89. Fall in Love with Failing with 3x World Champ Softball Player Haylie McCleney
In this week’s captivating episode, Laura is joined by the outstanding Olympic Silver medalist and softball legend, Haylie McCleney, for an entertaining and informative conversation chock-full of ‘mic drops and truth bombs’. Haylie's extraordinary journey began early in her life, fueled by an insatiable passion for sports and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Graduating with a degree in Human Performance from the University of Alabama and attaining a Master's in Exercise Physiology at Florida Atlantic University, Haylie's dedication has ultimately led to her becoming a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with membership in the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Throughout her discussion with Laura today, Haylie shares invaluable insights touching on her approach to thriving as a leadoff hitter, embracing relentless presence, and the profound significance of playing the long game.
Key takeaways from the episode reveal Haylie's emphasis on prioritizing personal growth over mere trophies as well as valuing the role of a supportive teammate in boosting morale. She also illuminates the transformative power of journaling as a means to navigate emotions, set goals, and express intentions, offering an enriching perspective on personal growth and competition. While recounting her journey to the Olympics, which saw the unique challenge of softball's temporary removal from the Games, Haylie's tenacity shines through in her work to realize her dream of representing the USA in Tokyo. The complexities posed by the COVID-19 pandemic are addressed as well, emphasizing the importance of stability during uncertain times. Haylie McCleney's inspiring narrative, as shared here today, stands as a testament to relentless dedication, unwavering commitment, and the unending pursuit of excellence - a truly inspiring tale brimming with invaluable wisdom born out of extensive and elite experience.
Episode Highlights:
The pursuit of personal growth and competition over mere trophies
Being a supportive and uplifting teammate in sports
Dedication to playing the long game and maintaining focus
The distractions and obligations faced while playing professional softball.
Navigating the unique challenges of an Olympic journey
Coping with disappointment
The importance of resilience and team bonding
Positive aspects of unconventional Olympics
Journaling for mental health
Quotes:
"You've got to be really in love with failing and learning from your failure."
"I was raised to begin with the end in mind and trust that the effort you put in today, weeks, months, years from now, you're going to see the benefits of it."
"Softball can be my year-round, full-time job. I can sign one contract, and that's enough money for me to make an incredible living."
"What if we try out again and get cut? What if I was an Olympian? But now I'm not an Olympian. Do I still say I'm an Olympian?"
"I might as well just have some fun, like, continue to play softball."
"Time heals everything."
"Play the long game, try to see the long game as best you can."
"Every single second matters."
Links:
The Confidence Journal- FREE SHIPPING with checkout code: STARTNOW
Laura’s Social Media:
Connect with Haylie:
73. Falling Forward with Olympic Medalist Jonathan Horton
From wild child to Olympic medalist, Jonathan Horton is the kind of athlete who truly inspires, his determination and grit winning him silver and bronze Olympic medals. Jonathan begins the episode by discussing his experience as a hyperactive kid, including the time he climbed a twenty-five-foot support beam in the middle of Target! He then talks about how watching the ’96 Olympics women’s gymnastics team provided a moment of intense motivation that would help him become a pro gymnast. He also discusses the importance of finding your passion and not giving up, including taking new opportunities and embracing challenges.
Next, Jonathan chats about his time in college and how it helped him evolve from a self-centered athlete to a team member who supported and fought for his teammates. He then talks in detail about his Olympic experiences, from the doubts about the 2008 men’s team, to bonding through anxiety on the eve of team finals, to winning bronze against the odds. Plus, he shares how going for broke against his coach’s advice led him to a silver medal. Jonathan then discusses the injuries that led to the end of his gymnastics career and his one regret from that time before closing the episode with his experiences on Ninja Warrior and how he became a two-time author.
Episode Highlights:
From hyperactive kid to motivated machine
Finding your passion and taking on challenges
Learning to be a team member
Jonathan’s experiences at the Olympics
Competing on Ninja Warrior
Quotes:
“That was inspirational for me and millions, if not billions of people, to see those gold medals go over those women’s necks and watch the American flag go up in the air and listen to the national anthem. And I just remember thinking, ‘That’s it, that’s why I’m doing gymnastics, that’s what I want to do one day.”
“I think that you owe it to yourself to not quit on looking for that thing that fires you up and clicks in your brain and etches itself into your soul.”
“I was such an individual, selfish, self-centered athlete that only wanted to win win win for myself. And then, I got to college, and I quickly learned what it meant to have teammates that were all chasing after the same thing. And my first year of college was a steep learning curve where I had to toss all of my own, not all of my own self desires to the side, but really learn how to compete for the guys standing next to me.”
“We suddenly just became a brotherhood. We were more than just an Olympic team. We were a family of guys that were like, ‘Hey, screw it. I know that no one believes that we can win a medal. We barely believe that we can win a medal because we’re all panicking right now. But let’s just go out there. And we always said, grip it and rip it, just grab the equipment and just go.”
“My goal was always to be like Laura Wilkinson and win gold. I wanted that gold medal. And that’s what kept driving me. I never got to really call myself an Olympic champion. But I also tell people, I didn’t lose gold. I won silver, I won bronze, I didn’t lose anything.”
Links:
5 Ways to Stay Focused in a Competition
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
Laura’s Social Media:
Jonathan’s Links:
Falling Forward: How An Ordinary Kid Failed His Way to His Olympic Dream on Amazon
If I Had Known: Life Lessons From An Olympic Pro Athlete on Amazon
64. "Swimming Chose Me" with 12 Time Olympic Medalist Natalie Coughlin
Laura’s guest on today’s episode is record-breaker, trailblazer, and history-maker Natalie Coughlin. Natalie has won twelve Olympic medals and twenty World Championship medals; she was the first US woman to win six medals at a single Olympic Games and the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the same event and consecutive Olympics. And as if that wasn’t enough, Natalie was also the first woman ever to swim the hundred-meter backstroke in less than a minute. Her achievements also include winning eleven out of a possible twelve individual NCAA titles, being NCAA Swimmer of the Year three years in a row, and winning a total of sixteen medals in major international competitions (twenty-five gold, twenty-two silver, and thirteen bronze) spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, the Pan-Pacific Championships, and the Pan-American Games. As impressive as her achievements are, Natalie’s also just a really cool, down-to-earth person who’s so much fun to talk to. During the episode, we jump into how her story began, her fierce competitiveness, and an injury that changed her whole perspective on swimming.
First up, Natalie shares how she got into swimming at a young age and how her natural competitiveness drove her to break onto the swimming scene at just thirteen. She then relates how she suffered a torn labrum in the run-up to qualifying for the 2000 Olympics team, the effect that had on her mindset and perspective, and her choice to avoid surgery and recover through physical rehab. Next, Natalie discusses how she chose which college to attend (eventually ending up at Cal, Berkeley) and the choices she made in her career post-injury, including ditching the two-hundred-meter backstroke and transitioning to sprint events. She talks about qualifying for the 2004 Olympics and the relief when she did, followed by the experience of winning her first gold medal and the positive impact that had on her confidence and ability to stay calm while competing. She also discusses how becoming a gold medalist led to more media attention and street recognition, how the Michael Phelps phenomenon helped shield her from the worst of that, and how she managed to achieve a happy medium of attention for her record-breaking success. Natalie then shares how it felt when other swimmers started nipping at her heels, firing up her competitiveness, and the mindset she gets into when preparing to compete. She then discusses how she prepared for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, keeping her cool when the media were pushing retirement, and circling back to that early injury and how it helped her keep swimming in perspective. Laura then asks Natalie to share her most memorable and toughest moments in her career, including winning the hundred-back in Beijing and feeling isolated during the 2012 Games. And finally, Natalie shares what she’s been up to since retiring from competition, including writing her cookbook Cook to Thrive and starting the women-owned winery Gaderian Wines in Napa Valley.
Episode Highlights:
How Natalie got started in swimming
Natalie’s competitive spirit
Breaking onto the swimming scene at age thirteen
Dealing with injury while trying to make the 2000 Olympic team
Choosing between colleges
Ditching the 200 backstroke
Qualifying for the 2004 Olympic team
The impact of winning gold at the Olympics
Dealing with media attention
Winning medals and breaking records
The mentality of competition
The road to Beijing 2008 and London 2012
The most memorable vs. the toughest moment of Natalie’s swimming career
What Natalie’s up to now
Natalie’s cookbook, Cook to Thrive
Quotes:
“Like the Water Babies type thing, you know, that every parent really needs to do for the safety of their children. It’s very, very important, whether you want them to be a swimmer or not, you have to get your kids in the water early.”
