WEBVTT - Best of 2024: Life-Changing Pressure with Jessie Diggins 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:03.040 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're writing 0:00:03.080 --> 0:00:06.080 out twenty twenty five a bunch of times to train 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:09.119 our brains. It's always embarrassing to still be writing the 0:00:09.119 --> 0:00:12.840 wrong date come March, so we're prevenent advance. It's Monday, 0:00:12.840 --> 0:00:14.960 December thirtieth, and this week we'll be running back some 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:18.200 of our favorite interviews from twenty twenty four. No news, 0:00:18.200 --> 0:00:20.160 no special segments, no plays of the day, no rate 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:23.880 and review, just good old fashioned conversations. Up first, my 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:27.920 conversation from August with American cross country skiing star Jesse Diggins. 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:30.440 I caught up with Jesse during the Summer Olympics to 0:00:30.480 --> 0:00:32.360 get her thoughts on the pressure of competing on the 0:00:32.400 --> 0:00:33.640 biggest stage in sports. 0:00:33.960 --> 0:00:35.199 Now. These days, it's. 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:38.000 The height of Jesse's competitive season. The cross Country World 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:40.680 Cup is in full swing, and as of this recording, 0:00:40.960 --> 0:00:43.800 our girl is currently leading the overall World Cup standings. 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:45.880 By the time y'all hear this, Jesse will be in 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:48.919 the middle of the grueling Tour to Ski, which features 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:51.880 seven stages in two cities during a nine day window. 0:00:52.159 --> 0:00:54.160 We'll link to the full Tour to Ski schedule in 0:00:54.200 --> 0:00:55.720 the show notes, so you can tune in and watch 0:00:55.760 --> 0:00:58.160 Jesse dor Thing make sure to wear some glitter and 0:00:58.200 --> 0:01:01.520 solidarity that conversation than coming up right after this. 0:01:01.680 --> 0:01:08.319 Stick around joining us. 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:11.440 Now a three time Olympic medalist, including winning the first 0:01:11.520 --> 0:01:13.959 ever gold medal for the US and cross country skiing, 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:17.000 she's coming off the best ever seasoned by an American 0:01:17.040 --> 0:01:20.000 in the sport, highlighted by her overall World Cup title win. 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:22.040 She's the author of Brave Enough. 0:01:22.160 --> 0:01:24.720 She's met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to advocate for 0:01:24.800 --> 0:01:27.800 climate policy, and she's an ambassador for the Emily Program, 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:31.759 an organization that provides specialized treatment for eating disorders. Fun fact, 0:01:32.080 --> 0:01:36.600 she wears glitter every time she races. It's Jesse Diggins, 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:37.360 what's up? 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:41.600 Jesse, Hey, Sarah, thank you for having me, Thank. 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:43.320 You for coming on. This was such a good idea. 0:01:43.319 --> 0:01:46.880 This was actually producer Alex's idea, our Olympic Expert, because 0:01:47.240 --> 0:01:48.800 we thought it would be really good to have an 0:01:48.840 --> 0:01:51.960 Olympic athlete on who can talk about the Olympic experience 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:53.640 well at a safe distance from it. 0:01:54.000 --> 0:01:54.160 Right. 0:01:54.200 --> 0:01:56.720 So interviewing the athletes when they're about to leave or 0:01:56.760 --> 0:01:58.920 when they're about to compete means they're in this very 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:02.640 specific and particular mindset, and we wanted some perspective that's 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:05.920 not clouded by training or nerves, or expectations or all 0:02:06.000 --> 0:02:07.760 of the stuff that comes with trying to just get 0:02:07.840 --> 0:02:09.440 through one of the biggest moments. 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:09.720 Of your life. 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:12.919 So you're in your off season technically, so we're getting 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:15.360 you at a good time to talk about the Olympics. 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:17.200 And I want to start with the basics, Like, what 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:19.120 do you think the number one thing is that fans 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:22.480 at home don't understand about the Olympics. 0:02:22.760 --> 0:02:28.160 Oh gosh, I think this will be dependent on your sport. 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:31.800 But for most of us, you wait for four years 0:02:31.800 --> 0:02:34.040 for the world to watch what you're doing. But you 0:02:34.160 --> 0:02:35.160 haven't stopped. 