When Racing Louisville forward Cheyna Matthews was pregnant with her now three-year-old son, Josiah, she struggled to find supportive activewear.
Much of the maternity clothes she tried were meant to be worn as loungewear — not as something that she could sweat in.
"I found myself wearing things that just were not comfortable," she said. "I couldn't find items that I really needed to be able to sweat in to support my belly."
So in 2020 when Matthews found out she was pregnant with her second son, Lionel, she was desperate to find a solution that would help her remain active during her pregnancy as she prepared to return to the pitch in 2021 with Racing. Her own need sparked an idea that became Seeded Sweat, a business that offers maternity activewear to encourage other mothers to "carry on" their active lifestyles during pregnancy and beyond.
As a professional athlete, Matthews told me she had never really considered entrepreneurship, even though she comes from a family of self-made entrepreneurs. She grew up watching her father run his own plumbing company, while her sister started a mobile bar business and her brother worked his way up to become a celebrity hairstylist.
That same brother was the one who connected Matthews to product developers after her long search for supportive, functional activewear that didn't exist. In February 2020, she started testing products and different materials, long before Seeded Sweat was registered as a limited liability company in September 2020.
"The process of actually getting the product was daunting ... I will be honest with you, there were a few times where I thought about saying, 'You know what, forget it. I've got too much going on. I've got this kid and I'm pregnant again. I'm trying to get back to play and I've got all these goals,'" she said. "At that time, I was like, 'Maybe this isn't the right move.'"
It was encouragement from her husband, Jordan Matthews, a tight end with the San Fransisco 49ers, and her entrepreneurial family that helped her see it through to the end. In addition to her own brother's connection to product developers, her brother-in-law, an engineer, assisted in the design process, too.
At nine months pregnant, Matthews had final products that she was satisfied with: leggings made with moisture-wicking, breathable fabric and mild compression to support the pelvis and back ($98), and a sports bra with adjustable straps and easy-access clips for nursing mothers ($55).
After having Lionel in December 2020, Matthews chose to focus on training for her upcoming season with Racing Louisville rather than launching Seeded Sweat.
"You have to keep the main thing, the main thing and at the time, it was my sport — it was Racing," she said. "It was about putting my best foot forward on the field. I knew with success on the field, people are more interested in what you're doing off the field."
Matthews didn't totally put Seeded Sweat on the back burner, though. She used travel time during away games to build up her subscriber list and work on the website, using her teammates as copy editors and sounding boards, all while making 17 appearances and four starts for Racing last year.
Seeded Sweat's website went live in November 2021, and now, Matthews is focused on scaling the brand into a resource hub for active mothers.
"I really see Seeded Sweat becoming a community... a community of women who want to help other women have the healthiest pregnancies that they can, and then also selling products where I know that they're actually solving a problem," she said.
And Matthews gets to use her own products again, too. Just last month, she and Jordan announced they were expecting their third child later this year.
That puts her out for Racing Louisville's 2022 season, but the timing actually works out for Matthews to play in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, if her team, Jamaica's Reggae Girlz, qualifies. She has played for Jamaica's national team since 2019, making two starts in group play in the 2019 World Cup.
"I get the question a lot: 'Are you going to retire? Are you going to keep trying to play? You'll have three kids like what does that look like?'" Matthews said. "I think it's important for me to see this out another time and just continue to play as long as I can.
"I have the support. I have the resources to get myself ready for next season. And I have no doubt by February I will be back and ready to go because I have no reason to think otherwise. Soccer is all I know."