“When we did soccer at school, like during PE or during recess and lunch, all the kids in my class, they were in soccer, and they were just, they were so much better than me. So I remember going home and practicing with a soccer ball against the wall in the backyard, just so I could get better. And no one was coaching me, I was doing this by myself.”
“I will never forget, like, walking out onto the pool deck in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and they’re like, ‘And in lane one, Natalie Coughlin. Thirteen-year-old Natalie Coughlin.’ And then I choked because it was the first time I was on, like, the major stage.”
“A doctor, you know, finally told me, ‘Hey, you tore your labrum.’ So I had to deal with that, you know, most of ’99 and the lead up until 2000. And so my training really suffered. Emotionally, I really suffered. It was a really, really tough thing. And so I got to the 2000 Olympic trials, and by that time, I was just a shell of like, what I was before.”
“Honestly, the 200 back is one of the most painful events. And by that stage in my career, I was transitioning much more into sprint. And so that was just kind of the proof that I needed of like, ‘Hey, see? I don’t need to do this dumb event.’”
“Olympic gold, kind of, you just enter this other stratosphere of athletics where you will forever be an Olympic gold medalist - no one could ever take that away.”
“Because I had the confidence to do so, I would go pretty easy that first hundred, I would build the fifth twenty-five, and then that last seventy-five meters, I would just hammer it home and just mow people down. It was so fun to swim that way.”
“I remember being in the middle of Manhattan and people stopping me on the streets and, like, being on a train in the middle of nowhere, and people stopping me and being recognized. And, you know, part of that was really cool. But also, you know, I turned twenty-two at that Olympic Games. So it was, it was a lot, you know, like, it was great, but it also was super-overwhelming at the same time.”
“I didn’t want all that pressure on me. It’s that catch-22. You know, if you want all that attention, you have to take all that pressure, and I felt like I had kind of the happy medium of it.”
“And then, all of a sudden, I started crying. And then I started crying because I was crying. I was just like this sobbing, like, snotty mess.”
“2012, I failed to make the Olympic team in the 100 back. And people were like, ‘Oh my God,’ you know, waiting for me to freak out or something. And like, 'It’s just swimming, guys. I already have two gold medals. Like it’s, I’m fine.'”
“One, it’s so misogynistic, and two, none of their business. Like, it is so inappropriate for people to tell women that they need to retire and have babies. Some women don’t want it. Some people have a hard time getting pregnant. There’s like, so many reasons to not.”
“What I’m most proud of is just, kind of, my consistency throughout the years. The ability to, you know, be in medal contention for twelve different events over three Olympic Games. Like that’s something that no one’s done. You know, even you know, Dara and Jenny. They didn’t do it in three Olympics. I’m really proud of that.”
“I knew definitively after the ’16 trials that I was done. Like, I love swimming, and I love training so much, but honestly, I don’t feel the need to compete ever again. Like, that was kind of my mentality. And so, you know, I ended on my own terms, and I was really, really happy about it.”
“I’ve always made sure when my teammates have had disappointing races or whatever, to not hide from them, and not hide from the conversation, just to be there for them. Like, it was a learning experience for me too.”
“I think it’s really telling of us as maybe a culture sometimes. Like, we expect people to have a hissy fit or just have this giant pity party.”
“I eat very healthy, but I don’t deprive myself. So like, I allow myself to have butter, and I eat chicken with the skin on it. And like, I believe in Whole Foods, and I believe in balance.”
“People really wanted to peg me into, like, just clean, just healthy. This, like, boring Spartan, like, oh, this is what athletes eat. And that’s not how I’ve ever eaten. And if I ate that way, I would go crazy. I need to have a glass of wine, I need to have my chocolate and butter and like all those things.”
Pursuit of Gold Podcast is brought to you by Kaatsu Global
Links:
Life at 10 Meters: Lessons from an Olympic Champion
Laura’s Social Media:
Natalie’s Links:
51. Connecting sport, faith and life with Dr. Chad Carlson & Dr. Brian Bolt
Joining Laura on the podcast this week are Dr. Chad Carlson and Dr. Brian Bolt, two guys from rival schools who came together with a common purpose: to think deeply about sport and faith. They both grew up as competitive athletes and are now coaches and sports scholars, Brian as the Dean of Education at Calvin University, and Chad as a Professor and Director of General Education at Hope College. They have also teamed up to create the ‘Sport. Faith. Life.’ podcast which they describe as ‘a conversation that meets at the intersection of sport and faith’. After hosting the 2nd Global Congress on Sport and Christianity at Calvin University in October 2019, our two guests made a commitment to continue to explore the athletic world through the lens of Christianity, and that is precisely what they do hear today.
