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Speaker 1: Challenges and obstacles are learning opportunities if you give them

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Speaker 1: the space to be a learning opportunity.

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Speaker 2: What's going on, everyone, Emily Abadi Here You are listening

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Speaker 2: to the season eighteen premiere of Hurdle, a wellness focused

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Speaker 2: podcast where I talk to inspirational people about everything from

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Speaker 2: their highest highs and toughest moments to essential tips on

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Speaker 2: how to live a healthier, happier, more motivated life. We

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Speaker 2: all go through our fair share of hurdles. My goal

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Speaker 2: through these discussions is to empower you to better navigate

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Speaker 2: yours and move with intention so that you can stride

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Speaker 2: towards your own big potential and of course, have some

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Speaker 2: fun along the way.

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Speaker 3: Bonjour.

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Speaker 2: I am returning today from the most remarkable two weeks

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Speaker 2: in Paris, and I could not be more excited about

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Speaker 2: the unbelievable conversations that will be coming to the podcast

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Speaker 2: throughout this season. From this once in a lifetime opportunity,

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Speaker 2: I was on the ground in an unbelievable space inside

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Speaker 2: of Athleta's Paris creator Hub studio dedicated to all things Hurdle,

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Speaker 2: empowering women and embracing the power of she During this

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Speaker 2: epic moment in women's sports. I truly wouldn't have been

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Speaker 2: able to create as much content as I did without

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Speaker 2: the support of Athleta.

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Speaker 3: So the team there, you know who you are.

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Speaker 2: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for really

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Speaker 2: empowering me to go after my wildest dreams. This season

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Speaker 2: premiere episode is featuring the ever lovely twelve time Olympic

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Speaker 2: medalist Natalie Coughlin, and wow, what unbelievable story she truly has.

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Speaker 2: While attending the University of California at Berkeley, she became

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Speaker 2: the first woman ever to when one hundred meter backstroke

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Speaker 2: in less than one minute, ten days before her twentieth

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Speaker 2: birthday in two thousand and two. Today, her experience at

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Speaker 2: this year's Games looked wildly different than when she was

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Speaker 2: competing back in two thousand and eight. She became the

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Speaker 2: first US female athlete in modern day Olympic history to

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Speaker 2: win six medals in one Olympiad.

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Speaker 3: She was also, of note, the.

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Speaker 2: First woman to ever win one hundred meter backstroke gold

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Speaker 2: in two consecutive Olympics. But needless to say, Natalie is

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Speaker 2: such a force. I was so honored to have the

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Speaker 2: opportunity to sit down with her, But we also dive

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Speaker 2: into the now. She talks to me about raising her

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Speaker 2: two beautiful children, what excites her these days, and reflects

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Speaker 2: on the transition of full time athlete to this next chapter. Plus,

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Speaker 2: she gives me the lowdown on her winery. I can

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Speaker 2: say I've tried the wine. It's absolutely amazing. And we

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Speaker 2: chat about themes like imposter syndrome, goal setting, and so

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Speaker 2: much more. Make sure, if you're not yet following along

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Speaker 2: with the show on social you get on that I'm

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Speaker 2: over at Hurdle Podcast and over directly at Emily a Body,

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Speaker 2: and make sure you're subscribed to the weekly Hurdle newsletter.

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Speaker 2: In there, you'll get so much of the same things

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Speaker 2: you love from the show, inspiration, motivation, plus gear picks,

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Speaker 2: things that I'm really digging right now, special offers, and more.

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Speaker 2: The link to subscribe is in the show notes. With that,

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Speaker 2: let's get to it. Let's get to hurdling.

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Speaker 3: Today. I'm sitting down with Natalie Coughlin. How are you

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Speaker 3: doing today?

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Speaker 4: I'm great. It's good to see you, Emily.

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Speaker 3: It is so good to see you again.

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Speaker 2: We are here in Paris, in this beautiful space provided

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Speaker 2: by Athleta, and I'm feeling excited, but.

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Speaker 3: I want to know more than that.

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Speaker 2: How are you feeling after attending your first ever opening ceremony?

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Speaker 1: This has been pretty awesome, you know, Like I competed

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Speaker 1: in three Olympic Games, but I never went to opening ceremonies,

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Speaker 1: and this is the first Olympic Games that I'm here

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Speaker 1: as a spectator, so I'm really excited taking it all in.

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Speaker 1: I can't wait to go back to the swimming. I

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Speaker 1: can't wait to see Simon. I've never seen gymnastics in person,

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Speaker 1: so this has been a pretty exciting week so far.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, do you feel a little bit of fomo in

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Speaker 2: this scenario or do you feel really good about where

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Speaker 2: you are now?

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Speaker 1: You know, ninety percent, I feel really good because I

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Speaker 1: got the competition out of my system. You know, I

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Speaker 1: don't miss the pressure of the Olympic Games. But I

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Speaker 1: will say waiting in line for opening ceremonies and not

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Speaker 1: having a credential, not being able to go wherever I wanted,

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Speaker 1: I was like, Oh, this is this is how the

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Speaker 1: up the side lives. This is It was a little

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Speaker 1: bit startling at first, but I've gotten used to waiting

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Speaker 1: my time in line.

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Speaker 2: Well, you, as you mentioned, have been to your fair

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Speaker 2: share of Olympics, three different Olympics, twelve time metalist.

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Speaker 3: Does that ever get old?

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Speaker 4: It doesn't, So thank you.

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Speaker 2: I'm like, let me give you your flowers to start

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Speaker 2: this off. Yeah, I mean, what an unbelievable run that

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Speaker 2: you've had in the pool. I want to start off

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Speaker 2: today by learning a little bit about what interested you

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Speaker 2: by getting into the pool in the first place.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. So my parents were just responsible parents and put

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Speaker 1: me into swim lessons at a really young age because

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Speaker 1: we had a pool in our backyard, and so it

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Speaker 1: is the responsibility of all parents out there to put

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Speaker 1: their kids into swim lessons for water safety purposes, and

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Speaker 1: that's what my parents did. And you know, I did

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Speaker 1: gymnastics and I tried some other sports as a young kid,

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Speaker 1: but I was just much more at home in the water,

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Speaker 1: and I was just much much more natural in the water.

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Speaker 1: I wasn't I wasn't good by any stretch of the

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Speaker 1: means at first, but I was much better than I

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Speaker 1: was at gymnastics and other sports.

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Speaker 4: So that's how I stated it.

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Speaker 2: Wow, okay, so water safety was your gateway, yeah, into swimming.

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Speaker 2: You know, that's so funny that you say that I

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Speaker 2: have a just over three year old cousin right now

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Speaker 2: and she's doing like one on one swim lessons in

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Speaker 2: their backyard because they have this pool and you've got

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Speaker 2: to do it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I mean, not to be a downer, but it is

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Speaker 1: the number one cause of accidental death and kids under five.

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Speaker 1: So it is the responsibility of parents out there to

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Speaker 1: take get their kids water safe, learn all the measures

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Speaker 1: to take, and so it's really really important.

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Speaker 2: What's the what's the training called when you literally like

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Speaker 2: throw your baby into the pool and they flip over.

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Speaker 1: Infant safety something ISL it stands for UH or the

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Speaker 1: acronym is or yeah, the initials are ISL. It's just

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Speaker 1: infint safety something. But we didn't do that. That's a

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Speaker 1: little addressive. But we did get my kids. My son,

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Speaker 1: he was a really big baby and we said he

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Speaker 1: was six months when he was three months, but.

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Speaker 3: So no one judged.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I was like, yeah, no, he's six months. He's like,

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Speaker 1: we totally lied about his age. But yeah, So we

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Speaker 1: got both kids into the pool at very very young

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Speaker 1: ages and now they're both like pretty good swimmers.

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Speaker 4: So I feel good about it.

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Speaker 3: Well, we'll talk about motherhood in just a little bit.

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Speaker 2: But going back to your journey within the pool, talk

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Speaker 2: to me a little bit about when it went from Okay,

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Speaker 2: we're doing these swim lessons because it's something that's good

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Speaker 2: for us, it's smart for us, it's responsible for us.

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Speaker 2: So then transitioning into oh, I really like this and

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Speaker 2: I want to do more than just paddle around the

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Speaker 2: backyard pool.

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Speaker 4: Well, funny you say that.

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Speaker 1: When I was six was when I joined the swim team,

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Speaker 1: and that also coincided, not to date myself, with the

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Speaker 1: nineteen eighty eight Olympics, and that's when I watched the

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Speaker 1: Olympics for the first time, and I watched Janet Evans

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Speaker 1: and Matt beyondy whin they're gold medals for the US,

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Speaker 1: And you know, the next the next week in practice,

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Speaker 1: my friends and I were all saying, I want to

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Speaker 1: go to the Olympics someday, and so that.

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Speaker 4: Became, you know, the shoot for the moon type of goal.

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Speaker 1: Had no idea what going to the Olympics really even meant,

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Speaker 1: but I knew it was really important and that's the

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Speaker 1: pinnacle of our sport. So that's when it became a goal.

