107. My Untold Journey Through Trials with Pursuit of Gold Host Laura Wilkinson
In this special episode, listeners are invited to explore Laura's journey to Olympic triumph, shaped by resilience and determination. Approaching the 24th anniversary of a pivotal moment in her life, personal audio clips, as shared here today, recount significant moments along her journey that profoundly impacted her path. Laura’s tale of being a young diver filled with Olympic dreams and facing momentous decisions at times of relative uncertainty inspires many of the episode's themes such as overcoming adversity, embracing gratitude, and finding strength in challenges.
Using this momentous event as a springboard, the episode delves into resilience amidst adversity, from life-altering decisions to recovering from injuries. Through this intimate account, listeners gain insights into how resilience shapes Laura's responses to life's trials, and how gratitude emerges as transformative amidst setbacks, shifting her focus towards opportunities and fostering a positive mindset. As you will hear, community support proves vital in overcoming obstacles, brilliantly highlighting the importance of unity, and each setback becomes a chance for growth, paving the way towards Olympic success. As the world looks ahead to the upcoming Paris Olympics, Laura’s very personal reflection here today offers timely, hard-earned lessons and insights from her own stellar career that will prove invaluable to all those engaged in their own Pursuit of Gold.
Episode Highlights:
Facing career-altering decisions and overcoming devastating injuries
Embracing gratitude amid setbacks
Transforming obstacles into opportunities, fostering resilience, and maintaining a positive mindset
The pivotal role of coaches, teammates, and loved ones
How each setback serves as a chance for growth and self-discovery
Persevering through setbacks and challenges
Reflecting on past challenges
The anticipation building for the forthcoming Olympics in Paris
Conquering uncertainty and fully committing to Olympic dreams
How moments of reflection and gratitude provide solace and fortify determination in the face of adversity
Quotes:
"Every cloud really does have a silver lining. If you open your eyes, you'll find it."
"Recognize that although you may not be happy with the competition, there is more to life than that competition."
"Sometimes we will win that amazing gold medal and sometimes we'll miss it. But amazing things still happen because I didn't give up."
"Every obstacle that we face, there is an opportunity inside of it, but we have to be willing to find it."
"Find things to be grateful for. In the middle of the tough, in the middle of the painful, in the middle of the hard, there is something to be thankful for. Fill your mind with that and focus on those things."
Links:
Laura’s Social Media:
56. Becoming Turbulence Tough with Record-Breaking Pilot Ryan Campbell
When he was just nineteen, Ryan Campbell flew 24,000 nautical miles on thirty-five stops in fifteen countries in just seventy days and was recognized as the first teenager in history to fly around the world solo by the Guinness Book of World Records. His critically-acclaimed book Born to Fly, which detailed this amazing journey, was nationally celebrated, and Ryan was on top of the world… until tragedy struck. At twenty-one, Ryan barely survived a devastating, life-changing plane crash, suffering broken bones from head to toe that left him in hospital for five months, followed by eighteen months of rehabilitation. Yet, refusing to accept his doctors’ diagnosis of paraplegia, Ryan fought back, using his desire to fly again as fuel for his painful yet triumphant recovery. In this episode, Ryan shares his journey from record-setting victory to backbreaking defeat and how he developed the mindset and toolbox necessary to ride out life’s toughest bumps.
Ryan starts the conversation by sharing how he fell in love with flying and set about making it his career before hitting upon the idea to break a world record. He lets us in on the process of fundraising a quarter of a million dollars at just nineteen while gaining flight experience and gives us insight into the remarkable, record-breaking flight itself, including the incredible sights and how he kept his head under pressure. Ryan then provides an emotional account of the plane crash that nearly killed him and left him diagnosed as paraplegic, stuck in hospital with a long journey of recovery in front of him. He tells us how he drew inspiration and learned perspective from a fellow patient and developed the mindset toolbox, the idea that we all have a mental toolbox we can fill with tools to help us navigate change, challenge, crisis, and adversity. He also explains how his own toolbox helped him not only become tough and lean into his recovery but also to accept and adjust to long-term disability without letting it hold him back. In fact, he was even able to get back in the cockpit and fly again, keeping that intrinsic part of himself that he almost lost. Finally, Ryan tells us about his plans to get married, his move into motivational speaking, and why a pink Cadillac has become an important symbol for his attitude toward life.
Ryan’s resilience, determination, and fighting spirit are sure to inspire as he shares his emotional and uplifting journey from glory to tragedy and back to happiness.