In today’s episode, Chad and Brian discuss the connection between sports and faith., concepts like forgiveness, and how sports can become a part of one’s identity. Together, they also delve into viewing sports as a form of play, how not everybody is drawn to the idea of competition, and how sports must be enjoyed at the moment. They conclude by exploring athletes’ mental health and the sense of loss they feel after certain events such as the Olympics, and by discussing how to view sports as a separate space from other things in life. Filled with ideas regarding how to lead with grace, call for truth, and be a light on a very diverse team. Today’s conversation is enlightening, informative, and, above all, one you do not want to miss.
Episode Highlights:
- Competition in sports: the good side and the bad side
- Comparisons that people make while playing sports
- Sports and their impact on one’s identity
- How human beings are meant to be playful
- Forgiveness and the concept of a community
- Selfishness in sports and attributions people make for their successes or failures
- Mental health and sports
- Redemption in sports
Quotes:
‘‘And we see this, especially those who are in Olympic sports, where, you know, it’s not like you play Major League Baseball, where if you don’t do well, one day, you get a chance to the next day, right?”
“And what’s so interesting about athletes or successful people in some ways is that they attribute failure to things outside themselves.’’
“And so, from a faith perspective, I think it’s a reminder to us that when we watch our heroes, we’re watching real people with skin and flesh and people who are dealing with real everyday issues. That’s important for us to remember in the midst of our heroism - the way in which we worship athletes at times, for sure.’’
“And then we also need to take a step back with someone we trust - a coach, a teammate, somebody - and logically look at what happened without the emotion and learn from it instead of just blaming all the time. Because I’ve had teammates who blame judges, who blame this, that, and the other all the time.’’
“If you use your energy to fix what you're doing wrong, instead of blaming other people, you might actually be a better athlete.”
“There are experiences that we have on Earth, that may be glimpses of Heaven, and when we're at play, we're doing something because the joy of it is in the doing. We're experiencing that Kingdom at hand.”
“I have parents that ask me all the time, like, ‘How can I make my kid more passionate?’ and, like, you’ve just got to let them fail. Like, if he fails and he wants to keep going, like, he’ll find the passion.’’
Show Links
Life at 10 Meters: Lessons from an Olympic Champion
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
Laura’s Social Media:
Connect with Brian and Chad:
48. How to Have a Championship Mindset with Chad Busick
Joining Laura on the podcast this week is Chad Busick, owner of Championship Mindset, an organization that works with both corporate and athletic teams. Chad is a Master Facilitator with Advance Sports Technology, working with college teams at the DI, DII, DIII and NAIA levels as well as high school and competitive teams across various sports. In addition, he is a certified trainer for The Power of Positive Leadership training with The Jon Gordon Companies. Chad is also the host of ‘The Championship Mindset Podcast’ as well as the author of his new book, The Rock Tumbler.
Laura begins by sharing some exciting information about her own new book, and then Chad details his background and his journey to the work he does now, including some of the principles and techniques he employs in that work. Along the way, he shares a number of excellent resources and examples of his philosophy in action, offers valuable advice to athletes and parents alike, and provides a glimpse into his new book. As you will hear, Laura resonates with so much of Chad’s work, and you will undoubtedly do the same with the many lessons revealed here today regarding the world of sport, and, indeed, life in general.
Episode Highlights:
· Laura’s new book
· Chad’s background and his journey to the work he does now
· The Ten Principles of Entelechy and sports mindset
· His Championship Mindset brand and company
· The hardest part of achieving the championship mindset
· Emotional safety
· ‘Taking change by the hand’ during the pandemic
· Jon Gordon’s The Power of Positive Leadership
· Mark Batterson’s Win the Day
· Chad’s Championship Mindset chart and how to apply it
· Working with a team vs. working with an individual
· Chad’s The Rock Tumbler and his favorite lessons from it
· His advice regarding parental involvement
· Jessica Lahey’s The Gift of Failure
Quotes:
“It's the seven fundamentals of mental fitness. I've been a master facilitator with that for the last six or seven years, which has led me now to start my own company called Championship Mindset, and a lot of other things.”
