Kind: captions
Language: en
I mean andre agassi had the school you
don't have to be better than everyone
else in the draw when you go out on the
court like you have to be better than
someone that's across the net and
whether that is at a very high level
whether that's like a low level whatever
it is it doesn't matter you can't can be
great every single day like there's only
a handful of times where I've gone on
the court and felt like I did everything
well everybody welcome to impact Theory
you were here my friends because you
believe that human potential is nearly
limitless but you know that having
potential is not the same as actually
doing something with it so our goal with
this show and company is to introduce
you to the people and ideas that will
help you actually execute on your dreams
all right today's guest is one of the
greatest tennis players of all time and
her real-life story reads like a work of
Russian literature her mother spent
several months while pregnant living in
the literal shadow of the Chernobyl
disaster and after moving to the US
during the collapse of the Soviet Union
when she was just six years old her will
determination and skill began to capture
people's attention immediately despite
not speaking a word of English five
minutes on the court with this
six-year-old wunderkind convinced an
elite tennis camp to give her a
scholarship and the string of both good
and bad luck that followed is truly
stranger than fiction but she worked her
ass off day and night year after year
her father sacrificing and doing
whatever he had to to make sure she
could blossom into the player that he
believed she could become and my god was
he ever write about her potential
she turned pro at just 14 years of age
and her love of the sport an absolute
maniacal focus on winning pushed her
forward at blinding speed and she
erupted out of obscurity at 17 with a
victory over Serena Williams in the
Wimbledon finals while some relax in
victory she does not her hunger to win
only seemed to increase with each
victory as she climbed the ranks
ultimately becoming the first Russian
woman to ascend to the sport's top
ranking in 2005 a position she has held
many times since almost certainly
assured a spot in the Hall of Fame she's
already won five Grand Slam
a silver medal in the Olympics and spent
an untold number of years as the highest
paid female athlete period she's worked
with iconic brands such as Nike Avon
Evian Porsche and many more so please
help me in welcoming the tennis icon and
author of unstoppable my life so far the
indomitable Maria Sharapova yes
definitely with years we still have I
truly hope you were right that would be
amazing it was a long process um I told
myself I'm definitely giving myself a
few few more years until I haven't write
another one I think that's pretty fair
yeah speaking though of the intro to
your book I think a cool place to start
would be do you remember the quote from
Nelson Mandela that you put yes well I
start with a Nelson Mandela quote
because I've I've always believed that
his quotes were about living life not
through just the eyes of success but
through the eyes of someone that you
know who's knocked down many times faces
adversity and gets back up and it's a
very singular direct quote but it really
resonate as I was writing the book and I
didn't have a title at the beginning of
when I started the book and as I was
writing and I was speaking to my father
and all all the figures in my life and
all the obstacles that we have overcame
and just seemed inevitable that
unstoppable was was going to be the
title mm-hmm that's an awesome title
tell people what the quote is
specifically and especially now in your
this part of your career why was this so
resonant specifically word-for-word I
don't know but don't judge me by my
successes judge me by them by the times
that I fell down and got back up again
yeah exactly
so now obviously what you're going
through you've struggled with injury you
had the suspension back how do you want
to be remembered for that period and
then what is it what have you been
focusing on to get going again you can't
really for
other people's opinions of you and you
know I became successful at a very young
age and I like from the first day after
winning Wimbledon you know you would
think like a teenager wins Wimbledon but
not everyone was positive about it
everyone wanted to know the story and
you know blaming my parents for having
their child to go through this crazy
journey and working hard and not having
a normal childhood like everyone is
always going to find something in your
success or in your story or upbringing
that will try to knock you down like
literally whether it's their purpose
whether it's a news outlet whatever it
might be you never know the intention
but yeah I I don't want to form people's
opinion I just want to be and live true
to who I am every day and then that's
the only thing that I can do you can't
really control what other people think
of you or how how they end up
remembering you it's a good point you've
talked about that like not wanting to
get too obsessed with legacy or thinking
about that I'm just not like I it's a
question I get asked a lot about legacy
like how do you want to finish your
career and I don't know I like I've been
fortunate to set my life up in a way now
where I've achieved a lot and maybe when
you're young you said goals and like you
know I want to in order to prove myself
and what I can do I want to win a Grand
Slam then I want to back it up and want
to get to number one in the world but
