The time for women in sports is now, and Natalia Grossman is taking her rightful seat at the table. The first time Olympian is competing in rock climbing this summer, and is ecstatic to show everyone what she’s made of. And although rock climbing is one of the newest Olympic sports, Grossman is just as prepared to compete as all the other athletes are.
With growing female representation in sports, beauty brands have rushed in to show their support for women athletes. By acting as sponsors or providing partnerships, beauty brands are both finding ways to empower female athletes and emphasize the huge role that beauty products play in their lives. And while some might argue that it’s cliché for women to work with beauty brands—these partnerships are proving that women can kick ass in their sports and love beauty products at the same time.
With female athletes and beauty brands becoming a powerful duo across all sports, Natalia Grossman was over the moon when she was given the opportunity to partner with Olay. And because it’s her first time competing in the Olympics, Grossman personally identified with Olay’s simple approach to self care routines. While skincare enthusiasts online boast about 10-step routines, Grossman prefers to stick to the basics—because even when you’re an Olympian, you still want to put your best face forward.
How excited are you to be participating in the Olympics this year?
Very excited. I’ve never been and my sport, which is rock climbing, is still pretty new to the Olympics. And this time it’ll actually be in a different format than last time. So there’s lots of excitement still, because it’s so new to the games.
What does this partnership with Olay mean to you?
I’ve used their products for many years, so I was very excited about the opportunity to work with Olay. It’s my first beauty partnership and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I love how the brand is led by a lot of women. It’s super empowering and cool.
How have you been mentally and physically preparing yourself to compete in the Olympics?
Mentally, there’s a couple of different things I like to do. I like to journal, visualize, and meditate, leading up to competitions and during training. Also, just having people who I can talk to, like my coaches and my mom, I’m really close with her, and I also work with a sports psych from time to time. So just having people I can talk to helps me prepare mentally, in addition to all the physical work that I do at the gym.
How important is self care to you, both in preparation for the Olympics and when you’re not competing?
It’s very important. I love having things I enjoy doing outside of climbing, so that I’m not always focused on climbing. Self care often is just me having some alone time, because I’m more of an introvert. So, you know, maybe that means just reading a book or painting or taking a bath and just relaxing.
How do you think you’ll maintain your self care routine during the Olympics?
My everyday night routine and morning routine are pretty similar. In the morning, I take a cold shower, I use the Olay vitamin C moisturizer, and then do my hair—before going to the gym, it’s pretty minimal. And then, at night, I always like to take a shower before dinner. I use the Olay cleanser, just because I’ve probably been sweating. And then I use moisturizing products like the retinol 24 or super serum. I think both of those routines are very minimal and easy to do so I can do them anywhere, and that’ll help me have that sense of routine and make me feel comfortable during the Olympics.
Do you and your teammates find it hard to keep up with your self care routines?
Me and my teammates all have pretty minimal routines. So it’s pretty easy for us to do that. Like while we’re traveling, no one really shows up with like 100 products or anything like that. We’re there to work, and obviously we want to look presentable so we can play well. But, I don’t want to spend an hour getting ready every day. And I think a lot of my teammates are in the same boat.
What do you recommend for a minimal routine?
I love the Olay cleansing melts for travel, especially if you’re flying domestically because you don’t have to worry about them being over 3.4 ounces or whatever because they’re dry, so that’s really nice. And they’re very easy to use. You just take one and activate it in the shower, it’s super simple. I also use the Olay cleansers and the vitamin C moisturizer. At night I typically switch off between the Super Serum or the retinol 24, or sometimes I’ll use both.
