WEBVTT - Kerri Walsh Jennings 0:00:03.360 --> 0:00:06.960 I'm Sam Edis and I'm Amy Nelson. Welcome to What's 0:00:06.960 --> 0:00:09.559 Her Story? With Sam and Amy. This is a show 0:00:09.640 --> 0:00:15.400 about the world's most remarkable women, their professional and personal journeys. Together, 0:00:15.480 --> 0:00:19.200 we'll hear from gold medalists, best selling authors, and leaders 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:22.840 of the world's most iconic brands. Listen every Thursday or 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:27.880 join the conversation anytime on Instagram at What's Her Story Podcast. 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:33.959 Carrie Walsh Jennings is the most decorated beach volleyball Olympian 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:37.320 of all time, having won three gold and two bronze medals. 0:00:39.680 --> 0:00:44.760 You were the child of two athletes, which is quite rare, 0:00:45.560 --> 0:00:47.800 and so did you feel like it was your destiny 0:00:48.159 --> 0:00:50.720 to be an athlete? Sam, I definitely think it's in 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:55.040 my DNA, you know. I think by nature, by nurture, 0:00:55.160 --> 0:00:57.520 by what God bless me with. It's like in my 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:02.000 veins is a competitive, you know element. And I fell 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:04.200 in love with sports right away. And I think I 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:06.480 fell in love with sports, um from the get go, 0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:09.120 because I saw my parents so in love with sports. 0:01:09.600 --> 0:01:11.240 So you know, the people I love the most of 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:13.240 my life, who would trust the most in life, were 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:16.080 like showing me that there's so much joy and purpose 0:01:16.160 --> 0:01:18.840 in pursuing these things, and I just I feel the 0:01:18.880 --> 0:01:21.280 exact same way when I compete now. And how was 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:24.280 it that you chose volleyball? Was there another sport first 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:27.200 or was it always volleyball? No? You know, I mean 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:29.560 I found BABA when I was ten, So you know, 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:31.959 I feel like my whole life prior to that, I 0:01:31.959 --> 0:01:34.320 played every sport, and I played every sport whatever was 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:36.320 in season. That's just kind of how we grew up 0:01:36.319 --> 0:01:38.680 like multi sport athletes. My parents really believe in that 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:41.440 for diversity and range and so you don't get burnt out. 0:01:41.920 --> 0:01:44.000 So I have a big brother where E love months apart, 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:46.560 and so I did everything with him. I played basketball, 0:01:46.600 --> 0:01:49.280 played baseball, UM, soccer. I was always one of the 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:52.080 boys in our little town in Scott's Valley, And but 0:01:52.120 --> 0:01:55.680 when I found volleyball in the fifth grade, UM, it 0:01:55.760 --> 0:01:57.960 was like head over heels. I'm so in love. This 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:01.080 is new, this is different, this is all female, um, 0:02:01.120 --> 0:02:04.080 which I don't think I realized that. I didn't realize 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:06.000 I was a girl at that point. You know, it 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:07.760 was just like a tomboy doing my thing. And then 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:09.920 I found this sport that was like all my friends 0:02:09.960 --> 0:02:12.160 were playing, my mom was coaching, and it was just awesome. 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:16.119 And it feels like now people start specializing earlier and earlier, 0:02:16.880 --> 0:02:19.560 now that you have three kids. What's your philosophy on 0:02:19.720 --> 0:02:23.320 sports and specializing. I mean, I'm just a big fan 0:02:23.480 --> 0:02:27.520 of trying everything, and I'm not a fan of specializing. 0:02:27.600 --> 0:02:31.000 I think at a certain point, going into college or pros, 0:02:31.080 --> 0:02:34.080 you specialize. But have you guys read the book Range? 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:37.840 Should we? Yes? You should so, especially on this topic. 0:02:37.919 --> 0:02:41.720 But it compares Roger feder basically to Tiger Woods. Entire 0:02:41.760 --> 0:02:44.200 Woods is like the anomally of all anomalies. Right from 0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:47.520 three years old on, he would only played golf. But 0:02:47.600 --> 0:02:49.440 he is very rare. There's only one of him. A 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:53.000 Federer played all these other sports, and every sport that 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:55.880 he did just helped him develop more range within his tennis, 0:02:55.960 --> 0:02:58.880 within his business life. And so they just say, whether 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:01.480 you play sport, you know, sports as a pro or not, 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:04.320 the range you developed by playing multiple sports, by trying 0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:08.440 multiple things is just priceless. And I definitely I've experienced that. 