eventually like you need to play for
other things and you know I don't see
myself saying this is what I want to
stop I want to reach that because that's
also scary like what happens if you do
like is that are you limiting yourself
so so for me it's not about like a
particular goal it's it's a it's an
evolution what are you playing for now
like what is that driver I think it's an
internal feeling you know happiness for
me is of course lifting a trophy is like
that's it's a goal and that's what you
want and your team and yourself you work
towards getting that but it's not always
it's like the moments maybe the days
after where you're just by yourself and
Linc you wake up in those first few
moments where you realize like what you
achieved and your body is so sore and
you feel like you've just given every
you could physically to get to that that
point and it's so rewarding because you
see this little replica next to you of a
trophy and it's nice those are those are
the feelings like I don't know if an
internal happiness can be taken on a
picture you know like we have our whole
life is like surrounded by pictures and
like smiles and you know frowns and good
angles of a face or you know a filter
but it's very rare that the people and
those pictures are truly happy and so I
don't know I don't want to identify
those moments I think sometimes they
come like as a surprise but I do you
know one of my wishes for myself is that
I notice those moments because sometimes
we don't like I I look back and I think
wow if I was like no I built a home a
couple years ago and ahead it wasn't
like a welcoming party but I had people
over I moved to a bigger home and so you
know it felt like and I was getting
ready I had my music on and I was like
dancing around in my room by myself and
it was like internally I was just so
extremely like grateful that I had I was
able to invite all these people and they
were coming to my home and we were gonna
party and you know there's like that but
in that moment no it almost felt like
every other day and so sometimes I wish
that I recognize I think recognized very
word that this is a pretty special
moment why do you think you don't
recognize is it that you're just caught
up in what you're trying to do I think
so I think are my life is very busy
sometimes I don't I don't think I
settled down and I I think about what is
actually important it's interesting I'm
super conflicted about that because as
somebody so reading your book it
resonated with me in ways that I can't
begin to tell you from the title of just
wanting myself to be unstoppable and I'm
gonna read a quote from the book in a
second but I'm somebody that I always
want to move the goalposts right so once
I've accomplished something I mean just
like you were saying you you wind that
first one now you want to win another
Grand Slam you really want to just keep
going bigger and bigger but I love that
like I like the way that makes me feel
not not even to having it right having
the guts to want it having the guts to
go after it to constantly move the
goalposts
well what if you didn't get like what if
you had a
and you didn't achieve it how would it
make you feel because I always think of
one to understand that one of my
fundamental beliefs is that it is
possible maybe not likely but it's
possible I'll live forever because I
think like that I always and the reason
that I allowed myself to become obsessed
with that is because it always meant
that there was gonna be time right that
there always be time if I fail chance so
I may have failed now but like I can get
up and do it again and my team knows
very well about myself I don't judge
myself by what I accomplish I judge
myself by what I'm sincerely willing to
pursue exactly and that's where it gets
exciting but I want to read a quote from
your book
which when I read this I was like all
right she's my kind of peeps I can get
fancy and sweet about it but at the
bottom my motivation is simple I want to
beat everyone yeah I think there's like
a little bit of my Russian character
coming out like just straight to the
point
yeah it's really that's what it's about
and I've had several conversations like
with different people in my life and
when they asked me about goals and
victories and even when I interviewed
the coach that's coaching me now I
didn't know him very well I knew that he
was a coach that's been on the tour for
a long time but our first conversation
he asked me because he had a long a long
time job that was in which he was
comfortable and he was making good money
didn't really need the the change and it
wasn't so much that I needed to convince
him but he also didn't want to be part
of this like farewell tour because I'm
toward the end of my career and so he
asked me what I wanted you know what I
was still playing for like is it another
Grand Slam or is it just to get back to
number one and then just call it quits
and on a high note and I was like I
don't know I thought he asked me a silly
question because I was like what do you
mean I just want to win like what do you
mean what I'm doing this for I just want
to win if that's no matter where that is
a Grand Slam and and that's the attitude
that I think it's important for me to
carry on as I continue is that of course
Grand Slams are important like that is
where I want to be that is where I want
to perform at my best but
people that buy a ticket in the middle
of nowhere in a country at a smaller
tournament or at an exhibition want to
see my name with the way that I play and
the way that I compete no matter if it's
a Grand Slam or a smaller tournament or
