WATCH: Marion Jones Is Back: The Former Olympic Champion Talks Redefining Success Beyond The Track
“Failure does not need to be forever…People are bigger than their mistakes in life and it doesn't define who they are,” Jones told ESSENCE.
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00:00I'm so excited about what this season of my life looks like and what potentially 10 plus years
00:07looks like because I'm in a space right now where one, I'm happy in my skin. I know that the choices
00:14that I'm making now are truly intended to help people live better, stronger lives. And so currently
00:24what I'm doing, I've partnered with this incredible company whereby we coach and mentor and teach the
00:34tools to entrepreneurs on how to come back from tough times and find and win in life. Hi everyone,
00:45I'm Raina Reid-Rayford, a contributing news editor at Essence Magazine. The 2024 Summer Olympics are
00:51underway and I am extremely excited to be here talking to former world champion track and field
00:57athlete, Marion Jones. So thank you so much for agreeing to be here. I would love to jump right
01:04in. You just revealed your LGBTQ plus identity. What led to you making this decision now?
01:13Well, thank you so much for giving me this platform to share where I'm at, where I was,
01:21where I'm headed. And so much has transpired over the past decade in my world. But the news
01:29that I identify as gay is not new to my family or to me or to my community. But I know because I made
01:37the choice to step away from the spotlight for over a decade, the world wasn't up to date on my
01:45goings on. And I suppose that I shared that I identify with the community is because for so long
01:57I hid certain elements of who I am, who I was, and all that. And where I'm at now in my life,
02:07it's full transparency. I share with people that their failure is not forever. I share with people
02:16that their comeback from hard stuff is bigger than their setback. And I needed to be fully
02:25transparent because if I'm going to ask people and coach people, give them the tools on how to pull
02:32themselves up from hard times, I was needing to be fully authentic. And I haven't been in regards
02:40to that. And there were certain reasons and choices that I made years ago as to why I wasn't.
02:48But I am happy in my skin now. I'm comfortable in my space. But more so, I want and need to be a
02:56living example, not only to the people in my world, but to my kids. I have three of them.
03:03They're older now. But they also need to see mom as a living example of authenticity. And
03:12it was time. It was time for people to hear who I am. But even more so than that, for people that
03:18might be struggling with their own identity, seeing that they're not by themselves, and that
03:26I understand the struggle and the challenges of failure, of not being fully authentic,
03:37and how hard it can be. And that they also have a voice, right? And they also deserve to be heard
03:44and seen. And so that's the reason that I shared it. I am at a wonderful space right now, whereby
03:52I want to teach people that their failure does not need to be forever. I want to share and teach
04:01people that they are bigger than their mistakes in life, and that it doesn't define who they are.
04:10Speaking of comebacks, the media's treatment of Black female athletes can be extremely harsh.
04:17For instance, we can look at the coverage of Sha'Carri Richardson over the past couple of years.
04:22You've dealt with this personally. What is your take on creating your own narrative?
04:28Oh, it's a simple one that I like to share. It is be who God intended us to be, which is
04:37incredible, powerful, strong, confident women of color. And be prepared. And I share this with my
04:48clients now and the people that I coach and teach. Be prepared for hiccups. Be prepared for doubters.
04:55Be prepared for critics. And know that that's going to propel you, get you a step closer to
05:01the greatness that our God intended us to step into. Is it fair? No. Are we equipped with the
05:12tools and the ancestry and the ancestors that stand with us and walk alongside us? We sure are.
05:21And we can do this. And we can shine as we are, as you see that right now with the current
05:28female athletes, color, they're just exploding and shining and living strong and beautifully.
05:35And I am here for it. I am here cheering them along, praying for them, and really,
05:44really hoping that they use this platform of theirs, which is a very, very short season.
05:54I know. It's a short season that I hope they realize that sport, their events, their disciplines
06:03is for a short time. But if you start to create this idea of life is bigger than sport,
06:12right? And you start setting yourself up for life after sport, making sure that people know
06:18who are around you are pouring into you because of who you are, not because of what you can do
06:25for them. And success and a life really of true purpose is in store for them.
06:36So we've been seeing a meteoric rise in the popularity of women's sports over the past
06:41couple of years. Alison Felix has been making headlines talking about what it meant for her
06:48to be both a mother and a track star. Can you share more about your own experience with motherhood
06:55and what it was like trying to also compete as an elite athlete?