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Speaker 1: It wasn't a reality yet, but it was definitely a goal.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I love a moonshot goal.

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Speaker 2: And I think it speaks to your love of sport

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Speaker 2: that you knew from a young age. You're like, hey,

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Speaker 2: not only does this feel good, but I would just

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Speaker 2: love to do it on that kind of level.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, so fun.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Okay, so we say maybe we could go to

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Speaker 2: the Olympics one day, But still a lot happens between

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Speaker 2: when you say, all right, I'm going to join a

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Speaker 2: swim team too.

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Speaker 3: No, I'm going to swim at this level right in

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Speaker 3: the Olympics.

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Speaker 2: So from a competitive POV, did you excel early on

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Speaker 2: as well?

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Speaker 1: I was pretty I was decent as like a nine

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Speaker 1: to ten age group swimmer. I was, you know, a

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Speaker 1: bigger fish in a little pond type thing. Where I

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Speaker 1: grew up in Valeo and Benetia, California, So I was

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Speaker 1: in like a smaller community and I excelled in that community.

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Speaker 1: And when I was thirteen, I started swimming in the

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Speaker 1: East Bay of California, and that's when I was really

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Speaker 1: exposed to faster swimming. And when I was thirteen was

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Speaker 1: really the year that everything turned around for me. I

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Speaker 1: went to Junior Nationals for the first time, the Nationals

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Speaker 1: and then I actually finaled at Nationals at age thirteen,

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Speaker 1: and I will never forget it was the tune in

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Speaker 1: freestyle is in Fort Lauderdale and stepping out to the blocks.

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Speaker 1: I was in lane one and I remember the announcer saying,

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Speaker 1: and in lane.

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Speaker 4: One thirteen year old Natalie Coughlin. And it was amazing.

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Speaker 4: And of course I choked and had a terrible race.

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Speaker 1: But I was there and that was when it became

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Speaker 1: a tangible goal. Making the Olympics became a tangible goal

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Speaker 1: when I was thirteen, and that's when I really learned

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Speaker 1: how Olympic trials work and what the path to the

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Speaker 1: Olympics would look like.

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Speaker 2: The sentence making the Olympics became a tangible goal when

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Speaker 2: I was thirteen. I have chills when you say that.

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Speaker 2: That is just the most beautiful thing. At that age,

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Speaker 2: just start to have an understanding that early on of

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Speaker 2: your own potential. That's something that most people don't come

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Speaker 2: into until much later, lateeens, early twenties.

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Speaker 3: Hell, I know some.

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Speaker 2: People in their mid thirties now that are still trying

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Speaker 2: to figure that out. Yeah, so such a special sentence.

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Speaker 2: Knowing that moment that you described the I started to

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Speaker 2: realize what fast swimming could feel like. I started to

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Speaker 2: realize what I was capable of. There is a switch

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Speaker 2: the first time that you do that, Yeah, that you

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Speaker 2: get into this place within your body that it's like, oh,

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Speaker 2: we just never pushed in this way before.

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Speaker 3: Do you remember that switch? That next third year.

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Speaker 1: I just remember were laying out the plan for Okay,

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Speaker 1: this is what the next four years is going to

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Speaker 1: look like. So it was Okay, we're going to go

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Speaker 1: to nationals here and then Olympic Trials will be you

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Speaker 1: know this time, and I'll probably swim these events. So

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Speaker 1: it was really mapping out the different stages of my

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Speaker 1: goal and you know, goal setting is such an important thing,

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Speaker 1: like knowing, Okay, I have this big thing that I

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Speaker 1: want to achieve, and so what is the roadmap there

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Speaker 1: and like kind of figuring that out. Yeah, I was

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Speaker 1: able to start to figure that out at a young

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Speaker 1: age and just kind of you know, check things off

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Speaker 1: the box. And it was just such a nice way

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Speaker 1: to have that focus and know exactly like how I

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Speaker 1: need to get there.

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Speaker 2: So let's talk a little bit about goal setting then,

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Speaker 2: because I think this is something that so many individuals

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Speaker 2: not only practice in their own lives, but could also

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Speaker 2: admittedly maybe use a few tips on. So for goal setting,

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Speaker 2: you have this big goal and go to the Olympics

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Speaker 2: one day.

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Speaker 3: That's a big goal, huge goal.

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Speaker 2: So at thirteen, do you have the awareness of breaking

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Speaker 2: that goal down into smaller, more achievable wins or is

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Speaker 2: that something that you learn later on.

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Speaker 1: No, that's definitely that's exactly how you do it, is

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Speaker 1: you break it into manageable chunks. You know, it's like

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Speaker 1: how do you eat an elephant? Like one bite at

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Speaker 1: a time. You know, I'm not going to eat enough,

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Speaker 1: but I ever heard that. I've heard that say it

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Speaker 1: or like eat a Cadillac, like you just one at

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Speaker 1: a time, Like you.

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Speaker 3: Know, I'm down for croissants.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I know, I know, like I'm not going to

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Speaker 1: eat an elephant, but I've heard that idiom before. I'm like,

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Speaker 1: oh that sticks in your brain, Okay, But yeah, you

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Speaker 1: just take things one little chunk at a time. So yeah,

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Speaker 1: I looked at the four years and broke it into years,

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Speaker 1: and then you break it into seasons within that year,

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Speaker 1: and then you break it into what competitions you're going

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Speaker 1: to go to. And you know, I had people along

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Speaker 1: the way helping me do that. That's really how you

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Speaker 1: how you set a goal is you have little stepping

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Speaker 1: stone goals along the way to that big, big goal.

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Speaker 2: And I think that something you mentioned here about I

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Speaker 2: had people helping me along the way another really important takeaway. Right,

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Speaker 2: the biggest and the best, you know they are putting

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Speaker 2: in the effort. Yes, but they also understand that to

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Speaker 2: get to where you want to be, it is okay

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Speaker 2: to ask for help along the way. Yes, especially at

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Speaker 2: such a young age. Right, there are so many things

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Speaker 2: that you cannot actually do on your own. You need

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Speaker 2: the support of family, friends, coaches, et cetera.

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Speaker 3: You can't drive yourself around at thirteen.

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Speaker 4: No, I couldn't.

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Speaker 1: I had older friends that all drove me around in

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Speaker 1: addition to my parents. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: No, critical, And I love the way that you spoke

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Speaker 2: about breaking down these larger goals into such smaller parts.

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Speaker 2: So in that process, whether it be then or even now,

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Speaker 2: when you set goals, do you do all.

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Speaker 3: Of that mapping at the very beginning? Okay?

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Speaker 1: I did, And back then I had a log book.

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Speaker 1: I was like a big fan. I mean, there were

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Speaker 1: no other options of other than manually writing everything. But

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Speaker 1: after every practice I would write my workout down. I

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Speaker 1: would write the highlights, what was going through my head,

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Speaker 1: things I could improve, and then after races, I would

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Speaker 1: do the same thing. And I had all these you know,

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Speaker 1: spiral notebooks that added up over time, and that was

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Speaker 1: just kind of you know, I know you're really into journaling.

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Speaker 1: That was a really good way for me to evaluate

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Speaker 1: where I was along that path.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: I love hearing you talk about the reflection piece, understanding

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Speaker 2: that in order to get to where you want to be,

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Speaker 2: recognizing and acknowledging your feelings also is very important. So

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Speaker 2: it wasn't just like this is the workout, this is

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Speaker 2: how it's went it went. It was this is the workout,

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Speaker 2: this is how it went, and this is how I felt.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, And as I got older and more mature, I

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Speaker 1: would force myself to think of, Okay, what are three

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Speaker 1: things I did really really well in this workout, even

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Speaker 1: if it was an awful workout, Like you're just feeling terribly,

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Speaker 1: you're going slow, everything is not going your way. Be

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Speaker 1: kind to yourself. Think of three things that you did well.

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Speaker 1: It could be like putting your cap on, well, who cares?

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Speaker 1: Just be kind yourself. Pick three things and then pick

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Speaker 1: three things that you could have done better. And if

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Speaker 1: you look at every training session in that way and

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Speaker 1: every race in that way, you'll develop this knowledge that

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Speaker 1: over time will help you get closer to your goals.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and I love that if we just apply it

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Speaker 2: to an everyday situation or just a day in general. Right,

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Speaker 2: if you are someone that might be interested in adopting

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Speaker 2: some form of gratitude practice, a journaling practice to write

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Speaker 2: down three things that made yesterday great and then three

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Speaker 2: things that I could do better exactly, And it's just

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Speaker 2: being honest with yourself and also having the understanding not

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Speaker 2: to get two down on yourself for the things that

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Speaker 2: you want to do better.

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Speaker 3: It's just recognizing what is is.

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Speaker 2: In order to make any foundational change, it has to

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Speaker 2: start with that coming to self.

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Speaker 3: It has to start with being honest with where you're at.

