Heroes are everywhere. They inspire us and make us believe that we can make the world a better place no matter where we are. In recent years, brands have pushed to make their audiences know that – whether it’d be making them realise what they can do, or actively seek out ways to improve on past mistakes. For Serena Williams, inspiring others means breaking down walls one at a time through her skills at tennis.

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The 36 year old star athlete has been taking the world of female tennis by storm since she debuted in 2001. Now having won a lot of accolades over the years, Serena has overcome a lot – both on and off the field as a tennis player, a woman and a mother.

As such, Nike decided to give Serena a chance to inspire others and showcase her ability with a special clip that played during the 2018 Academy Awards. Entitled “This is Unlimited Serena”, the ad aims to tackle issues of women’s place in the world and celebrate their crowning achievements in what’s an important month for women. This included celebrating everything from their role in the workplace, to daily lives and as family members.

In the clip, Serena talks about all the prejudices and barriers that people tried to put on her throughout her career. From her weight, to her height, to her echtnicity and even her personality. People tried to tell her what she could and couldn’t do and what she should and shouldn’t strive to be.

However, and using Serena’s own statement, “I didn’t necessarily begin my career in tennis thinking I was going to be breaking down barriers in the sport, but I found myself in this space with a huge platform at my fingertips. Over time, I became much more conscious of the impact I had, and I became more conscious of what I had to do to make a difference. I embrace being a leader and continuing to pave the way for the next generation.”

With her words, it’s clear that Serena still plans to set out and crush even more barriers so that future generations can look up and craft their own futures. This stands out more so in a time where we’re all revaluing how we look at the world around us and women are encouraged more and more to go after their dreams regardless of what others say.

On this subject, we definitely are on the same side as Nike and Serena Williams. As the world keeps going, we will undoubtedly have to keep knocking down the barriers that prevent others from pursuing what they want or even living the way they want. It might take a while, but we’re sure that we’ll get there – one step at a time.

Photo Credits: La Calle