WEBVTT - BONUS: Olympian Gabby Thomas Sets Her Own Pace 0:00:14.916 --> 0:00:35.236 Pushkin hey Slight Changers Maya here. We'll be resuming our 0:00:35.316 --> 0:00:38.596 regularly scheduled programming next week when we hear from Angela 0:00:38.676 --> 0:00:42.116 Duckworth about the science of grit But this week I 0:00:42.156 --> 0:00:45.356 wanted to share a special conversation I recently had with 0:00:45.396 --> 0:00:49.076 one of my favorite Olympians, Gabby Thomas. At the twenty 0:00:49.156 --> 0:00:53.116 twenty one US Olympic Trials, Gabby became the second fastest 0:00:53.116 --> 0:00:56.116 woman ever when she ran the two hundred meters in 0:00:56.196 --> 0:00:59.676 twenty one point six one seconds, and she then went 0:00:59.716 --> 0:01:03.396 on to win two medals at the Tokyo Olympics. When 0:01:03.436 --> 0:01:06.156 I first heard about Gabby's ascent in track and field, 0:01:06.516 --> 0:01:09.876 I assumed her relationship with running was a relative straightforward, 0:01:09.876 --> 0:01:13.676 one passion at an early age match with a singular focus. 0:01:14.276 --> 0:01:17.516 But that wasn't the case. I discovered that Gabby had 0:01:17.556 --> 0:01:21.036 competing interests and as a result, her focus was pulled 0:01:21.036 --> 0:01:24.356 in different directions over the course of her life, especially 0:01:24.436 --> 0:01:27.996 during her time as a Harvard undergrad, and this tension 0:01:28.076 --> 0:01:31.676 has led Gabby to continually question which path she should take. 0:01:32.316 --> 0:01:35.836 At times, She's even considered whether she should quit track altogether. 0:01:37.876 --> 0:01:40.236 And so, because this show is all about how we 0:01:40.316 --> 0:01:43.556 navigate those big inflection moments in our lives. I thought 0:01:43.596 --> 0:01:46.036 we could learn a lot from Gabby's story of change. 0:01:47.276 --> 0:01:50.036 I'm Maya Shunker and this is a slight change of plans, 0:01:50.436 --> 0:01:52.676 a show about who we are and who we've become 0:01:53.116 --> 0:02:08.476 in the face of a big change. So I'd love 0:02:08.476 --> 0:02:11.196 to start by all the way back to your childhood. 0:02:11.676 --> 0:02:13.836 I think one thing a lot of people might not 0:02:13.916 --> 0:02:16.796 know about your story is that growing up you had 0:02:16.796 --> 0:02:20.196 no interest in being an athlete, right you wanted to 0:02:20.196 --> 0:02:23.516 study neurobiology. And I'm wondering if you can tell me 0:02:23.556 --> 0:02:26.596 more about your family and how it led you down 0:02:26.596 --> 0:02:31.156 that path in terms of going into neurobiology, that came 0:02:31.236 --> 0:02:35.796 from very personal experiences within my own family and just 0:02:35.876 --> 0:02:41.196 seeing how my brothers who are neuro atypical and who 0:02:41.236 --> 0:02:44.836 they are and how they navigated life. One of my 0:02:44.916 --> 0:02:48.156 younger brothers has autism. He has Aspergers and he was 0:02:48.196 --> 0:02:51.516 diagnosed at the age of four, I believe, and just 0:02:51.556 --> 0:02:54.236 watching how he navigates the world and how the world 0:02:54.276 --> 0:02:57.716 isn't exactly built for him, but he's so special and 0:02:57.796 --> 0:02:59.436 amazing in his own way. And then I have my 0:02:59.476 --> 0:03:02.596 twin brother who just battled Adhd. I believe he was 0:03:02.636 --> 0:03:06.396 diagnosed at eight and going through that and going through 0:03:06.396 --> 0:03:08.916 the school system and having to deal with that and 0:03:09.156 --> 0:03:11.716 having things not really be adapted towards you, but that 0:03:11.756 --> 0:03:13.956 you know, they have to adapt towards the world that 0:03:13.956 --> 0:03:16.436 they're living in. So at the end of the day, 0:03:16.676 --> 0:03:18.356 at this point, I decided that I wanted to study 0:03:18.396 --> 0:03:22.836 the nervous system and just explore that area. And I'm wondering, Gaddy, 0:03:22.956 --> 0:03:26.316 was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, Okay, 0:03:26.316 --> 0:03:29.036 this is what I have to do with my life. Yeah, 0:03:29.036 --> 0:03:31.196 there was definitely a moment when I was in high school. 