Work to live, not live to work. A simple, age-old adage. But for many Americans, it’s a phrase that’s easier to say and harder to do. But a big part of living a happy life is maintaining a healthy relationship with work.

If work-life balance is challenging for us, then what must it be like for the professional athletes who – between the traveling, training, media appearances, tournaments, and more – put in more time than the roughly 2,080 hours per year a full-time employee spends at their desk?

At Take 5 Daily, we love to feature a Thorne partner’s unique background, highlighting their sport and showing how Thorne fuels them to success. But just as interesting is the story of how a professional athlete balances their life with their livelihood. 

No one does this better than professional U.S. tennis player and Thorne partner, Madison Keys. She kindly took the time to answer a few personal questions before gearing up for the U.S. Open:

1. You’ve been on tour for years and the tennis schedule is intense. How hard is it to achieve work-life balance and if you feel like you have it, how do you maintain it?

It definitely took me a while at the beginning of my career to create a work-life balance. But now, I really have a great routine when I’m at home between practice, fitness training, and downtime. When I’m on the road, I try to have a similar routine so that I’m making time for fun stuff whether it’s being a tourist or just relaxing with Netflix.

2. You’re known for being such a beacon of positivity! How do you maintain that outlook in your toughest moments on and off the court?

I think there have been many times where I could use my own beacon of positivity! When I got injured at Wimbledon this year, it was really hard to stay positive on court. And after, I was so disappointed in that moment. But I think it’s healthy to allow yourself to feel raw in those tough moments rather than just push them aside. And having a good team around me really helps me get through the negativity.

3. You’ve been having fun with various housing projects over the last year as you’ve taken time away from the game due to injury. What has that experience been like and how else have you filled the extra time?

I’ve loved interior design for years, so I was excited about the home project. I had kind of identified a bunch of critical changes that needed to be made throughout the house to make it more functional (like storage... you should see where I should keep all my Thorne now!). And there were also some design and decor changes to make the house feel more “me.” I’ve loved being able to choose flooring types, wallpaper, tile and see it all come together. And I think any extra time has been filled with planning the next phase of the renovation!

4. Can you speak a bit about the importance of having an outlet outside of tennis?

We basically eat, sleep, and breathe tennis during the season. Even if we’re not at a tournament and playing a match, we’re training or watching tennis on TV. So, when something is that all-consuming, you need other things you enjoy doing. I think that’s the case for anyone – find hobbies, fun distractions, and other things that help you decompress on a daily basis. For me that’s interior design and cooking!

5. You are planning your wedding! Congratulations! How is that going?

I think it’s going really well! Bjorn and I really love the location we chose and I’ve already got my wedding dresses and shoes. There are still some little details to work on, but I think it’s going to be a really fun and intimate weekend with our family and closest friends.

6. Any words of wisdom or advice for fellow Take 5 Daily readers who are also wedding planning?

I know I’m always traveling so that definitely makes planning a wedding a little more difficult but having a good wedding planner you trust is really helpful. Keeping checklists is a great idea, too.

7. The U.S. Open is just around the corner! You had great success last year. Any changes in preparation going into the tournament this time around?

Honestly, it’s not that much different, which is great because of how well last year went. I’ve been training pretty hard in the Florida heat (which means I’ve been going through a lot of Thorne’s Amino Complex during training and Magnesium Bisglycinate at night) and I think that always makes me feel really good and prepared for the New York summer.

8. Your Kindness Wins organization has done some great work with the Credit One Charleston Open, a tournament that Thorne sponsored earlier this year. What do kindness and the importance of giving back to your community mean to you?

I love Charleston so much and that tournament has always been really supportive of me and Kindness Wins. A few years ago, we sponsored a court renovation in North Charleston and this year we did a Pro-Am at the tournament to raise money for a local tennis program for underserved youth and a court renovation project in Wisconsin.

I rarely have free time during tournaments but anytime I can help fund a program to get more kids playing tennis or make public tennis courts safer, that’s where my free time will go. The things Kindness Wins has accomplished the last few years and the lives we’ve touched really mean a lot to me.

9. Are there any exciting initiatives on the horizon for Kindness Wins?

Our fifth annual Kindness Wins Day is coming up Thursday, September 12th! Each year we try to do things a little differently. Not only are we going to be giving a $5000 grant to a charitable organization, but this year we’ll also be doing a giveaway for everyone who has supported Kindness Wins the last few years, just to give a little kindness back.

Thorne is thrilled to partner with Madison, and is excited to bring you more health and wellness content. Check out Madison’s personal collection and follow her on Instagram.