While the world already knows Serena Williams as an unstoppable athlete and all-around badass, attendees of this year’s recent BlogHer conference in Orlando (presented by SheKnows Media) got to know her in more personal ways.
My editorial team was in attendance when my dear friend joined them as a keynote speaker during the largest content creator conference for women around the world. And they were privy to some pretty amazing insight and advice. Read on for some of the highlights.
Serena Williams Keynotes BlogHer17
On believing that “pressure is a privilege:”
“Every time I play, I have all this pressure on me to win, which is not easy. It’s really not easy to go out there every day when it’s a much bigger story to lose than to win. And everyone’s like, ‘Oh, she’s going to win anyway and blah, blah, blah.’ That’s a lot,” Williams said.
“It’s like [when] you have a company and you’re expected to perform… I realize that’s a privilege. I would love to have a company one day [where] if I’m performing a little bit lower than I would want, everyone would be shocked. That’s a good thing, and that’s a privilege to be in my situation. And it’s also a way to take a lot of pressure off of yourself and build yourself to be even greater.”
On advice to her seventh grade self:
“I feel like everything I went through — bad, good, great — made me who I am today, and I wouldn’t be sitting here if I had my little cheat sheet of what to do. I just really feel like people have to make mistakes,” she explained.
“People have to fall, because like I always say, the greater you isn’t how you fall, but it’s how you get up and how you can become stronger. Do you just lie down and stay there, or do you get up and dust yourself off and become better? I think it’s really important to go through life’s experiences, as hard as they are.”
Watch the video below as Serena Williams discusses her parents as inspiration:
On healthy competition:
The one thing my team brought back with them that stood out from the rest of this interview is how Serena stated that she believes “we can all be winning women.” And that’s the truth. We can all “compete on the court and step away after and still be best friends.” I couldn’t agree more.
To learn more about Serena Williams and other BlogHer17 keynote speakers, read this article by Forbes.
