When Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi won bronze in the K1 slalom canoeing competition at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as a mother in her mid-thirties, she knew it marked the end of one journey and the beginning of another. The French-born athlete defied conventions of her era by balancing motherhood and Olympic training, later becoming a pioneering coach who championed gender equality in canoe slalom. Despite facing systemic resistance, Fox-Jerusalmi led the fight to introduce women's canoe singles (C1) to international competition, culminating in its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 – where her daughter Jess Fox claimed the historic first gold medal.

Amber Keegan's journey from competitive pool swimmer to marathon open water athlete reveals how overcoming an eating disorder ultimately led to a greater purpose. Despite missing her Olympic dream, Amber found meaning in founding Athlete Interactions, a non-profit creating safe spaces for female athletes struggling with mental health challenges. “I realised that the journey is everything," she reflects. “While I absolutely didn't feel it at the time, I see now that the path I took led me to something even bigger than Paris: making sure that no other female athlete feels as alone as I once did.”