It’s evident that Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian’s 11-month-old daughter, Alexis Olympia, has a one-of-a-kind personality.Thanks to a recent revelation the tennis champ shared with ESSENCE, baby Olympia has already started to tap into the perfectionist side of her Virgo sign. Now, Williams reveals to ESSENCE that she’s working hard to instill strength in her daughter and to teach her about being a Black woman.“There are so many things I want to teach her about being a Black woman, and I’m proud that I have that opportunity,” says Williams. “I was just talking with my husband, Alexis. We were talking about how we want to take her to Africa, and show her where she’s from and the strength that she gets from her ancestors. We want her to be able to build and thrive off that strength. And that’s only the beginning of what I want to teach her.”But the teachable moments don’t just stop there.After opening up this week about her postpartum struggles, where the superstar athlete expressed that sometimes she felt like she “was not a good mom” and wasn’t “doing enough,” Williams doled out this honest piece of advice for new moms.“Believe in yourself and you can do anything,” Williams tells ESSENCE. “I feel like if I can do it, anyone can do it. It really is just believing in yourself. I’m no different than anyone else. Really I’m not. I’m just determined and having that work ethic.”She wants to inspire a solid work ethic in her daughter as well.“I want her to also have work ethic,” says Williams. “I want her to know that this is what her mommy did, and that’s what motivates me. I’m sure first-time moms will totally get it. When you have a baby, you just want to do everything you can for them.”
