Tia Norfleet wears $1,600 custom racing suits to work, but her chosen profession is far from posh, requiring both laser focus in the moment and continuous off-season training. "You always want to keep the bread fresh, because it can get stale real quick," she says. And while you may not think of racecar drivers as "real" athletes, one conversation with Norfleet will change all that. "These cars are really heavy... and when you're going at these speeds the G-force that is hitting you is 4 times more than normal," she explains.
Norfleet, who lives in Augusta, GA, is often hailed as the world's first female, African-American NASCAR driver (she's the first to be licensed by both NASCAR and ARCA, the Automobile Racing Club of America). "What I stand for is something far bigger than me," she says.
While Norfleet's dedication to the sport is commendable, it's especially so when you consider her health challenges. She struggles with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), a debilitatingly painful condition marked by small cysts on her ovaries and irregular, heavy menstrual cycles—so being strapped into an uncomfortable car seat for hours at a time requires total confidence in her period protection. "Having PCOS has played a major part in my life," she says, but she hasn't let it get her down.
Watch this video to learn how she maintains her competitive edge—any day of the month.