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Speaker 1: Right. And I've said this for a long time that

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Speaker 1: challenges and obstacles are learning opportunities if you give them

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Speaker 1: the space to be a learning opportunity.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Wow, challenges can be learning opportunities. We love that

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Speaker 2: and hence the name of the show. Yes hurdle. So

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Speaker 2: you have this big goal, do you want to go

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Speaker 2: to the Olympics. You're breaking it down by seasons and meets,

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Speaker 2: and you're writing and your journaling and all of these things, right,

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Speaker 2: and then what.

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Speaker 1: Happens, Well, what happens is I ended up tearing my

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Speaker 1: laborum my senior year of high school, about a year

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Speaker 1: out of the Olympic Trials, and that derailed everything, Like everything,

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Speaker 1: I was getting so close to my goal. I won

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Speaker 1: five events at our US Open, and I was training.

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Speaker 4: Really really hard, you know, no pay, no gain.

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Speaker 1: And I remember rate one practice in particular, my showlders

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Speaker 1: went numb and I ignored it and pushed through it,

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Speaker 1: and then that night woke up with the worst pain

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Speaker 1: I ever had felt at that point, and then the

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Speaker 1: next day couldn't lift my arm. So as a swimmer,

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Speaker 1: you obviously need your shoulders. So I struggled big time

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Speaker 1: for about a year, and then fast forward to that

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Speaker 1: Olympic trials. In swimming, we have to get first or

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Speaker 1: second to make our Olympic team, and I ended up

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Speaker 1: getting fourth in the tuner I am and so in

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Speaker 1: a period, you know, it was one practice that kind

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Speaker 1: of I got injured, and then dealing with it for

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Speaker 1: a full year, And mind you I was sixteen seventeen

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Speaker 1: years old, so mentally that was really really tough. And

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Speaker 1: then went to the Olympic trials and then I was

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Speaker 1: just so close to making it but not there. And

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Speaker 1: now again, maturity is everything. That was the best thing

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Speaker 1: that ever happened to me, because I think at that time,

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Speaker 1: had I made that Olympic team, I would have been

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Speaker 1: just and I'm not talking down about this, but I

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Speaker 1: would have been just satisfied. Being an Olympian like that

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Speaker 1: is a huge accomplishment. I am not talking trash about

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Speaker 1: quote unquote just being an Olympian. However, not making that

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Speaker 1: Olympic team set this fire inside of me. This it

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Speaker 1: put this chip on my shoulder honestly that I wanted

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Speaker 1: to prove to myself and prove to others how good

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Speaker 1: I could be. And I didn't really look back from

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Speaker 1: that time on in two thousand and one, so just

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Speaker 1: after missing the Olympic team in two thousand, I won

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Speaker 1: my first world title, and then in two thousand and two,

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Speaker 1: I broke my first long course world record and I

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Speaker 1: was the first woman under a minute in the hundred backstrokes.

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Speaker 4: So it really was the best thing that happened to me.

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Speaker 4: But it was a painful lesson.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, a painful lesson.

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Speaker 2: And we hear that all the time, right, that it's

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Speaker 2: not the easy, breezy, awesome days that really instill in

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Speaker 2: us anything to move.

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Speaker 3: Forward besides good memories.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, what it is ultimately is those difficult days, the

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Speaker 2: days that you are feeling you're lowest low, that you

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Speaker 2: have the opportunity to channel that discomfort and ask myself,

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Speaker 2: what now?

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Speaker 3: What next?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, and asking that question can be entirely difficult. I mean,

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Speaker 2: talk to us a little bit about at first, those

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Speaker 2: feelings that you experienced when you realize that this is

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Speaker 2: really going to put me down and out.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. No, it was a year and a half of crying,

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Speaker 1: like nearly every day, like feeling like rage about I

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Speaker 1: was just working hard, I was doing what I was

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Speaker 1: supposed to do. Yeah, you know, and I felt like

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Speaker 1: it was so unfair, like I was just working hard

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Speaker 1: and I was doing exactly like I was following my

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Speaker 1: path and I was getting so close to my goal

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Speaker 1: and it just felt like something out of my control

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Speaker 1: took my goal away from me. And again, sixteen years old,

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Speaker 1: seventeen years old, you don't have the perspect div of

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Speaker 1: any of that. And fortunately, because of Title nine and

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Speaker 1: the NC two A, I knew that despite me being

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Speaker 1: injured I could still get a full scholarship at any

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Speaker 1: college I wanted to. So that was really the carrot

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Speaker 1: that I used to motivate myself through those tough times. Like,

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Speaker 1: had college swimming not existed, I one would have quit swimming.

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Speaker 1: So I am so grateful to the college system for that.

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Speaker 1: And so when I saw things not going well for

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Speaker 1: that year and a half, I did see like, hey,

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Speaker 1: there's a bright side. I could still get into a

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Speaker 1: really great school and get my school paid for through

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Speaker 1: the years and years of hard work that I've done.

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Speaker 1: I may not make the Olympics this time, but I

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Speaker 1: will get a scholarship. And so that was the motivation

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Speaker 1: that I needed, and that was the light at the

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Speaker 1: end of this you know, kind of dark tunnel at

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Speaker 1: the time.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, again, it's so relatable to hear about that difficulty

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Speaker 2: that you went through. Of course, that difficulty can show

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Speaker 2: up in so many different forms.

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Speaker 3: But for someone listening to this who may feel.

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Speaker 2: As though they're in the thick of that hardship right now,

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Speaker 2: what advice or what actionable tools did you use on

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Speaker 2: your most difficult days, maybe to pick your head.

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Speaker 3: Up a little bit higher.

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Speaker 1: I mean, really, it's getting back to the what did

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Speaker 1: I do well today?

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Speaker 4: What could I have done better?

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Speaker 1: It's just like having that mindset being grateful like I was,

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Speaker 1: you know, a shoulder injury.

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Speaker 4: It's not the end of the world.

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Speaker 1: You know, I'm still a healthy, elite athlete who is able,

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Speaker 1: bodied and fit and getting to swim. You know, it's

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Speaker 1: hard to have that perspective when you're so young, but

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Speaker 1: I still tried to realize how fortunate I truly was,

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Speaker 1: even though I felt like everything was unfair and this

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Speaker 1: isn't going my way. But I still tried to have perspective.

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Speaker 1: When you know, I tried to have perspective. You know,

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Speaker 1: there are times I would.

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Speaker 2: Of course sallow in my misery, now entirely understandable. You

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Speaker 2: mentioned also the one hundred meter backstroke record sub one minute.

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Speaker 3: Bring us into the pool with you during that experience.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, that was pretty amazing.

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Speaker 1: So I had been close to that world record for

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Speaker 1: a pretty long time. The world record at the time

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Speaker 1: was I believe one minute point one six and I

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Speaker 1: had been one minute point eighteen like twice, and I

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Speaker 1: had been one one minute point two. I've been one

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Speaker 1: minute point two one like I'd been so so so close,

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Speaker 1: many many times. And it was at our long course

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Speaker 1: US Nationals again, back at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where I

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Speaker 1: first made my my national final. It was back there

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Speaker 1: and it was outdoors, and Florida in the summer is

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Speaker 1: not great for swimming.

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Speaker 4: Their thunderstorms that roll through.

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Speaker 1: And I was in the ready room, which means you know,

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Speaker 1: before about twenty minutes before your race, you report to

441
00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:15,560
Speaker 1: the ready room. So if you're watching the Olympics, you'll

442
00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:19,520
Speaker 1: see all the swimmers in a room fully clothed, their

443
00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,919
Speaker 1: cap on, their suit under their clothes, like just sitting

444
00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:24,080
Speaker 1: around with their competitors.

445
00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:24,920
Speaker 4: So that's what I was doing.

446
00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:28,520
Speaker 1: I was in the ready room, and because of thunder

447
00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:32,640
Speaker 1: and wind and lightning and everything, they kept postponing my race,

448
00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:35,640
Speaker 1: postponing my race, postponing my race, and I just had

449
00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:37,800
Speaker 1: this mantra in my head. I was like, Tonight's the night,

450
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,119
Speaker 1: Tonight's the night. I don't care when I swim this

451
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:42,399
Speaker 1: damn race, Tonight's the night. And I just kept saying,

452
00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,640
Speaker 1: Tonight's the night, Tonight's to night, Tonight's to night and

453
00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:50,880
Speaker 1: finally it was our turn to swim without thunder and lightning.

454
00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:54,080
Speaker 1: Get into the pool and actually it was quite shallow,

455
00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:58,280
Speaker 1: much like even more shallow than these Olympic games, and

456
00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:01,520
Speaker 1: off the start I hit the bottom of the pool

457
00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:04,080
Speaker 1: because it was though shallow. I always went really deep,

458
00:24:04,119 --> 00:24:06,679
Speaker 1: like this pool was about six feet deep, so it

459
00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:09,760
Speaker 1: was really shallow, and I was like, I don't care,

460
00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:12,760
Speaker 1: and I hit the bottom a couple times with my

461
00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:16,800
Speaker 1: upper back, which slowed down my underwaters a little bit.

462
00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:21,840
Speaker 1: But from there I just took off and won that

463
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,880
Speaker 1: race went fifty nine fifty six, I think.

464
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:26,800
Speaker 4: Fifty nine to five.

