The idea that Serena won the Australian Open while pregnant could, I suppose, have made me feel pathetic for eating crackers in bed, but I have taken the opposite lesson. That was hardly the first time she had triumphed despite (or maybe in some spiritual sense because of) a physical limitation or a mental distraction. During this time in my life, I know that things that once came easy will be harder, and I will have to learn new tricks, like frankness and planning ahead, that I have long avoided because they always seemed too difficult. But when I think of Serena, I feel buoyed by a sense of my own capacity to do the tough stuff. Her radiant smile alone inspires me to be my best self. I am grateful that the superstar fertility goddess of this moment is a woman willing to show that a competitive and ambitious spirit and maternal love are not mutually exclusive.