From Mat to Motherhood: Athlete Voices with Adeline Gray

"Having the ability to step out onto this mat and also be a mom and be able to find ways to find support, really, to support that I can have these dreams, but also get to enjoy being a mom and being a part of their lives and them developing and growing up has been really joyful in my life, and actually making wrestling a little bit easier."

"I don't think I understood, and there's literally a billion people who understand this, but motherhood is crazy."

"Birth is traumatic, and this experience where all of a sudden you created a human, it's the closest thing I've ever felt to nature. And then all of a sudden, you are responsible for their lives. You feed them, you nurture them, you help them grow. And it's been so special to be a part of that cycle, and it's honestly amazing."

"I just walk around being like, "How are you alive?" How is each one of these people just alive?" It's so hard. Thank your parents. They did a lot. But it's been really cool to be just a part of that journey."

"I really thought that the six-week mark, I was going to be back, working out. And I think that's such a misconception that after birth, six weeks later, you're back to your life. And mine was six months of recovery, and it was so much longer to even get back to doing normal things and start to get cleared to lift weights and all sorts of things."

"My abs tore from the babies being big and healthy and wonderful. It's just this interesting dynamic of this joyful thing. The babies were healthy and wonderful, but my body also didn't respond the way I wanted it to. And I think that was challenging, especially as an athlete. I was like, "I'm built for this. I'm going to be so good at growing these babies and giving birth, and then that experience wasn't what I wanted it to be."

"That's wrestling sometimes. You underestimate some circumstances, and you're like, "That wasn't the experience I wanted from that tournament or from that practice." And having to rebound and still show up the next day and still be who you need to be for those little babies or for your competition is definitely something that I felt like wrestling prepared me for those things."

"I think a lot of people are still trying to find their puzzle pieces. They're trying to find the blueprint. They're trying to figure out is this the right blueprint for them, for them to be successful. I feel like I have mine. I'm literally just making tiny little tweaks, just making sure I'm hydrated enough, making sure I have enough sleep, but I know what those pieces are. I do, I feel dangerous knowing that all I have to do is execute this plan. I'm not questioning whether the plan is right or not."

"A lot of it's grace, just giving yourself the time and space, and then showing up for yourself. Just giving yourself the chance to have some grace in those moments to try to work out, to try to get things done. I think a lot of times we question whether or not we'll be able to do it. And if we just start to try, and then you can move into the space of like, "I'm just going to adjust this. I'm going to be happy with how I'm showing up today, even if it's less than what I had expected."