99. Battling Counterfeit Comforts with Author, Expert and Coach Robia Scott
In the latest episode of the Pursuit of Gold podcast, actress, author, emotional coach, and Hollywood professional dancer turned iconic musician Prince’s muse, Robia Scott, takes center stage. Her riveting and candid conversation with Laura here today delves into her storied career, the highs and lows of the entertainment industry, and the sacrifices and life-altering choices made by high achievers in pursuit of their dreams. Beneath all the glitz and glamor, they uncover the emotional and mental struggles that often accompany success, particularly the damaging relationship between body image, food, and self-worth.
Throughout the episode, Laura and Robia explore the complex world of emotional eating and its roots in societal pressures and personal insecurities as Robia shares her two-decade-long journey to recognize and address these underlying emotional wounds. Together, they stress the critical significance of seeking help, mentorship, and guidance while underscoring the role of accountability and the power of vulnerability in the healing process. Advocating for self-awareness through journaling and investing in personal growth, this episode is a profound journey into emotional healing and self-discovery, providing valuable guidance for those seeking happiness and fulfillment amid the demands of high achievement and success. Don't miss this opportunity to join Laura and Robia’s insightful conversation today so you, too, can continue on your own path to emotional well-being and self-empowerment.
Episode Highlights:
Robia Scott's remarkable journey from professional dancer to Prince's muse
The sacrifices made in the pursuit of dreams
The hidden struggles behind the glamour of a successful career
Body image, food, and self-esteem
Robia's journey of self-discovery and emotional healing
The significance of acknowledging and processing emotions
Robia's role as a coach
The cycle of emotional eating and its roots in societal pressures
The importance of recognizing the underlying emotions driving destructive behaviors
Quotes:
"In many of our sports, there's this elephant in the room that people don't want to talk about because we're high achievers, we're tough, we think we should be impenetrable, like some kind of superhero."
"These escapes might offer temporary relief and comfort, but they can easily become addictive, enslaving, and destructive patterns."
"The feelings we're not dealing with are dealing with us."
"Awareness is the first step of change. You can't change what you don't know."
"If I'm overweight, you just, like, go on a diet. You try to white knuckle things. You try to quit the smoking. You try to stop the addiction. You try to stop drinking the alcohol. But if you don't deal with the root, it just parlays into a different addiction."
"I call them counterfeit comforts because they're those comforts that we turn to, that they're an imposter, they give us some temporary satisfaction, some temporary relief, but they're really a counterfeit."
"You don't have to be controlled by these…counterfeit comforts. You can overcome that and move past it."
"It's important because like you said, we all struggle with it in some ways, so we have to talk about it."
Links:
Laura’s Social Media:
Connect with Robia:
29. Finding the positive side of challenges with Paralympic Champion Allysa Seely
Joining Laura on today’s episode is the incredibly inspiring American Paralympic champion, Allysa Seely. Diagnosed with a combination of brain, spinal and connectivity disorders which eventually led to the amputation of her left leg below the knee, Allysa responded by going on to become a 3-time World Champion and a Paralympic Gold Medalist. Despite the challenges presented by her ongoing medical concerns, Allysa continues to persevere, and is currently training with an eye to competing in the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021. Hers is a story of exemplary commitment, resilience, and determination, and she shares it all with Laura here today.
They begin by discussing the story behind the unique spelling of Allysa’s name and her DIY projects, which gives just a taste of her remarkable commitment to achievement. Allysa then shares the details of her start in the triathlon, her diagnosis and its ongoing impact, her journey as a paratriathlete and the great success she has achieved therein, as well as her preparation for the upcoming Paralympics. She also discusses the importance of her team, her unique nutrition necessities, her ESPN Body Issue experience, and how she is feeling these days since a recent stint in the hospital. Make no mistake, Allysa’s story is not solely about her diagnosis and the impact it has had upon her life. It is about having the steely resolve to recognize challenges, meet them head on, and go beyond simply overcoming them to actually using them as fuel to achieve even greater results, rendering Allysa Seely a truly inspiring example for everyone to follow not only in sport but in every aspect of life.
Episode Highlights:
· Some of Allysa’s DIY projects
· Her start in the triathlon
· Allysa’s diagnosis of Chiari II malformation, its symptoms, and her reaction to it
· Her brain and spine surgery, rehabilitation, and return to running
· How her science background has helped her
· Transitioning from triathlon to paratriathlon
· Her amputation and returning to racing
· Her World Championships and Paralympics experiences and their impact
· Allysa’s team
· Nutrition, sleep and recovery for her
· Allysa’s training schedule
· Her ESPN Body Issue experience
· How the Tokyo Games postponement has affected Allysa
· How she is feeling these days since her last hospital stay
Quotes:
“I really just fell in love with the challenge and the camaraderie and the exhilaration of the sport so I haven’t left yet.”
“The bike has definitely been the lasting challenge for me…I have a love/hate relationship with it.”
“The back part of my brain – the cerebellum – is not actually in my skull, it’s herniated into my spinal column.”
“It’s not super common, so there’s many times I’m explaining it to medical professionals as well.”
“I ran my first 5K as an amputee in December after losing my leg in August.”
“Learning to walk and run was actually easier than when I had my foot.”