Episode Highlights:
How Ryan fell in love with flying and set about becoming a pilot at fourteen
Ryan’s first solo flight at fifteen
Planning a record-breaking flight
Fundraising $250,000 while building flight experience
Flying over water for the first time by pointing the airplane at the Pacific Ocean
Pushing the limits of man and machine
How Ryan and his crew keep their heads together during the flight by doing things one step at a time
How it felt to land having broken the world record
Working out what to do next
The plane crash that nearly cost Ryan everything
Tackling adversity, starting recovery, and learning perspective
Developing the mindset toolbar
Adjusting to disability
Getting back in the cockpit
What Ryan’s up to now
The Pink Cadillac
Quotes:
“So we’re actually invited to go up and visit a cockpit as three young boys, and I tell you what, that’s pretty incredible. Eyes wide, amazed at the buttons and switches, super-stoked to meet the pilots, I thought they were the coolest people that ever walked the Earth. And that was it, that was the day that six-year-old Ryan discovered his passion, and that would be all things aviation.”
“Fifteen years old, this kid’s flying an airplane on his own, and I was jealous. Like, I was envious, I couldn’t believe this was legal. It just blew my mind.”
“The day that I turned fifteen, I went to the airport, I practiced some takeoffs and landings with my flying instructor. And then he told me to take him back to the hangar, not to shut the airplane down. He got out of that airplane, did up his seatbelts, he took his headset. He said, ‘Don’t forget to lock the door, go and have fun.’”
“I saw something I wanted, I started to kind of research how to do it, I put a plan in place, I worked really, really hard, I gave up on a bunch of stuff to be able to make it happen and ultimately found success in that. And that was a pretty powerful lesson to have when you’re fifteen.”
“I went to Google, and I googled ‘how to fly solo around the world,’ right? Legitimate Google search.”
“At that point, it wasn’t about precision. It was just about progress, doing something.”
“I often tell people, I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to rent a car at an airport under the age of twenty-five, it’s very, very hard. Under the age of twenty-one, it’s borderline impossible, right? But trying to rent a million-dollar, single-engine airplane at seventeen, eighteen, nineteen to fly it around the world was an incredibly tough sell.”
“At the end of the day, we had to take 24,000 miles and split it up into not just legs but little tasks. So this wasn’t a 24,000-mile flight around the world. This was thirty-five A-to-B flights that happened to connect the dots around the globe, but then every single flight was broken down into jobs.”
“What really mattered was the impact we had on some many different people.”
“The reality was that my entire life had changed. The very thing that had given me my identity and made me who I was, at that point in time, was now the very thing that had taken it all away.”
“I’d been to the top. And even though I couldn’t see it then, I look at this as my biggest gift: I had now been to the bottom. And the opportunity to compare those two, to ask ourselves a couple of really important questions, where do we truly learn what makes us the very best version of ourselves? They are the powerful questions that I had now the real-life experiences to pull apart and find myself.”
“Adversity is a byproduct of breathing, and turbulence is a part of life. And it comes down, at the end of the day, to how tough and resilient you are and how willing you are to tackle the mountain that’s ahead and get up every single time you’re knocked down. And it comes back to understanding that resilience is a learned and refined skill.”
“Every day in hospital, I could go to the gym, and I could move a muscle, and I could build strength, and I could see progress. That progress is what gave purpose to the pain. Right? That’s what made me get up the next day, get back in the wheelchair, go back to that rehabilitation gym.”
“Every single one of us is born with a toolbox. It’s really big, it has drawers and wheels, we take it with us wherever we go in life. Now, the aim of the game is to fill that toolbox with tools, tools that we can use to navigate change, challenge, crisis, and adversity, right? To make us turbulence tough.”
“I’m now walking independently and shuffling around, kind of, you know, getting where I want on my own two feet. The way that we arrived at that point was by kind of making a pact and understanding that no one was going to give me, you know, a great outcome. I had to work for it.”
“You have to kind of come to terms with aviation from a different set of eyes. That it is safe. It is incredible. It is part of who I am. And you know, to be back up there is what ultimately was the end goal, and we made it happen.”
“We like to say go and do something that, you know, may not be logical, you know, may not be financially sensible, but it makes you smile like a kid. Once you do that, you start to show up better in all areas of your life.”
