70. Striving for Balance with Olympic Champion Dominique Moceanu
Joining Laura today is Dominique Moceanu, the youngest Olympic gold medalist in US gymnastics history and youngest senior US national all-around champion in history. Dominique was a member of the first US women's gymnastics team to win Olympic gold in 1996, commonly referred to as the ‘Magnificent Seven’ by the media. A nine-time US national team member as well as back-to-back junior and senior all-around national champion, Dominique has been inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame with her 1996 teammates. But, as life would have it, all that glitter isn’t gold. Even though Dominique made history as a young athlete and achieved astonishing results in her career, that success came with a heavy price. From a toxic sports environment to abusive coaching methods, there were a lot of things happening behind the scenes while Dominique and her teammates were winning medals and making gymnastics history.
In this episode of the Pursuit of Gold podcast, Dominique opens up about her emotional and challenging journey. First, she tells us about the impact of the abusive sports environment on young athletes and the toll that it takes on their mental health. Then, she walks us through all the events that were leading up to the Olympics, as well as the hardships she endured after the competition. When Dominique finally decided to speak up about her experiences, everything changed for her. She was abandoned by the community and had to find another way to make a living. Fast forward a few years, and she’s now a New York Times best-selling author and an advocate for athletes' rights and protection. Tune into this episode to hear all about her mission to make sports safer for future generations of athletes.
Episode Highlights:
Dominique’s gymnastics journey
The mental toll of a toxic sports environment
The emotional and challenging lead-up to the Olympics
Discovering your identity as a professional athlete
Finding the right path post-Olympics
The incredible power of telling your truth
The devastating reality of standing up for yourself
The importance of trust and support in a community
The sacrifice of speaking up and the consequences of not speaking up
Teaching young athletes to communicate
Creating a safe and positive sports culture
Quotes:
“Everything went from bright and encouraging and nurturing to all of a sudden, a huge shift of the gym is cold, its environment is stressful. You're constantly humiliated and berated and trying to do things out of fear rather than out of nurture and love. ”
“You can't be in the right mindset to pull the best out of yourself when you're terrified.”
“I'm lucky that I made it as far as I did with that kind of intensity. Most teenagers would break. Most teenagers would not be able to handle it.”
“You know it's wrong, but you can't articulate why. And you're supposed to have the adults advocate for you. ”
“The mindset with everything going on, it wasn't the place I needed to be to probably be even my best, but it was good enough for gold.”
“This is not who I am; it's what I do. And I love what I do, and I'm passionate about what I do. But you can't let it become who you are.”
“Can you live with yourself if you don't do the right thing?”
“That's what I kept saying to the women who came to me; it's wrong. You have to report it.”
“It is a personal choice. At the end of the day, you have to be okay with the consequences, and they're not always pretty.”
Pursuit of Gold Podcast is brought to you by Kaatsu Global
Links:
Get Your Freebie: ‘Five Ways to Stay Focused in a Competition’
Life at 10 Meters: Lessons from an Olympic Champion
Laura’s Social Media:
Connect with Dominique:
33. How to keep moving forward in uncertain times with our host Laura Wilkinson
Today’s episode is a little different as Laura doesn’t interview a guest, but instead addresses head-on an issue that is impacting athletes throughout the world. There is a sense of weariness and exhaustion that Laura is observing in many athletes as they deal with postponements, cancellations, and what feels like an eternal holding pattern in their lives as this pandemic drags on. With her vast amount of experience, Laura possesses a great deal of wisdom and she shares it here today to help you navigate these ever changing circumstances and continue moving forward to achieve the goals you have set for yourself.
She starts by sharing her own recent history and current situation, reviewing the pandemic’s impact upon herself and other athletes, and explaining what it means to train with a moving target as well as how to accomplish it. Laura also stresses the importance of staying in the moment, looking at this unusual time as one of life’s precious opportunities, and offers a stirring analysis of the greatest gift you can give yourself. Laura sugarcoats nothing in today’s episode, demonstrating that life is filled with difficult patches to navigate, that it is up to us to decide who we want to be as we face these difficulties, and also passionately reinforcing the fact that we do, indeed, have the potential to not only get through all this but to thrive in the process.
Episode Highlights:
· Laura’s recent history and current situation
· The pandemic’s impact on athletes
· Training with a moving target
· Staying in the moment
· This precious opportunity
· ‘Cool Runnings’
· The greatest gift you can give yourself
· Who do you want to be?
Quotes:
“I actually have a nice titanium plate and 6 screws in my neck now.”
“It was devastating to so many athletes on different levels.”
“Now there’s pretty much nothing on our schedule until the Olympic trials in June.”
“Even though the target may be shifting and moving around, you’re aiming for that bullseye, and that has not changed.”
“We are going to have to adapt.”
“You are capable of getting through this and thriving.”
“You could handle anything as long as you stayed in the moment and gave it everything that you had.”
“They get back up and try again.”
“Instant gratification is actually not normal.”
“If it’s important to you, it is worth fighting for in that long term.”
“We need to remember that there’s so much more that goes on than just what we’re seeing in that little clip.”
“A gold medal is a wonderful thing, but if you’re not enough without one, you’ll never be enough with one.”
“Those moments magnify your character for better or for worse.”
“I have not only won all those things, I have failed miserably at all of those events as well.”
“I choose to be a champion both in character and in integrity.”
“If I may lose, let me stand by the road and cheer as the winners go by.”
“What can you do right now in this moment to the very best of your ability to help you continue working toward that goal?”
“It will give you peace.”
Links:
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence: https://www.laurawilkinson.com/learn
Laura’s Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lala_the_diver
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLauraWilkinson
References: