Unlock Your Potential: Billie Jean King’s Timeless Career Wisdom for All Ages

Billie Jean King has had a prolific career as a No. 1 tennis player in the world and a fierce advocate for women’s equality in sports and beyond. It's no surprise that many seek her advice on how to do meaningful work that positively impacts others.

During a recent event in partnership with e.l.f., King shared the best career advice she developed with her mentor, the late businessman Edgar Woolard. This guidance balances achieving outward success—like money and recognition—with inner success and happiness.

Three Key Elements to Success

King and Woolard identified three essential elements that can help anyone, especially young people:

1. Relationships are everything. This applies to your relationship with yourself, loved ones, colleagues, and your community.
2. Keep learning, and keep learning how to learn. This idea aligns with having a growth mindset. King emphasizes, “How do I get better at learning? That’s a lifelong curriculum.”
3. Be a problem solver. King encourages people to become innovators and seek improvements beyond the immediate task.

At 81, King exemplifies her belief in continual learning; she recently re-enrolled in college to complete the history degree she started over 60 years ago. She believes that understanding history enriches our knowledge about ourselves.

King draws inspiration from history-making game-changers like Althea Gibson, who was the first Black tennis player to compete in the U.S. National Championships. She recognizes the hard work and dedication of women athletes today, noting, “I look at all of them and realize how hard they must have worked just to get where they are.”