Links:
Life at 10 Meters: Lessons from an Olympic Champion
Laura’s Social Media:
Ryan’s Social Media:
49. Bouncing Forward with Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy
Joining Laura on the podcast this week is the top-ranked female adaptive snowboarder in the U.S., Amy Purdy. Diagnosed with meningococcal meningitis at the age of 19, Amy has gone on to become a three-time World Cup para-snowboard gold medalist, the 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist, and the founder of Adaptive Action Sports, a nonprofit organization that helps youth, young adults, and wounded veterans with physical disabilities get involved with action sports. She is a professional motivational speaker who has been featured at both TEDx and Pop Tech, and is also an actress, model, dancer, clothing designer, and an experienced product spokesperson. In addition to all this, Amy was also the breakout star and a finalist on season 18 of 'Dancing with the Stars'. A true inspiration to us all, Amy shares her incredible story with Laura and her listeners here today.
Amy starts by discussing her love for snowboarding during her teenage years. She then discusses her struggle with her medical condition and how she rose above her hardships through her self-belief. As you listen, you’ll learn of Amy’s many accomplishments, such as securing brand deals and winning a bronze medal. Along the way, you’ll understand Amy’s positive contributions to athletes with disabilities/special needs, and the lessons you learn from this podcast will definitely inspire you to look at difficulties in a whole new way.
Episode Highlights:
-Amy’s early days when she snowboarded with her friends
-How meningococcal meningitis impacted Amy
-Amy’s struggle with self-doubt
-How Amy discovered a creative solution to help her snowboard
-How Amy co-founded Adaptive Action Sports
-Amy’s successes with snowboarding
-How Amy’s injury complications changed her life
-Amy’s experiences and how she connects with her audience
Quotes
‘’So yeah, so snowboarding really was my passion. That’s what pulled me through my darkest days. And then you know, who would have thought that it would become almost my purpose, right?”
“And when I woke up from this coma, a few days later, I still have this respirator down my throat. And so, I couldn’t talk. But I wrote out on a piece of paper that I was given a choice and I chose to stay.’’
“I was just hanging on, and also incredibly grateful, like to have the opportunity to hang on and fight. And so, gratitude became a big part of not just a practice, but to be honest, like a very natural organic thing for me, because every day I woke up and I was alive, I was grateful whether I’d lost my legs or not.’’
“And I remember at one point saying, ‘I don’t know if I can do this, but if anybody can, it’s going to be me.’ ‘’
“I needed a community of people who are like me, and it didn’t really exist and needed something to pull it together.’’
‘’It’s like going through the valleys of despair and like finding your way out and having these real realizations of what’s really important in life, and how do we get through challenges. And I’ve decided to share the journey along the way.’’
Show Links
New Book: Life at 10 Meters: Lessons from an Olympic Champion
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
Laura’s Social Media:
Connect With Amy:
Bouncing Forward with Amy Purdy
Adaptive Action Sports Website
Resources:
On My Own Feet: The Journey from Losing My Legs to Learning the Dance of Life (2014)
46. 17 scars that paved the way to Tokyo with taekwando Olympian Victoria Stambaugh
Joining Laura on the podcast today is Olympic Taekwondo athlete, Victoria Stambaugh. The daughter of a professional boxer, Victoria took to Taekwondo at an early age, made the US National Team in her teens, eventually joined the Puerto Rico National Team, and has since qualified to compete for Puerto Rico at the upcoming Tokyo Games. Having suffered a number of injuries and resulting surgeries over her career, Victoria has demonstrated remarkable resilience, and, through her faith in Christ, has persevered to achieve her dream of becoming an Olympian. In today’s conversation, she not only shares her inspirational story, but also turns the tables to pick Laura’s brain for some of her sage advice as well.
As with all guests, Victoria begins by sharing how she found her way to her chosen sport, and then she goes on to relate the story of her career to date. Starting with how she made the US National Team, Victoria proceeds to recount her battles with injuries over the years, how they have affected both her career and her emotional state, her transition to the Puerto Rico National Team, and how qualifying for the Olympics works in her sport. She also delves deeply into the role that her faith has played in her life and career, the impact of handing control over to God, her 17 scars and what they mean to her, and her work with Master Bang in preparing for Tokyo. Victoria concludes the episode by questioning Laura on her Olympic experiences and advice, and the role that her faith has played in her life and career. As you will hear, Victoria and Laura are very much kindred spirits whose personal, professional, and spiritual lives resonate considerably with each other, and also offer valuable lessons for all listeners here today.
Episode Highlights:
· Victoria’s sports history and how she got into Taekwondo
· Making the US National Team
· How Taekwondo athletes are selected for the Olympics
· Her knee injuries and surgeries
· How Victoria’s faith has helped her
· Her story of not qualifying for Rio and focusing on Tokyo
· The times when God spoke directly to her heart
· Transitioning from the US to the Puerto Rican Team
· How Olympic qualifying works for Taekwondo and diving
· Her knee injuries and surgeries while preparing for Tokyo
· Handing control over to God
· Qualifying for Tokyo
· Her 17 scars and what they mean to her
· Master Bang
· Victoria and her fiance’s Taekwondo and Parkour studio
· Laura’s best advice for someone competing at their first Olympics
· What’s different for Laura now
· Laura’s thoughts during the finals for her gold
· How Laura’s faith has helped her throughout her career
· Laura’s biggest goal when competing at the Olympics
· Her upcoming trials
· Laura’s thoughts on not being able to have family at the Tokyo Olympics
Quotes:
“When I saw Jackie Chan, Jet Li, I was like, ‘I want to be these guys’.”
“For the Olympics, only two weight categories can qualify, female and male, per country.”
“Deep down inside, I knew that my knee was never the same.”
“I know God put the right person at the right time that I needed to hear those words, ‘not to quit’ and to ‘come back’.”
“That started the process of three knee surgeries within a period of six months.”
“What I picture is kind of like God just wrapping His arms around me and giving me a hug. And at that moment, I was able to continue on and it was actually just the very next day where I was like, ‘Okay, I'm going to go for Tokyo’.”
“He had to take out the rest of the meniscus…in my mind, I was like, ‘You just took my whole career away from me’.”
“And then, sure enough, God always sends the right message, the right person, at the right time.”
“God has seen your tears and, and He's with you. Don't give up, keep going.”
“I was done emotionally, mentally, you know, physically, spiritually. I was just drained. And that's when I just released total control to Christ and let him handle it.”
“Christ was my confidence…and I qualified for the Olympics.”
“A reminder of everything I've been through and everything God has brought me out of. And what better reminder, really? It's basically tattooed on my body.”
“People get so lost in the aura and the bigness and the pressure of the Olympic Games. But, just, you’ve got to be able to let that go.”
“That's for Him to use this for my good and for His glory.”
“You don't have to have the lead if you have the heart to come from behind.”
“I've had a lot of big dreams that I've fallen very short of, but, in that moment, I was living it. And to me that was one of the greatest things that I got to take away.”
“Now I do want to boast about my weaknesses, because that's the chance for the power of Christ to rest upon me, and for the world to see, you know, exactly what He can do.”
“The biggest thing that I need to do is stay in the moment.”
“Maybe I can just really spend that time dependent with God.”
“You've got to kind of expect the unexpected, and just roll with it.”
Links:
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
Laura’s Social Media:
Connect with Victoria:
38. Paralyzed to Powerful with Rugby Player Robert Paylor
Laura has been looking forward to today’s interview for a while, and the reason will become very clear, very quickly. On May 6, 2017, Robert Paylor was playing for the number one college rugby team in the country as they competed in the National Championship, a dream come true for any young athlete. Mere moments into that game, Robert broke his neck and was subsequently told that he would never walk or move his hands again. His life was changed forever in that instant, but if you think that’s where Robert’s story ends, you couldn’t be more wrong. That fateful day not only impacted his physical life, but his mindset, his faith, and his outlook on life, and he shares the whole story with us all today.
He begins by describing how he got involved in rugby in the first place, his experience at Cal, and then he shares, in chilling detail, the events of that day in May, 2017, as well as the immediate and long-term decisions and treatments involved in his rehabilitation, which continues to this very day. Along the way he touches upon the need for mental toughness, working through the daily grind toward his vision, the role that neuroplasticity plays in his rehabilitation, and the power of forgiveness. Throughout his story are woven Robert’s feelings of gratitude, the incredible support from family, friends, doctors, teammates, and coaches, and, especially, his discovery of the greatest purpose and commitment of his life. What happened to Robert truly changed his life on so many levels, and by listening in to his heartfelt and moving conversation with Laura today you’ll find out why he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Episode Highlights:
· How Robert got involved with rugby
· His experience at Cal
· The day Robert’s life changed forever
· The advice he received and the decision he made in his darkest hour
· Accessing mental toughness to make treatment decisions
· Robert’s post-surgery experience
· Support of family and friends
· Robert’s rehabilitation at Craig Hospital in Colorado
· False hope and false hopelessness
· Working through the grind toward his ironclad vision
· The first flicker of movement
· Accessing perspective to be more grateful
· The three ways to achieve recovery form spinal cord injury
· The role that neuroplasticity plays in his recovery
· Robert’s rehabilitation since he left the hospital
· The support from Robert’s rugby team and especially Coach Billups
· Graduating from Cal
· The power of asking yourself, “Compared to what?”