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:36.440 You haven't been. 0:02:36.280 --> 0:02:38.720 Frozen in time from one Olympics to the next. So 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:42.359 you're still training, you're still competing all winter long, and 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:47.080 once every four years your country just goes ballistic and 0:02:47.160 --> 0:02:50.400 everybody's watching and all the press of the world. 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:51.400 Is heaped on you. 0:02:52.000 --> 0:02:55.360 And so like we raised, I raised thirty something times 0:02:55.440 --> 0:02:57.640 every single season on the World Cup circuit. We have 0:02:57.680 --> 0:03:01.079 World Championships, but in the US it's like the Olympics 0:03:01.200 --> 0:03:05.440 or nothing. And so the amount of pressure and lights 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:07.840 and attention and eyes that are on you for this 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:12.280 one moment every four years. It is extremely hard to 0:03:12.320 --> 0:03:16.280 perform under that. And when you can pull it together 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:19.640 and perform in the one moment it matters, it will 0:03:19.720 --> 0:03:20.880 actually change your life. 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:24.440 And so it is I mean, it's not an exaggeration 0:03:24.520 --> 0:03:25.000 to say. 0:03:24.800 --> 0:03:27.919 That it's life changing pressure that you're carrying on your 0:03:27.919 --> 0:03:30.560 shoulders and you have to be able to relax and 0:03:30.600 --> 0:03:33.040 do what you do underneath that. And so I think 0:03:33.080 --> 0:03:36.320 that's just something that it's hard to describe that kind 0:03:36.320 --> 0:03:39.240 of feeling unless you've been through it. And I think 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:42.520 it definitely changes games to games as well. So my 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:45.440 first Olympics in twenty fourteen, I was there. I was 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:48.040 the baby of the team, and I kind of knew 0:03:48.040 --> 0:03:50.840 in my sport you will have, probably if you continue 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:52.680 to train hard, have multiple Olympics. 0:03:52.960 --> 0:03:55.040 So for me, I was there to gain experience. 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:59.560 Now, if you're a young gymnast, you might be eighteen, 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:04.680 really really young, but that may be your one chance 0:04:04.720 --> 0:04:06.920 and you are expected to perform in that moment. So 0:04:07.680 --> 0:04:10.080 I think it's also really interesting sport to sport. 0:04:10.160 --> 0:04:13.240 I think it changes, well, it's not just performing in 0:04:13.240 --> 0:04:15.640 that moment to change your life. But that's also when 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:18.120 all the interview requests come in, all the sponsors, So 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:20.200 like you're managing the busiest time of your life at 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:22.200 the time when anyone else would say, I'm going to 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:24.000 put those aside for a couple months and come back 0:04:24.040 --> 0:04:25.800 to them once the work is done. But no, it 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:30.520 all has to happen at once. Sports are about muscle memory, preparation, training, 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:33.719 doing everything you can before the actual events so that 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:35.880 when you get there you can just focus on performance. 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:38.120 How hard is that to do at the. 0:04:38.080 --> 0:04:42.000 Olympics, Like, how different is it competing there versus every 0:04:42.000 --> 0:04:42.760 other competition. 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:49.640 I think in some ways it's no different, Right, It's 0:04:49.760 --> 0:04:52.160 just another race. You do your same warm up, you 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:55.000 do your same process of ski selection and wax testing 0:04:55.040 --> 0:04:57.719 and all of that. It's all the same thing, and 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:00.280 then you find comfort in that routine, Right, mean, this 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:02.560 thing that I always do. I've done this since high school, 0:05:02.600 --> 0:05:04.680 Like I put my skis on one at a time, 0:05:04.800 --> 0:05:08.120 like I've always done it this way. Nothing is different, 0:05:08.360 --> 0:05:10.560 just because I'm wearing a bib that has the Olympic 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:14.599 rings across the chest, which is terrifying. But in many 0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:17.040 ways there are a lot of different things. Like you said, 0:05:17.080 --> 0:05:21.200 the media attention that asks the hype. All of a sudden, 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:23.960 you know, you go from feeling like ah, like nobody 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:27.760 is really watching, to like, wow, there's multiple cameras focused 0:05:27.800 --> 0:05:30.880 on me at once at all moments, and that that 0:05:30.960 --> 0:05:34.159 does change when you suddenly feel the eyes on you. 