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:11.320 I believe that. So with our kids, they play whatever 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:13.520 is in season. You know, I just told both boys there, 0:03:13.600 --> 0:03:16.200 damn like you guys know, you don't have to play sports, right, 0:03:16.240 --> 0:03:17.920 And they both looked at me like I was crazy, 0:03:18.280 --> 0:03:20.760 you know, because they want to win, and when they 0:03:20.760 --> 0:03:23.160 don't win, they've taken on themselves, you know. And I 0:03:23.160 --> 0:03:24.880 don't want them to have that baggage either. So but 0:03:25.000 --> 0:03:27.200 I mean they're you know, eleven and twelve right now. 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:30.280 So anyhow, whatever is in season, uh, and I just 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:31.880 want them to try a lot of new things. My 0:03:31.919 --> 0:03:34.240 parents planted a lot of seeds in my head growing up. 0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:36.280 You know, I lived in the Bay Area. I played 0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:38.400 every sport. I watched them play sports. It took me 0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:40.120 to Stamper, that took me to Santa Clara, I went 0:03:40.240 --> 0:03:43.680 to museums, um, I watched the pros play, and because 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:46.240 of that, I just kind of found my path. So 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:50.800 carry Your mother was a college volleyball champion at a 0:03:50.880 --> 0:03:53.680 time when a lot of colleges still didn't even have 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:57.400 women's sports. How did she become an athlete? She was 0:03:57.520 --> 0:04:01.320 born into it, you know, or her like my nana, 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:04.880 her mother bottom like, hands down, the most competitive human 0:04:04.920 --> 0:04:06.960 I've ever experienced in my life. She passed away when 0:04:07.000 --> 0:04:10.400 I was eighteen. He was my hero, still is still 0:04:10.480 --> 0:04:13.080 very present. But she was gnarly. And then my grandfather, 0:04:13.160 --> 0:04:15.640 they called him Grandpa Big m His name is Marty. 0:04:15.760 --> 0:04:17.880 He's in the Santa Clara Hall of Fame. He had 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.719 a nickname. He was called the Splendid Splinter. He played 0:04:20.720 --> 0:04:23.719 in the World Rose Bowl Football. He was a track star. 0:04:23.839 --> 0:04:27.080 So it's just in our DNA. And my mother is 0:04:27.800 --> 0:04:32.160 like her mother the fiercest, like gnarlist lawyer angel you've 0:04:32.160 --> 0:04:34.960 never met in your life. Like she's had eight children. 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:38.080 Three of them were her first sister. She carried triplets. 0:04:38.240 --> 0:04:41.400 She was surrogate, so she is one of eight children, 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:44.599 six girls, two boys. They kept having kids until they 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:47.880 finally got their boy and he came in number six 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:51.240 and the number seven. Um. But my mom um, she 0:04:51.360 --> 0:04:53.719 loved having babies, like she had five of us. I 0:04:53.760 --> 0:04:56.719 have one brother up in heaven. Um. But right before 0:04:56.760 --> 0:04:59.000 my I think mone was like thirty seven and she's like, 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:01.520 look Michelle, her sister, or like the time is now. 0:05:01.720 --> 0:05:04.520 You know, they tried IVF. They tried everything for so long, 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:06.480 and my mom is like, I meant to do this. 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:08.760 I would love this. So they put in I think 0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:12.160 six eggs. They said likely none of them will survive 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:14.919 and all three of them did, and now they're turning thirty. 0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:19.960 On Maid, well, something stuck with me and she was 0:05:20.040 --> 0:05:23.600 like a warrior angel, like you know, both of them. 0:05:23.760 --> 0:05:29.039 Would people describe you like that? I don't know. I 0:05:29.080 --> 0:05:32.159 don't think so. I don't think so. I'm not as 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:34.919 tough at all. Like my mom is a warrior in 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:37.160 everything she does. I might be a warrior on the court. 0:05:37.920 --> 0:05:40.440 Um and well maybe, I mean I have elements of that. 0:05:40.839 --> 0:05:43.599 I inspire to be like my mom. So you chose 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:47.040 an athlete to marry. It almost seems like it would 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:51.040 have been sacrilegious for you to marry out of the 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:54.359 athlete kingdom after all of these generations, like you couldn't 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:58.440 ruin the lineage. Did you feel that way? How funny? 