Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has spent years reshaping what elite athletics looks like, but right now, her focus stretches well beyond the finish line. The Olympic gold medalist and world record holder is entering a new chapter, one that includes impending motherhood, a brand partnership rooted in her daily life, and a growing sense of purpose around the kind of athlete and person she wants to be.

Fresh off being named one of TIME’s Women of the Year, McLaughlin-Levrone is approaching all of it with the same quiet discipline that has made her one of the most dominant figures in track and field. The recognition, she says, speaks to the unseen work the daily grind of showing up and continuing to push forward in a sport that never stops demanding more.

A partnership that mirrors her real life

McLaughlin-Levrone’s new collaboration with Band Aid Brand, centered on the Heal Like a Pro campaign, is one she describes as a natural extension of who she already is. As a professional hurdler, cuts, blisters and wear on her body are part of the job description. The brand’s Pro Heal technology, which offers a five-day wear and promotes healing with reduced scarring, fits into a recovery routine she has been building for years.

For her, healing like a pro is not limited to physical wounds. It is a philosophy that covers nutrition, sleep, rest days and, perhaps most importantly, mental recovery. Social media breaks have become a regular and intentional part of her routine. Stepping away from her phone, reading, walking and listening to music are among the tools she uses to protect her mental space. The ability to detach, she says, has been one of the more meaningful skills she has developed over the course of her career.

Balancing competition with real life

With a baby expected this July, McLaughlin-Levrone’s priorities are clearly ordered. First comes a healthy delivery. Then comes the work of building back toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She is clear eyed about the journey ahead and seems genuinely energized rather than overwhelmed by it.

Balance, she notes, is something she has had to be intentional about. She speaks openly about the risk of letting a career become an identity rather than a pursuit, and she works to guard against it. Time with her husband, meals she loves, movies, and rest all factor into what keeps her performing at the highest level. Interestingly, she has also found that years of elite training have made healthy habits feel natural rather than forced even if she still allows herself the occasional indulgence.

The rising visibility of women’s sports

McLaughlin-Levrone is enthusiastic about what she has witnessed in women’s athletics over the past several years. Visibility has grown, endorsement opportunities have expanded, and the cultural conversation around women’s sports has shifted in a meaningful way. She traces her own inspiration back to watching athletes like Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards Ross as a child, and now finds herself in a position to do the same for the next generation.

The Los Angeles Games, she believes, carry the potential to amplify that momentum significantly, particularly for track and field, a discipline she feels is still underrecognized relative to its talent and spectacle.

Using her platform with intention

Beyond athletics, McLaughlin-Levrone is deliberate about how she uses her public voice. Her faith is central to her identity, and she speaks openly about wanting to reflect that in the opportunities she pursues and the stories she tells. She is also acutely aware of the pressures younger athletes face in an era defined by social media comparison and performance anxiety.

She has begun investing in informal mentorship relationships with a handful of young women navigating their own careers, offering perspective drawn from her own experiences. It is not a formal program so much as an open line a willingness to be honest about the difficult parts and share what she has learned. Authenticity and vulnerability, she says, are what make that kind of connection genuinely useful.

Her goal, in the simplest terms, is to make space for others to step into their gifts without the weight of fear holding them back and then to lead the way by doing exactly that herself.