Laila Ali: Discovering Freedom & The Art of Saying No

In this knockout episode of "The Coop with Kit," Kit goes toe-to-toe with former professional boxer and champion Laila Ali. Ali steps into the Coop to discuss her illustrious career, her legendary father Muhammad Ali, and her dynamic life as a mother and wife. She shares her championship mindset, offering tips on how to apply a fighter's mentality to every aspect of life.

Ali opens up about her journey to finding freedom and happiness in her forties, delivering powerful punches of wisdom about the importance of surrounding yourself with a positive corner crew and mastering the art of saying "no" to anything that doesn't serve you. 

Get ready for a ringside seat to Ali's story of resilience, authenticity, and her unwavering passion for living life to the fullest. This episode is sure to leave you feeling energized and ready to step into the ring of your own life with renewed vigor!

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Follow us on social media @thecoopwithkithoover or behind the scenes content, teasers and updates.

Keep up with Laila Ali on Instagram @thereallailaali or at  www.lailaali.com.

This episode was produced by Kit Hoover and Harper McDonald. Our Technical Producer is Christian Brown, and this episode was edited by Christian Brown. Business Development by Casey Ladd.

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Transcript

This transcript was generated automatically and reviewed by Harper McDonald. Its accuracy may vary. 

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KIT HOOVER 

Welcome to the Coop with Kit. My name is Kit Hoover and I have been lucky enough in my 30 years in this business to interview some of the most iconic badass women out there. We all know that girlfriends give the best advice and they're all coming to the Coop. We're talking career, marriage, kids, sex, aging, all of it. I truly believe we are just hitting our stride. Alright, my chickens. Let's get into it. 

Today's guest on the Coop is a freaking knockout. She is the highest knockout percentage of any female boxer in the world. With 24 wins and zero losses. We're talking of course about my friend Laila Ali, daughter of the late beloved Muhammad Ali. Now she is the first of her kind, having never competed in any sport before the age of 18. She picked up those gloves and dominated the boxing world with four world title championships. 

She then took that fire and went on to become a dynamic TV personality author, wellness advocate, chef, entrepreneur, wife, and mama of two awesome kids. And even though she isn't boxing anymore, she is still as fierce and competitive as ever. And through the art of the Pivot, she has carved out her own lane and found freedom in her forties. So today we get a champion's advice on how to approach every single aspect of life. Get ready. Let's get into it. 

Hi, Laila Ali.

LAILA ALI

Hi <laugh>.

KIT HOOVER 

First of all, I just couldn't wait to see you, Laila. I haven't seen you since you moved to Georgia. Have you gone all Southern on me? Are you y'all's and sweet tea and pimento cheese?

LAILA ALI 

I throw a y'all in there from time. Time. But I was doing that before I moved here, so I was just like,

KIT HOOVER 

That's true. Now I want

LAILA ALI 

Like me here. I love it. <laugh>,

KIT HOOVER 

Welcome to the Coop by the way, this is a big deal for us to have you on. And one reason Laila is your championship mindset. You said something one time that I'll never forget. You said you've won before you even walk into the ring. How do you apply that to every aspect of your life? How can our listeners take that with them?

LAILA ALI

It sounds very confident, right to say. And my confidence came from preparing myself, you know, so it's physical, it's mental, spiritual. So when I'm stepping into the ring, I don't have anything going on in my head other than my target, my opponent. And you know, all the work has been done. So for me, I can honestly say that as a fighter, I felt like I won the fight before I stepped into the ring. And I just say, I really felt like I was gonna win with every set on my body. There was never a doubt. It was kind of more so how am I gonna win? Am I gonna do all the things that I trained to do? What round am I gonna knock her out? And applying it to life is the same thing. You know, I cannot be that matter of fact in life, you know, because you're not gonna always win every single time. But I'd go in prepared, I'd go in with a positive mind and I'd go in, feel like, let the chips fall when they may. It, it is like, I did what I was supposed to do, but now I have to have faith and understand that whatever's meant to happen is what's gonna happen and you're gonna fail forward.

KIT HOOVER

Laila, one word to describe where you are in your life right now.

LAILA ALI

Oh man. Freedom. You know, for my book Reach, I wrote it when I was in my twenties when I first, um, started box because people were like, why do you wanna box? You know, women don't box. You're, you're too pretty. Or is it a publicity stunt? And I had a very dysfunctional childhood growing up. My relationship with my mother wasn't in, my parents' divorced, so they, he was already out the house and doing this humanitarian work. My mom on the hand had remarried. Her husband was abusive. She was going through a lot. Long story short, I was angry. I was mad. I felt abandoned. I was abandoned. I pretty much raised myself. And it was hard to tell the story because I'm telling my mom's story too and it's something that she'll be ashamed of. So I'm very careful in how I told it. But this is how I became fiercely independent. I'm not gonna depend on my mom 'cause I can't depend on her. I'm not gonna depend on my dad, regardless of how wonderful he's doing in the world. I can't depend on either of them. This is how I felt.

KIT HOOVER

Is that why you say the word free?

LAILA ALI 

When I say free is? 'cause I'm at a place in my life where I don't feel like I need to do more. I feel like I wanna refine the things that I'm doing now and take more time and get back to whatever my original intention was,

KIT HOOVER

Being free. Now do you find it's easier to say no to more things?

