Condoleezza Rice And Allyson Felix Talk Personal Wellness & Career Success

Condoleezza Rice and Allyson Felix are sharing the wellness routines that helped get them to the top of their careers, in hopes of inspiring other women to do the same.

The former Secretary of State and the Olympic gold medalist have teamed up to empower women about the benefits of wellness when it comes to reaching new heights in their careers.

Rice, the first Black woman to serve as secretary of state, and Felix, the most decorated U.S. Olympian in track and field history, spoke with CBS News at the KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit at the Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey about the importance of combatting stress when it comes to being among the first in their fields.

Rice, who grew up in the segregated south, learned early on about the importance of overcoming barriers and limits to secure her piece of the pie.

“I grew up in segregated Birmingham, Alabama. And if I had thought about barriers, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said. “My father had a very good way of saying it: Don’t let somebody else’s prejudice be your problem.”

When it comes to stress, Rice says it’s a normal part of life that only increases as you reach new levels of success.

“Stress is a part of life,” Rice said. “And particularly as you go up the ladder, it’s going to be more stressful. And frankly, that’s also true for men.”

When it comes to combatting stress, the former secretary of state says she’s always found it best to tackle the issue head-on.

“I always found, first and foremost, acknowledging it,” Rice said. “If you suppress it, it doesn’t help.”

“I always said to myself, ‘All right, this is a stressful situation.’ And by naming it, I felt that I could deal with it then. And saying, ‘Oh, I can’t be stressed’? Come on. What you can say is, ‘I’m feeling stressed. How do I manage that stress?’ And I think that’s the most important thing.”

As for Felix, who remains a fierce advocate in the Black maternal health movement, she opts for a daily routine of journaling and meditating inside the car before she goes inside her house.

“I start my day off with my gratitude journal, and that really just centers me,” she said. “I started playing a little bit of tennis.”

“Sometimes when my days get absolutely crazy, sometimes wellness looks like sitting in my car for a little bit longer, you know? Doing a little bit of meditation before I walk into the house.”