0:05:58.440 --> 0:06:02.479 Well we're not breeding. I probably no. No. I I 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:04.719 just my heart loves who I love, and you know, 0:06:04.880 --> 0:06:07.240 I I fell in love a Casey Like the first 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:10.200 week of dating him, I felt like he was family. 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:13.200 And no, I just I'm just like his biggest fan. 0:06:13.400 --> 0:06:15.800 I think he's so incredible. But like, I don't think 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.080 it would have worked with anyone else because we had 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:20.279 the same job, like we had our first two kids. 0:06:20.320 --> 0:06:22.640 We traveled the world as a traveling circus with all 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:25.000 four of us and then my sisters or nanny. You know, 0:06:25.120 --> 0:06:27.480 Like my life is so full and he's just been 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:30.640 such an amazing champion with me, Like it just doesn't 0:06:30.640 --> 0:06:33.200 work without him. He's it takes a man, you know, 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:36.800 to like I'm a lot so in many different ways. 0:06:36.839 --> 0:06:39.120 So I'm just so grateful. What do you mean when 0:06:39.120 --> 0:06:41.719 you say it takes a man describe that? You know, 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:43.800 I take up a lot of space, you know, and 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:45.320 I feel like you have to be very secure in 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:48.400 who you are. I run fast, I have big dreams. 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:50.440 I I don't like waiting. I like to do what 0:06:50.480 --> 0:06:52.040 I want to do when I want to do it. 0:06:52.720 --> 0:06:54.760 But I also want to, you know, have a simple 0:06:54.800 --> 0:06:57.360 life and have my children and be very closely connected 0:06:57.360 --> 0:06:59.880 to all of that. And so I think kind of 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.000 the athlete and both of us allows us to be 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:05.640 utility players, you know, allows us to be nimble together. 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:09.800 But it takes a strong human being to be so supportive. 0:07:10.240 --> 0:07:12.040 And not that he takes a back seat, but he 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:15.000 just he lifts me up, you know, and he doesn't 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:17.720 diminish himself as he lifts me up. And I think 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:20.680 that's a really strong soul to be able to do that. 0:07:20.880 --> 0:07:22.640 What was the last thing you thought about? You know, 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:26.000 I was in marriage counseling, and I am pretty adverse 0:07:26.080 --> 0:07:28.480 to confrontation. And I'm one of those ones who like 0:07:28.520 --> 0:07:30.560 swallows my feelings. I can handle it. I can handle 0:07:30.560 --> 0:07:34.280 it until I can't. And so our our therapist, Mike Jervey, 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:36.760 who's an incredible performance psychology, so she's like, care, you 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:39.520 cannot be afraid to engage, you cannot be afraid conflict 0:07:39.520 --> 0:07:42.960 because there's deep intimacy there. Um. I honestly can't remember 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:45.640 what we fight about. I think, I don't. I have 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:49.280 no idea, some silly, stupid stuff that we don't need 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:52.640 to find it out. How do you parent? Because I 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:56.160 think sometimes when you're such a doer and you're such 0:07:56.200 --> 0:07:59.720 a go getter, and you three different kids with three 0:07:59.760 --> 0:08:03.960 totely different personalities that might or might not mirror your drive, 0:08:04.640 --> 0:08:08.280 how have you come to, you know, reconcile that with 0:08:08.360 --> 0:08:12.559 your own parenting style? You know, fundamentally, I'm just I love. 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:15.240 I'm so in love with my children, you know, so 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:18.360 love is just the foundation. It's probably obnoxious, like I 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:21.600 probably let them get away with too much stuff, because 0:08:22.080 --> 0:08:24.480 you know, I come I came from upbringing of so 0:08:24.640 --> 0:08:27.600 much like literally unconditional love. But it was very tough love, 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:30.360 you know, and not a lot of soft nurturing love 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:33.160 in its own way, but it wasn't that, you know. 0:08:33.200 --> 0:08:34.760 And I feel like my mom and my dad were 0:08:34.760 --> 0:08:37.120 preparing me to be who I am, you know. And 0:08:37.160 --> 0:08:38.760 so but I think on the flip side of that, 0:08:38.800 --> 0:08:41.440 I'm parenting slightly different in the expression of my love. 