LAILA ALI

We can all relate to this, especially as women. We say yes to so many things for so many other people. We say yes, whether it's our kids or our coworker and our husbands or our friends. And a lot of times the things that we don't even wanna do. And then you have to say no to something you really care about and you really wanna be there nowadays. And talk about getting rid of toxic people in your life. That word toxic is really big. People who fool you and people feel bad about it 'cause they're like, oh, that's my friend. You know, we've been, we've been through so much together and it's like everybody's not always meant for your whole life. It might have been meant for that certain season of your life, you know? And it's just not a good fit. And to me, like if, if, if a relationship takes that much work and it's so hard, you know, and you always have to explain yourself, you know, and people are checking your character and all this stuff's not, that's not the way friendship is supposed to be. You know what I mean? That's not the way a relationship is supposed to be. And I don't know how I got this, but as a kid I remember being a kid and just telling people, you know, we're just not a big fit. And that's it. Like, we're just not gonna be friends anymore. No, I <laugh>

KIT HOOVER 

I love it you're in like sixth grade. Like, uh, you look Shirley, you're out. Yeah.

LAILA ALI 

And not to be a mean girl, but I'm like, I say that now. I've said it to some adults, like along the way like, you know, we're just not really this fit and people aren't used to that type honesty. But I'm not a good fit for you either. It's not just you're not a good fit for me. Like, because I'm gonna hold the mirror up to you. And not everybody can take that. You know? Not everybody wants that friend who's gonna be honest.

KIT HOOVER 

Why do you think women are like that? Laila? What is it inherently in us that just likes to say yes? That sort of pleaser syndrome?

LAILA ALI 

I think that we do wanna please, we wanna be there. So it comes from a good place and I think that we feel obligated. We just don't sometimes know how to say no. 'cause we're worried about what people are gonna think. So I think that's just our nature and I love that about us. I don't want us to change. Like I am gonna, I'm a boxer, I'm gonna knock, I can knock you out. But I'm also very feminine, right? And I love my femininity. I love my strength. I love cooking dinner for my husband and bringing in this plate. I love being here for my family. I love talking shit when I have to. You know, I have all those things to be. So we don't wanna change that. We just wanna find balance. You probably weren't expecting me to say free, right? But it's because I was just like, I'm not gonna be saying yes to a bunch of things I don't wanna do anymore.

KIT HOOVER

I like the word free. I feel like I can see it on you. I don't know. There's something so beautiful about, you've been a fighter your whole life. I'm not even talking about in the ring. There's something great about what's coming for you for the next 50 plus.

LAILA ALI 

Well I'm, I'm 46 and I don't have a problem with aging. You know, because God willing, everyone's gonna have to go through is all these hot mamas that we look at go, oh God, she'll be right where we are at some point if she's lucky. You know what I mean? And we had our hot days, right? We had our hot mama days and we're still hot. But you know what I mean? When you are in your prime, your best.

KIT HOOVER 

Yes.

LAILA ALI 

Yes. What I'm really focused on and you asked me, I'm, I'm free. Yes. But at the same time, you know, I still want to be the best version of me.

KIT HOOVER 

That's part of what this, the Coop is. 'cause honestly, I feel like I haven't even hit my stride. And I always tell my kids, especially my daughters same as you, I'm like run your own race. I'm not competing with anybody but myself. Laila fill in this blank. Aging is what to you?

LAILA ALI 

Graceful. You know? It's possible. I think as we get older we should get wiser. Right? We wish that we accepted a lot of things about ourselves sooner. Right. And recognize certain things sooner. That's why I would say it'd be so great if we live life backwards because we'd be so much more appreciative.

KIT HOOVER 

So if you were gonna tell your younger self something with all the wisdom you have now, what would you say to a little Laila Ali?

LAILA ALI 

Slow down and enjoy life because I did not enjoy my younger years. I literally had so much trauma, so much I was dealing with and on this quest to be independent. Like I literally, after high school, I took the bus after school, signed myself up for beauty school and went all the way over to like Crenshaw 49th in the hood. I wanna get my manicuring license 'cause I'm gonna move out the house by the time I'm 18 I'm gonna go to school full time, you know, do my two years of Santa Monica and I'm gonna do nails and I'm gonna pay my rent. I'm gonna pay my car. But that took a lot, you know what I mean? Of focus. Oh yeah. At 18 I was out of the house at 18. By 19 I had Laila's nail studio.

KIT HOOVER 

I was thinking Laila, 'cause we're gonna get into your fighting. Did you have your nails beautifully done under those boxing gloves. <laugh>,

LAILA ALI 

That's one thing I was hardcore like, you can't, you can't be thinking about anything but boxing like that all had to go and, and trust me. But as soon as the fight got done, I was back getting my nails done. <laugh>. I always had the pink and white acrylic nails, you know, the like, I like that the length on them. Now they're doing gel and all these different things. But back then I wanted a little length and I had to have 'em short for boxing because even if you put a glove on, that nail would crack. I tried to keep my nails done when I first started and I would have bloody nails. So I was like, no more of that. 'cause we can't be, we can't be losing because my fingers hurt. Right.