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:36.800 And I think a lot. 0:05:36.680 --> 0:05:39.280 Of it is simply focusing on what you can control 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:44.040 and trying to not block out the noise. And this 0:05:44.120 --> 0:05:46.880 is something that we've talked about in the sports psychology realm, 0:05:46.960 --> 0:05:50.000 Like if I tell you do not think about an apple, 0:05:50.680 --> 0:05:53.280 and under no circumstances think about. 0:05:53.040 --> 0:05:56.640 It, thank you, it was really it looked delicious. 0:05:56.440 --> 0:05:57.200 Think about it. 0:05:57.600 --> 0:06:01.280 And what if I say, go ahead, think about an apple, 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:03.719 but still ask me your interview questions. 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:04.839 You can do both. 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:07.839 But if you're so focused on trying to block this out, no, 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:10.159 I'm not thinking about it, I'm not seeing it, it's 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:14.120 not there. That's so much energy going towards blocking out 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:15.360 that noise that you don't want. 0:06:15.400 --> 0:06:17.279 And so I think we've shifted. 0:06:16.800 --> 0:06:20.239 The model to yes, there's a lot of lights, Yes 0:06:20.480 --> 0:06:23.080 there's a lot of pressure. Of course, there's a million 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:25.719 cameras and there's a lot of interviews, there's a lot 0:06:25.800 --> 0:06:28.200 going on, and I. 0:06:28.120 --> 0:06:29.200 Can still focus. 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:32.680 I love that. I love that. It's just like it's 0:06:32.720 --> 0:06:33.520 just like meditation. 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:36.599 They'll always say, if you get a thought, don't try 0:06:36.640 --> 0:06:37.479 to push it out. 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:39.680 Just let it float by like a cloud. You see it, 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:42.159 but it's not for now, and you let it float away. 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:45.320 I love that's such a good perspective for literally anything, 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:46.960 not just competing in the Olympics. 0:06:47.000 --> 0:06:48.279 Like, I love that. 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:51.560 What is it like watching the Olympics versus competing in them? 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:55.800 Because I lose my mind, I cry, I tense up 0:06:55.839 --> 0:06:58.840 my hands. I realize that my body hasn't moved from 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:01.719 like a position for like thirty minutes because I'm nervous. 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:04.960 And that's just watching like you're actually able to empathize 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:06.719 so much better with what they're going through. 0:07:07.080 --> 0:07:08.400 So how does it feel watching? 0:07:09.800 --> 0:07:10.560 Oh? Man? 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:14.520 I mean I was in tears watching both gymnastics teams, 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:18.320 the women's and the men's, and seeing especially seeing how 0:07:18.440 --> 0:07:22.800 hype the men were for each other, just this genuine 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:26.840 like jumping up and down and the amount of pressure 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:30.280 on I almost called him Clark Kent because. 0:07:30.120 --> 0:07:33.760 Of the classes. But you're under pressure. Our last guy 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:34.360 to put. 0:07:34.360 --> 0:07:37.800 Stephen Kornaky look alike. He's getting a lot of comparisons 0:07:37.800 --> 0:07:40.360 Clark Kent, Stephen Kornaki, He's getting a lot of them. 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:43.960 Yeah, I mean I love it, But like, thinking about that, 0:07:44.080 --> 0:07:46.560 it was funny because I was talking to my husband 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:48.840 and I was recapping the whole thing because he couldn't 0:07:48.880 --> 0:07:49.840 watch while he was at work. 0:07:50.200 --> 0:07:51.960 And I was telling you, like, man like Steven had 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:52.680 to sit there and. 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:55.160 Wait and no, like I've been brought here to do 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:57.280 one thing and I'm the last guy to go. 0:07:57.200 --> 0:07:58.560 And my team is counting on me. 0:07:58.680 --> 0:08:00.840 My whole country's watching, the whole world is watching, and 0:08:00.880 --> 0:08:04.120 I have to perform in the one moment it matters. 