“Whether we're working with corporate clients, whether we're working with athletes, coaches, teams, it's really just focusing on helping them be the best that they can be.”
“This championship mindset is the formula for success in all areas of our lives.”
“At the end of the day, it really comes down to our talent, our hard work, our attitude, our mental toughness, our teamwork, and our passion into everything that we do.”
“The things that I've learned through diving are the very things that helped me in my life outside of the pool.”
“I would say everything for me starts with culture, we have to have the right culture.”
“The first thing that we have to build is we have to build emotional safety.”
“Players don't care about how much you know, until they know about how much you care about them.”
“When we really think about what we've gone through this last 14 to 16 months, what we've really been doing is, we've been grieving.”
“Just be there for your students be there for your players in this moment.”
“It's okay to grieve the dream, but don't stay there.”
“Regardless of those tough events that we go through, we still get to choose how we respond.”
“How you do anything is how you do everything - and to me, that's the core of the championship mindset.”
“How we view the world and more importantly, how we interact with the world, greatly affects what you get out of the world.”
“If you have to go through it, you might as well grow through it.”
“Own your journey, it's your journey, own it to the best that you can.”
“We need to let our kids fail.”
“The most powerful thing that you can say to your athlete when they're done competing is, ‘I love watching you compete. I love watching you play.’ ”
Links:
Life at 10 Meters: Lessons from an Olympic Champion
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
Laura’s Social Media:
Connect with Chad:
Championship Mindset Instagram
Resources:
47. An unstoppable drive with our host Laura Wilkinson on the Jedburgh Podcast
Once again this week, things are a little bit different as today’s episode features Laura being interviewed by former Special Forces Green Beret, Fran Racioppi, on ‘The Jedburgh Podcast’. Touted as ‘a conversation with prominent visionaries, drivers of change, and those dedicated to winning’, this podcast is a natural and timely fit for Laura, as she participates in the Olympic Trials this week and next in her bid to compete in her fourth Olympic Games. Be sure to tune into the Olympic Channel and NBC and join Fran in cheering her on in her attempt, and enjoy this interview here today which outlines precisely just what it takes to reach similar success in your own life.
Laura and Fran begin by looking at what it takes to reach elite levels, and then discuss Laura’s career from her start in high school to present day. Along the way, they explore her perspective on failure and fear, the need to take ownership of your performance, her Sydney Olympics experience, and her Dream Chaser philosophy. They also delve into Laura’s neck surgery and recovery, her preparation for the Tokyo Olympics, and her take on finding balance in life and achieving longevity in sports. The interview concludes with her thoughts on channeling the pressure of the moment, ‘The Pursuit of Gold’, the 3 things she does every day, and the elite performance characteristic that Laura most exemplifies – drive. As Laura heads into the Trials which will determine her immediate Olympic future, today’s sweeping examination of the many components which have brought her to this moment could not be more relevant – listen in and prepare to be inspired.
Episode Highlights:
· What it takes to reach elite levels
· Laura’s high school diving experience and her ‘call to action’
· Her perspective on failure
· Taking ownership of your performance
· Laura’s performance at the Sydney Olympics, the events leading up to it, and the pep talk she gave herself
· Dream Chaser
· Her neck surgery and recovery
· Laura’s thoughts on fear and moving past it
· Preparing to qualify for Tokyo
· Dealing with the ‘uncontrollables’
· Her thought on finding balance in her life
· Achieving longevity in sports
· Channeling the pressure of the moment
· Her ‘Pursuit of Gold’ podcast
· Laura’s next couple months
· The 3 things Laura does every day to be successful
· The elite performance characteristic that Laura most exemplifies
Quotes:
“Faith and determination separate the good from the great.”
“Just because somebody tells you you can't, doesn't mean it's true.”
“Failure is part of success. And the concrete actions that you take from the moment you accept that you failed are what defines you as a leader and as an elite performer.”
“I'm not afraid to look like a fool.”
“When we talk about the development of elite talent, there's a requirement to be humble and show humility.”
“How can I become better? How can I fix that? How can I move forward?”
“It doesn't matter how old you are, doesn't matter what station you have in life, you can really make a difference for somebody just by being there for them.”