465
00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,480
Speaker 1: I can't remember what the hundreds were, but I ended

466
00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:31,879
Speaker 1: up breaking that world record by six tenths of a second,

467
00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:35,119
Speaker 1: and back then it had been a long time since

468
00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,280
Speaker 1: a world record had been broken and swimming and so

469
00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:41,160
Speaker 1: got a long standing ovation from the crowd.

470
00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:43,360
Speaker 4: It was pretty magical.

471
00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:45,879
Speaker 3: What happens after you break a world record.

472
00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,880
Speaker 4: Not much. You just get back again and swim your

473
00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:50,560
Speaker 4: next race.

474
00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:52,920
Speaker 1: I think I had like the hundred fly and the

475
00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:57,359
Speaker 1: hundred free later on, but I definitely felt like I

476
00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,919
Speaker 1: had a weight lifted off of me. Of you know,

477
00:25:01,359 --> 00:25:04,680
Speaker 1: if I don't ever swim again. I am now a

478
00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:06,320
Speaker 1: long course world record holder.

479
00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:11,080
Speaker 2: It's pretty amazing, pretty amazing, pretty amazing. Yeah, what an

480
00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:14,600
Speaker 2: unbelievable experience. And I love that you said, well you

481
00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,000
Speaker 2: swim again, because I think that I too, am someone

482
00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:20,520
Speaker 2: that it's like, okay, like one small win onto the

483
00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:23,800
Speaker 2: next thing, And something that I'm personally working on is

484
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,760
Speaker 2: being a little bit better about giving those win space.

485
00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:29,320
Speaker 2: I don't want to say that getting a world record

486
00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:31,720
Speaker 2: is a small win. Actually I think it's quite a

487
00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,400
Speaker 2: large win, especially considering it took so much long, such

488
00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:36,760
Speaker 2: a long time for it to be done again. But

489
00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,000
Speaker 2: I do think in the day to day or when

490
00:25:39,000 --> 00:25:41,679
Speaker 2: you're working towards something that really excites you, there's just

491
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,160
Speaker 2: so much value in giving yourself the space to be like, no.

492
00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:48,720
Speaker 1: I worked for this. Yeah, yeah, it's so important. Yeah,

493
00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:51,959
Speaker 1: it's so important. And the reason I say, like you

494
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,000
Speaker 1: had another swim, it was still like I was like

495
00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:57,800
Speaker 1: mid mid meet, and so I still needed to qualify

496
00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:01,400
Speaker 1: because that Nationals was a qualify for our Pan Pacific

497
00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:06,119
Speaker 1: Games and the World Championships the next year, So I

498
00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:08,320
Speaker 1: still needed to qualify, and the hundred fly and the

499
00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:12,880
Speaker 1: hundred free and get my spots on the relays. So

500
00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:16,720
Speaker 1: it was just it was just one stepping stone along

501
00:26:16,760 --> 00:26:21,239
Speaker 1: the way of the overall picture of that Nationals.

502
00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:22,719
Speaker 3: For me, your first Olympic Games.

503
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,399
Speaker 2: It's on the horizon in this story that we're telling

504
00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:28,760
Speaker 2: right now, this picture that we're painting. How did you

505
00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,640
Speaker 2: feel after you qualified for your first Olympic Games?

506
00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:32,800
Speaker 4: So relieved?

507
00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:33,320
Speaker 3: Yeah?

508
00:26:33,440 --> 00:26:39,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, because going into that Olympic Trials the hands down favorite,

509
00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:42,239
Speaker 1: the world record holder, there was just so much. I

510
00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:46,720
Speaker 1: was built up so much, and I was recalling, you know,

511
00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:49,320
Speaker 1: when I was a teenager being built up and then

512
00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,119
Speaker 1: just getting so close to my goal and then not

513
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:56,080
Speaker 1: quite achieving it. So you know, you have those nightmare

514
00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:59,879
Speaker 1: scenarios will go through your head. But this time along,

515
00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:05,040
Speaker 1: I knew I was capable of winning that Olympic Trials

516
00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:08,400
Speaker 1: and earning my spot on the team. But the thing

517
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,480
Speaker 1: that's beautiful about swimming, and the thing that is so

518
00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,919
Speaker 1: brutal about swimming is it comes down to one race.

519
00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:17,719
Speaker 1: It does not matter if you're the world record holder.

520
00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:21,800
Speaker 1: You could have been dominating every race leading up to

521
00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:25,520
Speaker 1: that final. You could have been dominating prelims, semi finals,

522
00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:27,879
Speaker 1: It does not matter. You could slip on the start,

523
00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:29,840
Speaker 1: you could have a bad turn, you could have a

524
00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:32,800
Speaker 1: bad race, and you don't make the Olympic teams.

525
00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:34,399
Speaker 4: So having all.

526
00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:37,560
Speaker 1: That in your head, you just want to get through trials.

527
00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:43,960
Speaker 1: And this is where people don't realize Olympic trials in many, many,

528
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:48,600
Speaker 1: many ways are much harder than the Olympic Games for swimmers,

529
00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:52,080
Speaker 1: and I think track athletes feel the same way. They're

530
00:27:52,200 --> 00:27:54,919
Speaker 1: much They're a bigger you know, no pun intended hurdle

531
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:58,639
Speaker 1: to get across. So I just felt such relief, like

532
00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,240
Speaker 1: I was hugging everybody on the pool that people I

533
00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:02,320
Speaker 1: really didn't even.

534
00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:12,120
Speaker 3: Like giving a hug. You huge pretty much. Oh my gosh.

535
00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:12,959
Speaker 3: I love to hear it.

536
00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,840
Speaker 2: And it's so true, especially in sports where typically speaking,

537
00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:19,840
Speaker 2: the USA is quite dominant, right because that means that

538
00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:24,480
Speaker 2: the competition on the home front is so major and

539
00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:27,200
Speaker 2: making that team is almost harder than it is when

540
00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,040
Speaker 2: you show up to participate in the Olympics.

541
00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:32,560
Speaker 1: There it is, I mean there there have been instances

542
00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,520
Speaker 1: of people breaking the world record at Olympic trials in

543
00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:37,960
Speaker 1: the semi final and then not making the Olympic team,

544
00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:41,720
Speaker 1: or the person who gets third place could have also

545
00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:45,400
Speaker 1: gotten the medal at the Olympic Games. We see this

546
00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:51,640
Speaker 1: a lot, so American swimming has such history of being very,

547
00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,800
Speaker 1: very very strong and the best swim team in the world,

548
00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:58,440
Speaker 1: so just getting through that trials is so so difficult.

549
00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:03,280
Speaker 2: Taking a break from today's episode to talk to you

550
00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:07,880
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551
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552
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553
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554
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555
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556
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557
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558
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559
00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:43,240
Speaker 2: especially as I'm fueling these longer runs. I drink Element

560
00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:46,720
Speaker 2: about thirty to sixty minutes before I head out the door,

561
00:29:46,960 --> 00:29:50,880
Speaker 2: and I have so much confidence knowing that replacing lost

562
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Speaker 2: electrolytes ahead of time is much better than chasing them afterward.

563
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564
00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:00,280
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565
00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:04,040
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566
00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:07,080
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567
00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:12,280
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568
00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,320
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569
00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:19,160
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570
00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:31,760
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571
00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:35,400
Speaker 2: talk to you about your mindset around pressure. You spoke

572
00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:37,560
Speaker 2: about the difficulties that went hand in hand with the

573
00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:42,200
Speaker 2: fact that your reputation preceded you. How did you manage

574
00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:44,320
Speaker 2: that pressure going into the pool?

575
00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:46,920
Speaker 1: It was it was tough, you know, I would I

576
00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:50,280
Speaker 1: would go into the races, especially my first Olympic Games.

577
00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:53,680
Speaker 1: I remember being in the ready room and I was like,

578
00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:55,880
Speaker 1: you know what, no matter what, it's all going to

579
00:30:55,920 --> 00:31:00,640
Speaker 1: be over in thirty minutes. And then twenty minutes. You know, oh,

580
00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:03,160
Speaker 1: you know what, it's going to be over in twenty minutes.

581
00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:05,680
Speaker 1: And then as we're behind the block, you know you're

582
00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:07,840
Speaker 1: getting announced, and you're like, it's.

583
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:09,600
Speaker 4: Going to be over in two minutes, whether I like

584
00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:10,040
Speaker 4: it or not.