KIT HOOVER 

Your story of boxing. I just think of Muhammad Ali's daughter. Nobody knows your training. You said it was a solo journey. Take me inside the moment you're 18 years old, you see a fight on tv. What clicks inside of you?

LAILA ALI 

I'm at a friend's house, my best friend at the time and we're watching a Mike Tyson fight and we're getting our popcorn. Then all of a sudden these women come into the ring on the undercard, the post, the pre fight. And we're just like, what? We didn't fight. Like I didn't even know women fight. And I was just like totally zoned in. It was Christy Martin and a girl named Derich. And Christy Martin was the first female to be on a major undercard, which was big 'cause there's people would turn on TV to watch Mike and then they just see her by accident. And Chrissy was a slugger. Like she started off as like a bar fighter, you know, like a tough woman they had back then. And she just would get bloody and that's why Don King was promoting her. 'cause he was like, if this girl is a show, right? So they got in the ring and started brawling and was bloody. And I was like, I wanna do that. And my friend, my friend's dad was like, are you crazy girl? Those women are, take your hand off. You're a pretty girl. You know? And my friend and I knew I had some fights, like I told you, I got into trouble, you know, I was, I, people would try to pick on me because of who my father was because I, you know, and I would never back down from a pipe.

KIT HOOVER 

What would people say to you? Tell me about that. Laila, like in elementary school, middle school?

LAILA ALI 

You think you're all that, you know. 'cause I have on name brand clothes, you know, you know you have certain things that they don't have. And um, I'd be like, I am and what's it to you? You know? 'cause I was just kind of like, I'm gonna call your bluff. I had a lot of attitude about myself and a lot of competence. But that comes off as arrogance. I probably was a little arrogant, you know, on back then, but I was a kind person.

KIT HOOVER 

But did you like fight in the school yard? Like, like did you in any fights at school?

LAILA ALI 

I had a couple fights at school. Yeah. Like after school it was kind of like, oh well we're gonna, you know, we're gonna see you at the Taco Bell.

KIT HOOVER 

And with like boys or girls. And did you win?

LAILA ALI 

Of course! Girls. But <laugh>, I have had a fight with boys and in like third grade I was the good bully. Like if I saw someone beating up on another kid, I would come to their rescue and I would fight the boy and like pick on someone on your own sides. I don't really call that fight just shoving someone down to the ground. But I was ready. And that was the first taste, like to get physical like that, that's a certain kind of person that's willing to get their hands dirty. And that was totally me. I'm not, I'm not proud of this, it's just what it is.

KIT HOOVER 

Well there's a certain thing in you that saw this right? And the way your childhood was and you have a lot of emotions running through you. So now you're gonna step into the ring already with so much pressure because of your name. Did you have any hesitations about getting into the ring?

LAILA ALI 

So when I started, when I saw women's boxing, I totally wanted to do it, but I had the nail salon. I was going to school, I had all these plans. So I talked myself out of it. And for a year I contemplated it. That made me say, you know what? I don't care what anyone thinks. 'cause a lot of it was just, what's everyone gonna think? What's my dad gonna stay? I don't wanna be a celebrity. I don't know that I want this. And then I decided, you know what, I'm gonna go for it. And I, I found a gym and it happened to be a real boxing gym though, right? It's called La Boxing Downtown LA. I just walked in and I was like, Hey, I just wanna lose some weight. And I said, let me go just see if I can do this, if I have any talent because I don't wanna embarrass myself. I don't wanna embarrass my father. And I really wanted to test the waters first before I decided to tell anyone. 'cause I knew nobody was gonna be down with it, right? So I trained for like three months after school after work, eight o'clock at night. I was in that gym and I love,

KIT HOOVER 

But wait a minute, did the gym know that you were Muhammad Ali's daughter?

LAILA ALI

I told my trainer and my naive self thought he wasn't gonna tell. So I was just kind of like, well my dad's Muhammad Ali. So he told, and he was one of those guys that he trained some fighters, but no top fighters. You know, they have the opponents, so he was not gonna be the right strainer for me. But I didn't know. He taught me the basic, Kevin Morgan was his name. And I hope he's doing well. But I was giving him money every week and giving him a ride home after the gym to his neighborhood downtown. And, and I'd go home and do it all over again. I loved it. So about five months in and the news got around on my dad. But your daughter's in the gym because I got in the ring and I dropped this guy with the right hand and that guy ran fast. <laugh>, they were like, and the guy's in media, I'm not gonna say his name, but it's funny because when I see him now and we look at each other and I'm like,

KIT HOOVER

<laugh> Okay, wait, before we get to what your dad said, you dropped this guy. Was it an aha moment for you? And what does it feel like internally? I'm just imagining the championship mindset, like that adrenaline, that feeling had to be so addicting and like, I need more of this.

LAILA ALI

I love the feeling of just hitting the heavy bag, all of that. Because when you have all this energy displaced, it was like I had somewhere to put it now, you know? And that's the thing about why people thought, oh you, you, you can't be a real fighter. Like you're get there wanna be tough street girls. And they didn't realize I had a lot in me too, you know what I mean? Because some, you gotta dig from somewhere when that heat gets hot in that kitchen and you're in there in a real fight, you know? But it felt good. I was probably at the time openly confident because I didn't know what I could and couldn't do.

KIT HOOVER 

And you've said many times that your dad didn't know about your boxing. Was your mom involved at all?

