As somebody who is committed to empowering girls and young women through coaching, as well as creative, literary and holistic approaches, I have so much time for Serena Williams and her sister Venus. I would cite them as two of my favourite role models, especially when needed to counteract the sometimes negative images, representations and portrayal of women that we currently see in the media.

It is therefore very frustrating to see the unnecessary, negative press Serena and Venus sometimes receive, whilst having professional dry spells and even when they win grand slams.

As a vegan and ‘raw foodist’ myself, according to an article on ‘Examinar.com’ holisticnewsletter (http://www.examiner.com/article/serena-williams-shifts-to-raw-foods-diet-to-support-her-sister-venus), I’m aware Serena followed a raw vegan diet to support her sister Venus, who was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Sjogren’s syndrome, reported in the Washington Post on April 27 2013. Venus was already following a raw food diet (eating unprocessed, uncooked vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds juices and smoothies) and in solidarity with her sister, Serena became a raw vegan also.

Serena had also taken the time to heal from a recent life threatening illness herself. She has therefore been to the brink and back, overcoming adversity, personal family tragedy and negative criticism from the press to get back to what she does best; winning!

Recently, I spent an afternoon at a lovely, well respected bakery in Dulwich, south London, with a group of young ladies I had been teaching on The Virtue Programme, an education and personal development course dedicated to building confidence and self esteem into the female leaders of tomorrow. The trip was to expose them to the positive experiences they can gain and more nutritional options open to them, if they don’t choose from the popular high street fast food eateries. By the end of the programme, I could already see them acknowledging how powerful they are and what goals are possible for them to achieve! 

Like Serena and Venus, these young ladies too can overcome any obstacles they are faced with, as well as override criticism and negative comments to be winners in life.

This French Open win is testimony to the fighter, determined woman and high achiever Serena Williams is!

As she begins her Wimbledon 2015 campaign, let’s hope the media focuses on how awesome and totally inspirational she is to women and hold her up as a true role model, especially to our young girls!

© Patricia Foster July 2015

© Patricia Foster, Award Winning Poet, Sable Litmag Poet-in-Residence 2014-2015, Qualified Life Coach (Dip NMC), Motivational Speaker and YouAreYOU founder.

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