“I do think very little was expected of me.”
“People who believe in you, but yet love you whether you win or lose, right?”
“My neurological disability is absolutely more challenging than the amputation.”
“Because of the injury to my brain, my body is not able to digest food like most others do.”
“For the first time in my life, we’ve been able to…fully support my training, build muscle mass, and not worry about my weight throughout the season as much.”
“Nutrition is so important to achieving your best.”
“Not a single person cared that I was unclothed.”
“I’ve had a really rough year this year.”
“All in all, I think it might have worked out okay for me. Hopefully, next year’s going to be way better.”
“We can’t change the cards we’re dealt, and so we just have to make the best of what we have…those who are able to cope with the changes and stay on track and stay motivated are the ones that are going to find the most success next summer.”
“Although these few months have been hard, I don’t think it counts me out. If anything, it lights more of a fire under me to prove that I can overcome this and everything else thrown my way to be the athlete and the competitor that I want to be.”
“Impossible is a dare.”
Links:
Mental Training: https://www.laurawilkinson.com/learn
Laura’s Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lala_the_diver
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLauraWilkinson
Connect with Allysa:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/triallysa/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/allysaseelytriathlete/
25. Breaking barriers with World Champion weightlifter Kristi Brewer
Joining Laura on the podcast this week is elite Olympic weightlifter, Kristi Brewer.
K Mighty, as she is known, didn’t even start weightlifting until her mid-30’s, and in her relatively short career so far, she has earned the title of Master World Champion and Master Worlds Best Lifter, and in the process broken 12 world records. She competes for the USA on a national and international platform, and is the oldest national ranked weightlifter on the senior circuit. Kristi is also a CPA, a mom to two wonderful girls, and, not surprisingly, a scheduling genius, all of which you will learn more about here today.
In this episode, Kristi shares the story of her rather non-traditional journey to weightlifting through her steady progress in the sport to the current day, and her plans for the future. Along the way, she touches upon her training history, being a ‘remote athlete’, her competitions and the pressure associated with them, the insignificance of ‘weight on the scale’ in the bigger picture, and the impact her training has upon her daughters. She also offers a glimpse of her stellar organizational and scheduling abilities, what it’s like to compete for Team USA, and how we can help cheer her on. Unmistakable throughout is Kristi’s love of the sport and what it has done for her, her pride in being an example for others especially her children, and, above all, the fact that her story clearly demonstrates that ‘life is not over when we become a mom or when we hit a certain age’. Truly, new beginnings are possible at any point in our lives, so listen in today and be inspired by the mighty Kristi Brewer.
Episode Highlights:
· Kristi’s non-traditional journey to weightlifting
· Her training history
· Being a ‘remote athlete’
· Her competition history
· The source of the pressure and expectations on Kristi
· The story of winning her first Master World Championship title
· Competing internationally in the Open Division
· The insignificance of ‘weight on the scale’ in the bigger picture
· The benefits of weight training
· Cutting weight during the holiday season
· Kristi’s daughters’ perspectives on her weightlifting
· Kristi’s scheduling expertise including visual schedules
· Competing for Team USA
· Her current goals
· How we can cheer Kristi on
Quotes:
“I didn’t find weightlifting actually until my second child when I was 35.”
“I love the intensity of it, and also the monotonousness of the training.”
“Weightlifting also just fit my personality as well as my body type.”
“I didn’t have time to be good at both, and I didn’t want to just be mediocre, I wanted to be really good at one, and so…it morphed into weightlifting.”
“I was so terrified of being a remote athlete.”
“I do train alone in my garage, and I’ve been doing that for 4 of the 5 years that I’ve been an athlete.”
“Ultimately, I had to trust myself that I could make these lifts without someone there telling me what to do and when to do it.”
“You don’t actually know what you don’t know until you just do it.”
“I love that women are, like, breaking all kinds of barriers…showing the world that, like, just because you’re in your 30’s or your 40’s doesn’t mean life is over. You can start something new then, and be awesome at it.”
“Through the variety of my different competitions and experiences, the ones…that I’ve done the best at are the ones that I went in with to have fun.”
“The biggest pressures are definitely self-inflicted.”
“Most people aren’t as concerned with us as we are, but that’s something really easy to say but hard to, like, take to heart.”
“Just because it hasn’t been done doesn’t mean that I can’t do it.”
“I hate BMI.”
“Weightlifting has been this huge, huge, huge mind shift of just how powerful a woman’s body can be and how awesome muscle is.”
“If I don’t stick to the plan, I won’t compete.”
“I love being that living example…we can relate on a totally different level.”
“I am way more for experiences over money.”
“Every day is blocked out into work, training, family, and then basically just fitting that all in.”
“Our days are pretty structured, but that structure creates freedom.”
“We do believe that I did get COVID.”
“Tokyo 2021 is out – that’s not something that I’m qualified for.”
“I am a firm believer that you need to make time for yourself.”
“Every time I see your stuff I just smile and I’m encouraged.”
Links:
Mental Training: https://www.laurawilkinson.com/learn
Laura’s Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lala_the_diver
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLauraWilkinson
Connect with Kristi:
Kristi’s homepage: https://www.kmighty.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k_mighty/