LAILA ALI 

I remember the first time I sparred, this girl, her name was Marsha Val, and she was a pro fire. And I was gonna spar my first opponent right at this point. The news, my mom knew I was training and I was like, come to the gym today, I'm gonna spar, bring the video camera, you know? And you know, far this girl, Marsha, she was tall and she had fights and man, I must have got in there and Marsha was whooping my ass. Like she

KIT HOOVER 

<laugh>

LAILA ALI 

She, because she had experience and I didn't. And so she was just using her jab. And I was still at the point where it was just kind of like, you know, like, you know, you, you're holding it together and then you said when you get, you're, you're like, you just don't, you're all over the place and she hits you again. It's like, wait a minute, where is she? You know? So that was a great learning experience for me. And of course Marsha went around telling everybody how she ran me out the gym with her jab. And we didn't end up being friends, you know? But the next time I got her I was ready. And then she quit like second round. They didn't wanna spar anymore, you know? So I learned really quickly and I took it very seriously and I fell all the way in love. And my dad heard about it and he said, don't do it and don't want you to do it. It's not for you, it's not for womens and I want you to do it. And I was like, dad, I even in my mind that I'm gonna do it whether you like it or not, and I respect you. This is my life.

KIT HOOVER 

What did that feel like though, Laila? Because here's your dad, and I know the admiration you had from him, but sort of a distant relationship. So here you are unbelievably successful at your sport. And to hear him say, this is not a sport for women. 

LAILA ALI 

I expected it because you did. My dad, first of all, I'm the youngest, but I'm the most like my dad. But we were the most like going head to head all the time because I'm so much like him. So I'm the one that at, if anyone knows Muhammad Ali story and how important his religion is to him and how much he gave up. I'm the one at nine year olds like, dad, I don't wanna be Muslim. He's like, what? Like, you're, you're nine. What do you know about religion? And I was like, I know what's in my heart. What can he say, <laugh>? So he was like, okay, yeah, I'm the one that, you know, moved out the house when I was 18, 19. Lived with a boyfriend like, you're living in sin. Wait a minute, I'm not Muslim. Like, who are you to judge me?

You know, like, how many times did you cheat on my mom? You know, stuff like that. So I was always putting the mirror up on him and then boxing. I'm like, this, this is my life. So I was kind of ready for it. And um, you know, he publicly was respectful. He showed up to the fights 'cause he knew that's what you need to do. But he didn't like him at all. And then at a certain point when I won my titles and became a champion, he came to me again and said, you know what? I'm sorry I was wrong. We both cried and we hugged each other because I had told myself, I don't care what he thinks, you know, because this was a big like for me to be 18, 19, to go through what I went through. And mind you, I went to juvenile hall when I was 16.

Yeah. After I went to juvenile hall, I had to go to a placement and graduate the program. Not even go home. I had to live at a group home with other girls because they caught wind of what's going on in her home environment that got her in trouble, you know? So there was this whole thing like, what's going on with Laila, you know? And then I got back on track because I always had everything in me that I needed to be successful. So my father has had so much respect for me, even though him and I didn't agree on so many things, but he had the most respect for me because now look at me, I'm married 17 years, I have two children, you know, I'm well respected. I've carved out my own lane in his shadow, you know, proved him wrong, changed his idea of women and the limits that he had on his mind and what we could do. And he was very proud of it. But IIII expected that, that it was all gonna happen, you know, because you kind of foresee these things.

KIT HOOVER 

What was your relationship with him like towards the end of his life?

LAILA ALI 

Oh, great. I mean, my father's such a sweetie, you know, people say, what do you miss? It's like you just missed his touch, you miss his smell. He was like, it's almost like, you know, a newborn baby to have the scents, you know, and their skin is so soft and their hair is so soft and they're just like the angel. His energy felt like that. That's why so many people had, had had that have had the opportunity to meet my dad. And they're like, man, they just cry in his person. It's just like this, just, this just overcomes him, you know? He really was very, very special. But I'll say that my whole experience with him as a dad, him as a person in the world, you know, and knowing all his flaws, right? You know, so many. But to see how amazing he can still be, it really shaped my view of people.

Like nobody's perfect, you know, nobody has to be, yeah. Because Muhammad Ali, who has touched so many people, one of the most famous loved men around the world was not perfect by any means, right? So even though my father, you know, travel the world and free hostages from Saddam Hussein, and you can go to the Muhammad Ali Center and just see this timeline around the whole room of all these things he did that are so amazing, he wasn't there as a dad because it couldn't be right. Yeah. I don't fault him for that because you can't, you can't be there for every birthday. You can't be there to know exactly everything that's going on in my life. I mean, you got parents who are in the household and don't know what's going on with their kids, but at least he's out saving the world, you know? So we suffered, but not in a way that I feel affected me negatively. Whatever happened was the right recipe because I liked the way that I turned out. You know what I mean? <laugh>, you're free. Yeah. And I'm not perfect by any means. Just like I said, somebody,

KIT HOOVER 

Laila, they say that women a lot of times marry versions of their dad. Is that the case with Curtis?