585
00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:12,719
Speaker 1: And that was kind of a way for me to

586
00:31:12,760 --> 00:31:15,440
Speaker 1: be like, you know what, life will go on if

587
00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:17,760
Speaker 1: I get eighth in this or if I get first,

588
00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,520
Speaker 1: like it doesn't really matter. I'm going up and down

589
00:31:20,520 --> 00:31:24,320
Speaker 1: a pool, And I would try and overrationalize things like

590
00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:27,000
Speaker 1: that sometimes when I felt too much pressure, I'm like,

591
00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:29,320
Speaker 1: this is a silly like sport where I'm just going

592
00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:30,920
Speaker 1: up and down a pool as fast as I can,

593
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:34,520
Speaker 1: And so I'd like kind of not trivialize it, but

594
00:31:35,040 --> 00:31:38,479
Speaker 1: kind of put it into perspective a little bit. And

595
00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:42,920
Speaker 1: then from there I would just pick like two or three,

596
00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:45,480
Speaker 1: maybe four things in that race that I am going

597
00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:49,040
Speaker 1: to nail. And so for me in backstroke, it was like, no,

598
00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:50,840
Speaker 1: I'm going to nail that start. I'm going to nail

599
00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:54,520
Speaker 1: those underwaters off the turn I'm really going to have

600
00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,040
Speaker 1: I'm going to accelerate off those underwaters, and when my

601
00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:01,680
Speaker 1: legs feel like they're on fire with like hot cement,

602
00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:04,800
Speaker 1: I am going to keep my head still and I'm

603
00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:07,680
Speaker 1: going to drive my legs like anticipating what I was.

604
00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:08,960
Speaker 4: Going to feel like during that race.

605
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:11,600
Speaker 1: And then from there I would just kind of go

606
00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,720
Speaker 1: into this fugue state where I don't really remember anything else, Like, yeah,

607
00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:18,440
Speaker 1: I focus. I would focus on a couple things, and

608
00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:22,200
Speaker 1: the best races that I had were those ones where

609
00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:23,880
Speaker 1: I really don't remember what happened.

610
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, I like two things here. The first

611
00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:27,520
Speaker 3: thing that I.

612
00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,560
Speaker 2: Love is that idea of zooming out and being like,

613
00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:33,680
Speaker 2: it's just swimming. Yeah, And it's entirely valid that it

614
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:37,040
Speaker 2: can be both. It can be just swimming going up

615
00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:38,960
Speaker 2: and down fast in a pool, and it can also

616
00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,320
Speaker 2: be something that matters a lot to you. Right, it

617
00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,400
Speaker 2: can be both. There's duality there, but that zoom out

618
00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:46,840
Speaker 2: does help you put it into perspective a little bit.

619
00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:51,200
Speaker 2: And then the visualization is critical. I believe, whether you're

620
00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:54,200
Speaker 2: in the pool, you're going into a big meeting, whatever

621
00:32:54,280 --> 00:32:56,400
Speaker 2: it is that you have on deck, if you think

622
00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:59,560
Speaker 2: to yourself, this is how I see it going, this

623
00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:01,960
Speaker 2: is how I would love for it to play out,

624
00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:06,320
Speaker 2: but also perhaps asking yourself what happens.

625
00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:07,360
Speaker 3: If it doesn't go the way that I wanted to?

626
00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:07,680
Speaker 1: Right?

627
00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:09,600
Speaker 3: How am I going to handle that?

628
00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:10,040
Speaker 1: Right?

629
00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:10,920
Speaker 3: I think there's both.

630
00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:13,600
Speaker 2: And what I've found in sitting down with so many

631
00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:16,800
Speaker 2: people that are wildly successful at what they do is

632
00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,760
Speaker 2: a lot of them don't even ask that second part.

633
00:33:20,040 --> 00:33:22,720
Speaker 2: They don't ask themselves what happens if it doesn't go

634
00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:25,680
Speaker 2: to the way that I want. It's simply a radical

635
00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:29,120
Speaker 2: level of self belief that I am not only capable

636
00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:31,719
Speaker 2: of this, but I am the best at it. Do

637
00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,200
Speaker 2: you think that at that time you had this radical

638
00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:35,280
Speaker 2: sense of self belief?

639
00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:38,680
Speaker 1: I did, Really, I really do think that I was like,

640
00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:40,600
Speaker 1: you know, what all I have to do is execute.

641
00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:42,960
Speaker 1: I'm capable of winning this race. Like, all I have

642
00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:47,000
Speaker 1: to do is execute. Yeah, And that's that's really my

643
00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:51,440
Speaker 1: mentality going into it. And it's funny, like my kids

644
00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:55,400
Speaker 1: both swim and my daughter, I've spoken to her swim

645
00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:59,520
Speaker 1: team about race preparation and like what you need to

646
00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:02,320
Speaker 1: do before the race, and you know, I teach them

647
00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:07,960
Speaker 1: the excitement and anxiety physiologically or the same thing. It's

648
00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:11,719
Speaker 1: really what happens between, you know, between the ears and

649
00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:14,879
Speaker 1: how you respond to those feelings of oh my god,

650
00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:17,160
Speaker 1: my palms are sweaty, my heart rates a little is

651
00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:19,840
Speaker 1: going a little bit, I have butterflies in my stomach.

652
00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:24,520
Speaker 1: If you tell yourself that you're excited, that you could

653
00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:30,680
Speaker 1: really like channel that physiological feeling into something good. If

654
00:34:30,680 --> 00:34:33,160
Speaker 1: you tell yourself, oh my god, I'm so anxious, and

655
00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:35,640
Speaker 1: you could actually channel it into a bad way. So

656
00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:40,120
Speaker 1: it's it's really that that mentality is very, very helpful.

657
00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:44,239
Speaker 1: And like you said, I really believe in visualization. So

658
00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:48,000
Speaker 1: when I was going to sleep before my races, I

659
00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:52,400
Speaker 1: would visualize that race, and not only how I wanted

660
00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:55,760
Speaker 1: it to look, but how I wanted it to feel.

661
00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:59,480
Speaker 1: I would try and imagine what the water would feel like,

662
00:34:59,560 --> 00:35:02,640
Speaker 1: what the groat as I'm walking out feels like. Try

663
00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:07,760
Speaker 1: and make it as vivid as possible is really really important,

664
00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:09,719
Speaker 1: and so that's a good skill and that's something that

665
00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:12,560
Speaker 1: you have to work at it. That's not an easy

666
00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:15,359
Speaker 1: thing to do because you could visualize and then all

667
00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:17,799
Speaker 1: of a sudden a terrible thought pops into your head

668
00:35:17,800 --> 00:35:20,600
Speaker 1: and you're like, oh it rewind, Let's start that over

669
00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:23,399
Speaker 1: and then let's visualize it how I want it to go.

670
00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:25,439
Speaker 3: Well, there's two different things that are happening here.

671
00:35:25,480 --> 00:35:27,680
Speaker 2: The first is recognizing that you can use all of

672
00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:30,120
Speaker 2: your senses to your advantage. Right, So it's not just

673
00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:33,520
Speaker 2: that visualization, it's asking yourself simple questions like what am

674
00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,120
Speaker 2: I tasting, what am I touching, what are the sensations

675
00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:39,000
Speaker 2: around me? Right, So really putting yourself, as you said,

676
00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:45,160
Speaker 2: as specific as possible into that scenario, and then beyond that,

677
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:49,479
Speaker 2: you then have this opportunity to decide how you want

678
00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:51,600
Speaker 2: to interact with your thoughts, which I think is a

679
00:35:51,640 --> 00:35:55,600
Speaker 2: really special takeaway here. It's you might not feel as

680
00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:57,480
Speaker 2: though you can control everything that's going on your mind.

681
00:35:57,480 --> 00:36:00,799
Speaker 2: None of us do, but you do have the opportunity

682
00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:03,040
Speaker 2: regardless of where you are. Again, this doesn't have to

683
00:36:03,040 --> 00:36:05,960
Speaker 2: be in the water to say I am not my thoughts.

684
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:09,320
Speaker 3: I get to respond to my thoughts.

685
00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:13,399
Speaker 2: And that word respond is very valuable here because it's

686
00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:17,560
Speaker 2: very different than react, right, and that takes training in

687
00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:20,000
Speaker 2: your experience, talk to me a little bit about how

688
00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:22,880
Speaker 2: you learned to respond instead of react.

689
00:36:23,320 --> 00:36:28,360
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean there were times where I would react,

690
00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:31,880
Speaker 1: and honestly, sometimes it was like so pure and amazing,

691
00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:36,279
Speaker 1: But like if a competitor would talk trash and then

692
00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:38,080
Speaker 1: all of a sudden, I just see blind rage and

693
00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:40,080
Speaker 1: then I'm like, you know a machine, I'm like, oh

694
00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:41,960
Speaker 1: my god, Like it was amazing. That only happened a

695
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:47,120
Speaker 1: couple times. Those were those were powerful moments. But that literally,

696
00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:50,239
Speaker 1: in my thirty year career happened maybe twice, So you

697
00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:54,319
Speaker 1: can't really count on those. But the times where yeah,

698
00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:57,880
Speaker 1: you might not feel well going into that race, and

699
00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:01,640
Speaker 1: you might feel some anxiety, repet bonding and realizing like

700
00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:04,800
Speaker 1: maybe I'm just excited, maybe I'm a little bit of both,

701
00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:10,440
Speaker 1: trying to find a way to channel those feelings into

702
00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:14,520
Speaker 1: something that you could use as fuel for that race.

