In the predawn hours, while most fighters are still sleeping, Kayla Harrison is already up preparing lessons for her homeschooled children. By afternoon, she’s at American Top Team, preparing for the biggest fight of her career against Julianna Peña at UFC 316 on June 7 in Newark, New Jersey. This seemingly impossible balancing act between elite athlete and devoted mother isn’t just working—it’s thriving.
“Anyone who tells you they do it all by themselves is an absolute liar,” Harrison candidly revealed in a recent interview with Megan Olivi. “I don’t have a team. I have a tribe.”
That tribe—the extended support system that enables her dual life—is at the core of Harrison’s success story. The two-time Olympic gold medalist doesn’t pretend to have superhuman abilities; instead, she credits disciplined planning and unwavering support.
“When that belt gets wrapped around my waist, it gets wrapped around their waist, too, because they’ve committed. They’ve sacrificed just as much as I have,” Harrison explained, her voice carrying equal measures of determination and gratitude.
For Harrison, who at 34 feels “better than I did at 24,” the journey to this moment has special significance. The contrast between her past and present fuels her daily drive.
“I was 16 years old and I had like nothing… I didn’t even have a will to live,” she recalled. “I prayed for the life that I have now. And that keeps me going and gives me more than enough fuel.”
That fuel powers not just her training but her approach to motherhood. After her last fight, Harrison made the difficult decision to leave her children at home for future bouts after seeing concern in their eyes when she began bleeding during the match.
“The first thing that popped in my head was, ‘Oh my gosh, I hope my kids know I’m okay,'” she said. “Which is great… Mother instincts kicking in, but not so great when you’re in the middle of a fist fight.”
Perhaps the most revealing aspect of Harrison’s philosophy comes in her approach to maintaining such a demanding schedule. “No is a full sentence,” she stated firmly, explaining how she protects her time and energy.
This discipline extends to her mental preparation. Harrison uses daily mantras and positive self-talk, a practice she recommends to all women: “Waking up and giving yourself a freaking high five and telling yourself you’re a badass and you can do hard things.”
For Harrison, nothing happened overnight.
“These small little steps every single day have turned into a lifetime of achievement,” she reflected. “I’m not always going to be motivated, but I can always be disciplined.”
As she approaches her championship opportunity, Harrison carries more than personal ambition. She sees being a UFC champion as “a responsibility… one that you shouldn’t take lightly.”
“The more people that watch, the more lives that I can help change or be a positive role model to,” Harrison said. “I want to make a difference in the world.”
With her tribe behind her, Harrison—a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2012, 2016) and two-time PFL champion with an 18-1 MMA record—stands ready for both the cage and the classroom—proving that with discipline, support, and proper boundaries, the impossible becomes possible, one day at a time.