LAILA ALI 

Oh my god, yes. There is. So this is my second marriage. My first one, no. Yep. Because that, that was just stupid. That was just one smart, but I was so young, I put it on my age. But Curtis, I literally picked like Curtis, I handpicked him. I, we always, I always say I scooped you up. You know, <laugh> go back and forth. But Curtis is so kind, so gentle. He has strength about I'm gonna fire everyone out of the two of us, right? And he's got that quiet confidence, you know, when he's kind of like, okay, I'm gonna let her, I'm gonna let her go all the way out, then I'm gonna reel her back in. You know, <laugh>. Yeah, because you gotta have that balance, otherwise it wouldn't work. You know, there'd be too much friction between us and family first for him. He wants to be home with the kids. He has three kids from his prior marriage. So he is like very hands on and if right have to travel by town, he's doing hair, you know, he is cooking. Got some difference between him and my dad. And my dad was like, I remember there were times when I see pictures where I literally had on panties and a napkin tucked in it. <laugh> like he took us out in public like that with panties in a napkin. Like, you better skirt that <laugh>.

KIT HOOVER 

Did he ever do your hair? I would love to see your hair.

LAILA ALI 

He tried, he not try to do my hair. So I'm like, man, Curtis, I'm like this show my kids, I'm like, you guys got the best daddy. You just don't even know. It's just amazing. And Curtis didn't have a father growing up, you know? He didn't know his father. And um, you know, and I had a father, but I didn't have a father, you know? So we have so much in common.

KIT HOOVER 

What was it like the first time Curtis met your dad? What was that conversation? 

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KIT HOOVER

What was it like the first time Curtis met your dad? What was that conversation?

LAILA ALI 

It's funny if he was to tell you the story because I've heard him tell the story. He would tell you he was nervous. I didn't know. He was like, I was a little scared. I'm not scared. You're not supposed to use that word, but he's like, yeah, I was a little scared, you know, to meet him. But I get it, you know, 'cause my dad has his presence. But my dad really respected Curtis because he knew he played in the NFL and he was a champion in his own right. Because that's the thing, you want your daughters to be with someone who's gonna love them, respect them, see them as an equal, who's successful in his own right. You don't feel like it's just trying to, you know, get in where they fit in kind of thing. And that you can see if he's on, he's gonna be able to be a leader. You know what I mean? Lead in a way that, you know, we're, we're at the same level, but in my household, you know what I mean? He's, he's the man, right? There's certain things that men take care of, a certain thing that women take care of. You know, nobody's more important than the other. But there is a place for both of us.

KIT HOOVER 

And your wedding, did your dad walk you down the aisle?

LAILA ALI

Yes. Yes.

KIT HOOVER 

What did he say to you? Tell me that moment. There's always the moment before the bride and her dad comes down, I feel like it's like sort of a, just a private moment for everybody turns to look, take me inside that

LAILA ALI

My dad wasn't talking a lot because of Parkinson's. Yeah. So it took a lot of energy, but it's in his eyes, you know, and he, he used to cry a lot, so be shed tears and you know, I'm like, oh God, don't have me. Like, I'm already crying, like, we're not even getting started yet, you know? But I mean, people expect you to cry way walking down the aisle. But I remember just the weight of him because, you know, I'm, I'm helping him a little bit walking down the aisle, right? But I didn't mind. I didn't mind at all. So, you know, it was just, it was just amazing to have him there. It was amazing to see a relationship. Yeah. With, with my, my children the Sydney and my father had this amazing connection. I don't even know, you know, it's like they had a past life together or something. 'cause Sydney was not that high kid that just went to anyone easily. And my dad was kind of scary with his hands shaking and sometimes, you know, depending on the states was looking funny or whatever. And Sydney would just come and go right up to him and hug him. And other kids would be scared, you know, because like he put his hands out, he's got these big old hands, you know? And he is like shaking, like, come here. And she was just like, you know, she wasn't around him a lot because he lived in a different state, you know? So it was amazing to us.

KIT HOOVER 

That's so beautiful. She knew there was something. All right, Laila, let's get random. Here we go. What scares you?

LAILA ALI 

Being a parent is scary for me. It's scary because there's just so many things I don't have control over and I'll calm myself, you know? And like I say, you know, God's in charge. Whatever's meant to happen is gonna happen. I have my own spiritual beliefs and you know, just knowing that I'm gonna have to let my children go out into the world and make their own decisions. So I'm a little bit of a hover mom. I'm a lot, a bit of a hover mom, <laugh>. And that is my challenge because you can, you, you can imagine tho that those are where my issues come in because of my childhood of the abandonment and raising myself and wanting to be there. Sometimes overdo it, you know, I overcompensate. So I'm always having to do that. So yeah, that, that's kind of scary to me. But I, I find my calm, but yeah, it, it feels scary 'cause I just don't, I'm not gonna have the control, you know, like I, I wanna have

KIT HOOVER 

<laugh>. I was thinking about little Laila Ali and thinking you didn't play any organized sports. Here's an incredible athlete because to your point, you had to have a mom or dad to sign you up and drive you and snack and all of that. So now I'm picturing Laila, are you the world's greatest like, minivan, soccer mom? I bet you have the best snacks. I bet you got like the best chair situation with like an umbrella. Like I bet you were dialed, you probably have a, a wagon that you pull.

