When we decided to launch a magazine about movement, athletics, and human health,
we knew we would need a dope cover athlete — a GOAT.

Natasha Watley is more than an American Olympic GOAT. Rather, she has all the ingredients for a Marvel Super Heroine; she is unconditionally kind, insanely gifted, drop-dead gorgeous, and uses her own innate knowing to make her impact felt.

Natasha, in my opinion, is also the greatest softball player of all time.

I say this for a few reasons; she hits for insane average and power, gets on base whenever she feels like it, somehow steals home and is the smoothest fielding player at shortstop I have ever witnessed. Everything she did was fast, powerful, and poetic.
The Legendary Sue Enquist (arguably the greatest softball coach of all time) calls her "the Jackie Robinson of Softball"; she’s not wrong.

You should know Natasha like you know Serena.
You should know Natasha like you know LeBron.

I struggled with anxiety, depression, and autoimmune disease for most of my time at UCLA. I was ill-equipped to manage the emotional demands of playing for a team in contention for a National Championship and had a really tough time finding my people. But Natasha Watley, the GOAT, was my sunshine.

We were blessed to have Natasha as a volunteer coach during the years she was training for the Olympics, and she bestowed her kindness upon me. She would sneak me peanut M&Ms in the dugout when I had tears in my eyes, and she was one of the only humans at UCLA I felt safe to share my tears and truths with.

I cannot really even begin to tell you what a gift she has been in my life;
she made me feel important.
She made me feel seen,
and her love helped keep me in the sport.

Natasha is what we all would hope an American Olympian to be; graceful, powerful, and humble. She was a 4-time All-American, 2003 Honda Broderick Cup Winner, NCAA Champion, and the 2014 Hall of Fame Inductee at UCLA.

She is an Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist and had a powerful career in Japan.

She founded the Natasha Watley Foundation (NWF), a community service nonprofit dedicated to introducing softball to the girls of the nation’s inner cities.

NWF seeks to give every girl the opportunity to fall in love with softball, providing a path to a sport and an improved quality of life.

Natasha is simply a champion of humanity, and I am so honored to introduce some of you to her today.

For those of us in the softball world and Natasha Fierce Clubhouse, we know.

WB: What have you learned in this life that you want humans to listen to, but more importantly, hear?

NW: I realized early on it’s not what you do or know; it’s how you make people feel.
People remember the person who made them feel that they are appreciated, that they have a gift.

I like to remind people of their ability, that they can do anything.
To carry that with them as they approach the day and how they show up when it’s tough.
I hope that someone walks away and says, “Wow, she made me feel like I could accomplish anything.”

So I like to ask myself, “How am I impacting people, and how do I make them feel?”

WB: Do you think we forgot how to be human?

NW: With the introduction of technology, we have forgotten how to communicate; it’s not conversational anymore. I think we are responsible for shifting the paradigm and the importance we are placing on social media and media — and the value we are placing on humans through those channels.

Social media can trick us into forgetting that we have to trust the journey in sport, in our careers, and in our lives. Social media and traditional media can do more of celebrating the small joys of putting in the time, showcasing the journey.

I didn’t push a button.
I did this.
Followers and likes — that is not reality; it is entertainment.
In my opinion, it’s not reality.

What validates you is YOU and what YOU do.

I am super concerned for the younger generation growing up with social media as part of their culture. Social media IS their reality. We have to remind them that it is a tool, not real life. They are receiving mixed messages.

Yes, social media can be a tool. You can build a personal brand from the experiences you've had and choose to share, and also through the experiences that made you the human you are today; you can control the narrative via social media, BUT, the way you control YOUR narrative - in real life - is to be who you are.

Coaches and fans watch you on the field and in life to see how you show up.
It’s not about what you post; it’s who you ARE. Everyday.

WB: Talk to me about “Name Image and Likeness” for NCAA athletes; what advice would you give the student-athletes who will be able to receive compensation during their collegiate career?

NW: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF.

It can feel really good to make easy coin,
but there’s no such thing as easy coin.

The attention could be for the purity of your athleticism,
could be for something else,
and it is your job to remain true to YOU.
No brand will help you do that.

Keep priorities.
What do you believe in?

BE WHO YOU ARE, and the right partnerships will come.

When it’s about making money, we say to ourselves, “I guess I need to change things.” No — be who you are.

Trying to be someone you’re not just doesn’t work out in the long run.

WB: How does Natasha Watley enjoy moving her body these days?

I work out for joy. I’ve lived a life full of “HAD-to.”

I had to train, and now I get the choice to move my body for me.
I have lost muscle, and I am not as hard as I was.
But I still love my body. God gave it to me.
I had some great years and won some medals with it. And now I get to enjoy it.
I am almost 40, and I am in the best shape of my life because I am in good condition,
and I am happy.
That hasn’t always been.
Even when I had more muscle, I couldn’t look in the mirror and accept that.
On the inside, I am purely happy.
I look at the future and see happiness.

Medals are great and all, but what validates you is YOU, and that takes time.
Nothing can replace putting in the time.

You put the work in every day, and you participate in the sport for joy.
You participate in life for yourself.
Show up and be you.
That’s it.
That’s where I find happiness.