· The impact that Robert can have on the lives of others
· Talon’s story
· The biggest commitment that Robert has ever made
· The power of forgiveness
· Counting the days and appreciating the daily grind
Quotes:
“It was a day of legacy.”
“My face slams against my chest, I feel this crunch in my neck, and I immediately can’t feel or move anything below my neck.”
“The reality is, you will never walk again. You will never move your hands.”
“The one thing you have control over is your mindset. Your positivity, your ambition, your willingness to wake up every single day and fight is up to you.”
“I was going to give everything I had to get absolutely everything I can get.”
“I knew I couldn’t live with the regret of not going into this surgery.”
“It was like Death was sitting with me in that hospital room, waiting for me to quit.”
“If I don’t do this, I might die!”
“They look at me and they see potential, not some broken body.”
“The one thing we do know is that we are going to give you everything that modern science and medicine has to offer.”
“I came here to walk out of these hospital doors.”
“Appreciate every victory we have no matter how small they are.”
“There was just so much that I had lost that I had taken for granted in my life.”
“I couldn’t have graduated if it weren’t for this team.”
“Just being a quadriplegic is a job in itself.”
“It was my perspective that really fueled me.”
“Remind me not to complain about anything ever again.”
“I think that’s very unhealthy when we dismiss our challenges.”
“There are so many positives in our lives that we can be focusing on right now.”
“If I could go back and change what happened to me on May 6 of 2017, I wouldn’t and I couldn’t, because…it has given me now the greatest purpose that I have in my life.”
“I forgive him whether he is sorry or not.”
“I’m either going to get out of this wheelchair one day or I’m going to die trying.”
Links:
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
Laura’s Social Media:
Connect with Robert:
35. How to Face and Overcome Fear with Our Host, Laura Wilkinson
Due to the winter storm that hit Texas recently, and the ensuing power outage, Laura has had to postpone some of the fantastic interviews she had lined up for the podcast. However, today’s episode proves equally fascinating as she delves into something which we all experience, and about which she is asked all the time: fear. While no one is immune from it, there are ways to manage it rather than let it spiral out of control, and today, Laura breaks it all down for you.
She begins by defining what fear actually is, how healthy fear works and can help, the relationship between fear and control, and the only way to overcome fear. She also discusses the need to change the way we talk and think about fear through refocusing and reframing, the gift of gaining courage through fear and commitment, and then finishes with an offer to participate in her ‘Free 5 Day Fear Challenge’. This is a topic with which Laura possesses a vast amount of experience, and her insights and advice here today, once again, go far beyond the world of sports and into each of our daily lives, making this yet another ‘must listen’ episode of ‘The Pursuit of Gold’.
Episode Highlights:
· Defining what fear actually is
· Healthy fear
· Fear and control
· Overcoming fear
· Changing the way we talk and think about fear
· Refocusing and reframing
· Gaining courage
· Commitment
· Laura’s Free 5 Day Fear Challenge
Quotes:
“Fear is huge in my sport…I am no stranger to fear.”
“Fear basically boils down to a strong feeling.”
“A healthy fear should not be absolutely paralyzing.”
“However big your fears are, you are not powerless against these fears.”
“Fear has no actual control over you, it’s only making you feel a certain way.”
“When we ignore our fears, they don’t get smaller, they begin to grow.”
“When we’re trying to push our fears away, we’re actively interacting with them.”
“The only way to overcome fear is to face it.”
“We have to begin trusting ourselves and our knowledge and what we know will help us.”
“You cannot have courage or be brave unless you are first afraid.”
“The most important ingredient to becoming courageous is commitment.”
“It’s normal to freeze up and get scared just before a big, important moment. That just let’s you know how important it is to you.”
“You can’t dip your toe in from the 10m to see if the water feels nice.”
“The thing on the other side of fear is more important to me than the fear itself.”
Links:
5 Smart Strategies to Confidence
Laura’s Social Media:
Instagram: Laura's Instagram
Facebook: Laura's Facebook page
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: