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."
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37. Learning to run free with World Champion Chanelle Price
World Champion runner, Chanelle Price, joins Laura today to share her remarkable story and the lessons she has learned through it all. A supremely talented elite athlete, Chanelle’s many achievements include competing at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships at the age of 16, running the second fastest 800m of all time by a high school female which qualified her for the Olympic Trials when she was 17, and becoming the 2014 World IAAF Indoor Champion – the first American woman to ever win 800m gold at an indoor or outdoor world championship. Along with these great successes, Chanelle has experienced some devastating low points in her career, and she courageously discusses them all here today.
She begins by sharing how she came to find her way into track, her early successes, her struggles with insecurity, and the dark days of her time at college. Chanelle then provides a highly personal account of the factors that led her to contemplate suicide, and how beginning her journey with Christianity pulled her through that tragic time. She also discusses the many challenges she still had to face throughout this journey, the difference between her Olympic Trials experiences, and training for Tokyo during COVID. She draws the conversation to a close by highlighting the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with sport, surrounding yourself with the right supportive people, her current definition of success, and the crucial role her ‘why’ plays in keeping her motivated and moving forward. Chanelle holds nothing back as she recounts the shining mountain peaks and dark, dark valleys she has encountered in her fascinating journey, and how these have helped her to become the woman she is today - an individual overflowing with faith, strength, character, and commitment, who undoubtedly ‘brings a smile to God’s face’.
Episode Highlights:
· How Chanelle found her way into track
· Her early success
· Chanelle’s struggles with insecurity
· Her college experience
· Seeking a sponsorship deal
· Chanelle’s contemplation of suicide
· Her journey with Christianity
· Drifting away from and returning to God
· The many challenges Chanelle has worked through
· Moving to train in Eugene, Oregon
· Training for Tokyo during COVID
· Chanelle’s Olympic Trials experiences
· The importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with sport and surrounding yourself with supportive people
· Her current definition of success
· Chanelle’s ‘why’
Quotes:
“I just didn’t really find track fun. It felt more like punishment.”
“Once I started that singular focus on track once I got to high school, you know, it really paid off.”
“It was definitely the success that got me to like it.”
“That is where my sense of identity came from was my achievement on the track.”
“I don’t know who I am if I’m not Chanelle Price the track star.”
“It was like a 100 pound weight on my shoulders every time I went to race.”
“Behind closed doors, I was really, really, really struggling.”
“Chase after Me like you chase after track.”
“Your worth is not based off of how you perform out there on the track.”
“To whom much is given, much is required.”
“I was just a completely different person on the track.”
“You know, God, I’m going to come back to You.”
“The past 4 years have been the hardest years of my life…He answered, but it just wasn’t really what I expected.”
“I miss being that desperate for Him.”
“It was a very humbling experience.”
“God, I don’t know what You’re doing, but I’m about to break here…I don’t know if I can take this.”
“Every other month I said I was going to quit.”
“Maybe He’s telling me it’s time to move on.”
“I knew that this extra year was definitely a blessing in disguise for me.”
“Honestly, I considered retirement after that.”
“The woman that you have become through this journey is worth it.”
“I’m not thinking about anything else besides using my gift, and for me that’s when things seem to fall into place.”
“Some pressure is good, don’t get me wrong, but it shouldn’t get you to the point of suicide like it has for me in the past…that is not a healthy relationship with sport.”
“This is what you do. It’s not who you are.”
“The person that we become along the way - I think that’s what brings a smile to God’s face.”
“The sole thing that kept me going was my ‘why’.”
“Don’t sacrifice the gift.”
“There is always hope beyond what is happening in front us right now.”
Links:
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
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