an exhibition that doesn't mean anything
at the end of the day so and maybe it's
also because I just don't know how to
play any differently or like this it's
just this is me and this is what you're
going to get yeah I love that and that's
really the way that I as I wrote the
book that's really the frame of mine
that I wanted to have and and I think
that's important especially when when
you're writing a memoir so talking about
your frame of mind which I found really
really interesting and and you've talked
about it saying I have something else it
isn't just the work ethic in fact I'm
going to paraphrase what this gonna be
really close everyone that plays tennis
has work ethic so that isn't what
separated me from everybody else what
separated me from everybody else was
that other thing what is that other
thing I always think there are there are
things that just can't be measured like
you know I don't know if they're in thin
air or they're another planet or what
but like they're and a lot of sports are
measured by numbers so you have
statistics and you have all the point
percentages and like I'll talk to my
coach and he'll show me actual patterns
of a player or where they serve so I'm
aware of it in a match and all that is
important but when you're deep enough in
a match or you're deep in a third set
like so much is you rely so more I do on
my mind and what I believe is right in
that moment on my instinct and whether
it's the repetition that I formed with
all the years that I've played or it's
the discipline that I've that I've
formed or it's just the experience that
will kick in no numbers are important
and you must rely on them but there are
things that like you don't mean Andre
Agassi had the school you don't have to
be better than everyone else in the draw
when you go out on the court like you
have to be better than someone that's
across the net and whether that is at a
very high level whether that's at a low
level whatever it is it doesn't matter
you can't can be great every single day
like there's only a handful of times
where I've gone
on the court and felt like I did
everything well no it's impossible
yeah that's that whole concept of any
given Sunday right like no matter what
the odds if you can at that moment dig
in and outperform and that to me really
does come down to mindset and you you've
talked about building your mindset
reading the book though there are some
examples where I was like whoa this is
like a little kid showing a level of
grit and tenacity that I've never seen
like I didn't have a page I was ashamed
of myself and be really talk to us about
when you ripped off your fingernail and
how you reacted and I think I was around
five five and a half I know bleeding
everywhere by the way five and a half
ribs are fingernail loss so my father
and I we were we were headed to our my
morning practice and we were living in
Sochi Russia and we're going to the
public bus transportation and it's like
a 20 minute walk from the apartment
building to the bus and no and there's I
mean the roads are not great they're
they're better no but still not great
and no I slipped I fell and I got I got
back up again and then I just see like
blood everywhere and I look at my nail
and my fingernails like not there and I
was like hmm well this is a problem but
like we have practice and my dad's I go
no we have to go back and you know
here's like your mom's gonna be so mad
at me if I take you to practice with the
with blood everywhere and I was like no
we have practice like we have to go and
do it
I think I'm not I just walk down that
hill I'm not going back up the hill this
way so I'm not like no one no one really
told me you know that I have to commit
myself to the sport or I have to go and
practice but I really I did enjoy it and
I did like it and at five years old like
there's not there's not much that you
know of a player or who they can become
but I think you do have a mindset and no
one really told me that you know I had
to think that way it's interesting so a
lot of times when people play at a
really high level they actually evolve
they almost believe that they
just are a certain way and one thing
that I saw in some of the talks you've
given an even just now you've said
things like develop instead of you know
I just am and one of the things you said
in the book which is really fascinating
was the repetition created discipline
what did you mean by that
how have you leverage that in your life
and like how does that serve you when
you're down and you you just have to
keep playing your all and every set I do
think that with an it's not just in
sport but with with other things I do
believe that the more you repeat certain
things whether it is writing working on
your you know whether it's cursive
letters or whatever it is like when you
work on something and you keep doing it
over and over it's inevitable that it
will get better and by that you're
creating this feeling of repetition
which leads to discipline like you know
you can do it over and over again and
that's one of my first one of my first
coaches Robert Lansdorp who I speak
about in the book like that was his
philosophy is you I would take a lesson
from him and his philosophy was just
hitting and grinding and it wasn't about
patterns or anything which you know as I
could get from somebody else but what he
gave me is that feeling that I could hit
the ball from any part of the court and
feel like I could do it with closed eyes
and make it and know exactly where it's
going and for me it started at a young
age like my mom would would make me
memorize this Russian literature that I
did not appreciate at five years old it
was very difficult and I didn't know
what it meant but I would do it and I
would memorize it and then I would feel
that I accomplished something I don't
know why I don't know but the repetition
led me to this discipline and and I
think that helps with mindset what our
so hearing you talk about that like it
is in inescapable to hear your story
whether you're telling into you're just
looking from the outside it's really
inescapable to not talk about your
parents your dad is like such a cool
figure in your memoir and I think the
scene that like
really where I wanted to like stand up
and clap is when he talks the guy into
the visas like what
so forget their one easy question to ask
is why was he so hell-bent to get you
into tennis why did he believe so early
that you could be great I mean that it
like even if he saw Talent it's still a
huge stretch that you'll become the best
in the world right so even forgetting
that that plays out for a second how
does he like actually get it we're in
the collapse of the Soviet Union he
walks in to get a visa which they don't
give out and he he convinced I mean and
you literally give the dialogue he
convinces the guy to give him the visa
what is it about your dad that tenacity
being convincing like what is he created
in himself that's allowed him to go as
far as he's gone I must have been four
or five years old and he was reading an
article about Anna Kournikova who was
back then you know very popular figure
in Russia and one of the first few that
really brought tennis on a map then
because it wasn't I mean tennis was not
popular at all in one of the reasons why
we left to the United States but he saw
in a newspaper and it was a short
paragraph it said that Anna Kournikova
won some tournaments somewhere in
Florida and he looked at that and he's
like my daughter can win this tournament
and and part of it is that his
competitiveness is like he you know had
already started playing tennis and he's
like my daughter can be better and then
I think it was also going to Moscow for
a clinic that Martina Navratilova held
and she was a legend and is a legend and
you know getting her to single me out
out of so many kids that were there and
saying to my father that you're your
girl has talent and you should do
something about it I think was very
eye-opening for him and then going back
to Sochi realizing that there was no
potential of growth there for my tennis
career and then you know reading about
Florida all the academies that were
there all the players that were
developing their games from out other
countries and that was a kiss sign he
believed in signs and it still does you
know it's like the Russians who is
superstitious mentality do you think
a dreamer um he doesn't strike me as a
dreamer that's not how I see myself he
doesn't strike me as obviously I don't
know him but reading about it he doesn't
strike me as a dreamer but what what is
so your story is so weird I think the
reason I say is not because I a dreamer
doesn't resonate to be a realist I think
a dreamer sometimes goes you know and
this make-believe goes around this
make-believe world my dad was very much
like a realist he's very smart and like
understanding the reality of things but
he also took a lot of chance and he gave
himself to give that chance because if
you really thought about it I mean you'd
think that he's crazy and he was crazy
so think of himself as stupid and so he
really didn't want to think about it too
much he was like this is what what I
believe in and I'm gonna go for it what
you said in the book is it's got over
the head right so like you said if he'd
stopped and thought about it he would
have realized okay this doesn't make any
sense so I'm just gonna trust my gut but
what's so interesting and this is why
your story is so crazy and it reads like
a Hollywood screenplay the the visa
officer that he meets has a daughter who
plays tennis right and so he says like
look I think my daughter is great but I
don't think that she's a prodigy are you
how are you sure you're not just looking
at your daughter with the eyes of a
father yeah so how how do you think your
dad had the wood all called guts to to
keep pushing like at every turn to just
keep going it's so entrepreneurial is
the word that I would use yeah I guess
in this day and age you can say I would
say that he also struggled with working
different jobs and trying to find a
better way and a better opportunity for
his family and there's no doubt that he
saw an opportunity in this as well but
on the other side like he knew he had
mean he had to go into that visa office
and convince this individual so if he
had a chance like he had to be strong
and he had to like stand up for himself
in that moment so you've obviously
become very thin
is for treating tennis like it's your
job that the locker room is your office
you're there to get work done
how have you cultivated that mindset you
had a coach if I'm not mistaken who said
there's your game and there's your game
and that you got very good very young at
both what did he mean what are the two
games well I think when I when I first
arrived in the States
I was I was very isolated from like the
rest of the kids and because when I was
always younger than them I was I would
always play up in the divisions when I
was boarding in the school I was
boarding with girls that were three four
years older than I was we just didn't
have much in common I mean I never felt
like it so I was never really I was
never ever part of this Rat Pack and so
