{"id":192,"date":"2026-06-04T10:10:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T10:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atlaslivingmedia.com\/?p=192"},"modified":"2026-06-04T10:10:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T10:10:47","slug":"a-new-documentary-shows-how-paid-leave-gives-families-a-lifeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atlaslivingmedia.com\/?p=192","title":{"rendered":"A New Documentary Shows How Paid Leave Gives Families a Lifeline"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Allyson Felix still remembers the beeping of the monitors in the NICU as her daughter was fighting for her life after her preterm birth in 2018. After developing severe preeclampsia, Felix had an emergency C-section and delivered her daughter at 32 weeks. But even in that critical moment, her daughter\u2019s survival wasn\u2019t the only thing on her mind. Years later, speaking on a panel after the premiere of the short film Lifelines<\/em> in early May, \u201cI was reminded\u2026what that feels like,\u201d she said, \u201cand then thinking about work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Hasan Piker\u2019s Ban Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s this time when you see your child fighting, and yet here you are thinking about your livelihood, and it\u2019s such a horrible place to be,\u201d said the Olympic champion, who co\u2013executive produced the film. \u201cUntil people can really understand what that feels like, what that looks like, we have to continue to raise awareness because [paid leave] is something that everybody should absolutely have.\u201d Running at just under 10 minutes, the short documentary shows how state paid leave programs can give families financial stability and a little breathing room when they need it most.<\/p>\n

Standing in the hallway of The Annex in Brooklyn, Felix explained to me that she joined the nonprofit organization Paid Leave for All in co\u2013executive producing Lifelines <\/em>after her eyes were opened to these issues and the way \u201cthat so many families don\u2019t get paid leave, have to be thrust immediately back into their responsibilities and work, and just the effect and impact that has.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felix, the most decorated female track-and-field Olympian athlete in history, wrote about her ordeal in a New York Times<\/em> opinion article in 2019, explaining that \u201cshe felt pressure to return to form as soon as possible\u201d after giving birth. Around the time of her daughter\u2019s birth, Felix was negotiating her renewal contract with Nike, and the company wanted to pay her 70 percent less than it had in her previous contract. \u201cIf that\u2019s what they think I\u2019m worth now, I accept that,\u201d Felix wrote. But she wanted Nike to agree that she would not lose pay if her performance suffered in the period during which she was recovering from her emergency C-section. \u201cNike declined,\u201d she wrote, and when she went public with her Times<\/em> op-ed they were at a standstill.<\/p>\n

After facing public pressure and questioning from members of Congress about the experiences of its sponsored athletes, Nike eventually updated its policy to create protections for pregnant and postpartum athletes. It is because of Felix, who ultimately separated from Nike and signed a deal with Athleta, and her fellow former Nike-endorsed athletes Alysia Monta\u00f1o and Kara Goucher that the new paid leave policy became possible.<\/p>\n

Felix was not alone. Just one in four working people have access to paid family leave through their job. With the fight for a federal policy effectively at a standstill during the current Congress, advocates are pushing a 50-state strategy, advancing progressive policies and winning at the state level. Earlier this year, Virginia adopted a new paid family and medical leave program, slated to take effect in 2028, guaranteeing workers up to 12 weeks of paid family leave. The program makes Virginia the first Southern state to pass such a policy.<\/p>\n

Felix said that she believes that \u201cwhen people see these stories [in the documentary], it will affect them in a new way and they\u2019ll have a deeper understanding\u201d of the need for paid leave.<\/p>\n

Read more January 13, 1941: James Joyce Dies<\/a><\/p>\n

The documentary follows two families whose lives are transformed by paid leave: in New Jersey, Habibah and Rasheed, who faced a life-threatening medical emergency three weeks after Habibah gave birth to their third child; and in Colorado, Lee and Elizabeth, who gave birth at 33 weeks and feared running out of leave by the time their new baby finally came home. Both families were able to receive additional time to care for their children through their respective state programs. \u201c[Lifelines<\/em>] shows us what is possible when we have supports and policies, like paid family and medical leave, that much of the world takes for granted,\u201d said Dawn Huckelbridge, the founding director of Paid Leave for All.<\/p>\n

Huckelbridge told me that while the United States is the only country among its peers without a federal paid family leave policy, Paid Leave for All has tracked wins of various kinds in more than 40 states across the country, as well as more incremental positive changes at municipal levels. \u201cProgress is continuing, particularly at the state and local level, where we are seeing strong leadership, but a federal opportunity could be around the corner,\u201d said Huckelbridge. \u201cIt\u2019s important that we keep trying to help people\u2019s lives every day that we can with this state-level work, and that we also engage the advocates and the legislators at the state level in helping to push for a federal guarantee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felix took significant personal risks to become an advocate on this issue. She spoke out about the injustices she and other sponsored athletes were facing while she was negotiating with their sponsor. Asked what motivates her to speak out, she said: \u201cIt\u2019s just really thinking about others and\u2026realizing that it\u2019s going to take us all coming together to turn things around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really shied away from [doing things that are difficult] earlier in my career and stayed more in the safe zone,\u201d Felix said. \u201cAnd then you do one of the things and you\u2019re like, OK. It doesn\u2019t have to always feel good or you don\u2019t have to always feel ready, but it\u2019s important to try to push for change. You\u2019ve got to put yourself out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

In late April, the 40-year-old Olympic champion put herself out there in a big way once again, announcing that she is planning to return to running, with the goal of competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Initially, she planned to train without drawing a lot of attention to it. \u201cBut I was talking to my brother about it and he\u2019s like, I think if you\u2019re vulnerable and share [your experience], you\u2019d be surprised how many others, especially women, are in this place where they\u2019re 40 and not just doing what\u2019s expected and what the world tells us [we\u2019re supposed to do].\u201d She has since gone public about her comeback and her goal of being the first American sprinter to make the Olympics in her 40s if she succeeds. But succeeding isn\u2019t necessarily the goal.<\/p>\n

I asked Felix what she hopes her daughter will take away from the experience of watching her mom publicly document this experience. She told me, \u201cI hope that she sees\u2014we\u2019ve even had some conversations already, at her level\u2014you can try. It\u2019s not always about winning, it\u2019s not always about the outcome, but it\u2019s really important to try things. And you don\u2019t know how it\u2019s going to end, and it can be scary. It can be hard. But it\u2019s important to go for things that you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more January 6, 1919: Theodore Roosevelt Dies<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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