0:08:04.160 --> 0:08:07.200 And then he did it, and it brought me to tears, 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:09.000 Like I was jumping up and down on the couch. 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:14.080 And it was funny because Wade was like, well, you 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:16.720 had to do that too in twenty eighteen, like you 0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:19.400 were anchoring the team. It was the one moment it mattered. 0:08:19.480 --> 0:08:21.560 The whole country was watching it. And I was like, yeah, 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:23.320 but it's not the same, and he was like, yeah, 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:26.600 it is the same, but like when you're watching. 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:29.000 It, it feels like how in the world. Do they 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:32.120 do that? How is this possible? How can they make 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:33.559 this happen? How do they pull this off? 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:36.920 That kind of pressure must be crushing. But then when 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.600 you're in the moment, when I made myself be like, oh, 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:42.520 he's right, Like I thought back to when that was 0:08:42.600 --> 0:08:45.240 me having to perform under that kind of pressure, I 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:48.040 wasn't thinking about the pressure. I wasn't thinking about metals, 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:50.760 was not thinking about results. All I was thinking about 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:55.480 is my process? How do I ski as fast as possible? 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:58.000 And I think if I had stopped to think about, 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:00.840 oh my god, my teammates, hopes and dream for our 0:09:01.000 --> 0:09:04.200 entire career on the line here, I probably would have cracked. 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:07.800 But that's why I would just focus on how do 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:11.640 I ski? Like what technique cues? How do I do this? 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:16.600 And so I think being incredibly process focused and only 0:09:16.600 --> 0:09:19.320 thinking about the things that are within your control is 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:22.000 so so helpful. And like you said, it's for life, 0:09:22.080 --> 0:09:23.240 not just for the case. 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:25.600 Yeah. But well you mentioned control though, and I think 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:28.120 that's part of it too. It's like, as the athlete, 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:30.920 we've been in those positions and all you're thinking about 0:09:31.160 --> 0:09:32.720 is I'm in control of what I'm doing. 0:09:32.760 --> 0:09:33.920 Now and what can I control. 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:36.320 It's do I do all the things I've prepared correctly, 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:38.200 Do I put my best effort forward? And then as 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:40.400 an athlete, you know, sometimes that means you win at 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:43.400 sometimes it means you don't. When you're watching zero control, 0:09:43.800 --> 0:09:46.760 zero control over anything, you can't do anything but watch 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:49.280 and hope, and that feels so much more tenuous than 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:51.400 when you have the power to do it. Even though 0:09:51.440 --> 0:09:53.880 people who aren't athletes would be like, that's crazy. The 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:55.800 pressure's on you, but you're not thinking about it. You're like, 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:57.920 here's what I do and I'm gonna I'm gonna do it. 0:09:57.920 --> 0:09:59.520 I also love what you said about the emotions that 0:09:59.520 --> 0:10:02.120 the mail j has had for each other. There's a 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:04.600 great episode of Welcome to Wrexham. I don't know if 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:08.000 you watch it, but they get into detail about how 0:10:08.040 --> 0:10:09.760 sports are one of the few places where men are 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:11.959 allowed to feel all of the emotions. 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:14.319 We let them cry. 0:10:14.480 --> 0:10:16.800 We let them hug each other, we let them support 0:10:16.800 --> 0:10:19.000 each other, we let them butt slap each other without 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:22.199 being weird about it. We let them like support and 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:26.000 be angry and be sad and be defiant and be supportive. 