago I founded a community, MommiNation, which is a group of Black moms who support each other through every part of the motherhood journey. It’s a great equalizer and as much as I accomplished in sports I struggle with the same issues and challenges as everyone else when it comes to motherhood. Finding time for the day to day workout is difficult and that community held me accountable, and helped me get back on track. I feel good again and feel healthy. I feel inspired to continue my fitness journey.
AW: You did your pregnancy reveal on one of the episodes of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and were a cast member for two seasons. Let’s talk about that experience. How was it to be a cast member of that popular show?
RR: It was certainly a unique experience. It was really fun. Ross and I were new to the city and it helped me in that it was a group of women that were very influential and well connected. It was also a big challenge. It is a show that is well established and comes with a lot of fans, [including]some critical fans. It had a lot of pros but it was also tough in some ways. My favorite episode was in the first season I got to bring the ladies to Jamaica. They saw my former home, where I trained, the beach. I feel like being on the two seasons was good for me as far as keeping my name out there and gaining new fans, but I am looking forward to moving on from that show and start doing other things in television.
AW: Let’s talk about your broadcast career. Will you be a part of the team commentating on the Paris Olympics?
RR: Yes, Yes, Yes. I have loved being an NBC commentator. A lot of athletes have a hard time transitioning from sports because they really don’t know what to do after the competitive part of their lives ends. In answer to the question ‘What do I do next,’ the transition to NBC commentator made it easy for me. I was still so connected to the sport. I get to give insight to fans who know I am a serious athlete and that I know what it’s like to prepare and compete on that level. The reception I got was so awesome, so it is my favorite job. I can’t wait to go to Paris. It is going to be a very special Olympics after Tokyo when there were no people in the stands because of covid. There will be full stadiums again in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I will be there for two weeks.
AW: Who and what are you going to be watching for during the games?
RR: Team USA is going to send a very strong team in track and field and there are lots of great story lines. First there is Noah Lyles, who is attempting to win four gold medals—the hundred, the two hundred, the four by one and the four by four, so that will be compelling to watch. (At the time of the interview Lyles had not yet qualified for all of those events.) There is Sha’ Carri Richardson, who stole the world’s heart and attention in 2020 and won the world title last year after going through a lot and had very public struggles. She won the world title last year so she is going for her first gold in the Olympics this year. Sydney McLaughlin Levrone is defending her Olympic title in the 400 meter hurdles. Team USA is going to be the one to watch and I am hoping they can deliver in the way they did at the world championships.
AW: Are you planning on doing more television?
RR: My dream role is hosting. I would love to host a show. My longterm dream is to become a host of something like Good Morning America or the Today show. It would have to be the right show to show who I am and what life in my family is like before I would consider reality TV again.
AW: You’ve written three books since 2016, one for adults, one for teens and one for children. Talk to me about your writing and the purpose of the books.
RR: I wrote those three books right after I retired, and I thought it was good timing because I was closing the chapter on this very important time of my life. It was like a mini autobiography and gave me the opportunity to reflect on my life. The story is still unfolding, but it was very special to be able to share my story in Chasing Grace and the other books we adapted for the other younger readers. They are all about dreaming big and living your dreams.
AW: Let’s talk about what you are doing as an entrepreneur.
RR: I celebrate 20 years with Nike as a brand ambassador this year and I am very proud of that. The project I am working on now that I am most excited about is a company my husband, Aaron and I launched last year. It’s a pajama company named Coordinates. We launched in November and the initial collection sold out. We had a big idea to provide pajamas for Team USA. Sleep is so important to everyone, but especially to athletes. When we got our kits from the Olympics there were never any pajamas, and rest is such an important part of an athlete’s journey. If you are not resting well your body will break down and you can’t deliver. So we presented it to Team USA. They loved it, and we became the official pajama partners for these Olympics and the 2029 Olympics, which will be back in LA. We are super excited about that, and the products will be available at shopcoordinates.com on June 17. We are also selling at the trials and in Paris, as well as online. That’s a full circle moment for me, to support athletes as they compete in the Olympics when I was once there. It’s so wonderful to also have the support of us from the US Olympic committee and to occupy this very coveted space is very special. The pajamas run from newborn to 4XL so everyone in the family can join in and know they are wearing the same thing as the athletes themselves. There is an inspirational collection which is red, white and blue with inspirational words, and then we have a plaid collection which is red, white and blue and black. They are the official team pajamas.
AW: You now reside in Atlanta. Is that where you are planning to stay?
RR: We don’t really know. We came back to Austin this week and we said, “Oh man this place is still so special to us.” We went to Eddie V’s and had a dinner date—Ross and I hadn’t been on a date in four years just without the kids. Austin still seems like home to us so we will see. Anything’s possible.