Kerri Walsh Jennings discusses her experiences competing in beach volleyball alongside Misty May-Treanor, being considered the greatest beach volleyball duo of all time. She also discusses competing in the 2012 Olympics while five weeks pregnant, staying active during her pregnancy, and posing nude for ESPN both during and after her pregnancy. She emphasizes listening to your body, staying consistent with healthy eating and exercise, and being patient during the journey after pregnancy to lose weight.

1. HL: How did it feel to be part of the “greatest beach
volleyball duo of all time” with Misty Elizabeth May-
Treanor?
KWJ: I appreciated it for so many reasons. You
know, just to stay on a high level of success for so long
is something that is rare in sports and I think in life in
general and I’m proud that I did it alongside with someone
I respect so much. I also like the fact that people consider
us the greatest team of all time. They don’t say this is the
greatest women’s team of all time; they just consider us the
greatest team of all time, and I take a lot of pride and am
so humbled by that because there have been so many great
men’s and women’s teams. The fact that people considered
us the best team is a very special thing.
HL: Are you two still good friends?
KWJ: Yes, she’s my girl forever. We obviously don’t see
each other as much. In the past, from 2001 to 2012, we spent
virtually seven months of the year attached at the hip. Now,
I’m still competing and traveling and being a mommy and
doing other things and she’s stopped traveling and is starting
her family. But the love is still there and certainly the respect.
HL: You were five weeks pregnant during the 2012
Olympics. What advice can you give to pregnant women
who want to stay active and still stay physically fit?
KWJ: I think the most important thing when you’re
pregnant is to listen to your body. I’m a big advocate for
staying fit and active during your pregnancy. Generally I
think doctors and the medical journals say that if you’re
active before your pregnancy, there’s no need to stop
what you’re doing unless your pregnancy is at risk. So for
me, I was an elite athlete competing in the Olympics and
when I was done with the Olympics, I kept cheering and
competing for a certain amount of time. At some point I
stopped playing and diving, but I certainly stayed active.
I kept lifting weights and doing Pilates; you just have to
adapt to workouts as you get bigger as your body changes
and the baby grows. But my advice is to listen to your body
and to take the time during your pregnancy to take care
of yourself, and to me that means eating healthy, getting
enough sleep and using your body the way it’s supposed
to be used. You know, staying physical certainly helps in
labor. It helps you bounce back more quickly. Your overall
quality of life when you’re active is a little bit better... a lot
better in my case.
HL: Would you still have competed if you knew that
you were pregnant at the time?
KWJ: I did know. My husband and I made the
conscious decision to try to get pregnant right before
the Olympics. Based on my prior two pregnancies, I had
Kerri Walsh
JENNINGS
Far from finished with sport
legend
beachvolleyballtournamenttitles
3xOlympicchampion
Stanfordgraduate
Mother of 3
122
W
hen Kerri Walsh Jennings, three-time beach volleyball Olympic gold
medalist, recently won her 122nd beach volleyball tournament title,
TMZ reported that “she was flaunting a set of abs that would make
‘The Situation’ jealous.” Kerri is married to volleyball competitor
Casey Jennings. Kerri says they aren’t competitive in their daily
lives but it is still her goal to beat him in a one-on-one match.
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2. zero morning sickness and I felt strong throughout each
pregnancy, so the fact that we tried a month before the
Olympics, I wasn’t concerned. So basically it was like a
dream come true because this was my third pregnancy
with my baby girl and the first time I actually did get
morning sickness. It was very, very minor but all of
that happened after I got home from London. I was a
little moody and hormonal in London but I wouldn’t
have changed anything. It was golden to get pregnant
and win a gold medal and we were fortunate enough to
do both.
HL: How is it that your body shows no signs of giving
birth? You’re still in excellent shape.
KWJ: Well I have to wear my little bikini when I run
around so I have plenty of motivation to stay fit. So my
body has definitely changed and I’m kind of in the phase
now of appreciating this new body because I’m a normal
woman and I’m very critical of myself and of my body. I’m
so grateful for all that my body has given me not only in my
career but also my beautiful babies. I feel that we work out
because I have these three beautiful babies that we worked
together to bring into the world and I’ve got to be proud of
my body.
HL: Are we seeing you in the upcoming Olympics?
KWJ: My dream with my partner April Ross is to
go there and be the best team in the world and to win a
gold medal. So that’s the goal. We have the Association of
Volleyball Professionals tour coming up, which is going to
get us prepared to take on the world and then we have the
Federation of International Volleyball world tour coming
up to prepare us to take on the world and bring home
the gold medal again. So we have two and a half years to
become great and we are working at it every day and it’s
going to be a fun ride.
HL: April has quite an act to follow, doesn’t she since
you and Misty May were named the greatest duo of all
time.
KWJ: April came from a very successful partnership.
Misty and I actually played against her in the gold medal
match in London, so she could come home this time
with her own gold. We never compare each other or our
teams to our former partnerships. Our past is just more
inspiration than anything.
HL: Do you see yourself competing in the 2020
Olympics?