When we decided to launch a magazine about movement, athletics, and human health,
we knew we would need a dope cover athlete — a GOAT.

Natasha Watley is more than an American Olympic GOAT. Rather, she has all the ingredients for a Marvel Super Heroine; she is unconditionally kind, insanely gifted, drop-dead gorgeous, and uses her own innate knowing to make her impact felt.

Natasha, in my opinion, is also the greatest softball player of all time.

I say this for a few reasons; she hits for insane average and power, gets on base whenever she feels like it, somehow steals home and is the smoothest fielding player at shortstop I have ever witnessed. Everything she did was fast, powerful, and poetic.
The Legendary Sue Enquist (arguably the greatest softball coach of all time) calls her "the Jackie Robinson of Softball"; she’s not wrong.

You should know Natasha like you know Serena.
You should know Natasha like you know LeBron.

I struggled with anxiety, depression, and autoimmune disease for most of my time at UCLA. I was ill-equipped to manage the emotional demands of playing for a team in contention for a National Championship and had a really tough time finding my people. But Natasha Watley, the GOAT, was my sunshine.

We were blessed to have Natasha as a volunteer coach during the years she was training for the Olympics, and she bestowed her kindness upon me. She would sneak me peanut M&Ms in the dugout when I had tears in my eyes, and she was one of the only humans at UCLA I felt safe to share my tears and truths with.

I cannot really even begin to tell you what a gift she has been in my life;
she made me feel important.
She made me feel seen,
and her love helped keep me in the sport.

Natasha is what we all would hope an American Olympian to be; graceful, powerful, and humble. She was a 4-time All-American, 2003 Honda Broderick Cup Winner, NCAA Champion, and the 2014 Hall of Fame Inductee at UCLA.

She is an Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist and had a powerful career in Japan.

She founded the Natasha Watley Foundation (NWF), a community service nonprofit dedicated to introducing softball to the girls of the nation’s inner cities.

NWF seeks to give every girl the opportunity to fall in love with softball, providing a path to a sport and an improved quality of life.

Natasha is simply a champion of humanity, and I am so honored to introduce some of you to her today.

For those of us in the softball world and Natasha Fierce Clubhouse, we know.

WB: What have you learned in this life that you want humans to listen to, but more importantly, hear?

NW: I realized early on it’s not what you do or know; it’s how you make people feel.
People remember the person who made them feel that they are appreciated, that they have a gift.

I like to remind people of their ability, that they can do anything.
To carry that with them as they approach the day and how they show up when it’s tough.
I hope that someone walks away and says, “Wow, she made me feel like I could accomplish anything.”

So I like to ask myself, “How am I impacting people, and how do I make them feel?”

WB: Do you think we forgot how to be human?

NW: With the introduction of technology, we have forgotten how to communicate; it’s not conversational anymore. I think we are responsible for shifting the paradigm and the importance we are placing on social media and media — and the value we are placing on humans through those channels.

Social media can trick us into forgetting that we have to trust the journey in sport, in our careers, and in our lives. Social media and traditional media can do more of celebrating the small joys of putting in the time, showcasing the journey.

I didn’t push a button.
I did this.
Followers and likes — that is not reality; it is entertainment.
In my opinion, it’s not reality.

What validates you is YOU and what YOU do.

I am super concerned for the younger generation growing up with social media as part of their culture. Social media IS their reality. We have to remind them that it is a tool, not real life. They are receiving mixed messages.

Yes, social media can be a tool. You can build a personal brand from the experiences you've had and choose to share, and also through the experiences that made you the human you are today; you can control the narrative via social media, BUT, the way you control YOUR narrative - in real life - is to be who you are.

Coaches and fans watch you on the field and in life to see how you show up.
It’s not about what you post; it’s who you ARE. Everyday.

WB: Talk to me about “Name Image and Likeness” for NCAA athletes; what advice would you give the student-athletes who will be able to receive compensation during their collegiate career?

NW: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF.

It can feel really good to make easy coin,
but there’s no such thing as easy coin.

The attention could be for the purity of your athleticism,
could be for something else,
and it is your job to remain true to YOU.
No brand will help you do that.

Keep priorities.
What do you believe in?

BE WHO YOU ARE, and the right partnerships will come.

When it’s about making money, we say to ourselves, “I guess I need to change things.” No — be who you are.

Trying to be someone you’re not just doesn’t work out in the long run.

WB: How does Natasha Watley enjoy moving her body these days?

I work out for joy. I’ve lived a life full of “HAD-to.”

I had to train, and now I get the choice to move my body for me.
I have lost muscle, and I am not as hard as I was.
But I still love my body. God gave it to me.
I had some great years and won some medals with it. And now I get to enjoy it.
I am almost 40, and I am in the best shape of my life because I am in good condition,
and I am happy.
That hasn’t always been.
Even when I had more muscle, I couldn’t look in the mirror and accept that.
On the inside, I am purely happy.
I look at the future and see happiness.

Medals are great and all, but what validates you is YOU, and that takes time.
Nothing can replace putting in the time.

You put the work in every day, and you participate in the sport for joy.
You participate in life for yourself.
Show up and be you.
That’s it.
That’s where I find happiness.