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:28.240 Like it's just really cool when we think about the 0:10:28.280 --> 0:10:31.480 ways that we do limit men in ways that we 0:10:31.640 --> 0:10:33.679 often talk about with women but don't with men, and 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:35.800 how sports is a space that we can stop doing that, 0:10:35.840 --> 0:10:38.400 which I just when I was watching that gymnastics team, 0:10:38.440 --> 0:10:40.160 I was thinking the same thing, which is so cool. 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:43.120 On that note, I have a question for you. 0:10:43.720 --> 0:10:46.679 Do you think we allow women to experience the full 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:49.040 range of emotions in sport as well? 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:51.240 I think it depends on who's watching, right. 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:54.040 I was thinking about that with Mikayla Maroney and how 0:10:54.040 --> 0:10:56.840 she went like viral for being disappointed in her metal 0:10:56.840 --> 0:11:00.000 and making a squirmy, you know, kind of smirky face, 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:04.000 and how when men are disappointed, we're like, he's so competitive, 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:06.160 he'll settle for nothing but the best, And when women 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:09.320 do it, we're like, she should be grateful that she's 0:11:09.320 --> 0:11:13.480 got a medal, She should smile, You should smile more so. 0:11:13.480 --> 0:11:15.840 I mean, I think there's a range of dumb shits 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:19.800 and cool people who will let any kind of person male, female, 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:22.040 non binary be the full expression of themselves, and then 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:24.280 there are people who are going to be assholes either way. 0:11:24.320 --> 0:11:26.600 But I do think at least we're really trying to 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:29.240 acknowledge how we do that to women in ways that 0:11:29.280 --> 0:11:32.320 have changed society, and we're not quite there, I think 0:11:32.360 --> 0:11:35.920 in talking about allowing men to feel those things in 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:38.480 ways that you know aren't restrictive. 0:11:38.640 --> 0:11:41.200 Yeah, because that it just it made me think a lot, 0:11:41.400 --> 0:11:44.600 like we don't allow men to cry normally, and in 0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:45.880 sport it. 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:48.439 Is okay, even fans self allow. 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:53.160 Women to be aggressive competitive and in sport it's sometimes 0:11:53.240 --> 0:11:57.960 okay yeah, but not always. And I think it's just fascinating. 0:11:57.960 --> 0:11:59.520 I think we have a long way to go in 0:11:59.720 --> 0:12:04.880 both ye, in both sides of the equation, like greed 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:09.439 to allow people to express their full range of emotions 0:12:10.080 --> 0:12:11.760 and sports should be a safe place to do that. 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:13.320 And I think we can still work on that. And 0:12:13.360 --> 0:12:16.439 so I think absolutely on both sides, on both. 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:19.120 Sides, and that's something that the Olympics can help with. 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:22.319 We got to take a quick break plenty more with 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:32.280 Jesse Diggins coming up right after this. In your experience 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:34.600 at the Olympics, how much do the athletes talk to 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:38.080 each other, either comparing their experience in terms of like 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:42.040 demands of the sport or timing of their events, Like, 0:12:42.080 --> 0:12:44.040 oh man, you get to go first week and then 0:12:44.040 --> 0:12:46.440 spend the rest of the time partying, or oh, my 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:48.560 events last and I have lots of time to get 0:12:48.600 --> 0:12:51.080 settled and prepare and get on the time schedule. Or 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:53.240 you got to walk in the opening ceremony, Oh I 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:55.040 didn't because my event was at the same time, Like 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:57.479 how much is that sort of like comparing? 0:12:59.320 --> 0:13:03.760 I mean, to some degree, there's I mean, for me anyway, 0:13:03.760 --> 0:13:06.480 I can't talk for anyone else. But our sport is 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:09.040 very interesting because we compete the very first day and 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:09.640 the very. 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:11.520 Last day and many days in between. 