“This pressure that you felt became a power.”
“I realized that there were so many people that probably would never have the opportunity that I was in at that moment.”
“The task ahead of you is never greater than the power behind you.”
“I absolutely loved it, because it wasn't about me in that moment...it was about something so much bigger.”
“So it's about the pursuit, it's about the hunt. It's about who you become. And I think that's what I really mean by Dream Chaser.”
“You have to have this done just to be a mom because if you trip down the stairs, if you have a small car accident, like, that could lead to a quadriplegic.”
“A lot of times we're scared of the unknown…fear is a lot of times a liar.”
“To wholly stay in the moment is really the biggest key…and you have to practice that in practice.”
“I think really breaking my foot back then was such a gift because it gave me that opportunity to focus on visualization, to go through so many competition scenarios in my mind with so many different athletes.”
“Adversity makes you stronger.”
“The challenge in front of you sometimes becomes the blessing that you needed.”
“I have learned this last year is that I can just tear my plans up, throw them out the window, because I’ve got to roll with it. And I'm not good at that.”
“I think one of the best things COVID taught me was that I need to have my kids be part of what I'm doing.”
“They saw the sweat, they saw the tears, they saw the frustration, they saw how many times a day I was having to do this stuff and how hard I was working, all just hoping to get back in the pool. So it provided a lot of really good conversations for us.”
“The best people you see doing this are beginners at some point, like, you have to start somewhere.”
“I've had a lot of times where I'm like, you know, God, I'd be okay, if He closed the door, and we're done with this. But He's made it very clear, this is where I need to be, and He's made a way, and then that fire is back, and that fuel is back.”
“I've learned not to be scared of my emotions. I've learned how to use them and how to direct them.”
“And it's not about the pressure, or the expectations, or all these other things, just let that go. And it's just about me enjoying the moment.”
“This is actually my way of finding the resources and giving them to other athletes.”
“Learning those lessons from people and taking that with me, I think makes me not just stronger mentally, but emotionally and spiritually.”
“There's this need for achievement and growth mindset - be better today than you were yesterday, continuous self improvement - that you display that has set you apart from all of your competition.”
“For all the people who maybe think they're too old to do something they love to do, don't let society or culture decide that for you. If you love something, do it.”
Links:
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
Laura’s Social Media:
The Jedburgh Podcast:
The Jedburgh Podcast on iTunes
The Jedburgh Podcast Instagram
42. Redefining Success with Olympic Hurdler Sarah Wells
This week, Laura welcomes Olympic hurdler, Sarah Wells, to the podcast. Once an athlete who was cut from every high school team she tried out for, Sarah discovered track and field and went on to become an Olympic semi-finalist and Pan Am Games silver medalist in the 400m hurdles, building a reputation for overcoming challenges and achieving the ‘impossible’ along the way. She is also the Founder of the Believe Initiative, where she now uses her story to help youth understand the importance of being resilient and the power of believing in themselves, and to help corporations build more resilient teams.
Sarah begins by recounting how she got her unique start in sports, the support networks which have sustained her throughout, her rapid development in the hurdles, and both working and learning through her injuries. She also shares her discovery of ‘her word’, her Olympics Trials and Games experience, managing her stress fractures, and preparing to qualify for Rio 2016. Sarah concludes the conversation by discussing her Believe Initiative, how to get involved in it, her retirement from sports, and her perspective and guide to redefining success. A gifted speaker with a truly inspiring story, Sarah Wells has learned so much from her journey which is so very pertinent to life both within and beyond the sporting arena, and she shares it all here today.
Episode Highlights:
· Sarah’s start in sports
· Her support networks
· Sarah’s rapid development in hurdles
· Working and learning through her femur injury
· Finding her word ‘Believe’
· Returning from her injury
· Her Olympics Trials and Games experience
· Managing her recurring stress fractures
· Preparing to qualify for Rio 2016
· The Believe Initiative and how to get involved
· Retiring from sport
· Sarah’s perspective and exercise regarding redefining success
Quotes:
“At that point I hadn't defined myself by sport and I also had some really amazing siblings.”
“You go from zero to competing internationally in, like, eight months.”
“When someone else says it, you know, you're instantly a bit more likely to believe it.”
“I would almost, like, live and die by how my leg felt that morning.”
“I just would get so mentally defeated and, like, halfway through an interval I would just start walking.”
