I am a Nike woman. Not because I wear the Nike brand. Honestly, I wear a lot of brands when it comes to my workout gear. Lululemon, Athleisure, Gap, Target, as long as it allows me to move and workout comfortably then I’ll wear it. But let’s face it, I always go back to Nike. Nike is iconic and a staple for any athlete. I don’t care if you’re endorsed by Adidas, you have Nike in your closet.

I call myself a Nike woman because of how I feel when I workout. Powerful, empowered, motivated, resilient. All the things the Nike brand stands for.

Now, I gotta keep it real, there are days I struggle.. days when the last thing I want to hear is “Just do it,” but then I think of athletes like Serena Williams, Allyson Felix, Chris Paul and Nike’s 30th-anniversary controversial athlete, Colin Kaepernick. I get off my butt and make magic happen. I think of these athletes and the sacrifices they’ve made to achieve their level of greatness. Their hustle, their commitment to mastering their craft. Hell, the least I can do is get up and commit to a 45 min sweat session. These athletes have sacrificed far more than I could ever think of.

Colin Kaepernick is a perfect example of sacrifice. This man has been under fire since 2016 when he chose to take a knee during the national anthem before each of his football games. Why? Because he was tired of racial injustice. Ever since then he has had a lot of negative backlash, but also a lot of support as well.

But let’s focus on the bottom line – he started a much needed conversation on race, on social justice, on our right to protest. As a result, Nike selected Kaepernick as one of the faces of their 30th Anniversary “Just do it” campaign. They made me proud and once again, made me feel empowered, hopeful, inspired.

Nike is sending a message to us all. At some point it becomes less about the athlete and more about the message. To me, they are forcing us to face our obstacles, stand up for issues that we feel are important. Nike is calling you out on your shit. Stand up for something! Just do it.

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