LAILA ALI 

Let me stop you right there. I so wish that I could say that was true. I so wish that I could say that was true. But Curtis takes the lead with the kids because the whole family makes fun of me because of what I don't know. So like these other moms that are the sports supermoms, they try to come up to me and talk to me and just kind of be friendly. They ask me all these questions I don't always know the answer to because I did not have the experience, you know, with sports growing up. So I'm still learning. My daughter plays softball and sometimes I'd say, oh, she plays baseball. It's like, no, it's softball for girls. So my husband takes the lead. But yes, when it comes to snacks, when we are, when when we're snack parents we're gonna have the best snacks. But <laugh>, I have to throw a little something healthy in there and they don't always like that. You know what I mean? So everybody's going to get the junk food all the time. So that's the thing that is, is hard because the kid, they're like, look, you got it, you're gonna go to, you know, Chick-fil-A or you know, Jersey mike's. That's what they like, you know, and just get their bag and grab bag. And I'm like, oh well you can't just bring her homemade. But no <laugh>.

KIT HOOVER 

Laila did you always know you wanted to be a mom?

LAILA ALI 

I went through a time when I didn't. I thought, you know, I, maybe I just don't have kids. Because again, that fear, you know, a lot of these things that are going on in the world today are just like, God, kids shouldn't have to deal with this. But there was a time when I was just like, I don't even wanna have kids because I don't want to deal with thing is, and then I'm in Met Curtis and I was like, no, I do wanna have kids. You know, I'm 100% all the way mom. You know, like proud of it.

KIT HOOVER 

What makes you laugh at yourself?

LAILA ALI 

I laugh at myself all day long. I'm so corny, <laugh>. Like, I literally, I'm silly and corny and my husband's like, you're all laughing at your own jokes. Like you, it's funny 'cause you would probably meet someone and they were like, Laila's so serious, uptight. And you'd be like, really? She always not, yeah. But I do have that version of me, it's my boundary version. I put up this wall because I did grow Muhammad Ali's daughter when a lot of people that have intentions and hanging honors and all that. So I know how to put up a wall to make you feel uncomfortable to where you're not gonna approach me, but me when I'm comfortable, when I'm around people that I'm comfortable with and I like, oh yeah, I'm silly. Like, and I'll, I, you know, I don't take myself too seriously at all.

KIT HOOVER 

Okay. Did you like your wedding? Because I found my wedding extremely stressful.

LAILA ALI 

I was like, babe, we don't need to have a big wedding. I was like, I've done this before. 'cause he didn't have a wedding, his first marriage, he went to the church. So he wanted to have a wedding. And I was like, I did the expensive wedding. I said out, I'm telling you, you go and you're doing all these things to please everybody and have this beautiful wedding. And then you go home and you leave all the flowers and it's just a big party you're paying for, for everybody else. And you're exhausted

KIT HOOVER

And stressed. Oh, the whole thing.

LAILA ALI 

And you're exhausted. Because it was just like saying thank you to everybody for coming, right? And I was like, let's just have a party, you know? And he was like, no, I want the wedding. But since we did it, I was like, I'm gonna embarrass him. I'm gonna surprise him. And I sang to him, I practiced and I did a song. I got on the stage singing a song.

KIT HOOVER 

What'd you sing though, Laila? What song did you break out? Could you g give me a little,

LAILA ALI 

What was it? Um, hang. What was her name? You know the one You can beat me Bow. You can beat me Bow. Oh, not that song though, but one of her songs. I'm trying to think of.

KIT HOOVER 

I didn't know you could sing. Look at you.

LAILA ALI 

I have a, yeah, I have a, I have a nice tone.

KIT HOOVER 

Very good tone.

LAILA ALI 

I can't sing the way that I wanna sing. I can't sing like Whitney Houston. You know, my expectations are high. Well,

KIT HOOVER 

Laila,

LAILA ALI 

I, I know, I know.

KIT HOOVER 

Championship mindset. There it is

LAILA ALI 

With like Alicia Keys and Mary J Blige on that level. But I can't, I can't do Whitney though.

KIT HOOVER 

Wow. It's a beautiful voice. Do you love karaoke then? Are you the one at karaoke? Like just a little something for you guys in the back?

LAILA ALI 

<laugh> And that's what I meant when I said fun. But nobody will go do it with me. And I've been trying to do it here. I'm like, let's go do karaoke and everybody that's no, because no one else wants to do it. But I don't mind making a fool of myself. Like it's fun. Right? But I would wanna do it in a private room because I am shy if it's the public. 'cause then they're looking at you different. Yes. Like I don't want to be anonymous.

KIT HOOVER (

What song is your Go-to karaoke song?

LAILA ALI 

Uh, definitely gonna be some Madonna on there from back in the day. Like a Virgin. 

KIT HOOVER 

Lucky Star. Oh yeah. Oh we can rock it.

LAILA ALI 

SWV from back in the day. Some of the Mary J Blige songs, some of the Whitney songs, you know, the, the, the, all the, all the stuff from, from our era, you know, <laugh>,

KIT HOOVER 

I could do a little devil went down to Georgia looking for a soul to steal. We could <laugh>.

LAILA ALI 

I'm gonna mess the words up. I'll tell you that. That's what makes it fun. <laugh>.

KIT HOOVER 

Oh, always. What is in your bedside drawer?

