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Sometimes, we didn't have enough to eat. I'd go to school with no lunch money, and my school would have to provide it.
As aspiring athletes, you should never give up on your dreams. Just believe in yourself, and everything will be possible.
I didn't execute to a tee. But my coach always told me if I went out there and did my own thing, it's OK as long as I win.
The road to success has to have obstacles because, at the end of the day, when success comes, it will be that much better.
We need our children in Jamaica - especially those suffering with dyslexia, autism, cerebral palsy - to get more attention.
There are still many things to work on - the start, the transition, the finish. I am not just going to sit around and wait.
Usain is Usain, and he always has the spotlight because of what he has accomplished, so we can never take that away from him.
My message always is: No matter where you are from, no matter what past you have, it is all about your future and your goals.
I remember running at school sports day, and I would win everything, but I wasn't a super athlete or a superstar at high school.
I like it when I'm chirpy and happy, so I decided to do my hair green. I got my sunflowers too - I was like a living, walking garden.
I've said many times that I'm not one of those people who check statistics, follows history, and says, 'If I do this, what will happen.'
When you have good runners, you always run fast. That's the motivation for me. But I have room to improve in my technique and in the start.
If you represent our country, it should represent us. It's supposed to be a two-way thing, but we live and we learn, and it's getting better.
I was just really excited to win the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m in Moscow and then, to top that off, to win the Diamond Race in the 100m and 200m.
I wanted green in my hair, so I did green. And I got my sunflowers to match. I've never done it before. Just said, 'OK, I'm doing my hair green.'
For me, I've not really focused on a world record. I'm just trying to put a complete race together, and when I do that, then fast times will come.
A lot of people do run well at 60m but can't transfer it to the 100m because there's still 40m to go, and anything can happen in that last section.
For training, you know what works and what doesn't work. And you know where you fall short and you need to pick up, so I'm not worried about the age factor.
What has happened is just cases of athletes neglecting to correctly check the supplement they've had. It's not like they are deliberately or intentionally cheating.
I'm a professional athlete - one who's supposed to set examples - so whatever it is I put in my body, it's up to me to take responsibility for it, and I have done that.
A master's is a lot more work than my first degree, but I'm an athlete who knows what she wants. I made up my mind, and I'm determined that this is what I'm going to do.
For me, I try not to think about it too much, because you find that if you think about it too much, then you start to panic at every little thing that goes on in training.
My mum wouldn't let me go outside. Coming back from school, the gang men sometimes would say things, but I would walk by, never answer, and my mum would go tell them leave me alone.
As athletes, we sit and think, when international media or whoever make judgments or statements about Jamaica, 'Why aren't members of our federation coming out and speaking up for us?'
My second 30 is actually very good, where my turnovers are very quick. I just want to put a complete race together, once I get out of my drive phase, I want to hit my next 30 very hard.
The only thing I advocate for is for equality for female athletes because we train just as hard, and we're always having a lot of head-to-head clashes, always competing against each other.
I think I get going because I try not to put added pressure on myself because a lot of times, you can be very good at what you do, but when you get ready, you have to be prepared to get it going.
I'm getting tired of 10.7s. I just want to put a good race together, and hopefully in the next race, I get the time I'm working for. I definitely think a 10.6 is there. Hopefully I will get it together.
We are doing very well for our country internationally, but when we are in Jamaica, our athletes are not being looked after. We are selling our country and marketing our country to the world and not being paid for it.
I definitely believe our coaches are now leading more and learning more. They are hungry in terms of getting the athletes to improve. I believe it's now more mental than anything else, and I'd like to assist in that area.
I grew up in poverty and my mother had to sacrifice a lot for us to eat and get an education - just imagine in a house where we were more than six children! But hard work and dedication is what it took for me to be here today.
When I came here in 2008, nobody knew who I was. I didn't know who I was. I was just enjoying the moment and I won. So, now, coming back being the person I am with all the accomplishments, it kind of puts things in perspective.
I was just a normal athlete. My mother tried to spark something in me. She was an athlete in high school before she got pregnant with my older brother. She was 16, and that was it for her when it came to track and her education.
Because I knew how hard I worked, I knew the pain, I knew the sacrifice, I knew the tears, I knew everything. Despite everything, I stuck to it. I toughed it out, and I kept my head in the game, even when the odds were against me.
We are the ones out there competing, and yet we read articles and listen to people making accusations about Jamaica, and there's nobody there to take a microphone, be a big person and say, 'What you're saying is wrong, and it's a lie.'
My coach and I will have these arguments where I am in pain or something is wrong, and I won't tell him because I feel like I need to train. We have a blow-up of arguments, and he says, 'Shelly, you need to tell me when these things are happening.'