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:13.880 Right, So we have six different events, everything from a 0:13:13.920 --> 0:13:16.959 sprint to a marathon, and the marathon's last and the 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:20.960 scathons first, and so for us, a lot of it 0:13:20.960 --> 0:13:23.760 it's like maybe you don't get to go in opening 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:26.960 ceremonies if you race and compete the next day. And 0:13:27.000 --> 0:13:29.120 that's for a lot of athletes, so you know, like, Okay, 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:30.680 I'm not the only one in this boat. 0:13:31.040 --> 0:13:32.200 I'm not the only person. 0:13:32.720 --> 0:13:35.079 So in that way, it's helpful to compare, like I'm 0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:36.959 not the only one going through this. Like, yes, I 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:39.800 would love always march and opening ceremonies. It is the 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:41.800 experience of a lifetime, and I'm glad I went when 0:13:41.840 --> 0:13:44.720 I was young and I could because I probably won't 0:13:44.720 --> 0:13:45.920 be able to do this next games. 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:47.680 But I'm not going to be the only one. 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:51.400 And at the same time, you also see athletes being 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:53.360 able to go to all these different events and cheer, 0:13:53.920 --> 0:13:56.400 and I just felt happy that they were able to 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:58.960 do that. On the one hand, I felt so lucky 0:13:59.040 --> 0:14:01.080 that I was able to come in so many events. 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:04.200 What an absolute gift. And of course, this little part 0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:05.520 of me is like I. 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:09.120 Would love to someday experience the Olympics when I'm not 0:14:09.440 --> 0:14:12.079 happy to focus every single second of every single day 0:14:12.120 --> 0:14:13.040 for three weeks straight. 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:15.080 But I'll get there. Someday. 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:17.320 I'll go as a spectator and I will experience it 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:19.360 to my heart's content, and I'll go to every event 0:14:19.400 --> 0:14:22.360 and cheer for everyone. And I can have that experience later. 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:25.520 But right now, I have to lock it in, and 0:14:25.560 --> 0:14:27.120 I have to lock it in for three weeks straight, 0:14:27.520 --> 0:14:29.920 and so I think a lot of it. Instead of comparing, 0:14:30.000 --> 0:14:32.080 it's more like this is just what I have to. 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:35.200 Do right now, just the reality of it. I do love, though, 0:14:35.240 --> 0:14:36.560 Like your dream is. 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:39.360 To go to the Olympics as a spectator, it's a 0:14:39.400 --> 0:14:42.160 lot easier to do than what you're doing, which most 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:43.760 of us will dream of and never get to do. 0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:45.120 You know, I want to ask you about the post 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:50.600 Olympic letdown because for people, even when they win, even 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:55.160 gold medalists, will say that they have this feeling after 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.240 the Olympics that they can't shake. And for those who 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:01.360 are of course seconds off of the podium or don't 0:15:01.400 --> 0:15:03.680 achieve the things they want, that's more understandable. 0:15:03.720 --> 0:15:05.240 It's still heartbreaking but understandable. 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:07.920 But can you explain to us the psychology or help 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:10.320 us try to understand why even those who achieve their 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:12.720 dream and win it all still sometimes have that feeling. 0:15:14.040 --> 0:15:17.120 Yeah, well, so even when I was a little kid. 0:15:17.800 --> 0:15:19.240 You remember, like when you're a little kid and you 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:21.160 go to you're like your best friend's birthday party and 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:23.280 it's a sleepover, and you get really excited and you've 0:15:23.280 --> 0:15:25.480 been looking forward to this. You stay up all night 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:28.520 and you're totally jazz and you're like hyped up on sugar, 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:30.760 and then you come home and the next day just 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:33.840 kind of sucks because you're not with all your friends 0:15:33.960 --> 0:15:35.800 and you're not doing this cool thing, and the thing 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:39.000 that you've been looking forward to is over. Like my 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:41.240 mom used to call that the post party blues. 