As I sit down to write this, I’m reminded of the many roles I’ve embraced over the years—professional snowboarder, mother, and, more recently, advocate for change. Today, I want to share a part of my journey that goes beyond the slopes: my mission to ensure that female athletes can pursue their careers without sacrificing their dreams of motherhood.
For years, I’ve poured my heart and soul into snowboarding. It’s not just a sport to me—it’s a lifestyle, a passion, and a career that has given me so much. But when I became pregnant, I quickly realized how much the world of sports was lacking in support for women who want to have both a family and a career.
As athletes, our contracts are the lifeblood of our careers. They ensure that we have the resources and support to compete and perform at the highest levels. But when I started looking at the fine print, I noticed a glaring omission—there was no mention of pregnancy or maternity care. It was as if the possibility of starting a family didn’t exist in the eyes of the industry.
This realization sparked a fire in me. I knew that if I was experiencing this, other women were too. And it wasn’t just about me—it was about every female athlete who wanted to continue competing or performing at their highest level after becoming a mother. I began advocating for changes to athlete contracts by pushing for the inclusion of pregnancy and maternity care verbiage in my own contracts.
These clauses aren’t just about protecting an athlete’s income during and after pregnancy—they’re about ensuring that women can continue to excel in their sports as they age and as their lives evolve. It’s about recognizing that becoming a mother doesn’t mean the end of a career, but rather a new chapter and opportunity in it.
Balancing this advocacy work with my responsibilities as a professional snowboarder and a mother hasn’t been easy. There were times when I felt like I was pushing against an immovable wall, but every time I saw another female athlete face the same challenges, I knew I had to keep going.
What I’ve learned through this journey is that change doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen when enough voices come together. I’ve had the privilege of connecting with so many incredible women who share this vision, and together, we’re making strides. We’re pushing for a world where contracts acknowledge and support the full scope of a female athlete’s life, including pregnancy and motherhood.
I’m proud of the progress we’ve made, but there’s still more work to be done. The goal is to create an environment where female athletes are not forced to choose between their careers and their families, but are supported in balancing both. The inclusion of pregnancy and maternity care clauses in contracts is a crucial step toward that goal.
Thank you to everyone who has supported this cause, and to all the amazing athletes out there who inspire me every day. Together, we’re making sports more inclusive and sustainable for women at every stage of their lives.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a contract that is limiting opportunity to balance career and motherhood, please visit andmother.org for resources and information on how we can all work together to make this a universal conversation.