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:44.400 And but I I feel like the way I am 0:08:44.400 --> 0:08:46.240 as a human, like I swear, I feel like I've 0:08:46.320 --> 0:08:49.000 left up in every way. I've succeeded in so many ways. 0:08:49.120 --> 0:08:51.240 I've been in a whole I've been an angel, I've 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:54.000 been everything and then some. So when my children are 0:08:54.040 --> 0:08:56.800 being who they are and they're doing great or they're 0:08:56.840 --> 0:08:59.760 having challenges or their failing or triumphing, like I've been 0:08:59.800 --> 0:09:03.280 there largely, you know. So for me, it's just like 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:06.600 I just want to remind them they're okay, you know, 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:09.560 and just if they do something wrong, how did that feel? 0:09:09.800 --> 0:09:11.560 Did that did that make you feel bad inside? Okay, 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:13.439 don't do it again, you know. Kind of like as 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:15.679 simple as that, because I feel like if they can 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:17.640 have that self awareness where they can kind of love 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:20.920 themselves as they mess up, and they know nothing is 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:22.760 to end all be all, you know, no failure is 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:24.800 too big, like you always have to carry your head 0:09:24.880 --> 0:09:28.320 high because it's just a rep at something, you know. 0:09:28.400 --> 0:09:30.679 And so I feel like that's I don't know if 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:33.760 that's a parenting style, but that's certainly I'm kind of 0:09:33.800 --> 0:09:36.480 raising my kids as as really young high performers with 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:39.200 a lot of focus on self love. And my husband 0:09:39.240 --> 0:09:41.559 is gnarly and he's incredible, and the way he his 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:45.520 expression of that, I think it balances us out. You know. Um, 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:49.560 he's like from Vegas, born and raised like he's from Vegas, 0:09:49.559 --> 0:09:51.000 and that should tell you a lot about my husband. 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:53.800 Like we're so different, you know, like our whole world viewers. 0:09:53.880 --> 0:09:55.320 So I grew up in a bubble and a bubble 0:09:55.400 --> 0:09:58.280 and he grew up in Vegas, you know. So our 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:01.760 kids get like the Plonny pol Leanna that side of 0:10:01.800 --> 0:10:04.319 life and the biggest gritty streets of life. And it's 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:08.079 a really powerful comb My husband is so he's so emotional, 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:11.360 he's so like tuned in and he's very empathetic as well. 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:13.480 So I think we just meet our kids where they're 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:16.680 at a lot with high expectations and with a lot 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:18.880 of yeah, a lot of love for sure. So you 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:22.640 went to Stanford and then how did your career evolve 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:25.360 from there? Well, Stanford was like my first big dream 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:27.320 come true. I grew up twenty minutes away and it 0:10:27.360 --> 0:10:29.640 was just like like the best place ever for me. 0:10:30.240 --> 0:10:33.280 After Stanford, I played in my first Olympics. So I 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:35.160 was a senior at Stanford and I left her for 0:10:35.240 --> 0:10:37.880 two quarters to compete my first Olympics in two thousand 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:41.720 and Then after that Olympics, my whole world changed because 0:10:41.720 --> 0:10:44.480 I left indoor and I went to beach volleyball, and 0:10:44.720 --> 0:10:47.480 like on day one, not only was I trying out 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:49.920 with Missy May now Missy may trainer, who you know 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:52.720 is my Michael Jordan, my idol. That was the start 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:54.600 of ten years plus of playing with her, but on 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:57.680 day one I also happened to meet Casey because we 0:10:57.760 --> 0:10:59.920 trained against him when I was trying out with miss 0:11:00.559 --> 0:11:03.080 and so you know, I was I was so like 0:11:03.160 --> 0:11:06.040 almost having a panic attack, like playing with my childhood idol, 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:08.680 trying out for what could change my life in case 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:10.360 he was on the other side and that didn't like 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:13.040 pay one lick of attention to him until the last 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:14.840 ball of the match. He tried like he almost took 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:17.559 my face off because he went to go finish the game. Um, 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:19.760 and then we kind of had a moment of like oh, 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:22.160 and then a couple weeks later we just started hanging out. 