Kerri Walsh Jennings is a three-time world champion, a three-time Olympic gold medalist (let's also not forget about her bronze from the Rio Games) and is often regarded as one of the best beach volleyball players of all time.

Despite her never-ending list of accolades, though, she's just known as Mom at home.

There's never a dull moment when she's caring for her three children, Joey, Sundance and Scout. But thanks to them, Walsh Jennings' outlook on what it means to be great has transformed for the better.

"Man, prior to having kids, my life was 365, 24/7 focused on the end result of becoming the best and winning, winning, winning," Walsh Jennings said.

"Now that I have children I still wanna be the best, I still wanna win, yet I have new perspective, new inspiration and I am less self-centered. And I have this broader perspective in life where as it's not on the end result, it's how you get there. You have to have fun along the way. There's so much wisdom throughout all of it."

Walsh Jennings famously won a gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012 while she was five weeks pregnant with her youngest child Scout. Joey, Sundance and her husband Casey, of course, were in attendance to watch her win her third consecutive Olympic title.

Like her three children, Casey, who's also her coach, does just as good a job helping Walsh Jennings stay grounded.

"He has incredible patience because I have to be the hardest athlete he's ever trained. I push back on my husband a lot and I'm not that athlete. I have never been. If I have ever in my career I think I probably was told once that you can't do that, and I have never done that again. And yet with husband I push back almost on every single thing he tries to correct me and coach me on. And yet I trust him more than anyone."

Walsh Jennings is now in the thick of training for the Tokyo Games with hopes of winning a fourth Olympic gold medal. And at 42 years old, she could become the oldest female beach volleyball player to ever compete in the Olympics. But at the end of the day, her children have taught her more about life as an athlete than anyone else possibly could.

"Things truly do always work out if you have a good attitude and a smile and a good work ethic, and it's okay not to know everything and not to know every outcome," she said. "You just got to have that faith and then put in the work, and my kids have taught me that.

"They teach me that every day, because every time the control freak in me wants to control and manipulate and influence, they show me right away that I have no control. And I shouldn't have control over them. I should just have control over my happiness and my focus and the rest will fall into place."