0:03:31.396 --> 0:03:34.876 This random morning getting ready for school. My mom, my 0:03:34.956 --> 0:03:36.796 twin brother, and I were all in the kitchen, sitting 0:03:36.796 --> 0:03:39.076 at the kitchen table, just getting ready like we normally do. 0:03:39.236 --> 0:03:41.436 I was fixing a bowl of cereal. My brother was 0:03:41.516 --> 0:03:44.276 just grabbing his backpack getting ready to go, and my 0:03:44.356 --> 0:03:46.796 mom had asked him if he had taken its medication 0:03:47.076 --> 0:03:50.676 for school that day, and he said no, And of course, 0:03:50.756 --> 0:03:53.796 you know, she's thinking, well why not, because this is 0:03:54.236 --> 0:03:56.076 your normal. We should be taking medication so that you 0:03:56.076 --> 0:03:58.516 can go and focus. Then he had mentioned that he 0:03:58.836 --> 0:04:00.636 could not take the side effects anymore. He didn't like 0:04:00.716 --> 0:04:03.636 how it made him feel. And for me, what I 0:04:03.676 --> 0:04:06.596 had noticed in the weeks, even months prior to that 0:04:06.676 --> 0:04:10.956 exact moment, was that my brother was very different from 0:04:11.076 --> 0:04:13.236 the brother that I had grown up with. He was 0:04:13.276 --> 0:04:17.596 just this very very active and fun and silly kid. 0:04:18.116 --> 0:04:21.636 And then you'd notice as he would switch the medication, 0:04:21.716 --> 0:04:27.396 he just seemed so somber and just not quite himself. 0:04:27.836 --> 0:04:30.436 And I think we all noticed it. And my mom 0:04:30.516 --> 0:04:32.716 had gotten to a point where she did not know 0:04:32.756 --> 0:04:35.636 what to do, and the frustration just set in and 0:04:35.916 --> 0:04:39.556 my mom just started crying. I had never seen her 0:04:39.556 --> 0:04:42.316 cry like that, and I think it was very It 0:04:42.396 --> 0:04:45.476 was shocking for me, probably for my twin brother too, 0:04:45.476 --> 0:04:48.036 but definitely very shocking for me to witness that and 0:04:48.116 --> 0:04:52.196 to see that frustration and just not knowing what steps 0:04:52.196 --> 0:04:55.396 to take next. And so I think in that moment, yeah, 0:04:55.436 --> 0:04:58.796 I was very curious about it. I I was wondering, well, 0:04:58.796 --> 0:05:00.876 why is this it? Why is this his only option? 0:05:00.996 --> 0:05:03.876 Why is it that he has to be altering himself 0:05:03.876 --> 0:05:06.036 and who he is? So I was very Yeah, I 0:05:06.076 --> 0:05:08.396 was maybe sixteen at this time, and I decided that 0:05:08.436 --> 0:05:11.516 I wanted to go into neurobiology and study it. Yeah, 0:05:11.516 --> 0:05:13.636 I mean I can imagine as his sister just feeling 0:05:13.716 --> 0:05:15.476 so helpless, like, why is he having to make this 0:05:15.556 --> 0:05:19.076 trade off between feeling like himself and getting his school 0:05:19.076 --> 0:05:21.436 work done? Right? That's not right. And it's also as 0:05:21.436 --> 0:05:23.796 a twin sister, right. So I just I grew up 0:05:23.796 --> 0:05:26.716 with him and I did everything with him, and we 0:05:27.156 --> 0:05:29.556 just did everything together, and he was my best friend 0:05:29.636 --> 0:05:34.356 growing up. And to just see that kind of helplessness 0:05:35.636 --> 0:05:37.636 from someone who truly is just feels like a part 0:05:37.636 --> 0:05:42.116 of me was. It was pretty shocking. Wow, that's so beautiful. 