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:26.920 So after Stanford, everything happened very fast and it was awesome. 0:11:27.120 --> 0:11:29.839 Did you return to school after that? I did. Yeah, 0:11:29.880 --> 0:11:33.040 So I took two quarters off and then I returned 0:11:33.080 --> 0:11:37.880 in the fall of two thousand and one. What was 0:11:37.920 --> 0:11:41.040 it like to go back? Awesome? Oh my gosh. I 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:44.120 thought like I felt smart for the first time, you know, 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:46.559 like I always like I always just fancied myself a 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:48.640 jock and an athlete. Like I'm like, I know why 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:50.640 I'm here at Stanford is not because I'm the smartest. 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:53.040 It's because I can play volleyball and I'm not too dumb. 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:55.520 And I don't mean to diminish anyone, Like everyone there 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:57.960 was so gnarly. I just really diminished myself and I 0:11:58.000 --> 0:12:00.320 was so insecure, and so I think it took me 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:02.679 being away and like kind of living a more worldly 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:04.840 life to go back there being like, oh, I have 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:07.400 thoughts of my own, and no one's judging me. Everyone 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:09.600 is just trying to figure stuff out. So my last 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:12.280 two quarters there were my favorite, and that just makes 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:13.800 me want to have my kids take a leap here 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:17.559 so they can go experience life, you know, because it's 0:12:17.559 --> 0:12:20.199 just it's crazy what a little perspective can do. What 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:22.320 was your relationship with Misty like, because I feel like 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:24.560 there's been, you know, a lot of talk about it. 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:28.000 It's so unusual and it's it's just so exciting, you know. 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:30.840 I just love her so much, like with all my heart, 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:33.680 I adore her and missing Our were so similar in 0:12:33.720 --> 0:12:35.720 so many ways as far as our values and our 0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:38.840 discipline and how we show up, but our expressions of 0:12:39.000 --> 0:12:41.680 all these things are so different. So you think we're 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:43.560 like night and day, and I think that's why we fit. 0:12:44.280 --> 0:12:46.480 But she's just she's like my sister. I just did 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:49.120 an appearance with her in Virginia and it was so 0:12:49.160 --> 0:12:52.480 fun to be on stage with her, just rehashing our magic, 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:54.400 because I think it took us a while, like we 0:12:54.400 --> 0:12:57.800 were just never satisfied. We were always working so hard 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:00.079 and having so much fun in the pursuit because we 0:13:00.200 --> 0:13:03.840 literally believed we could be so dominant, and it wasn't 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:05.680 like an arrogant thing. It was just like, we have 0:13:05.840 --> 0:13:08.520 something very special here, let's like push this to the max. 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:11.480 And that really filled us up. But when you're in it, 0:13:11.520 --> 0:13:13.800 you don't really appreciate the magic. And then now that 0:13:13.920 --> 0:13:16.000 you know, it's been almost ten years since I played 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:18.640 with her, which is shocking to me to rehash the 0:13:18.679 --> 0:13:22.040 magic and the love, it's incredible. But our relationship Sam was, 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:26.280 you know, especially after when Missy retired, Um, I kept playing, 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:29.480 and I think, you know, feelings get hurt and interviews 0:13:29.480 --> 0:13:32.080 get said and think throughout a context, and I hurt 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:35.320 Missy's feelings a couple of times, totally unintentionally, and I 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:37.480 think there's a sensitivity there that I just didn't have 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:40.160 the awareness to acknowledge, you know what I'm saying. And 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:43.080 so we've then through heaven and hell together. And for 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:46.280 a couple of years after we separated, we weren't really friends. 