“In the most important races in my life, when the gun goes off, I hear nothing. I just lock into completing what I need to do.”
“It hurts so much that I'm scared, tomorrow when I run, it could break in half.”
“It's a hard line to figure out when to push and when to ease off.”
“Success isn't linear, it’s this roller coaster ride of emotions.”
“Rest would have been very productive in that moment.”
“I miss qualifying by half a second.”
“Clearly you don't build self-belief through achievements, you build it through action.”
“It helps people everywhere take a passion they have with a problem they want solve, and they use that passion to solve that problem, and they build self-belief through action.”
“While hard work doesn't always lead to success, being resilient will always lead to another opportunity for it.”
“Far more people are inspired by the time where I didn't make the Olympics over the time where I did.”
“If you're able to continuously embody and act from a place of those powerful character traits that lead to success, well then, even in a moment where things don't work out, you're going to be able to rely on those things and find your next opportunity for success.”
Links:
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
Laura’s Social Media:
Connect with Sarah:
41. Chess on Bikes with Olympic cyclist Giddeon Massie
Joining Laura on the podcast today is Olympic cyclist Giddeon Massie. Among his many accomplishments are more than 20 U.S. Elite National Titles, Pan American Games Gold and Silver Medals, competing at two Olympic Games, and being selected by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to participate in a series of public service announcements that promoted clean, honest, and fair competition. Giddeon has also been the Program Manager for an International Education and Mentorship Non-profit organization, called ‘Classroom Champions’, and he remains committed to community outreach.
In today’s conversation, Giddeon shares how he first became involved in cycling, his training experience at the Velodrome, his breakout moment, and his time at the Olympic Training Centre. He goes on to review and compare his Olympic experiences, his perspective on doping in sport, the various cycling events in which he competed, the impact of not qualifying for the 2012 Games, and his transition from his cycling career to his current career in real estate. Giddeon finishes up by offering his sincere and deeply thoughtful advice to athletes in setting and achieving their goals in their sport. Uniquely experienced in the joys and challenges of a life both within the world of an elite athlete and beyond, Giddeon takes this opportunity to share his measured and contemplative insights and advice for the benefit of all listeners here today.
Episode Highlights:
· How he found his way into cycling
· The Velodrome
· Giddeon’s breakout moment
· His time at the Olympic Training Centre
· Comparing his Olympic experiences
· His perspective on doping in sport
· The various cycling events in which he raced
· Failing to qualify for the 2012 Games
· Transitioning from cycling to real estate
· Giddeon’s advice for athletes coming up with dreams and goals
Quotes:
“The sprint disciplines were more intriguing and just looked more fun and appealing to me.”
“It was a gradual progression and I learned from some of the best.”
“You know sometimes you go years without something, and other times you have a year where you have two or three or four falls.”
“We lived that together, and we supported one another, and that was a great, great thing about that space.”
“The whole experience…is pretty overwhelming and special that first time.”
“I feel bad for those people that choose to go that route, but it doesn't impact what I do and how I approach what I do. I sleep comfortably at night.”
“If you don't have a purpose it's kind of like not having a destination.”
“I'm very comfortable in uncertainty because I know that my preparation is such that, if given the opportunity, I'm going to be where I need to be.”
“The individual stuff, it's like, you know, it's chess on bikes.”
“I think every Games has its own lifeblood to it.”
“Watching from the outside…that was very hard.”
“I wasn't ready to be done.”
“Sometimes I tell people I'm a recovering Olympic athlete.”
“You lose some of yourself when you step away from that because not everybody cares about the Olympics and not everybody cares about, you know, what you’ve spent most of your life doing.”
“Okay, what have I learned that I can actually apply here?”
“It starts with having a healthy respect for the sport that you're participating in, for the people that are devoting the time to invest in you, to being willing to accept the critique and the criticism.”
Links:
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
Laura’s Social Media:
Connect with Giddeon:
24. Special birthday Q&A with our host Laura Wilkinson and daughter Arella
This week’s episode is a little different, because today is Laura’s birthday! And to celebrate, she has a very special guest who will be asking the questions – her oldest daughter, Arella. Many of the questions that Arella will be asking Laura have been submitted by listeners, and she has also added a few of her own. Towards the end of the podcast, Laura turns the tables and asks Arella a couple questions as well. You will quickly discover that Arella is an excellent interviewer who might just be ready to host her own podcast someday, and you’ll also learn a lot more about Laura, her sport, her faith, her physical and mental training, and, of course, her Olympic experiences. Today’s episode is an excellent opportunity to learn so much about the life of an Olympian and her family, and if there is more you would like to know, be sure to send in your questions to Laura and they might just be answered on a future episode!