703
00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:21,040
Speaker 1: Every time I felt like I felt really nervous or

704
00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:23,880
Speaker 1: too much pressure, I would just go back to the

705
00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:27,600
Speaker 1: pieces that I needed to work on and the pieces

706
00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:29,480
Speaker 1: that I needed to focus on. I don't need to

707
00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:34,560
Speaker 1: focus on the external voices. I just need to focus

708
00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:38,799
Speaker 1: on my start, my finish, my stroke, you know, all

709
00:37:38,840 --> 00:37:41,120
Speaker 1: the things that I could actually control, because I have

710
00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:43,680
Speaker 1: zero control over my competitors, you know, and so I

711
00:37:43,680 --> 00:37:46,279
Speaker 1: mean it's not like we're interacting with anyone.

712
00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:47,280
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, it's.

713
00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:51,759
Speaker 1: Not a man on man type event. So yeah, there

714
00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:54,520
Speaker 1: was just a letting go of the things I cannot

715
00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,720
Speaker 1: control and then focusing on the things that I can control.

716
00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:00,680
Speaker 2: So much easier said than done, right, exactly, letting go

717
00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:04,400
Speaker 2: of the things that you cannot control is a journey.

718
00:38:04,800 --> 00:38:06,400
Speaker 3: It is a huge journey.

719
00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:09,080
Speaker 2: But when you get there, and I don't want to

720
00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:10,800
Speaker 2: say it that like one day you wake up and

721
00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:12,080
Speaker 2: you're like, Okay, I'm good at letting go of the

722
00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:14,680
Speaker 2: things I can't control right now, it doesn't work like that.

723
00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:17,439
Speaker 2: There might be different instances in your life where you're like, Okay,

724
00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:19,080
Speaker 2: I'm actually really good at letting go of the things

725
00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:23,080
Speaker 2: I can't control in my personal life, miracle, But then like,

726
00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,279
Speaker 2: I'm really bad at doing that in the office. But

727
00:38:25,680 --> 00:38:29,279
Speaker 2: having again that awareness and then reflecting on how you

728
00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:31,960
Speaker 2: feel in these situations, meeting yourself with where you're at

729
00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:34,680
Speaker 2: and moving forward from there. Yeah, it's so so valuable

730
00:38:34,760 --> 00:38:37,239
Speaker 2: and again such an important skill for you that you

731
00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:41,120
Speaker 2: learned over time in the pool. That skill that know

732
00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:44,480
Speaker 2: all or understanding of your own self certainly carried you

733
00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:45,840
Speaker 2: to do some really great things.

734
00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:48,080
Speaker 3: That and hard work, of course, the.

735
00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:51,480
Speaker 2: Mental training, the physical training, bringing you eventually not only

736
00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:56,759
Speaker 2: to twelve medals but then also six in one Olympic Games.

737
00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:00,920
Speaker 2: At that time, when you left that Olympic Games with

738
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:04,120
Speaker 2: the six medals, talk to us a little bit about

739
00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:08,160
Speaker 2: how you felt knowing that previously, as we spoke about,

740
00:39:08,400 --> 00:39:10,359
Speaker 2: you did feel some kind of way about having all

741
00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:11,840
Speaker 2: of these expectations on you.

742
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:13,319
Speaker 3: Right, So you left that.

743
00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:18,080
Speaker 2: Game not only you know, a champion, but also carrying

744
00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:18,959
Speaker 2: a little bit of a load.

745
00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:22,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it was. It was interesting going into those

746
00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:27,879
Speaker 1: Beijing Olympics. I added the tuner that I am back

747
00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:32,680
Speaker 1: to my program almost as a joke, honestly, I you know,

748
00:39:32,719 --> 00:39:37,800
Speaker 1: it's it's silly. I swam the tuner I am at

749
00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:41,400
Speaker 1: a lead up meet that that year, just as like

750
00:39:41,440 --> 00:39:43,440
Speaker 1: an off event, just to mix it up, because I

751
00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:46,319
Speaker 1: always do hunter back and hundred free and tunored free

752
00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:48,680
Speaker 1: at the time, and I was like, I'll just add

753
00:39:48,719 --> 00:39:50,319
Speaker 1: in a tuner I am just to mix it up,

754
00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:54,200
Speaker 1: do something different. And I remember one of my competitors

755
00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:56,280
Speaker 1: just like joking with This isn't one of the instances

756
00:39:56,280 --> 00:39:58,759
Speaker 1: of blind rage, by the way, but I remember one

757
00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:03,000
Speaker 1: of my competitors joking and we're friends, and she like

758
00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:06,280
Speaker 1: kind of said something that was a little too sharp

759
00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:10,000
Speaker 1: where I was like, oh, okay, watch this, and it

760
00:40:10,120 --> 00:40:13,160
Speaker 1: ended up dropping four seconds in that race, which is

761
00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:14,520
Speaker 1: a huge amount of time.

762
00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:17,399
Speaker 4: I went from a two fourteen to two ten.

763
00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:21,879
Speaker 1: I just was off the American record and I was like, oh,

764
00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:24,239
Speaker 1: where did that come from? And then I did it

765
00:40:24,280 --> 00:40:27,480
Speaker 1: one more time at another lead up meet and I

766
00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:31,640
Speaker 1: ended up breaking the American record and I was like, shoot,

767
00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:37,280
Speaker 1: I never considered doing the tunered dim at these Olympic Games,

768
00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:41,800
Speaker 1: but you know, it made sense. I broke the American record,

769
00:40:41,880 --> 00:40:45,200
Speaker 1: it kind of fit into my schedule, so I added

770
00:40:45,239 --> 00:40:49,040
Speaker 1: it into the program at Olympic Trials and I ended

771
00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:52,040
Speaker 1: up making the Olympic team and the hunter back, the

772
00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:55,160
Speaker 1: tuner dim, and the hundred free, as well as the

773
00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:59,360
Speaker 1: three relays. And I remember sitting down my personal coach

774
00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:02,439
Speaker 1: and the head coach of the Olympic team when we're

775
00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:04,400
Speaker 1: in training camp, and I was like, I need to

776
00:41:04,480 --> 00:41:06,800
Speaker 1: drop a race. Am I either dropping the tunered I

777
00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:10,080
Speaker 1: am or the four by two hundred freestyle, Like I'm

778
00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:14,200
Speaker 1: not going to spread myself so thin and I don't

779
00:41:14,239 --> 00:41:17,279
Speaker 1: want to spread myself too thin. And both of them

780
00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,080
Speaker 1: were like, you're doing all six. I was like okay.

781
00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:22,160
Speaker 1: I was like, no, you can take me off the

782
00:41:22,200 --> 00:41:24,239
Speaker 1: relay and they're like, no, you're doing all six. I

783
00:41:24,239 --> 00:41:29,000
Speaker 1: was like, okay, let's do it and get going back

784
00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:31,600
Speaker 1: to what we said earlier. I just looked at the

785
00:41:31,640 --> 00:41:34,920
Speaker 1: eight days, because back then the swim competition was eight

786
00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:39,480
Speaker 1: days long, broken into sixteen sessions, and I just looked

787
00:41:39,600 --> 00:41:42,440
Speaker 1: at what each session would look like. Just take it

788
00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:45,440
Speaker 1: one session at a time. There were a couple sessions

789
00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:47,799
Speaker 1: where I had multiple races, so I took one race

790
00:41:47,840 --> 00:41:51,120
Speaker 1: at a time and just kind of again mapped out

791
00:41:51,239 --> 00:41:53,200
Speaker 1: what this is going to look like, so I'm not

792
00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:56,520
Speaker 1: surprised by oh shoot, I only have forty minutes in

793
00:41:56,520 --> 00:42:00,560
Speaker 1: between these races, or oh shoot, I have to get

794
00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:03,960
Speaker 1: from this race. I have to grab my stuff, try

795
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,239
Speaker 1: and get a warm down in for twenty minutes. Then

796
00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:07,880
Speaker 1: I had to get back to the ready room to

797
00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:11,040
Speaker 1: get to my next race. Like figuring out all those

798
00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:14,920
Speaker 1: logistics and so they don't surprise you was really important.

799
00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:16,560
Speaker 4: And I never.

800
00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:21,000
Speaker 1: I knew I was capable of getting a medal in

801
00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:23,680
Speaker 1: all those races, Like I didn't think that was outside

802
00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:29,600
Speaker 1: of the possibility. And it wasn't until I think my

803
00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,279
Speaker 1: bronze and the bronze medal and the tunerd I am

804
00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:37,239
Speaker 1: that someone was like, you know, no one's ever, no

805
00:42:37,360 --> 00:42:40,680
Speaker 1: American female's ever gotten six medals at one Olympic Games,

806
00:42:40,719 --> 00:42:43,680
Speaker 1: And I was like, really, oh shoot, and I knew

807
00:42:43,719 --> 00:42:47,480
Speaker 1: it was a possibility. And by yeah, that fifth race

808
00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:49,960
Speaker 1: was my hundred freestyle. I think the fifth race was

809
00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:54,040
Speaker 1: my hundred freestyle. Again, I got another bronze, and I

810
00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:56,640
Speaker 1: knew we could take it home in the relay, and

811
00:42:56,719 --> 00:43:00,920
Speaker 1: so it was a pretty pretty special accomplishment. Still, there

812
00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:04,040
Speaker 1: hasn't been an American that's done six medals in one

813
00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:06,560
Speaker 1: Olympic game, so something I'm very proud.

