The legend pulls back the curtain on an area of her life we all can relate to.
Venus Williams Just Said Yes to a Brilliantly Unexpected Partnership: “I Sweat for a Living”
Updated Sep. 05, 2024
It’s the mindset of greats: If you’re going to do something, give it everything you’ve got. Former world number-one Venus Williams, 44, clearly took that approach to tennis, so maybe we shouldn’t have been so surprised to hear that she takes the same approach with chores.
That’s the empowering message behind her new partnership with Downy Rinse & Refresh, which a rep for the brand says “fights odor in every wash.” The collaboration reminds us that even the most accomplished pros have to manage life at home—and, that it’s healthy for us to talk about the fact that women sweat as part of the larger growing conversation around women’s health.
This interview has been edited for length.
The Healthy by Reader’s Digest: Venus, it’s so good to talk with you. We like to think of this campaign as a positive message—it’s good to see a strong, successful pro athlete and businesswoman talking about chores, because we’ve all got them. Why did this feel like a good collaboration for you?
Venus Williams: It felt like a great collaboration because I got this opportunity to tell a story that’s very organic to me, talking about my whole life as a tennis player, maintaining my clothes, I was like, Yeah, I literally sweat for a living. It’s what I do. Like most people wake up or take a shower and go to work, I wake up, put on my clothes and go sweat at the courts. Then I go sweat again at the gym, then I go sweat again somewhere on a treadmill or something, or running outside. So if you can imagine, my clothes definitely take a beating.
And then of course in my match clothes, it has to be pristine. It’s literally my uniform. I look better in my matches than on a regular day. I walk out and it’s like the eyeliner goes on, then the lipstick even goes on. I love this. It’s a whole show, and the outfit has to match. It has to be perfect. And you can imagine too, if you’re in the middle of some tournament, French Open or Wimbledon, you can’t just next day some close if they’re not great anymore. So it’s been awesome to be able to partner with Downey on the Rinse and Refresh product because it fights odor and just one wash, and so odor is gone. Your performance is up, and it’s just been awesome to have the opportunity to talk about it. So yeah, it’s been great.
The Healthy: You’re known for pushing forward that boldness, that statement. This is a busy month for you, with your new book, Strive, coming out September 10. Congratulations.
Venus Williams: Thank you.
The Healthy: Announcing the book release on social media, you said, “My life has never been completely balanced, but by embracing the imbalance and prioritizing what truly matters, I find peace and strength.” We all have competing priorities—the laundry being among them. How do you pinpoint what yours priorities are going to be?
Venus Williams: I try to pinpoint the priorities on the things that I love and that I believe in, and even in partnerships like this. Not every partnership is something I say yes to, but this was very like, Yes, this is me. I do this. This will be fun.
So being able to prioritize because there isn’t enough time, there isn’t a lot of time, and so I need to be able to use my time in a way that I’m proud of, and also that is productive as well. So that’s really how I try to prioritize. Life is not balanced at all. I can tell you that now, and I’m still working on it. It takes time to change and to get things the way that you want and your dream, but it’s all worth it, right?
The Healthy: Well, it is worth it because not only in the game, but again, for women in general, you’ve had such an important role. You just played a really cool part in the handoff between the Paris and LA Olympics. There was some chatter, but arguably not even enough of it, about the fact that the Olympics for the first time this year were 50% female athletes. From your perspective, do you feel like, Wow, we’re finally getting there!—was there a moment in the Olympics that made you feel like we’re making progress?
Venus Williams: I actually didn’t know that statistic, so that’s really interesting. And exciting. Fifty percent? Here we go. Of course I love to see all people compete, whether it’s men or women compete in sports, it’s life-changing, whether it’s at a recreational level or as a young person or as anyone should move their bodies, and in a way that’s challenging. You learn so much from it. So yeah, I was really excited to be a part of that, and I’m from LA, so it was very exciting to be a part of that. It’s like, I’m like, Oh my God, I need to be at that Olympics.
The Healthy: Us too! Venus, you’re no longer playing competitively for your career, but you’re still so fit and strong. Can you give us a look into what kind of nutrition plan you follow, what your fitness routine is like these days?
Venus Williams: I am always trying to move my body, of course. I think one of the biggest things I did was quit sugar since April. That’s been pretty interesting, and actually it’s great because I think there’s a physical and mental addiction sometimes, and the mental addiction is the worst part. I’m always plant-based, so most of my plate is plants.
The Healthy: Was there a sugary vice that you turned to regularly?
Venus Williams: It was like this thing of once I started, I couldn’t stop. So it started like 30 days. I was going to do 90 days, and I’m like, I’m going to do six months. I haven’t reached six months yet, but now it’s like, should I go back to that life desperation?
The Healthy: That’s so relatable. Our last question: What is one self-care routine you refuse to skip?
Venus Williams: Moisturizing my skin. It’s so important as a part of my routine, locking in layers of moisture. So I’m always walking around with a spray bottle, usually rose water.
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Originally Published: September 03, 2024