I never developed these deep friendships
at a young age and so I didn't rely on
them like I didn't rely myself to you
know put glue and and sparkles and all
those things
after I practiced like for me I I had my
homework and I'd go to bed and that was
the way and I was okay with it like yeah
it was it was definitely a lonely world
but it was you know I think it create it
helped my mind focus on what was really
important and I didn't rely on other
people to make me feel better about a
board that I was doing or something and
so and that that really carried through
like I always I do I do see my my office
as the locker room as the tennis court
as the hallway like when I enter there I
mean I'm I'm in it and and I don't know
any other way and it's worked for me and
so like from my perspective I it's not
something that I want to change because
it's worked like I know that I have to
be like when I when I go back home it's
easy going friends and family of so many
other you know great things that I'm a
part of total goofball you know can't
take myself seriously but when I get in
that car to go to the courts and I get
in the match my coach knows it's Maria
hmm
that's that's the way it is
is another quote on this topic in your
book which I loved before I even go out
on the court some of the other players
are intimidated I can feel it they know
I'm strong
how much do you use that to your
advantage that they know where your
head's at they know that I will not I
will not just give them the match like
you can beat me but I will not give it
to you like I will I will work for it
and and that started at a young age like
you know I wasn't we talked about
numbers like I've never been the fastest
the strongest I mean I spent years
watching you know the French Open
analysts before I won the French Open
the French Open commentators after you
had a champion there speak about all the
advantages someone that has that hits
high balls and moves well and slides on
the clay and has all these attributes
that I just didn't have liked that was
not my game and those words were like is
like a hamster wheel is like just going
like rewind rewind in my mind and as I
was working in the gym or on the court
or on the clay courts leading up to the
clay season I think of that and I wanted
to find a way to you know to show that
my game was capable of improving in
order to be a champion at at that
tournament so I mean I think there are
definitely things that you use as
motivation and and they always change
along your career you know what what I
played for and the things that motivated
me when I was younger might not be the
things that motivate me today do you
have a chip on your shoulder at all now
coming into the comeback I don't and I
mean some of the things that I've been
there have been really challenging and
tough and they've I've certainly had to
open up much more and by choice like
it's really allowed me and helped me
through the process of like facing these
like tough moments through vulnerability
and like understanding that that's okay
you know cuz that's also like a moment
where I have to realize like it's it's a
it's oh no it's a good feeling to feel
that you know - of overcoming that of
sharing that with other people and
sharing
but now I I don't know I play it because
I still really believe that I have a lot
more to give and while I was away from
it I feel like the game itself I mean as
I look back over the years it's provided
me a lot it's given me a lot and I still
feel like there's more to give to the
sport you seem like you're playing with
hunger I mean you seem like you're
showing up to win so you said that the
things change over time but like what is
like is there a red hot something yeah
eternal it's a very it's an internal
feeling of I've gone through the shit's
like I've been through everything and
for myself like I really want to do this
I want to put in the work I want to make
my body strong I want to make my mind
strong I've had an incredible team that
has stuck with me for so many years and
I want to do it together yeah and what
is the the one skill talent I'm not sure
what word to use that if you obviously
forget the just the ability to play
tennis what is that one talent skill
that you have that you think is most
valuable to you I don't think everyone
has like the patience to go through
moments of like adversity on the court
because it's you know you're in front of
thousands of people and you make
mistakes and you know like when I used
to practice when I was younger and I my
mom would come to practice which was
very rare but if I would hit in the net
she should like come off the court and
she'd be like I don't understand how
anyone can hit in the net the net is a
few feet high you have the whole sky and
like you hit in the net like you have so
much room it's like oh my god there's
the reason why my mom doesn't come to
practice and so if you think about it
like there's someone that practices so
much and yet goes into competition and
makes mistakes
or things don't go well like you see it
on their face so you see this this anger
they're unhappy they're frustrated
they're looking at their box I mean
there's so much emotion going on it's
like reading everything right
like right here you know they don't even
need to explain that you just know and
so I I feed off of that like without
even seeing it like I feel it with the
way that they carry themselves and I've
seen it as I watched tennis on TV in the
last couple of years is that was away
like I noticed it so much and it started
from a young age I mentioned in the book
when you see the winner and the