Episode Highlights:
Questions for Laura:
· How do you set your goals when everything is changing?
· Since you compete all over the world, and you have met lots of different people, has it ever given you the opportunity to share your faith with a fellow athlete?
· Why do you love ‘Learning to Fly’, the song by Petty so much? Is it inspirational or is it just because you think it’s a cool song?
· Coaching mental and physical abuse – how can we combat this as athletes?
· Recovering from intense diving practices
· How do you overcome the feelings of personal failure?
· Why do some divers wear swim caps now?
· What Gym did you go to gymnastics at before you did diving?
· Who are some of your mindset coaches or influencers at this point in your life?
· What dive has caused you to have the largest mental block, and how do you overcome it?
· What made you want to go to the Olympics?
· What are your chances of qualifying for Tokyo?
· How did you get into diving?
· How many medals do you really have?
· How many sports did you do before you did diving?
· How many times have you gone to the Olympics?
· What is your hardest dive ever?
· What’s your easiest dive?
Questions for Arella:
· What was the first sport that you did?
· What did you do after gymnastics?
· How do you get bored in gymnastics?
· Why do you enjoy Ninja Warrior so much now?
· Do you have any big goals for Ninja Warrior?
· Are there any lessons that you learn while you’re training for Ninja Warrior that help you in your everyday life?
· What is your new dream that you just came up with that you want to be when you grow up and why?
· Do you want to talk about the workout that you created during homeschool after you watched the Navy Seals?
· How has homeschooling been going?
Quotes:
“Your ultimate goals don’t need to change…what changes is your path to get there.”
“Research what other athletes in your sport are doing out there right now, like, stalk Instagram or Facebook or YouTube.”
“Obviously, the biggest part of being able to share your faith is starting relationships with people. That has to come first.”
“That’s really when you get a chance to show people what your faith is, what it means to you, and begin to have those discussions if they’re open to that.”
“’I’m going to free fall out into nothing. I’m going to leave this world for a while’, and to me, that just encapsulates what it feels like when I’m diving 10 meter, and I’m just in my happy place, and I’m in my zone, and it kind of feels like a place of worship for me because I’m using the gifts that God has given me.”
“Episode 11 with Kaillee Humphries, she talks about mental and verbal abuse…from one of her coaches…and also in Episode 20, with Tracy Hanson, there was kind of a very long term abuse going on there.”
“It’s kind of like a small car accident every time.”
“Sometimes it’s not your body that’s wearing out, it’s your mind…if that’s the case, go play.”
“If you’re not failing, you’re not going to succeed.”
“It’s to keep the chlorine from absorbing into their hair.”
“Mostly, ‘Flips’ was my home gym.”
“The Bible has just been, kind of, my firm foundation since I gave my life to Christ.”
“If you’re ever going through a really hard time, Psalms is a wonderful place to go.”
“It really broke a barrier for me to all of a sudden, I could do anything.”
“I tried a bunch of sports until I finally found diving.”
“My biggest challenge is really getting my body back to the point where I can get my entries clean again.”
“I didn’t give up just because I had a bad dive…I came back and I won the competition.”
“In 2000, it was in Sydney, Australia. In 2004, it was in Athens, Greece. And in 2008, it was in Beijing, China.”
“The back 3½ somersault pike just felt really, really, really hard.”
“Sometimes, the simple ones are the hardest.”
“My easiest dive is probably just, like, jumping in the water…a pencil dive.”
“My first sport was gymnastics.”
“I did soccer and now I’m a Ninja Warrior…I did diving…before soccer.”
“The trapeze bar is probably my favorite.”
“I keep trying over and over again until I finish the route.”
“I want to be…the first woman to be a Navy SEAL.”
“I like hard and challenging things.”
“I started working out while I was doing my Math.”
“I really like homeschooling – it’s really fun!”
“I think we should make another episode.”
Links:
Mental Training: https://www.laurawilkinson.com/learn
Laura’s Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lala_the_diver