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:43.840 Yeah, well a lot of people say it for their wedding, 0:15:44.000 --> 0:15:46.040 and I had it with my wedding. You spend a 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:49.200 year planning and it's so awesome, but then it's over 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:52.200 and you're like instead of like, Oh, wedded bliss, you're like, oh, 0:15:52.280 --> 0:15:54.640 but that's it. I don't get to do that again. 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:57.119 Probably if you're lucky. 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:01.320 And whether or not it was the you know, your 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:05.560 wedding best of your life, amazing, everything goes perfectly, you 0:16:05.640 --> 0:16:08.400 still have this letdown of like, oh, man, like I 0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:11.440 just got to have all of my loved ones right 0:16:11.520 --> 0:16:14.320 here and everyone's celebrating and have the best time, and like, 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:15.520 now it's over. 0:16:15.720 --> 0:16:16.880 That's that's challenging. 0:16:17.000 --> 0:16:19.840 And so imagine you're not just you plan a wedding 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:22.600 for a year, maybe two years, but imagine that you 0:16:22.640 --> 0:16:27.600 have trained four or more years for one thing, one event, 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:30.720 one experience, one Olympics. So it's not just oh, I've 0:16:30.720 --> 0:16:32.600 been looking forward to this for weeks or months. 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:34.800 I've been training my whole life. 0:16:35.000 --> 0:16:37.520 To get to this moment, and there's all this hype 0:16:37.520 --> 0:16:39.600 and all this pressure in the world is watching and 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:44.440 then it's just like boom, over, gone, done, and there's 0:16:44.480 --> 0:16:49.000 this vacuum. And so in many ways, I think we're 0:16:49.200 --> 0:16:51.800 very lucky in cross country skiing because we have a 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:55.080 normal World Cup season that we return to and finish up, 0:16:55.480 --> 0:16:59.160 so we have a little bit of this this kind 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:02.280 of ramp down. It's not just falling off a cliff. 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:04.800 You kind of had this gentle come down of like, Okay. 0:17:05.119 --> 0:17:09.080 In many ways that's very challenging because you're pretty burnt out. 0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:11.480 But in many ways it's awesome because you're like, all right, 0:17:11.480 --> 0:17:13.000 I'm going to go back to the World Cup. 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:15.960 It's another goal, it's another thing to focus on. Because 0:17:15.960 --> 0:17:18.199 that's part of it too, I think, is like you 0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:20.920 have something to focus on and work towards, and when 0:17:20.920 --> 0:17:22.400 that's gone, it's like, well, what's. 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:23.000 My purpose now? 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:25.320 And I've even heard athletes say like if I spent 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:27.400 my whole life, I thought when I won the gold 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:31.040 it would change me or get rid of my problems, 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:33.760 And what I realized was being a gold medalist doesn't 0:17:33.840 --> 0:17:35.640 change the other things in my life that I want 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:36.479 to fix or work on. 0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:38.520 I've heard a lot of athletes talk about. 0:17:38.320 --> 0:17:40.240 That, and so yeah, I get it. I get that 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:43.200 letdown is tough. We have to take another quick break. 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:45.840 The conclusion of my conversation with Jesse is coming up. 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:56.240 We only have a few more minutes, so let's do 0:17:56.280 --> 0:17:59.000 a quick speed round. Favorite Olympic memory from competing. 0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:02.760 Oh, I mean, I have to say winning the gold medal. 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:07.840 I mean decent, It sounds decent. Yeah, favorite Olympic memory watching? 0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:17.040 Oh man, there's a lot I gotta say. I think 0:18:17.359 --> 0:18:20.399 just being ready to go on deck for the relay, 0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:24.080 but watching my teammates, so seeing everyone put their heart 0:18:24.119 --> 0:18:26.720 and soul into it, and just knowing like I'm a 0:18:26.760 --> 0:18:28.680 part of this, Like I trained with them, I helped 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:30.640 push them and look at them go like. 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:33.120