0:05:42.156 --> 0:05:44.796 I mean, you can hear the passion and curiosity in 0:05:44.876 --> 0:05:47.596 your voice even now, you know, just talking about this, 0:05:49.276 --> 0:05:51.876 I'd love to pivot to running for a moment. I 0:05:51.956 --> 0:05:56.036 love the fact that you've been able to occupy these 0:05:56.116 --> 0:05:58.836 two very distinct worlds in your life, you know, track 0:05:58.916 --> 0:06:02.596 and public health, and also there's been so many ebbs 0:06:02.596 --> 0:06:05.676 and flows in your drive and motivation along the way, 0:06:05.716 --> 0:06:08.156 And to me, that's a part of your story that 0:06:08.236 --> 0:06:12.956 feels so relatable. I can't relate to being an incredibly 0:06:12.996 --> 0:06:17.196 fast runner, though. Note please that I was on the 0:06:17.236 --> 0:06:20.276 cross country team in high school and it was notably 0:06:20.316 --> 0:06:21.996 a walk on team, which is the only reason that 0:06:21.996 --> 0:06:23.636 I was on the cross country team in high school 0:06:24.076 --> 0:06:27.156 that I did log in my five case. Anyway, Yeah, 0:06:27.196 --> 0:06:29.436 the part that's that's so relatable to me is that 0:06:29.916 --> 0:06:33.156 you know, we all question at some point or another 0:06:33.396 --> 0:06:35.876 whether we're on the right path or whether we should 0:06:35.956 --> 0:06:39.476 change course. And it was so reassuring for me, and 0:06:39.516 --> 0:06:41.756 I'm sure we'll be so reassuring for so many listeners 0:06:42.156 --> 0:06:45.716 that you fall into this camp too. I so appreciated 0:06:45.716 --> 0:06:48.956 the fact that you've said you didn't actually love running 0:06:48.956 --> 0:06:51.316 at first. And the reason I love that, Gabby, is 0:06:51.356 --> 0:06:54.956 because it runs so counter to the typical romantic story 0:06:54.996 --> 0:06:57.396 you hear from Olympians, right that it was like love 0:06:57.436 --> 0:06:59.796 it first step or love at first jump, for whatever 0:06:59.996 --> 0:07:02.716 whatever you know you hear out there, and so you 0:07:02.756 --> 0:07:06.076 know your story, it just feels kind of normal and 0:07:06.116 --> 0:07:09.676 an interesting way, right. It shows that passion can be cultivated. 0:07:09.716 --> 0:07:13.436 And so just bring me back to your first encounter 0:07:13.516 --> 0:07:16.556 with running. I'm wondering what that exposure was like. Yeah, 0:07:16.916 --> 0:07:18.756 it's actually very funny that you bring that up, because 0:07:18.756 --> 0:07:20.236 a lot of times I do just kind of feel 0:07:20.276 --> 0:07:23.356 like such a phony, being like the only pro track 0:07:23.396 --> 0:07:25.796 athlete who didn't want to go into track and field. 0:07:25.836 --> 0:07:27.756 Whenever I talk about it with people, it's always like, 0:07:27.876 --> 0:07:30.596 what are you talking about? So what are you doing here? 0:07:31.076 --> 0:07:33.516 But you can cultivate it. But yeah, So I got 0:07:33.516 --> 0:07:36.796 into track in middle school. My mom forced me to 0:07:36.836 --> 0:07:38.876 do it, and at the time I didn't want to go, 0:07:38.996 --> 0:07:41.196 and none of my friends were doing it, and I, 0:07:41.476 --> 0:07:44.196 quite frankly, I didn't want to run. Soccer was my 0:07:44.236 --> 0:07:46.996 first love, and they knew I was fast because I 0:07:46.996 --> 0:07:48.996 would run the ball in soccer and that was all 0:07:48.996 --> 0:07:50.916 I knew about running, and I knew I didn't want 0:07:50.916 --> 0:07:53.036 to do it. But I ended up going and being 0:07:53.076 --> 0:07:56.436 on the team and just running really fast. And from 0:07:56.476 --> 0:07:58.316 then on it was almost as if I didn't really 0:07:58.316 --> 0:08:00.396 have a choice but to do track and field because 0:08:00.396 --> 0:08:03.236 I was winning every race that I was put in, 0:08:03.916 --> 0:08:06.556 whether I just varied across the sprints and then even 0:08:06.556 --> 0:08:08.876 the jumps, so I was kind of in this position 0:08:08.876 --> 0:08:11.156 where I felt obligated to do it. Tell me more 0:08:11.196 --> 0:08:13.436 about that, because that is so interesting, right that when 0:08:13.516 --> 0:08:17.436 we see success in ourselves, even if it doesn't align 0:08:17.716 --> 0:08:21.276 with an active passion, we feel compelled in some way, 0:08:21.316 --> 0:08:23.196 like like we owe it to the world or owe 0:08:23.196 --> 0:08:24.556 it to ourselves. I don't know what it is, but 0:08:24.756 --> 0:08:27.596 that's exactly how I felt. Yeah, tell me more about that. 0:08:27.596 --> 0:08:29.476 That's exactly how I felt. I just I felt like 0:08:29.676 --> 0:08:31.876 I just owed it to the world. You have all 0:08:31.876 --> 0:08:34.116 these people who were congratulating me, telling me how proud 0:08:34.156 --> 0:08:35.756 they were of me, and they were so happy to 0:08:35.796 --> 0:08:37.756 have me on the team and have me running. It 0:08:37.796 --> 0:08:39.716 just felt like it I would have been a very 0:08:39.796 --> 0:08:42.676 big disappointment if I did not continue to run. It's 0:08:42.716 --> 0:08:46.676 a very weird feeling. And in hindsight, it's easy to say, Okay, well, 0:08:46.676 --> 0:08:49.156 then why did you continue to do it? But I 0:08:49.156 --> 0:08:51.036 think that's a lot of times that's how we operate, 0:08:51.076 --> 0:08:53.556 and you want to be successful so badly that sometimes 0:08:53.596 --> 0:08:56.996 you're just willing to like overlook whatever is making you happy. Actually, 0:08:57.516 --> 0:08:59.756 it is this interesting thing that we do in society 0:09:00.036 --> 0:09:02.916 where you kind of just don't want to waste your talent, right, 0:09:03.756 --> 0:09:06.676 And I had that talent and at the end of 0:09:06.716 --> 0:09:08.996 the day, you know, I do find that people do 0:09:09.276 --> 0:09:11.116 enjoy things that they're good at, and that is a 0:09:11.156 --> 0:09:13.556 true statement. But at the time, I didn't, you know, 0:09:13.676 --> 0:09:16.076 that was fine. I just continued to do it, and 0:09:16.076 --> 0:09:17.796 I just found joy in the little parts of it, 0:09:17.996 --> 0:09:19.876 made some friends on the team, and you know, you 0:09:19.916 --> 0:09:22.636 just find little aspects that you like. But ultimately track 0:09:22.796 --> 0:09:25.556 wasn't I didn't want it to be my thing, and 0:09:25.596 --> 0:09:27.956 then at some point, you know, I kept doing it 0:09:28.316 --> 0:09:31.316 through middle school, and then it was my software year 0:09:31.996 --> 0:09:35.076 in high school when I actually started to enjoy it 0:09:35.316 --> 0:09:39.796 and set goals for myself and actually be pretty motivated 0:09:39.836 --> 0:09:42.756 and determined in the actual sport. What do you think 0:09:42.836 --> 0:09:46.356 changed for you? What led you to suddenly start articulating 0:09:46.396 --> 0:09:49.156 these goals where it turned into a thing you were 0:09:49.196 --> 0:09:52.236 doing begrudgingly to a thing that was actually driving you 0:09:52.316 --> 0:09:55.436 day to day. Well, part of it was like, if 0:09:55.476 --> 0:09:57.436 I'm going to be here every day in the spring, 0:09:57.476 --> 0:10:00.276 then I should probably figure out a way to love it. 0:10:00.756 --> 0:10:02.436 But the biggest part of it was I had a 0:10:02.436 --> 0:10:07.236 coach who was pushing me a lot and actually just 0:10:07.276 --> 0:10:11.156 taught me a lot about working hard and actually getting 0:10:11.156 --> 0:10:13.276 out what you put in, and that's something that I 0:10:13.316 --> 0:10:16.076 had not really experienced before. So it was kind of 0:10:16.116 --> 0:10:19.916 just a mindset shift that was like, you know, it 0:10:19.996 --> 0:10:23.636 actually kind of transcended track and field itself. And it 0:10:23.676 --> 0:10:27.116 more just became something about me growing as a person. 0:10:27.716 --> 0:10:30.916 So it really wasn't about loving the running itself and 0:10:31.436 --> 0:10:34.076 loving running that two hundred meters, but it was more like, Okay, 0:10:34.436 --> 0:10:36.076 if I'm going to do this, I'm going to work 0:10:36.076 --> 0:10:37.716 hard here and then I'm going to see the results. 0:10:37.716 --> 0:10:39.676 And that's that was a rewarding part that I that 0:10:39.716 --> 0:10:42.196 I found to enjoy about it. Were there any role 0:10:42.236 --> 0:10:45.476 models you had in this space, anyone you saw crushing 0:10:45.476 --> 0:10:48.716 it out there that that let you up? Yeah? Well also, 0:10:48.716 --> 0:10:51.236 and Felix was always my role model. I remember when 0:10:51.276 --> 0:10:54.716 I was gosh, I had to be in middle school 0:10:54.756 --> 0:10:57.596 at my grandmother's house and the Olympic trials were on, 0:10:57.756 --> 0:10:59.356 and my mom told me to turn on the TV 0:10:59.476 --> 0:11:01.876 because there was someone on the screen that just reminded 0:11:01.916 --> 0:11:05.676 her of me. She had these long legs and she 0:11:05.796 --> 0:11:09.196 was just absolutely crushing it with grace and poise, And 0:11:09.236 --> 0:11:11.676 at the time I thought nothing about it. I said 0:11:11.676 --> 0:11:13.876 that is great for her, and my mom was like, 0:11:14.036 --> 0:11:16.356 you could be an Olympian one day, and I'm like, okay, 0:11:16.476 --> 0:11:20.436 sounds great. Mom, so happy for Allison, but that's not 0:11:21.196 --> 0:11:26.196 my path. I just never considered it. And after that 0:11:26.236 --> 0:11:28.636 you know, I followed Allison's career a little bit, but again, 0:11:28.716 --> 0:11:32.916 I wasn't following professional track and field that closely. It's 0:11:32.956 --> 0:11:35.436 not something I inspired to do because I didn't know 0:11:35.476 --> 0:11:37.636 that it was something that I actually could do, especially 0:11:37.716 --> 0:11:40.596 for someone who just didn't do you know, club track 0:11:41.036 --> 0:11:43.276 or any like club sports like that. So I never 0:11:43.316 --> 0:11:45.996 paid that much attention to it. Yeah, I also didn't 0:11:45.996 --> 0:11:48.476 pay much attention to my cross country skills similar similar 0:11:49.076 --> 0:11:50.556 you know, not it had nothing to do with lack 0:11:50.596 --> 0:11:53.316 of ability or you know, slow times or anything like that. 0:11:54.516 --> 0:11:57.436 So you have this great coach, you're performing well in 0:11:57.516 --> 0:11:59.836 high school, but then there is this moment where you 0:11:59.876 --> 0:12:03.636 considered quitting running altogether when you were just graduating from 0:12:03.716 --> 0:12:07.116 high school. What is it that led you to continue 0:12:07.156 --> 0:12:09.516 on at that moment in time. So there was a 0:12:09.556 --> 0:12:12.196 lot of that back and forth throughout my entire college 0:12:12.236 --> 0:12:14.796 career where I was thinking, is track and field right 0:12:14.796 --> 0:12:16.276 for me? Is this the path that I want to 0:12:16.316 --> 0:12:19.676 go down? Is it you know, taking opportunities for me? 0:12:19.716 --> 0:12:22.476 At this point? You know, what where am I going 0:12:22.516 --> 0:12:24.396 to go from here? And there are so many things 0:12:24.396 --> 0:12:28.276 that I wanted to accomplish, especially after landing at Harvard University. 0:12:28.316 --> 0:12:30.796 I thought, you know, there are just so many things 0:12:30.796 --> 0:12:33.036 I can study that will take a lot of time. 0:12:33.716 --> 0:12:35.436 If I want to do labs, that will take a 0:12:35.436 --> 0:12:37.316 lot of time. If I want to study abroad, that 0:12:37.316 --> 0:12:38.556 will take a lot of time, And I don't know 0:12:38.596 --> 0:12:41.116 if I can do both. I was taking this course 0:12:41.116 --> 0:12:43.436 sick and Tired of being sick and tired, and it 0:12:43.556 --> 0:12:47.756 sparked an interest in me in sociology and biology. And 0:12:47.916 --> 0:12:49.876 there were other things on campus that I wanted to 0:12:49.916 --> 0:12:52.356 be a part of, other organizations and extracurriculars that I 0:12:52.396 --> 0:12:54.876 wanted to be a part of, a lot of social 0:12:54.916 --> 0:12:56.356 things that I wanted to be a part of, because 0:12:56.356 --> 0:12:58.276 that's also the fun part of Harvard is like meeting 0:12:58.316 --> 0:13:02.196 all of these really fascinating and interesting people. And it 0:13:02.276 --> 0:13:04.756 was finding that balance. It was very very hard for 0:13:04.796 --> 0:13:06.636 me to do. Yeah, I'm wondering if we can talk 0:13:06.676 --> 0:13:09.836 a little bit more about this really critical class you 0:13:09.836 --> 0:13:12.556 took at Harvard Um, which which seems to have led 0:13:12.556 --> 0:13:14.876 you to double down on your commitment to working in 0:13:14.916 --> 0:13:17.716 the public health space. Can you tell me more about 0:13:17.716 --> 0:13:20.156 the class? Yeah, so sick and Tired of being sick 0:13:20.156 --> 0:13:22.636 and tired? Was this freshman seminar that I took in 0:13:22.676 --> 0:13:26.916 the fall, and it was about health disparities and racism 0:13:26.956 --> 0:13:30.556 in medicine, something that I had never been familiar with. 0:13:31.236 --> 0:13:33.436 We're not taught that in school. We're not taught that 0:13:33.476 --> 0:13:36.156 in high school, especially not in the white communities that 0:13:36.236 --> 0:13:39.076 you know, I was growing up in. It was when 0:13:39.116 --> 0:13:42.716 we were learning about the Tuskegees of syphilist study and 0:13:42.756 --> 0:13:46.476 we were learning about Henrietta Lacks, and these two stories 0:13:46.476 --> 0:13:50.436 were just great examples of how black bodies are are 0:13:50.476 --> 0:13:54.636 disregarded in medicine. And it was just very, very mind 0:13:54.636 --> 0:13:58.076 blowing and very impactful. I want to talk about this 0:13:58.116 --> 0:14:01.396 moment I read about where you're you're you're taking this class. 0:14:01.956 --> 0:14:03.996 It's getting you all sorts of new insights about the 0:14:04.036 --> 0:14:07.756 depths of medical racism that plague our country's history and 0:14:07.796 --> 0:14:10.516 also our country's present. And then you speak to your 0:14:10.516 --> 0:14:13.316 mom about it. Yeah. So my mom is actually a 0:14:13.396 --> 0:14:16.156 rockstar in her own right. So she is an education 0:14:16.316 --> 0:14:19.876 and her whole objective in life is to fight racism 0:14:19.876 --> 0:14:22.516 and education, right, and so she's always been one to 0:14:22.756 --> 0:14:25.516 just fight racial injustice. And but she's never kind of 0:14:25.996 --> 0:14:29.476 we never had that conversation right about my career. Um, 0:14:29.516 --> 0:14:31.356 and she's never forced any type of career on me. 0:14:31.636 --> 0:14:33.396 So I think when I called her and told her 0:14:33.716 --> 0:14:36.116 about what I was studying and I felt like this 0:14:36.316 --> 0:14:39.396 fiery passion about it, she was like, yes, like this 0:14:39.476 --> 0:14:41.396 is what you know. We owe it to the world 0:14:41.556 --> 0:14:44.076 to fight these injustices. And she told me, you know 0:14:44.116 --> 0:14:48.316 that I'm put in this position and it's not a coincidence, 0:14:48.956 --> 0:14:50.596 and that this is what I was meant to do, 0:14:50.796 --> 0:14:53.596 and that it's my responsibility just as a black woman, 0:14:53.716 --> 0:14:57.156 with this opportunity and with this platform, to to go 0:14:57.196 --> 0:14:59.516 into it and fight injustice. And so that that's something 0:14:59.556 --> 0:15:02.476 that really stuck with me and inspired me because she 0:15:02.956 --> 0:15:04.676 she did the same thing. And you know, when I 0:15:04.676 --> 0:15:07.476 look back and I think where my mother came came from. 0:15:07.516 --> 0:15:12.636 She came from just complete poverty and mobile Alabama and 0:15:12.836 --> 0:15:17.996 worked her way through school being you know, just finishing 0:15:17.996 --> 0:15:21.116 and going through undergrad to grad school to PhD and 0:15:21.276 --> 0:15:24.556 using her experience and her mastery and her opportunity to 0:15:24.596 --> 0:15:27.516 pay it forward and to fight for people who are 0:15:27.556 --> 0:15:31.196 underserved in the world. So yeah, absolutely, my mom inspired 0:15:31.276 --> 0:15:32.876 me so much to just pay it forward and fight 0:15:32.916 --> 0:15:36.956 the injustices that I'm that I witness So Harvard Gaddy 0:15:37.196 --> 0:15:40.156 is falling in love with public health and you know, 0:15:40.236 --> 