LAILA ALI 

Oh, um, junk probably needs to be cleaned out. I got these little sugar free little chocolate thing. Little chocolate with caramel in them that I pull out every once in a while. Or it's individually wrapped right when I just have had a hard day and I'm like, I just need a little treat. But, um, I've got notepad, I've got ear plugs 'cause Curtis snores sometimes and books.

KIT HOOVER 

Let's talk about your health and wellness. What's your latest obsession with this? What's something I need to know about?

LAILA ALI 

So my latest obsession, there's so many. So right now I, I like to mix it up. I get bored really quickly. So same, I have a home gym in my gym. I have a heavy bag that always gets work. I have a Peloton, I have elliptical stairs, I have a treadmill, I have a stair master. 

KIT HOOVER 

Good Lord.

LAILA ALI 

So right now I'm on the Peloton. I'm like, because I don't want a thing about reps and all of that. I just want to do a class. And I like to race. Like I literally get on Peloton and I'm on the leaderboard and I'm crazy <laugh>.

When I say I'm crazy, I passed out trying to race. I'm like, this is so dumb. And they, Curtis, I come and said, babe, I was racing again. And he was like, what are you doing? 'cause I'm like, I almost made myself sick. And I, I could be racing a man that's like in his twenties and it's a man where he is gonna be able to go harder and on the, the weight on the legs. And I'm like, this person may not even be paying any attention. I'm watching them <laugh>. But it's like I have the competitive spirit and then I put my real name. 

KIT HOOVER 

You do. 

LAILA ALI 

So right now I'm she be stinging. But I had, yeah, I had, at one point I had Laila Ali and I did it because I, to put pressure on myself to perform. And when I tell you that's when I was really going crazy racing people. They don't wanna listen to me. I'll race at them because I wanna be in a certain, it's crazy. I'm telling you. And I was like, I gotta stop this. So now I tone it down. 

KIT HOOVER 

She be stinging and everybody's gonna know. Which class do you like? Whose class do you take?

LAILA ALI 

Alex

KIT HOOVER 

Yeah, love. Whenever he winks. I think he's winking at us. Laila, whenever he gives the wink, I'm like, that's for us. 

LAILA ALI 

That's how my mindset is. So I'm, I'm trying to outwork you the other people. So he's more competitive. If I'm like, Laila, you need to cool off. Like you don't need to be doing all that, then I'll go take another, you know, someone else's class that isn't quite so competitive, like Ally Love or somebody like that where it's just more feels good, you know. But when I really wanna get it in, I'm going Alex, but I don't like the explicit music sometimes. Like that makes me uncomfortable. 

KIT HOOVER 

Does Alex know you're in his class?

LAILA ALI 

No, but I mean, 'cause I don't do live, I do the, the recorded classes. But you could see who's there at that time. 'cause a lot of people are doing it. But he knows I've taken it because I'll post on Instagram sometimes and we've messaged each other every, so he knows

KIT HOOVER 

Laila. What is wrong with us? I recently, um, as I told you, I'm 53 years old. I was in New York City running the loop in Central Park that I love. I go to pass a guy, a man who's probably in his thirties. I'm not trying to pass him. I'm just going my pace. He locks in with me. Laila, we take off. We never look at each other. Now I've about finished my run. Laila, I'm hauling ass. We're probably going under six minute pace. Like, I mean I am like dying. Like I, but it kicks in in me. We go an extra three or four miles, he peels off. I literally start puking keel over and I'm telling the story to my husband. He's like, what is wrong with you? I'm like, I can't help it. Like it's in me. Like I didn't, I just lock in. All of a sudden.

LAILA ALI 

He challenged you. You know? And that's what I could tell my, my friends. I was like, these people are challenging me. No they're not. I'm like, they put a high five and I'm like, maybe they're just high fiving you. I was like, no, I think that's something. I'm gonna look it up on Peloton. I think that's like a high fiving back race. Like, I'm like, no, no, no. So I was like trying to figure it out. I was like, wait a minute, wait forties, she's in her forties. She said, wait, I can't let her beat me. She's my age, my height, my, you know, I'm like, it's, it's crazy. But it's, it's just makes it fun. It just makes it fun. Do

KIT HOOVER 

Your kids have that? Do they have that ability to tap in is what I call it.

LAILA ALI

My son does. My daughter play sports but she does not want to compete. So we're still, the thing is we require them to play but they have to play a sport. But they we're not trying to push them to become professionals. We understand all of the, the discipline, you know, all that you gained from sports and you're not gonna just sit on your computer and play video games. And that's a regret of mine that I didn't participate in sports, but my son Oh yeah. And he is overly confident, a little bit bordering on copy. And he has to learn the hard way a lot of times because he still needs to learn. You gotta do the work. Like, like nobody made me go to the boxing gym. I wanted to go. So we shouldn't have to keep telling you go outside and swing your bat a hundred times like the trainer told you. You know, stuff like that. So we have to see if he really has what it takes. Because that's what separates the champions from those who just want to, they want what comes from from it. Right. But they don't want to put in the work because I'm like, these kids are serious out

KIT HOOVER 

Here. Well I always tell my kids hard work will beat talent every time. Do either of your kids wanna box and would you let them box?

