Royals

Prince Harry Reveals How He Spends His Self Care Time as He Teams Up with Serena Williams

Serena Williams was a guest at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's 2018 royal wedding

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Published on February 3, 2022 04:53 PM

Prince Harry Serena Williams — Prince Harry; Serena Williams. Photo: Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage; Bryan Bedder/Getty/IMG

Prince Harry is making his first appearance of the new year — alongside pal Serena Williams!

Harry and Serena, who is a longtime friend of Meghan Markle and attended the couple's royal wedding in May 2018, joined BetterUp CEO Alexi Robichaux for a virtual event on Thursday where they talked about "cultivating the power of Mental Fitness through a bold commitment to Inner Work."

Prince Harry, 37, said that he does "experience burnout" and encouraged viewers to make time to focus on their own well-being.

He also shared that he realizes how difficult that can be: "The self care is the first thing that drops away. I'm happy to admit that — as a husband, as a dad."

Harry noted that he put in a 30- to 45-minute window of time each morning to focus on himself.

"Okay, one of the kids has gone to school. The other one's taking a nap. There's a break in our program," he said. "It's like, right, it's either for workout, take the dog for a walk, get out in nature, maybe meditate."

He also told Serena that the "me time" needs to be a habit that's just as much a part of the daily routine as brushing your teeth.

Serena responded with a smile: "I got a little work to do."

At one point, Serena told Alexi that she and Harry have these kinds of conversations "for hours."

"I know I joke a lot, but Harry's actually, one of my coaches whenever Is ee him, he's always solving all my life's problems," the tennis star said. "So I, I kind of give that to your BetterUp coach has kind of helped me. So thank you."

She added, "I'm like, okay, I need some more problems solve. When can I come over? 'Cause you just, you just always figure it out for me."

But Prince Harry didn't take any credit, noting that Serena was working out the issues herself.

Serena also shared that Prince Harry introduced her to a mental health coach that she "thoroughly leaned on," applying their help to her role in business as well as on the tennis court.

As someone employing people with his and Meghan's Archewell Foundation, Harry said it's important to allow people time to focus on their personal lives.

"The proof is in the pudding," he said. "Just look at these companies, these companies that signed up or that had BetterUp coaches, you know, for the last however many years and the numbers speak for themselves. The employees, their potential, their performance at work, but also at home has increased tenfold in some cases."

"So not only are they better at work, therefore as the employer, you are welcome, you're getting more out of me than you thought you would. But also you're creating more capacity and more ability for those individual when they go home to show up and be the person they need to be for their friends and their community to be the parent that they need to be for their kids. So it is one whole sort of cycle of, of, of connectivity that ultimately means everybody around you starts to benefit," Harry continued. "That's the way I see it."

After stepping back from his role as a senior working member of the royal family last year, the Duke of Sussex became chief impact officer of coaching and mental health company BetterUp Inc. in March 2021.

"I intend to help create impact in people's lives," Prince Harry, who has been open about his struggles with mental health, told the Wall Street Journal. "Proactive coaching provides endless possibilities for personal development, increased awareness, and an all-round better life."

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Harry also revealed that he had been using the company's resources for a couple of months.

"I was matched with my coach who, quite frankly, is truly awesome and has always given me sound advice and a fresh perspective, which is so valuable," he said.