Maria Taylor

I’d been a fan of Maria Taylor’s for a while before I met her. We have both been in some situations where we’ve had to stand on our principles, and stand firm on them. She’s navigated spaces that are quite challenging as she moved up through the ranks, and she’s done it in a really graceful way. And now to see where she is—hosting Football Night in America—is really incredible. I think about my daughter and the people I want her to look up to, and it’s women like Maria. In a space where you don’t see many women of color, I feel like she really shines. She’s so knowledgeable, and so relatable, and she has so much integrity. Early on in her career, I’m sure that probably seemed very ambitious, to be anchoring a show that so many people tune in to, but I think she shows that you absolutely can reach those ambitious goals. I think that a lot of people can probably see themselves in Maria. I know that I can, and that she continues to inspire me. She does her job brilliantly. I put no limits on her.

Felix is a seven-time Olympic gold medalist in track and field

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