LAILA ALI

Uh, no they don't. Thank God. And I'm just glad I don't have to deal with that because I would have to let them because I, I, you know, I believe in supporting. I would totally do what my dad did, which was try to talk me out of it. But I'm just really glad that I didn't have to deal with that because I thought Sydney would be the one. 'cause she's more feisty, like naturally. Even though she's shy and she's not competitive, she's got that fire, you know. So I was thinking like she might be the one, you know, but luckily, no, neither of 'em do. So I don't ever encourage anyone to box. It's just a, it's a dangerous sport. It's a crazy sport.

KIT HOOVER

What about for you? Do you have any residual effects from boxing?

LAILA ALI 

I mix up things. It's a little bit awful because of the boxing. Like I mix up numbers and all these things. It, there's not a lot of upside in it for most people. But I say all that to say if it's something you wanna do and you have it in you like I did, then yeah go make sure you surround yourself with the right team, you know, or you know, take the right paths. But I'm never like, yeah, become a boxer. Go play tennis, go play golf, be an athlete, but I'm gonna steer you in that type of a more organized sport, you know.

KIT HOOVER 

Speaking of your son, does he still look exactly like your dad?

LAILA ALI

He goes through the stages because you know, we have a full face in my family. You know, he still has that, you know, little cute little cheeks and baby face. And I think that like my father had a different face in different stages. When he was young and he was Cassius Clay, he had a more chival face. And then as he got older he got the bigger, wider face. So he looks like him in different stages. So it'll be interesting to see. But he is still got that baby face. It's only, uh, 15. So 16. I'm sorry. We'll see what we end up with.

KIT HOOVER

Alright. Laila, your last question. You've been so wonderful. What makes you happy?

LAILA ALI 

Um, family food, cooking. I'm happiest when I'm in the kitchen. Making a meal and having like my closest friends and family around or gathering when everybody's enjoying each other's company, enjoying good food. I put a lot of love into my food. I take a lot of pride into preparing healthy meals with a lot of flavor and just putting smiles on faces. That's why I'm happiest at home.

KIT HOOVER 

Well you're doing it. I love that you're free. I love all your endeavors. I love seeing what you're gonna do next. And I love that new stillness that's in you mixed with all your fire. I can, I can see it Laila. So I just love you my friend. Thanks for sharing this time with me. 

LAILA ALI 

I know. I love you too,

KIT HOOVER 

Coop. There it is. Wow. Laila Ali. I mean, my mind's just still spinning from that interview. And on this one guys, I wanna bring in my producer Harper McDonald because we were just reflecting when this ended. We both were looking at each other at that one point. 

HARPER MCDONALD

Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> 

KIT HOOVER

When she was talking about girlfriend. What was it?

HARPER MCDONALD

This woman is as fierce as ever and so honest and so authentic and recognizes when something is not serving her. And it's not serving her girlfriend. She just has the big grownup conversation and says, this isn't working for us anymore. I love you, but it's not working for us anymore.

KIT HOOVER 

And even as a young age, she said like in in school she'd be like, look, we don't need to be friends. It's not working for you. Not for me.

HARPER MCDONALD

There's nothing easy about that.

KIT HOOVER 

No. And girlfriends relationships are the best. They're the most meaningful, but they're also the most complex. Sometimes they're really hard to navigate.

HARPER MCDONALD

Totally. And I loved also that she took that into life and sort of recognizing when she has to say no to things now and she maybe wouldn't have done it in a past life. But now she is open to things that she really wants to do to say yes. And she cares about this. Is what the back nine's all about.

KIT HOOVER 

The back nine. By the way, Harper likes to tease me. 'cause I will step in a giant pal pile of poop wherever it is. Like I say yes to everything, way too many things. 

HARPER MCDONALD

Yay. <laugh> 

KIT HOOVER

Harper has to clean up a lot of my mess. <laugh> a lot of my mess up. We, uh, the other thing that I wanna know if our listeners really got from this, how about her childhood Harper? This is somebody that really raised herself when she was talking about going to, to juvenile hall. And then going to the juvie girls program or whatever. Like she has been through so much, not one bit of bitterness about her

HARPER MCDONALD

No. Such, like these beautiful compassion and love and tenderness for both of her parents and massive amounts of respect. Yeah. And it, it's, it's extraordinary. We have so much, we had so much to learn from her.

KIT HOOVER 

So much to learn from her. And we were literally, I didn't want it to end by the way, I don't know if you listeners, you can't really see. She is still as pretty as ever.

HARPER MCDONALD

Oh my gosh. She is a knockout.

KIT HOOVER 

Glowing and her kids. And we gotta see her daughter. Come on. I know. That's really cool. So that was just awesome. All right. We hope y'all love that episode. Wow. We sure did. Thanks again, Laila. We love you. 

Thank you for joining us, my Chickens. 

If you like this episode, please give us a five star rating, drop in a great review and tag us at the co with Kit Hoover as well. You can follow us on social media at the co with Kit Hoover for behind the scenes content and updates. We will see you next time in the Coop. And remember, as my mom bug always says, life is not a dress rehearsal. Make it count. 

Today's episode was produced by me, kit Hoover and Harper McDonald. Our technical producer is Christian Brown. And today's episode was edited by Christian Brown, business Development by Casey Lad. And a special thank you to all of our sponsors.