finalists and a photograph like you know
exactly who's a winner who's who's the
finalist like a finalist has the slick
face like they're about to cry and the
winner has this huge huge smile and from
then on I was like I never want anyone
to know if I'm the finalist because
let's say that I don't know I feel like
I'm giving them so much satisfaction is
that something you change on the inside
or the outside like it would be
relatively easy to fake the external
like I just lost but hey or or you like
is so going back to that in stoppable in
fact when I was trying to end the the
intro for you the word that came
screaming to mind was indomitable like
just no one can like get inside your
mind nobody can break your will they may
beat you at tennis yeah fair enough but
they're never going to break your will
and and I do have my moments of
frustration and I look at my coach one
you know things are not going well and
you know we have a plan
and it's not working and you just want
to blame someone I've had I've had my
fair share of moments but I think
there's something about like I have a
routine in the midst of pointing in
between the points where I go back I
look at my strings and just because when
I was younger I'd you know I'd be ahead
and I'd start looking around and like oh
wow there's so many people watching me
how cool is this and next thing you know
you lose the next game you lose the next
set and the match is over and you coat
you're coming off the court like wait
what happened I was so happy so no I I
know that I can be out there for as long
as it is and like if I can just dedicate
myself to that to that time I can let
myself out of that momentum when I leave
but like once I get on the court like
that's it you said in the book that your
magic is focused how would
trained like if your daughter wanted to
play tennis I hope not
really then before we answer that
question let's get that out I don't
think I can do that again because you
don't want to go through it because it's
like no I think that I don't it's a lot
it's a lot I mean you there's so many
unknowns and there's also like the
reality of it like I face there's
sometimes moments where I come off the
court and a tough loss and I sit there
in the locker room and I think why like
why am I putting myself through this
through this emotional I went through
the physical like training for it I give
everything I can and then I'm just
sitting here like with no rewards but
then the next day I wake up and I want
to get back on the court to improve but
not everyone has this mentality and I
think like the real answer is that it's
tough to to train that mentality like I
do believe that you a lot of it you have
to be born with and not you know just
because I'm a tennis player and I've
done well in my career doesn't mean that
my future child will but in terms of
experience and helping though I would I
would love to but to go through it again
that would be tough yeah that's
interesting yes do you think about kids
and what you'd want to teach them I
think about kids I don't think about
what I would want to teach them i I
think one of the great things is that
when your family passes down so much
information to you I think it would be
such a gift to be able to pass it down
to you know that the wealth of knowledge
or at least what they contributed to you
and your life and be able to to share
with your children and like you know
once they get older they you know they
branch out and they have a life of their
own but while they're young and growing
up I think that's a that's that's a gift
that I will definitely want to is my
parents I mean sacrificed so much in
that we've developed a very this close
bond and understanding and you know
closeness that's very unique and I think
it's also something that I appreciate it
as I got older because I see a lot of
kids that once they
to a certain age they kind of want to
you know spread their wings and be like
okay now it's my time to be on their own
and I really felt like the need to do
that I enjoy being around my parents I
enjoy people being around people that
are older than me as well that have you
know maybe more mature more experienced
yeah
so let's live in a fantasy world for a
second where your physicality never
deteriorates how long would you play
tennis yeah I don't know like I don't
really have a goal as long as I have
this desire to keep getting better yeah
like that's important I think that's
like if I don't feel that I can be a
better player tomorrow then if I don't
think that I can have something to
improve like in my in my game or that's
a I know that's impossible like there's
always something you can do better you
happen to have set a quote right along
those lines which I'd loved I'd love
when people give me cuz I'm so obsessed
with them and you said if I wake up in
the morning and don't want to be
challenged and don't want to be better
at something it would feel like a wasted
day right so is that what led you to
Harvard well let's not get crazy it's
only like a few weeks it's still an
interesting story so you've got the
downtime you don't just sit back and eat
haagen-dazs and bahamas yeah did you do
that for like a couple of months I did I
did for a little bit and then I was like
okay no I wanted to branch out I wanted
to learn I knew that during summer there
these courses that Harvard had going on
so I I signed up for two back-to-back so
Harvard Business School that they teach
upon case studies so and I signed up
like three days before the first class
so they email me these case studies and
