For Sanya Richards-Ross, joining “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” in Season 14 had a clear lesson: “You come for the reads, but you stay for the relationships.”

The 37-year-old is a four-time Olympic gold medalist, track and field star, mother, wife and now, “Real Housewife.”

Season 14 of “RHOA,” which premiered in May, stars Kandi Burruss, Marlo Hampton, Kenya Moore, Drew Sidora, Richards-Ross and Shereé Whitfield, and airs every Sunday at 8 p.m. on Bravo with episodes available the next day on Peacock.

After the departure of longtime cast members Porsha Williams and Cynthia Bailey, Richards-Ross joined this season alongside the return of Whitfield and promotion of Hampton to full-time wife, setting the stage for a refreshed look at life in Atlanta.

TODAY sat down with Richards-Ross to hear all about her first season on “RHOA” and all that’s to come.

Richards-Ross was ready to return to reality TV

Richards-Ross’ first reality TV experience came on the show “Sanya’s Glam & Gold,” which aired on WeTV in 2013 and followed her life with NFL star Aaron Ross.

Speaking to TODAY, she Richards-Ross said she was always open to returning to TV.

“I always said I would leave the door open if the right opportunity came up. So when the producers reached out to do ‘Housewives of Atlanta. I was like, ‘Oh my god, like it’s a franchise that I really respect,” she said.

Whereas Richards-Ross’ first show was solely based around her family, “RHOA” is centered around an ensemble cast.

Richards-Ross said the biggest difference between the shows is “showing up authentically as yourself while meeting women who have huge personalities.”

How the challenge of filming ‘Housewives’ compares to the Olympics

As a four-time Olympic gold medalist, Richards-Ross knows her way around the most fierce competitions in the world. She said the experience of “Housewives” is “difficult in different ways.”

“Training for the Olympics is physically taxing, I’m on the track five days a week, I’m in the weight room. There’s obviously the mental element of the Olympics that’s very hard.

“For ‘Housewives,’ the tricky part is you’re joining something that’s 14 seasons, a huge juggernaut, a lot of big personalities, and you’re always trying to figure out where you fit, how you should be authentically,” Richards-Ross explained.

Richards-Ross talks the ‘Drew’ of it all

Richards-Ross was first introduced to the group through Drew Sidora. But in Season 14, the pair’s relationship changes. Richards-Ross and Sidora disagree over many things, including if they’re even friends.

Richards-Ross said that before filming, her and Sidora “hung out two or three times.” She explained that “it’s a bit of a stretch to say we were friends. She’s a new friend, a very new friend.”

In episode six, Sidora called Richards-Ross a “clout chaser” for only inviting Moore and Burruss — who happen to have the largest Instagram followings of the group — to star in the photoshoot for her business, MommiNation.

For Richards-Ross, the accusation was “heartbreaking.” Richards-Ross explained, “I’ve worked really, really hard to get to where I am, at a level that most people can’t even understand. So it’s not fair for someone like Drew to throw out that kind of claim.”

“I’m at the same table that everyone else is at, so what do I need to clout chase for? It’s disappointing that another Black woman who obviously knows how hard it is to get to certain levels would attach that to me, because that’s so far from who I am,” Richards-Ross said.