Kayla Harrison explains importance of balancing fighter-mother schedules

Kayla Harrison admits her day-to-day schedule is incredibly demanding, but she wouldn’t change it for anything.

Not only is the two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka hunting for a championship in the UFC, but Harrison (17-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is also trying to do it as a mother of two adopted children, which makes her work-life balance extremely important.

“I have to keep the balance in check,” Harrison told MMA Junkie Radio. “First of all, I’m the sole breadwinner for our family, so me doing good is important in order to take care of my children, but I have to have a very good balance of being mom and being fighter. It’s hard the closer I get to a fight. … I’m more tired. I’m on more of a calorie deficit. I’m running more. I’m training more and I’m doing the sauna.

“So, when I’m with my kids, I’m with my kids. I’m present. I’m not on my phone. I’m not thinking about my fight. I’m not thinking about the weight I have to cut. I’m trying to be with my children, and I honestly believe it’s made me a better mother.”

After just one fight in the UFC, Harrison, 34, is potentially one win away from a shot at the women’s bantamweight title. At UFC 307 on Oct. 5, she will face Ketlen Vieira. The division’s title will be on the line in the co-main event when Raquel Pennington looks to defend against Julianna Pena.

A win at UFC 307 will make it hard to deny Harrison a title shot, who entered the promotion as a two-time PFL champion, and beat former champ Holly Holm in her UFC debut.

Professionally, the stakes are as high as ever. Personally, caring for her children is always crucial, and it’s a responsibility that will remain long after her fighting days are over. Harrison has had to learn how to balance everything so that everything gets the appropriate amount of attention without having to sacrifice one or the other.

“Beacuse there’s only 24 hours in a day, and I’m acutely aware of how fast time is flying, it’s made me really suck the juice out of life in both my career and as a mother,” Harrison said. “I’m homeschooling my kids this year. After this fight, we’re going on a week-long road trip through some of the parks in Utah. We get to spend a lot more time together and I just feel truly blessed that – yeah, it’s very difficult.

“My life is very hard. I’m juggling a lot of things constantly and I have a high-risk, high-reward career. Being a single mom of two children who are adopted, who have trauma, who are also healing, and giving them a safe space, and loving them unconditionally, and being healthy for them, it’s a lot. I juggle a lot. … But it’s made me so much better. Crazily enough, it’s given me a different kind of peace and a different kind of unconditional love and joy. I can’t imagine my life any other way. It’s beautiful.”