0:13:46.720 --> 0:13:48.679 I loved her from a distance, but I couldn't really 0:13:48.720 --> 0:13:51.640 kind of connect with her and the way we used to, which, 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.040 of course that relationship is going to change. But we 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:56.680 grow back to each other and now we I mean, 0:13:57.240 --> 0:14:00.680 we have rekindled that love and that friendship, and um, 0:14:00.720 --> 0:14:03.320 I just I adore her. She's so special, Like everything 0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:05.920 you see a Missy is so true and she's just 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:09.000 such a great human being. What was it do you 0:14:09.040 --> 0:14:11.600 think that brought you back together? It's hard to find 0:14:11.880 --> 0:14:16.000 love again, whether it's friendships or love, it's hard. Well, 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:17.400 I don't want to take all the credit, but I'm 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:23.520 very persistent. It's like with my marriage, Like I had 0:14:23.520 --> 0:14:25.920 a moment with my husband, you know, after a couple 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:28.640 to Olympics and where he's like, I cannot do this anymore, 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:32.800 and like I understand. I understood his point of view, 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:35.000 but I'm like, but no, you're wrong, Like we're meant 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:37.360 for each other and you just lost yourself and with 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:39.080 Missy and like, no, you just forget that you love 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:42.480 me and you forget that we're special. So I'm not 0:14:42.560 --> 0:14:44.680 going away. You know, of course I would go away 0:14:44.680 --> 0:14:47.320 if I if they were like no seriously, But you know, 0:14:47.440 --> 0:14:50.360 like I'm I'm pretty ampathetic. I can feel people and 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:53.080 their vibrations and I could put myself in their shoes 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:55.600 really easily, and so I feel like I was persistent 0:14:55.600 --> 0:14:57.600 and then I gave space and then I just continue 0:14:57.640 --> 0:15:00.520 to love. And every once in a while I'll approach 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:02.600 the topic like, hey, miss, I'm still here, Like you 0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:04.840 want to connect one other thing from something you said 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:07.960 about your partnership with Misty, which sticks with me for 0:15:08.000 --> 0:15:10.160 a reason. As you said, you both just knew you 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:12.800 were dominant, You knew you had something special. A lot 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:16.160 of girls and women do not allow themselves to feel that, 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:19.360 even if they know it to be true. Like why 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:21.720 do you think you were able to I think because 0:15:21.800 --> 0:15:25.040 we were together, Like we were like a force together. 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:28.000 I feel like I feel like if you try to 0:15:28.120 --> 0:15:31.480 like tell yourself that alone, it's harder to believe. You 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:34.320 know what I'm saying, Like, I'm I can rule the world, dominate, 0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:36.560 And it's like when you're together, you're like building something 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:39.800 together and it's more of like a vision outside of yourself, 0:15:39.840 --> 0:15:42.640 even though you're required to bring all of yourself. I 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:44.920 don't know really how to like speak to this articulately, 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:47.000 but I just know that being with Misty was so 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:49.600 empowering and it literally was not about anyone else or 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:52.040 anything else. It was about us. And so for me 0:15:52.080 --> 0:15:54.680 as an adult now and as someone who wants to 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:57.480 continue to joyfully dominate and kick as no matter what 0:15:57.520 --> 0:15:59.320 I'm doing, I want my kids to do this as well. 0:15:59.840 --> 0:16:01.880 I I have to make it only about me. I 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:05.520 literally like my my lead up to Tokyo and even 0:16:05.600 --> 0:16:07.680 Rio to a certain extent the last two