0:15:44.036 aspiring public health official who's helping to bridge racial gaps 0:15:44.036 --> 0:15:48.316 in the system, racial inequity, and yet this track thing 0:15:48.596 --> 0:15:51.436 keeps happening to you. It sounds like right, and it's 0:15:51.556 --> 0:15:54.516 it's just so fascinating for me to have learned more 0:15:54.516 --> 0:15:57.956 about you, because it just it feels like running was 0:15:57.996 --> 0:16:01.436 this continual thing that you just kept falling into. Right, 0:16:01.476 --> 0:16:05.516 It's it's like this afterthought, but eventually it's just hard 0:16:05.596 --> 0:16:10.196 for you to deny just how remarkable your potential is. 0:16:10.716 --> 0:16:13.076 Right is that? Is that? Am I accurate in capturing 0:16:14.396 --> 0:16:18.396 one percent? What it was? So? Yeah, my freshman year track, 0:16:19.356 --> 0:16:22.036 it wasn't afterthought and I hated that, and it was 0:16:22.756 --> 0:16:25.876 something that I was incredibly insecure about just being on 0:16:25.916 --> 0:16:29.156 the team. And you know, there's this culture of just 0:16:29.396 --> 0:16:33.116 being very intense and being all in and very committed, 0:16:33.516 --> 0:16:35.796 and I was going through the motions of that because 0:16:35.916 --> 0:16:37.756 you know, I was doing that. I was showing up 0:16:37.796 --> 0:16:40.076 every day on time when I went to the track, 0:16:40.116 --> 0:16:43.356 I put my one hundred percent all into it. But 0:16:43.836 --> 0:16:45.996 it was so hard for me right to actually make 0:16:46.076 --> 0:16:49.756 that a mental priority the way that other things were 0:16:49.796 --> 0:16:52.836 for me, especially just growing up with education being the 0:16:52.956 --> 0:16:57.036 number one priority and that always was, and the sports 0:16:57.036 --> 0:16:59.676 were always just something that you did after school. And 0:16:59.796 --> 0:17:06.636 so my freshman year, after I finished it, it became 0:17:06.676 --> 0:17:10.276 even harder because I was doing resource at Boston Children's 0:17:10.316 --> 0:17:14.116 Hospital on rut syndrome, which is a form of autism, 0:17:14.156 --> 0:17:15.716 and I wanted to get my foot in the door 0:17:15.916 --> 0:17:18.796 right in research and the neurobiology, and I wanted to 0:17:18.836 --> 0:17:21.196 have that experience because I was afraid that if I didn't, 0:17:21.236 --> 0:17:23.436 that I might fall behind. I might fall behind all 0:17:23.476 --> 0:17:26.316 of my peers who were doing and pursuing their passions. 0:17:26.876 --> 0:17:29.196 But at the same time, that was an Olympic Trials year, 0:17:29.516 --> 0:17:33.396 and I was running so fast that season, and the 0:17:33.476 --> 0:17:36.116 season just kept going. I had to go to regionals, 0:17:36.116 --> 0:17:37.716 and then I had to go to Nationals, and then 0:17:37.756 --> 0:17:41.436 next with the Olympic Trials, and so that summer I 0:17:41.476 --> 0:17:45.996 was balancing working my research job and then also doing 0:17:46.476 --> 0:17:49.876 track and field, and at the end and also working 0:17:49.916 --> 0:17:52.036 at the dry cleaners because I had to make money, 0:17:52.356 --> 0:17:55.316 and so it was it was very stressful summer for me, 0:17:55.396 --> 0:17:56.996 and I felt like I was being pulled in every 0:17:56.996 --> 0:17:59.436 direction and also just trying to be a human and 0:17:59.516 --> 0:18:02.316 live my life and have that balance. And so I 0:18:02.396 --> 0:18:04.516 think what ended up making me a little bit resentful 0:18:04.596 --> 0:18:07.956 of track and field during that freshman summer was that 0:18:08.116 --> 0:18:11.076 I was not able to put in the hours that 0:18:11.156 --> 0:18:13.996 I wanted to at my research opportunity. And I felt 0:18:13.996 --> 0:18:16.476 like I was losing so much of that opportunity on 0:18:16.636 --> 0:18:19.356 this end of my life because I had to be 0:18:19.396 --> 0:18:21.476 all in for track and field. You know, once you 0:18:21.596 --> 0:18:24.916 