KWJ: No. I can’t even fathom that. I would very much
like to win a gold medal in real life. That’s the plan. My
husband and I talked about having baby number four so
that to me would be a dream come true… so we’ll see. I’m
getting to the point where I appreciate my career and I still
enjoy every second of it, but I see the light at the end of
the tunnel and it makes me excited for what’s next. I know
we’re going to create a beautiful life out of it.
HL: Can you go more into what’s next after the 2016
Olympics?
KWJ: My goal in the next couple of years is to basically
create momentum behind my sport, behind my brand. I
just partnered with A 6 and Skin Authority. I want to be
considered one of the greatest athletes in the world, not
just a woman athlete. I want some grand power behind me
so I hope and plan to do big things for the next couple of
years and then capitalize on all of the light and energy that
surrounds me. So when we get back after getting a gold
medal in Rio, I want to have things set up. My husband
and I want to start an academy to give back to the youth. I
certainly want to focus on my Chase the Stars Foundation,
which helps underserved youth. I want to write books. I
want to go and speak to kids. We have some fun plans for
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3. the future and it’s all kind of a dream right now because
we’re so focused on the competing part but we’re also
slowly but surely building the foundation for these other
projects that are going to be very special, fulfilling and
gratifying.
HL: How did it feel to pose nude for ESPN during and
after your pregnancy?
KWJ: It was pretty scary and I haven’t found the right
words to say it because I wasn’t petrified or shaking in my
boots. I just felt vulnerable because obviously I was quite
literally exposed. I trust them so much and I’m a fan of
that issue, you know, over the years and I know they
treat the body and the athletes with so much integrity
and respect. I wasn’t worried about crossing any lines
because I cherish my status as a role model and I don’t
want to be something I’m not either. So when I was
pregnant, it was so much easier to take those pictures
because I almost felt like I was in costume—I had this
body that isn’t my normal body and I had learned to
accept the fullness of myself. As an athlete I’m in shape
and in a bikini but if I am carrying extra weight it
means I’m either eating poorly or slacking. The “after”
picture was way harder for me. I was definitely not
ready to be in that magazine. I was probably 20 pounds
overweight, not overweight, just normal for that point
after pregnancy. It was hard to be in that magazine when
I was nowhere near the shape I should have been in. But
I liked the message that it sent and I was so empowered
after giving birth to my daughter and coming back and
again showing the predations of my body. I’m just
grateful to have had the experience because it made me
say, “I can’t sweat the small stuff.” My body has helped
me so much and I have to accept it right now and for the
rest of my career and hopefully stay active the rest of my
life and keep appreciating the newer versions of myself
as I get older.
HL: What advice can you give to women after
pregnancy- how to shed that 20 or 40 pounds?
KWJ: Well for me, my journey to losing the post-
baby weight happened because when I was pregnant I
ate healthy. I stayed active. I rested. I slept. I did what
I needed to do. I took one month off from activity after
I gave birth to Scout and that was the hardest time
because I couldn’t lift weights. I couldn’t run. I couldn’t
do any cardio because you’re supposed to let your body
heal and that’s a challenge for me—to sit still. So I’d
just say my advice would be to be patient and to know
that it’s going to be a journey but that you’re going to
get there. Consistency and routine, whether it be in
eating healthy or exercise regimen, is what allows the
transformation, not that you have to do the same thing
over and over but just getting active and using your
body and being physical. The change will come; it’s just
a matter of time.
HL: What kind of eating habits did you have while
pregnant?
KWJ: All of that stuff was kind of the fun part of
pregnancy for me. I never had any weird or absurd
cravings. I didn’t want ice cream every day. I wanted fresh
lemonade. I didn’t want croissants and bacon but I just
think that your body will tell you what you want to mix in.
I think pregnancy is a time to indulge and make yourself
happy, but you’re also feeding the little baby inside you. I
think most moms are very mindful of what they put into
their bodies because they know their babies are going to
get nutrition from what they’re eating. So I think have fun
with it and don’t put on too much stress. If you want to
go buy ice cream every night that isn’t positive, but I just
think you have to be smart. Just because you’re pregnant
doesn’t give you a green light to go crazy but it does give
you a little extra breathing room to have some fun with
your diet.
HL: How did you feel about the false positive tests for
performance enhancing drugs in 2000 and how you felt
afterwards?
KWJ: Once I survived it and once I guess justice was
served, I was heartbroken because it tainted a dream of
mine and took me out of the competition and I had to sit
out the matches... and I felt isolated. The people who were
there to support me, my team and my management told me
they couldn’t support me and that was the heartbreaking
part. The amazing part was that my mother and my family
rose to the occasion so much and my mom basically saved
the day and she found some people to go work for me in
Australia. I learned a big lesson and that in tough situations
you fight for what’s right no matter what the odds are of
your getting justice. My mom showed me that and I’m glad
that happened ultimately because it helped me transition
to the beach because I wanted nothing to do with it after
it happened. It helped me just learn a valuable life lesson
that you have to fight for what’s right for yourself and you
have to go and look for people to help you fight for your
cause.
HL: If it happened to somebody else on your team,
what advice would you give him or her?
