Alexis Ohanian Reveals Communication Barriers With Daughter & How Serena Williams Solves It

Talking about the father-daughter relationship, Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, and his daughter, Olympia, have set the perfect example. Coming from a white ethnicity, Ohanian feels that he has probably seen the world from a position of privilege and can’t help Olympia navigate the problems faced by people of color. Instead, it’s Serena who can relate to the problems better and would be the right person for Olympia to have conversations with about some of the real-life problems.

During the July 30 episode of the Business Dad podcast, Ohanian sat down with Kanyi Maqubela, a seasoned investor and entrepreneur. They dived deep into Maqubela’s family’s history of activism in South Africa, the joys and challenges of co-parenting with an award-winning pediatrician, and the unwavering support he offers his partner. Kanyi, a former math and science teacher turned presidential campaign staffer, brought a unique perspective to the conversation. With a background in academia, film production, and healthcare innovation, he offered insightful commentary as Alexis shared his personal journey.

Born in Soweto, South Africa, during apartheid, Maqubela emigrated to the United States as a refugee. He transitioned from the challenges of a township to the privileged halls of Phillips Academy. Drawing on his own experiences, Kanyi posed a thought-provoking question to Ohanian: “What does it mean to raise a kid in a different identity than yours?”

Kanyi acknowledged a distinct identity for his Black children growing up in the United States. Unlike himself, they possess a maternal lineage they can directly connect with. Sharing a vulnerable moment, he recounted an instance where his son inquired about their racial identity. Both he and his wife were caught off guard, struggling to provide a satisfactory answer. For this, Ohanian revealed his side of the story.

“I send that right back to her mom. I mean, I do my best but there’s a couple of layers to it. One, I get a few layers of privilege as a white dude. When trying to navigate the world on behalf of being a good dad to my daughter, I want to do the best I can to help equip her with all the things that she codes of confidence. And then it’s also knowing that there’s gonna be a different side of that conversation, which is the reality of the world that she’s gonna have to navigate, where I know she’s gonna have to go to her mom to have those conversations.”

Throughout her career, Williams has been a flagbearer for athletes of color. The Queen of the Court has spoken out against any tragedy that has befallen POCs in her time. Additionally, she was in the midst of such an instance during the 2001 Indian Wells Masters. Williams was met with racial jeers and constant booing from the audience during her semifinal clash, an event she claims haunts her to this day. She went on to boycott the event for 14 years.

Williams is ideal to speak about the issues faced by POCs with Olympia, as she has lived through some and triumphed over them each time. Her effort in fighting such instances made her an advocate, and it isn’t a surprise that Ohanian called her a ‘superhero.’

Ohanian pays tribute to Williams for being the mother of his two children

During the same podcast, the Reddit co-founder revealed the impact Williams has had on his life after marriage. Along with being a legendary tennis player, Williams is also a mother of two children, Olympia and Adira. With their upbringing under her influence, Ohanian saluted Williams and called her a ‘superhero’ in his life.

He went on to say, “I won’t say it out loud, but I’ll explicitly remind myself this woman, gave birth to the two most amazing things in your world. so even though you just got comfortable, you just sat down to the bed and she asked you to grab something. Just get up and go do it, just just go do it. This woman’s a superhero and it’s not for the tennis stuff, it’s not for all the other things.”

It is heartening to see how Serena Williams has transitioned from a legendary player on the court to a perfect mother responsible for the upbringing of her two daughters. Indeed, she is a legend in every aspect of her life.