Olympics, like 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:10.680 I had too much focus outside of myself, and that 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:14.040 diminishes me, you know, Like I revere everyone. I have 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:16.160 so much respect. But if I give too much credit, 0:16:16.240 --> 0:16:18.560 or if I spend too much time focusing on what's 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:21.000 outside of me, then I can't self source the confidence 0:16:21.240 --> 0:16:24.040 that's required to say I can do this again and 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:26.080 again and again and I can dominate. You know what 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:28.360 I'm saying. I think that focus has to be very internal. 0:16:28.680 --> 0:16:31.360 When you were going through it and you're building this together, 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:35.800 how did you in Misty resolve conflict? Um? You know, 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:38.480 there really wasn't a lot of conflict because we won 0:16:38.600 --> 0:16:41.160 so much, you know. But I'm like in this, I'm 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:43.760 in life for the depth of it, and so almost 0:16:43.760 --> 0:16:46.560 my soul craves like hard moments because then we you know, 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:49.400 like we talked about intimacy amy right when you're conflicting, 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:51.920 when you get depth. But Missy and I are first 0:16:51.960 --> 0:16:55.280 second year together, Missy's mom passed away, and then we 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:57.440 went on the road and tried to take on the 0:16:57.480 --> 0:16:59.760 world together, you know, and we're both like early to 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:02.080 is at the time, figuring out the game, figuring out 0:17:02.160 --> 0:17:06.560 each other, and that life happening like made us connect 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:09.800 so deeply, and it was such a gift, like it 0:17:09.840 --> 0:17:11.760 really was. And I feel like that set the tone 0:17:11.800 --> 0:17:13.840 because she was very vulnerable with me, and she's not 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.439 a vulnerable human being at all. She's very strong and 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:19.119 she's very internal um and that allowed me to be 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:21.360 there for her, and so I think we we got 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:23.720 comfortable in that situation a little bit, which was against 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:26.560 such a gift. And then when things came up over 0:17:26.600 --> 0:17:29.840 the years, it was never internal like. It was always 0:17:29.840 --> 0:17:32.040 people being like, oh, miss you should dump carry you know, 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:34.600 she's overrated, or carry like go try someone else, like 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:37.520 and it was so dumb to me. And but sometimes 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:40.040 people are relentless and if you're having weak moments, you're like, oh, well, 0:17:40.080 --> 0:17:42.760 maybe maybe the grass is greener, you know. So a 0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:45.320 couple of times, one time in particular, there was a 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:47.320 lot of that going on, and at some point it 0:17:47.400 --> 0:17:49.080 was just like enough of this topic. Are we going 0:17:49.119 --> 0:17:51.520 to stay together break up, and we had this moment 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:54.120 of reckoning. We're like, no, we're that silly, like we're 0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:56.040 going to stick this out. And this was after our 0:17:56.080 --> 0:17:58.520 first gold you know, where people just want you to 0:17:58.560 --> 0:18:00.560 separate and that you know, people get a kick out 0:18:00.560 --> 0:18:02.600 of doing that to people. And then we were weak 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:04.920 and we kind of let someone come between um that 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:08.520 any other conflict between us was so minimal, you know, 0:18:08.680 --> 0:18:10.919 And we had so much trust And we were talking 0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:12.680 the other day at our appearance and it's like we 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:16.359 were so individually so driven. I never worried about Misty, 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:18.760 like I knew she was busting her butt and she 0:18:18.880 --> 0:18:21.160 knew I was busting my butt. And then we'd come together, 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:23.399 travel the world and just show up and play freely. 0:18:24.000 --> 0:18:26.480 And so the moments of frustration when in that was very, 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:29.879 very minor. And now a quick break. Are you a 0:18:29.920 --> 0:18:33.160 woman owned business looking for a new sales channel. 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