KWJ: I was told not to tell my team, so that was the
hard part. I was going through this alone… I didn’t want to
be a distraction to my team and my coach asked me to not
tell anybody. You know, it’s a hard thing because you’re
guilty until you’re proven innocent because most people
are guilty, so it’s such a sensitive subject. I have a good
friend who just went through this last year and he was
exonerated but you just fight and you don’t stop fighting.
We pass these tests a lot of the time, but the system didn’t
work and it breaks you down because things aren’t resolved
right away. But it’s kind of the same thing in life; if you
know you’re right and if you believe in it and you’re willing
to fight for it, especially if it’s your name and your integrity
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4. at stake, you go and you don’t stop until you get to the spot
where you want to be.
HL: Do you feel as if it was challenging afterwards
with the press because your teammates found out after
the fact?
KWJ: I don’t know. I assume so; I never talked to
anybody about it. The people certainly pushed me away
and said they couldn’t help me because of the conflict of
interest. They came around after and tried to play nice
and I wanted nothing to do with that. I felt betrayed to a
certain extent—and, in this life, it happens and I feel like
it was just a bad two weeks. It was a “how do I live with
my mom and my dad” situation and internally I survived
it and we carry on. But again, I am passionate about
volleyball and I’ve done it since I was 10 years old and
that it was like a shot to the heart and that crushed me but
it also steered me into this new path of beach volleyball. It
was in Sydney that my parents convinced Misty’s parents
about partnering up and had this not gone down, I don’t
know how the last 12 years would have happened so it’s
all a blessing.
HL: You’re also married to a pro volleyball player. Do
you guys get competitive?
KWJ:Idoifwe’replayinganythingsportsrelated…yeah
we’re both competitive people. I’m a little higher strung
than my husband. We have a fun, playful relationship and
we work to live the type of life we want. He wants to go to
Rio and qualify and win a gold medal in volleyball as well,
and we obviously have our three babies so we have a major
juggling act and we’re doing it together, which makes it feel
so much more fulfilling and real.
HL: What advice would you give to young female
athletes that started off young like you did if they want
to compete in the Olympics and be a champion like you?
KWJ: I think it’s important in life to have goals. You need
to want it bad enough and you need to express it and not be
afraid of failure because if you’re tentative, it’s hard for you to
reach your goals. So, my advice would be to go all in on your
dreams and on yourself and you’ll get where you want to go.
It might not be the direct route you want it to be, but you’ll
get there if you believe in yourself and you stick with it. And I
would say to be great in anything, whether it’s sports or music
or artistry, you need to be great at the fundamentals. So for
all the young kids out there, I want to have you focus on the
fundamentals and your footwork and your walk control and
the ABCs of whatever you’re doing. Get the ABCs down and
then it’ll allow you to be successful and have more fun with
XYZ. That’s when life gets more dynamic, when you can do
the basic things well, consistently.
HL: They call you the most successful woman athlete in
world tour history. That’s pretty tough for the upcoming
athletes to follow. Who do you think could take that after
you?
KWJ: I don’t know. Before me, there was somebody
else and before that person, there was somebody else
so I think that’s just the evolution of the game. I truly
don’t know. There are so many special athletes out there
but in our sport I didn’t become the most successful by
myself. I won the majority of the tournaments alongside
Misty and prior to me, she was the most winning team
female and she retired and I carried on and it doesn’t
mean I’m better; it just means what it means. So again,
I feel like I’m so far from done with my sport, I want
to expand the winds of my career but it’s a title that I
relish and it’ll be fun to see the people that I compete
against now in the next couple years, and when I retire
it’ll be fun to see people break our records and do great
things.
HL: You have quite a background, having studied in
Stanford. How does it feel between your education and
athletic career?
KWJ: Literally my first dream wasn’t getting a
scholarship to Stanford; it was just getting into Stanford,
and then right behind that was getting a scholarship
to Stanford. I was surrounded by brilliant people and
I appreciate the fact that I got my degree from such a
distinguished, wonderful place. I like the fact that I have
brains and that I’m physical and you know, I’m by no
means special in this world, but my parents always said
Kerri if you want to change, you have to take care of your
schooling and so I did. I worked in the classroom and it
allowed me to get into Stanford’s line of vision so that
they would recruit me and I got in. There’s something
when you say “I graduated from Stanford.”
HL: One last question: with three kids and so much
sun exposure, youthful body and skin continue to impress
all of us; how have you coped so well?
KWJ: I think a lot of women when they’re working
out and especially when we were talking about losing
baby weight after having a baby, a lot of us want to starve
ourselves so that we lose weight, but in reality we have to
feed ourselves. You have to have enough protein in your
diet and for a woman on the go, for a working mommy on
the go, Designer Whey is going to feed the body and allow
it to keep getting strength. One other thing is, sunscreen
and skin care. I crush my skin 10 months out of the year.
There are so many easy fixes and preventative measures
for anti-aging. I’ve worked with skin experts. I wear my
visors and Oakley sunglasses to cover the sensitive under-
eye area and do other little things to stay young and good
looking.
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Kerri Walsh—continued from page 62
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