814
00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:09,640
Speaker 2: Of, Absolutely wild and such a stellar accomplishment. And again,

815
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:13,200
Speaker 2: so many tools that you're talking about are so so helpful.

816
00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:13,680
Speaker 3: Really.

817
00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:16,600
Speaker 2: That schedule mapping, I think is another really good thing.

818
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:20,080
Speaker 2: Beyond like the actual visualization that you might do, it's

819
00:43:20,120 --> 00:43:22,279
Speaker 2: also like what do I need to do to make

820
00:43:22,320 --> 00:43:25,080
Speaker 2: sure that I am in the best place possible to

821
00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:27,319
Speaker 2: get to where I want to be? And that takes

822
00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:30,319
Speaker 2: an understanding of self and also a willingness, And I

823
00:43:30,360 --> 00:43:33,880
Speaker 2: think that beyond that, it's also so important then to

824
00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:38,040
Speaker 2: know what your why is, to know where there's a why,

825
00:43:38,120 --> 00:43:41,400
Speaker 2: there's a way. So for you, when you reflect on

826
00:43:41,440 --> 00:43:45,080
Speaker 2: your swimming career and going for greatness time and time again,

827
00:43:45,440 --> 00:43:48,279
Speaker 2: what would you say was the why that anchored you

828
00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:49,720
Speaker 2: as you went after your goals.

829
00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:53,200
Speaker 1: I always joke that I was just competitive out of

830
00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:57,080
Speaker 1: the womb. Like people ask their like, do you think

831
00:43:57,080 --> 00:44:01,520
Speaker 1: you could instill competitiveness into your kid? And I really

832
00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:05,279
Speaker 1: don't know if you can or not. I was very

833
00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:07,799
Speaker 1: competitive at a young age, and it didn't even matter.

834
00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:10,799
Speaker 1: It was like very unhealthy at points where you know,

835
00:44:11,000 --> 00:44:13,759
Speaker 1: you could be playing ultimate frisbee with your friends, you

836
00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:17,640
Speaker 1: could be playing pool, you could be doing just silly

837
00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:20,560
Speaker 1: little things. But I was so, so so competitive and

838
00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:22,480
Speaker 1: I wanted to win at everything I was doing. Like

839
00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:26,320
Speaker 1: my parents have videos of me when I was attempting

840
00:44:26,320 --> 00:44:28,759
Speaker 1: to do dance class as a little kid, and I

841
00:44:28,800 --> 00:44:32,440
Speaker 1: was terrible at dance, but they have old vhs of

842
00:44:32,880 --> 00:44:35,600
Speaker 1: you know, one girl would do like this beautiful spin

843
00:44:35,840 --> 00:44:37,360
Speaker 1: and then I would see her and I would do

844
00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:40,840
Speaker 1: the most awkward, like forceful three spins that were not

845
00:44:40,960 --> 00:44:44,160
Speaker 1: graceful by any imagination, but in my head, I was

846
00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:44,720
Speaker 1: like winning.

847
00:44:45,080 --> 00:44:46,640
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, you're like what I can do?

848
00:44:46,880 --> 00:44:48,120
Speaker 4: Yeah, Like I was that kid.

849
00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:52,080
Speaker 1: So when I found swimming and found that I was

850
00:44:52,239 --> 00:44:55,600
Speaker 1: better at swimming than I was a gymnastics or dance

851
00:44:55,719 --> 00:44:59,800
Speaker 1: or volleyball, I just kind of channeled all that competitiveness

852
00:45:00,080 --> 00:45:02,719
Speaker 1: into the pool and then and then learned at an

853
00:45:02,719 --> 00:45:06,600
Speaker 1: older age, again more mature age, to let go of,

854
00:45:07,120 --> 00:45:10,200
Speaker 1: you know, playing ultimate frisbee with your friends. It's supposed

855
00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:13,120
Speaker 1: to be fun. It's not supposed to be this like knockdown,

856
00:45:13,200 --> 00:45:14,280
Speaker 1: drag out so weird.

857
00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:15,080
Speaker 3: I have to win.

858
00:45:15,440 --> 00:45:17,759
Speaker 1: Yeah, like, oh that's an option for people. And I

859
00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:21,920
Speaker 1: know you could turn this off, but yeah, it was

860
00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:23,200
Speaker 1: you know, something.

861
00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:23,839
Speaker 4: I learned over time.

862
00:45:23,920 --> 00:45:25,200
Speaker 3: I love that. I love that.

863
00:45:25,239 --> 00:45:29,320
Speaker 2: Well, long story short, you know, you have, like I said,

864
00:45:29,360 --> 00:45:30,800
Speaker 2: an unbelievable career.

865
00:45:31,160 --> 00:45:31,839
Speaker 3: I do want to.

866
00:45:31,800 --> 00:45:34,399
Speaker 2: Talk a little bit about the feelings when that went

867
00:45:34,440 --> 00:45:36,600
Speaker 2: hand in hand when you made the choice to retire

868
00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:37,879
Speaker 2: from swimming professionally.

869
00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:39,359
Speaker 3: So give us some insight into that.

870
00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:44,640
Speaker 1: I never officially retired, but I just stopped competing. That's

871
00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:47,520
Speaker 1: that's how I like to say it. At A lot

872
00:45:47,560 --> 00:45:50,440
Speaker 1: of summers do retire, and so to actually retire you

873
00:45:50,480 --> 00:45:52,000
Speaker 1: have to sign some paperwork and.

874
00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:53,640
Speaker 3: Everything that I have never find the paperwork.

875
00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:54,399
Speaker 4: I never did that.

876
00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:58,719
Speaker 3: Twenty twenty eight. You just watch out, You just watch out.

877
00:45:58,760 --> 00:45:59,080
Speaker 4: Did that?

878
00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:03,640
Speaker 1: Like if you signed the paperwork, basically that's removing you

879
00:46:03,719 --> 00:46:08,160
Speaker 1: from the drug testing pool. And so I just didn't

880
00:46:08,200 --> 00:46:10,520
Speaker 1: sign the paperwork, and I just kind of timed out.

881
00:46:10,680 --> 00:46:14,200
Speaker 1: So and that was a conscious choice, Like I didn't

882
00:46:14,200 --> 00:46:17,240
Speaker 1: want to have this like in memoriam of my career.

883
00:46:18,280 --> 00:46:21,560
Speaker 1: It just I felt like that would just give too

884
00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:26,040
Speaker 1: much of a spotlight of something that I've loved for

885
00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:28,600
Speaker 1: so long, and I didn't want to say, like, this

886
00:46:28,640 --> 00:46:30,520
Speaker 1: is the death of my swimming career, Like that's kind

887
00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:33,200
Speaker 1: of how I saw it if you signed a retirement papers,

888
00:46:33,239 --> 00:46:36,080
Speaker 1: and not that like that's right or wrong. That's just

889
00:46:36,160 --> 00:46:38,279
Speaker 1: kind of how it was in my mind. I didn't

890
00:46:38,280 --> 00:46:40,480
Speaker 1: want to like have a press conference about it or anything.

891
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:45,640
Speaker 1: So I never officially retired, but I knew after missing

892
00:46:45,680 --> 00:46:49,400
Speaker 1: the Olympic team in twenty sixteen that I was like,

893
00:46:49,480 --> 00:46:53,080
Speaker 1: you know what, I'm almost thirty four. I was about

894
00:46:53,080 --> 00:46:57,040
Speaker 1: to turn thirty four, and I probably need to move on.

895
00:46:57,360 --> 00:47:00,879
Speaker 1: Like I love, love being in a summer, I love

896
00:47:01,000 --> 00:47:06,400
Speaker 1: being a professional athlete, but that fire to compete was

897
00:47:06,480 --> 00:47:10,040
Speaker 1: no longer really in me. I loved the training, and

898
00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:13,759
Speaker 1: it's funny like as I got older, that was my

899
00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:17,359
Speaker 1: favorite part was just being with my teammates, joking with them,

900
00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:21,120
Speaker 1: talking trash in the weight room, all working towards this

901
00:47:21,239 --> 00:47:25,759
Speaker 1: amazing goal like being so fit, having just the time

902
00:47:25,840 --> 00:47:29,600
Speaker 1: of our lives traveling the world racing. But I didn't

903
00:47:29,680 --> 00:47:34,080
Speaker 1: have that drive to go to another Olympics or go

904
00:47:34,120 --> 00:47:37,920
Speaker 1: to another nationals or world championships. So that's when I

905
00:47:37,960 --> 00:47:39,319
Speaker 1: was like, you know what, I'm just gonna move on

906
00:47:39,400 --> 00:47:40,879
Speaker 1: and focus on other things now.

907
00:47:41,120 --> 00:47:46,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I would imagine that that was a bittersweet decision.

908
00:47:47,120 --> 00:47:51,760
Speaker 1: It was because I, like I said, I loved the process.