there's about average 20 for 10 days and
I was like whoa like I have to read
these before I get to Harvard and before
the class begins it was intense because
I spent three weeks I spent ten days on
campus and then staying there and
everything and then we did the second
part of it in London and what's your
vision for business post tennis are you
going to bring the same level of
competitive
so you really trying to build something
big like what's that vision yeah I I
really am when I had shoulder surgery
and it doesn't eat one my third Grand
Slam was playing really great tennis and
started feeling something in my shoulder
was misdiagnosed a few times ended up
having surgery and I think it was like
really eye-opening for me because it was
the first time in my career where I felt
like wow I wouldn't be doing this
forever like when you're young you just
kind of follow through with things
you're playing every day and then from
one day to the next is like wow I might
not have this back and so I started um I
started a candy business called sugar
poha and we started with gummies and the
way it started was we I actually why I
love sweets so I grew up like with my
grandmother just eating all types of
sweets and um kind of a bad habit but
what can you do we all have them and and
then it's sort of I started working with
someone that was knowledgeable in the
field Jeff Rubin who really just like
helped me with understand like different
products trends what works in certain
places and doesn't and then I started
doing research on packaging for the
gummies realized that you know gummies
was like a $0.99 product that you buy in
a store as you're walking out of the
store you're eating you're throwing away
there's no meaning to it and I wanted to
create like a premium product that
looked great that tasted great and
that's what we did and so now is it
global domination I mean you got
involved in the UFC it's like yeah a
little bit so I own Sugar Puffs Willy
we're in about over 20 different
countries right now we're online we're
yeah we're we're expanding we're in
chocolate we're as well we're doing
truffles soon we've got that like
specific goals like we want to be in
this many countries this much
distribution do this much revenue the
thing with with candy is that it's an
it's really a numbers game because
there's you know it's an it's not a very
high price points like 299 399 so so
it's really about quantity so
distribution is really important and
then like that's the big lesson that I'm
learning is like the keys to
distribution manufacturers getting the
product we're also incorporating working
on
incorporating natural gummies you know
as you see the shift in health and and
everything so yeah our chocolates
all-natural non-gmo our truffles are are
gonna be amazing that's gonna be a great
addition to the line so it's it's an fun
business great taste testing yeah but
just evolving it and seeing where where
it goes awesome
all right before I ask my last question
working these guys find you
social media Maria Sharapova Instagram
every social media platform I have is
quite different instagrams a little bit
more than creative I love photographs so
you know I always use like the 30
filters that they provide like as one
does right Twitter very fan engaging so
I every tweet a lot of my speak to my
fans a little bit more and more
newsworthy and Facebook is a little bit
more corporate so different things but
all our Maria Sharapova all right yeah
and what is the impact that you want to
have on the world hmm I think impact to
me is a very something that comes from
within I always want to I feel like I
want to start and then the day being the
best version of myself that I can be I
think we're always impacted by external
things people life situations finances
job all those things and you know it's
important to always focus on you so you
can be the best version to other people
in your life and if I can do that I know
that I'll all impact others
thank you so
all right you had something incredible
coming your way if you dive into her
mindset and what she has had to do to
become as successful as she's become is
absolutely insanity her story is is
unbelievable it's a story of not only
work ethic it is a story of building a
mindset that truly is unstoppable I
think that may be the perfect title for
her book the things that she's gone
through whether it's injury whether it's
her most recent setback always on the
other side of that you watch her rebuild
herself into somebody that is to be
feared because it is somebody that is
willing to put in the work to do
whatever it takes to come out the other
side better at whatever she's doing it
is gonna be utterly fascinating to watch
her translate what she has done so well
on the tennis court to the world of
business because if she brings that same
attitude of I will outwork everyone I
will build my body I will build my mind
I will research I will learn I will do
the things that other people aren't
willing to do and I'm gonna beat you in
the boardroom before you even walk in
the room which is exactly how she plays
tennis so it is gonna be really
fascinating it was super inspiring for
me to get a glimpse into that mindset
which is exactly the kind of thing that
I want in my own life because at the
bottom at the end of the day I want to
beat everybody and I love anybody that's
got that attitude all right guys dive in
let her inspire you she's gonna blow you
away if you haven't already be sure to
subscribe and until next time my friends
be legendary
take care
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