MEET THE FEATURED SPEAKER
Allyson Felix
Her speed made history. Her courage is changing it.
- Holder of 13 Global Titles, 10 U.S. Championships, 11 Olympic Medals, and a World Record
- One of TIME's "100 Most Influential People"
- One of Bloomberg's "50 People and Ideas that Defined Global Business" (2021)
- Entrepreneur and Founder, Saysh
Allyson Felix reigns as the most decorated American Track & Field Olympian of all time. She officially retired from her competitive running career in the summer of 2022, with a mind-blowing, thirty-one global medals at the Olympics and World Championships, and titles as both a World Record Holder and a Master’s World Record Holder.
In 2020, Felix broke records after winning her bronze and gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics - her fifth and final Olympic games. She continued to make history during the games, by sporting racing spikes created by her company – lifestyle and footwear brand, Saysh – becoming the first Track & Field athlete to do so. Publicly launched post Games in June 2021, Saysh not only aims to create an encouraging and supportive community for women, but it also designs and manufactures athletic-inspired footwear made for and by women, unlike most brands, whose shoes are created based off of men’s feet and footwear. Running in her own spikes on the largest stage in the world, Felix exemplified that she is about more than just medals – she was running for change, equity and acceptance for women and girls everywhere. In keeping with its mission to empower and serve women, Saysh sought out women-led, women-funded partners for the brand’s recent Series A fundraising round, which brought in $8 million and included the Gap Inc.-owned Athleta brand. Current products include the Saysh One, the Saysh Two and the Scarf by Saysh.
Off the track, Felix is a fierce advocate for maternity rights for all women. In 2019, she wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times that called out Nike, her former sponsor, for not providing guaranteed protections for pregnant athletes and new moms. (Felix gave birth to her daughter Camryn in 2018.) The public reaction to the piece put pregnancy discrimination in athletics in the spotlight, and the practice was heavily criticized. More female athletes came to Felix’s side, offering up their stories. During the 2020 Olympics, Felix alongside her new sponsor Athleta, created the Power of She Fund: Child Care Grant – a fund to assist mom-athletes with childcare while competing at the games.
Felix has always been passionate about children and serves as a member of the Right To Play board hoping to raise awareness for underserved children in developing regions.
Felix currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.
Women’s Foundation of Alabama is proud to welcome Allyson Felix as our featured speaker at Unleashed. Come hear from a woman who has broken records, broken barriers, and continues to show the world what’s possible when women are truly supported.