06:59It is a very, very hard juggling act. I think that
07:10female athletes of color really have a more challenging time with it all because
07:18we come into it whereby we already know that we have to protect our kids, right? And
07:32not that any other mother doesn't, but I think generally moms of color have an extra burden
07:40to make sure that our kids know that they live in a world, live in a space, in a society where
07:49many places they could easily be targeted, right? And that added pressure for us is something that
07:58not every other female athlete has to deal with, right? And so it is not an even playing field,
08:07really, when it comes to that. And makes it very, very hard for female athletes of color to not
08:15only have to juggle motherhood and that added pressure to make sure that our babies are safe
08:20and teaching them a certain way, and then you have to train, right? And then you have to compete at
08:26the highest level with this same pressure, right? Do I put my kids first? How much time do I put
08:33into that? How much time do I put into my training? Allison has been a wonderful example on how to
08:39really not be easily swayed into making choices when it comes to branding and really stepping
08:53up to the plate in terms of all of that. And it sets such a wonderful example, hopefully,
08:58right, to the other current female athletes of color that you don't have to go along with what a
09:05manager or a company says it needs to be. If you determine that it's your time to become a mother
09:12and raise your kids, you make that decision. And if a company or a brand doesn't align with that,
09:20move on. Other opportunities will open its doors. Great. So switching gears, can you share any
09:29insights, you know, from your professional expertise that you might have about the
09:34upcoming track and field events in Paris? Some people are surprised to hear that I have such
09:40good positive memories of my Olympic experience. I have kids who are athletes. I have a daughter who
09:48plays volleyball and runs track. And we love watching the gymnastics and Simone Biles and
09:53all that. And I have a son, my youngest son is also a track and field athlete. And we just love
09:59watching the games. In regards specifically to track and field, because my son competes and has
10:07been very successful, we watch and I cheer on the athletes. I don't necessarily follow it very,
10:13very closely simply because I'm really on a mission. My challenge right now is my business
10:22and my platform to share all it is that I'm sharing. And so I don't follow it too, too
10:29closely. But I am supportive of the current athletes and of USA track and field and what
10:37they're trying to do with the sport. Great. So can you tell us more about your ventures and
10:44what are your goals for the next 10 years? Oh, how much time do we have now? I'm so excited about
10:54what this season of my life looks like, and what potentially 10 plus years looks like, because I'm
11:00in a space right now where one, I'm happy in my skin. I know that the choices that I'm making
11:08now are truly intended to help people live better, stronger lives. And so currently,
11:16what I'm doing, I've partnered with this incredible company, whereby we coach and mentor
11:25and teach the tools to entrepreneurs on how to come back from tough times and find and win
11:35in life. Right. And we do that by balancing the body. So fitness, the mind, mindsets,
11:44and our beliefs. And so I get an opportunity to do what I love and I train people in fitness,
11:49but then I also get to coach people in the mindset on how to get up from hard times,
11:55how to pull yourself up, deal with consequences, get past it, identify the steps needed to.
12:03Because I share with people all the time that not many people can
12:11understand or relate to being an Olympic athlete, an Olympic champion, or a convicted felon.
12:20But everybody on this planet has dealt with some type of failure.
12:28Failure looks very different for everybody, but everybody understands it. And everybody
12:34at some point has struggled with how to get past it and how to get on with it and how
12:40to eventually wind up winning in life. And that's where we relate. Because one,
12:48I've had success, the highest level of success, but I've also been knocked down a lot because
12:54of the choices that I made. I get it. Right. But what I do know is how to pull myself up.
13:00I do know the tools right on how to win again. And I think that's what I share now and what I'm so
13:08passionate about sharing with people that we don't have to stay stuck. It is a choice many times
13:15to stay in it. You don't have to stay there. It's a hard, hard place to be. I was there for a certain
13:21amount of time. And I decided, you know what? God has bigger things for me than being stuck.
13:29And I'm not going to stay there. And this is how I got out of it. So that's where I'm at. That's
13:35where I see the next 10 years. Loving life. I'm happy that my kids are happy and healthy.
13:42I am in a thriving, healthy relationship and my world is bright.
13:52Great. So we're at our last question. I know you mentioned that both of you better bring it.
13:58You better bring it. Both of your children are athletes. All three. All three of your children
14:06are athletes. Do you see Olympics in their future? And would you be their coach?
14:18All three of my kids are incredible humans, right? Like that's what I am most proud of.
14:26And all of them are incredibly physically gifted. It's very obvious. Genetically,
14:37it's just there. And all three are very different. Different sports,
14:41different mindset, their approach to things and work is unique. And potentially, right?
14:51There is the potential that they can see greatness in sport. And I see great things
14:59happening just generally in their lives. And if they decide to pursue an Olympic dream in whatever
15:05sport, volleyball, track, I don't know, badminton, archery, who knows? I will be,
15:13and their dad will be their number one cheerleader. I do not know if I can coach them.
15:21I think my role as mom is a hard role to play, right? To exist in. And I would like to say
15:33that that would be the role that I would step up to unless there is a need, right? Unless we
15:40identify that this needs to happen. Of course, I would step into that space, but I love being mama.