travel to a meet, you can't halfway travel. Your body 0:18:24.996 --> 0:18:26.996 is fully there and you're present there, and that's what 0:18:27.076 --> 0:18:28.796 you have to do. And I couldn't be present at 0:18:28.796 --> 0:18:31.396 my lab and it frustrated me, and it made me 0:18:31.516 --> 0:18:35.356 very very nervous and insecure about just what I was 0:18:35.356 --> 0:18:38.276 going to do outside of the track world, and that 0:18:38.796 --> 0:18:42.716 definitely carried into my sophomore year. It was an Olympic 0:18:42.796 --> 0:18:45.636 year that was really twenty sixteen, And the thing about 0:18:45.676 --> 0:18:48.316 the trials in twenty sixteen is that they actually went 0:18:48.476 --> 0:18:50.236 really well for me. I got to sixth placed in 0:18:50.236 --> 0:18:53.036 the final and the two hundred and had ran alongside 0:18:53.076 --> 0:18:58.116 Alison Felix, right, which is this amazing and wild dream 0:18:58.196 --> 0:19:00.796 that I couldn't believe what was happening, but somehow I 0:19:00.876 --> 0:19:05.516 was still resentful about it, Reno, And I've never actually 0:19:05.556 --> 0:19:08.556 admitted that out loud anywhere to anyone except for right now, 0:19:08.876 --> 0:19:13.036 but that's how I felt. Look, Gadby, I love your candor, 0:19:13.196 --> 0:19:16.356 and I totally understand why it's been so hard to 0:19:16.396 --> 0:19:20.076 admit that, because when we admit that we feel resentful 0:19:20.196 --> 0:19:23.356 about something, we worry that in turn will face the critique. 0:19:23.916 --> 0:19:26.796 Shouldn't she just be grateful that she's been given all 0:19:26.836 --> 0:19:30.156 these gifts, as though we're not entitled to feel the 0:19:30.196 --> 0:19:32.276 things that we feel as we move about in this world, 0:19:32.356 --> 0:19:34.916 which you absolutely are allowed to do. And so I 0:19:34.956 --> 0:19:36.796 think sharing that actually is going to make a lot 0:19:36.836 --> 0:19:40.196 of people feel more comfortable admitting that to themselves, because 0:19:40.876 --> 0:19:42.996 a lot of us are out in the world trying 0:19:43.036 --> 0:19:46.036 to meet other people's expectations, feeling like we owe the 0:19:46.076 --> 0:19:49.396 world something, but maybe it's not the right choice for us. 0:19:49.396 --> 0:19:52.836 And sometimes the first step is just saying this mental 0:19:52.836 --> 0:19:56.716 calculation just isn't working for me, you know, yeah it wasn't. 0:19:57.116 --> 0:19:59.316 I was at a crossroads at this point where I 0:19:59.316 --> 0:20:02.356 had to decide what mattered to me and what was 0:20:02.396 --> 0:20:05.796 my priority? And oh man, so I decided to just 0:20:05.916 --> 0:20:08.676 take a trip to Senegal for her for eight weeks 0:20:09.396 --> 0:20:13.556 and completely reset and not worry about any of it. 0:20:13.596 --> 0:20:15.956 And the Senegal I studied the culture and the religion. 0:20:15.996 --> 0:20:18.076 Then I had a fun cohort of people, and I 0:20:18.116 --> 0:20:21.596 didn't train on a track for a single second. I 0:20:21.636 --> 0:20:24.596 didn't do any neurobiology work for a single second. And 0:20:24.716 --> 0:20:27.836 I just did what I wanted to do. And I 0:20:27.876 --> 0:20:31.596 came back and was actually I had a very clear 0:20:31.636 --> 0:20:33.556 mind and had a very clear headspace of what I 0:20:33.596 --> 0:20:36.596 wanted to do. Huh say more about that, How did 0:20:36.596 --> 0:20:40.516 it bring you clarity having this reset moment or that 0:20:40.676 --> 0:20:43.996 this brief respite from the stresses of your daily life. 0:20:44.556 --> 0:20:46.196 I didn't expect it to be like that. So I 0:20:46.196 --> 0:20:48.316 didn't take the trip thinking, oh, I'm just going to 0:20:48.396 --> 0:20:49.836 reset and figure out what I want to do in 0:20:49.836 --> 0:20:52.356 my life. I think just stepping away from that and 0:20:52.716 --> 0:20:55.996 having the freedom and the liberation to just think for 0:20:56.076 --> 0:21:00.396