As a child, Maya said she was extremely shy and had a hard time coming out of her shell. But track was the key to unlocking her personal power. “I was able to form lifelong friendships that helped me break out of my comfort zone,” she said. “Track’s impact on my life goes far beyond what I have accomplished athletically. It has given me opportunities I could have never imagined as a child. Because of track, I got the opportunity to leave my hometown of Toronto, Canada and move all the way to New York City by myself.”
Track has also forced Maya to confront other aspects of herself that weren’t as pleasant, but that helped her grow as a person. “My struggles with my body image began when I first started running track at 15,” she said. “I thought in order to be successful, I had to be a certain size. These thoughts resulted in me taking extreme measures to make sure I fit the mold of what I believed a track athlete should look like.” Finally in her senior year of college, Maya sought the help of a therapist to work through some of these deep-rooted insecurities.
“This is when I began my self-love journey,” said Maya. “I feel like a lot of female athletes struggle with their body image. On the track, we wear very revealing uniforms, and while they are designed to help enhance our performance, they don’t leave much to the imagination, and they open us up to all kinds of unwanted attention. The beauty of being an athlete is that there is no blueprint to what we should actually look like. I want every woman to know that athleticism looks different on everybody, and what is most important is our health. Each of us are all unique individuals, and our bodies reflect that.”