909
00:47:52,320 --> 00:47:54,480
Speaker 1: I really loved the training. And I know a lot

910
00:47:54,520 --> 00:47:56,880
Speaker 1: of athletes are like, oh, I love the thrill of

911
00:47:56,920 --> 00:47:59,920
Speaker 1: the game, but I can't wait to be done with training.

912
00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:03,600
Speaker 1: I was, you know, in my thirties that last quad.

913
00:48:03,719 --> 00:48:05,880
Speaker 1: So those last four years, I was in my thirties

914
00:48:05,920 --> 00:48:08,719
Speaker 1: and most of my friends had office jobs and they

915
00:48:08,719 --> 00:48:11,040
Speaker 1: were trying to find thirty minutes in the day to

916
00:48:11,080 --> 00:48:14,319
Speaker 1: just get a workout in, and you know, they might

917
00:48:14,320 --> 00:48:17,680
Speaker 1: be in an indoors all day. And again I had

918
00:48:17,719 --> 00:48:19,839
Speaker 1: some perspective. I was like, yeah, I have to get

919
00:48:19,880 --> 00:48:22,120
Speaker 1: up at four am, but I see the sunrise every

920
00:48:22,200 --> 00:48:25,359
Speaker 1: day I am outside, I get a train for five

921
00:48:25,440 --> 00:48:28,520
Speaker 1: hours a day. I am so strong and fast, and

922
00:48:28,920 --> 00:48:34,200
Speaker 1: that's something really special. So I really savored those last

923
00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:39,080
Speaker 1: several years of training and savored that time with my friends.

924
00:48:39,160 --> 00:48:41,160
Speaker 1: But but yeah, like I was like, I can't do

925
00:48:41,200 --> 00:48:43,279
Speaker 1: this forever. I need to move on and figure out

926
00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:45,560
Speaker 1: some other things in my life. I get too. I

927
00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:47,279
Speaker 1: get too. I love that perspective.

928
00:48:47,360 --> 00:48:49,759
Speaker 2: And speaking of figuring out other things in your life,

929
00:48:49,800 --> 00:48:51,640
Speaker 2: I mean, you've got some other things figured out.

930
00:48:51,680 --> 00:48:52,000
Speaker 3: Now.

931
00:48:52,080 --> 00:48:54,480
Speaker 2: What are you most excited about, not only in your

932
00:48:54,520 --> 00:48:56,319
Speaker 2: day to day right now, but about the projects that

933
00:48:56,320 --> 00:48:57,480
Speaker 2: you currently have in the pipe.

934
00:48:57,680 --> 00:48:58,040
Speaker 4: Yeah.

935
00:48:58,080 --> 00:49:01,560
Speaker 1: So in twenty seventeen, so just after I was done

936
00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:06,560
Speaker 1: officially competing, I never retired. I started a winery with

937
00:49:06,640 --> 00:49:11,440
Speaker 1: my good friend and partner, Shana Harding. We started Gaderian

938
00:49:11,520 --> 00:49:15,840
Speaker 1: Wines were based at a Napa valley and Gaderian means

939
00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:19,560
Speaker 1: to gather in Old English. And I couldn't think of

940
00:49:19,880 --> 00:49:24,879
Speaker 1: a better name for sharing wine is something if you're

941
00:49:24,920 --> 00:49:28,680
Speaker 1: someone who drinks that opening a bottle of wine with

942
00:49:28,719 --> 00:49:32,319
Speaker 1: some friends and family around a table and sharing an

943
00:49:32,360 --> 00:49:35,239
Speaker 1: experience is just something that I think is so beautiful.

944
00:49:35,320 --> 00:49:38,640
Speaker 1: And that's what we named her wine after. And I

945
00:49:38,719 --> 00:49:42,880
Speaker 1: really just jumped into it without knowing much about the industry.

946
00:49:43,360 --> 00:49:47,000
Speaker 1: I was a fan of wine. My business partner had

947
00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:50,319
Speaker 1: been in the industry for fifteen years, and I just

948
00:49:50,480 --> 00:49:52,879
Speaker 1: figured it out as I went. I knew that I

949
00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:58,120
Speaker 1: was smart, that I'm hard working, and that I'm scrappy.

950
00:49:58,760 --> 00:50:01,239
Speaker 1: So I took some class is that UC Davis and

951
00:50:01,640 --> 00:50:06,960
Speaker 1: viticulture and anology, but really I just learned through doing.

952
00:50:07,160 --> 00:50:10,440
Speaker 1: And so we're in our eighth vintage right now. We

953
00:50:10,480 --> 00:50:14,960
Speaker 1: specialize in shennon blanc and pino noir, but we have

954
00:50:15,120 --> 00:50:17,120
Speaker 1: a little bit of everything and we make a really

955
00:50:17,160 --> 00:50:20,319
Speaker 1: beautiful product that I'm very proud of. So that's my

956
00:50:20,640 --> 00:50:24,560
Speaker 1: business venture. And then personally, my husband and I we

957
00:50:24,600 --> 00:50:26,839
Speaker 1: had two kids, so we have a three year old

958
00:50:26,880 --> 00:50:30,080
Speaker 1: boy and a five year old girl and have our

959
00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:31,520
Speaker 1: hands full with those two.

960
00:50:33,760 --> 00:50:36,320
Speaker 2: If there are anything like Mom was at that age,

961
00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:39,600
Speaker 2: they spin it in circles and try now to everybody else.

962
00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:42,480
Speaker 1: They are both nuts in the best way possible.

963
00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:45,279
Speaker 2: Well, I will say also that I've tried the wine

964
00:50:45,280 --> 00:50:47,840
Speaker 2: and it's phenomenal. Thank you so good, And what a

965
00:50:47,960 --> 00:50:51,440
Speaker 2: cool thing to be like. This is something that interests me.

966
00:50:51,760 --> 00:50:54,160
Speaker 2: We have an opportunity. I'm going to do the prep

967
00:50:54,200 --> 00:50:56,320
Speaker 2: that I need to do, but I'm just gonna trust

968
00:50:56,360 --> 00:51:00,600
Speaker 2: my gut. Yeah, sometimes I want to be a little

969
00:51:00,600 --> 00:51:04,439
Speaker 2: bit more like that in that I'm certainly a little bit.

970
00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:07,080
Speaker 3: Type A and at school that's me. I'm good with that.

971
00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:07,919
Speaker 4: I'm the same.

972
00:51:08,000 --> 00:51:10,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm definitely a little type A, but sometimes I'm like,

973
00:51:10,880 --> 00:51:13,480
Speaker 2: why not, Like, what's the worst thing that can happen?

974
00:51:13,480 --> 00:51:15,080
Speaker 3: And I definitely said it on the show before.

975
00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:17,880
Speaker 2: Nine times out of ten, ninety five percent of the time,

976
00:51:18,440 --> 00:51:20,759
Speaker 2: the worst thing that's going to happen is that you're exactly.

977
00:51:20,480 --> 00:51:23,280
Speaker 3: Where you started. Yeah, and candidly where we started.

978
00:51:23,400 --> 00:51:26,160
Speaker 2: Pretty haven't that bad? Yeah, exactly. So for you to

979
00:51:26,160 --> 00:51:29,160
Speaker 2: take that leap of faith and try something new and

980
00:51:29,200 --> 00:51:32,000
Speaker 2: now to be you know, you said your seventh vintage, eighth,

981
00:51:32,080 --> 00:51:35,080
Speaker 2: eighth vintage now and now to be on your eighth vintage,

982
00:51:35,239 --> 00:51:36,000
Speaker 2: it's remarkable.

983
00:51:36,120 --> 00:51:37,879
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, yeah it is.

984
00:51:38,040 --> 00:51:41,640
Speaker 1: And I mean my business partner, Shana, she was the

985
00:51:41,640 --> 00:51:44,759
Speaker 1: one who's like, I need a partner, and she had

986
00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:46,880
Speaker 1: been in the industry for years and so I was like,

987
00:51:46,920 --> 00:51:49,000
Speaker 1: she has a wonderful palette, she's a great wine maker.

988
00:51:49,080 --> 00:51:52,480
Speaker 1: She could, you know, do all the heavy lifting on

989
00:51:52,600 --> 00:51:54,759
Speaker 1: that side of things, and I could work on the

990
00:51:54,800 --> 00:51:58,880
Speaker 1: branding and the website and some of that stuff. But

991
00:51:59,120 --> 00:52:01,520
Speaker 1: both of us where a lot of hats and I

992
00:52:01,560 --> 00:52:06,839
Speaker 1: help during crush. So harvest is you know, August through

993
00:52:07,200 --> 00:52:10,920
Speaker 1: October for us, So I'm out there at our picks,

994
00:52:10,960 --> 00:52:15,000
Speaker 1: I'm processing the fruit, I'm helping make the wine under

995
00:52:15,120 --> 00:52:19,480
Speaker 1: Shana and you know, after eight years of doing this,

996
00:52:20,040 --> 00:52:24,279
Speaker 1: I feel like I have gained so much knowledge of,

997
00:52:25,000 --> 00:52:28,480
Speaker 1: you know, how wine is made, and it's something that

998
00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:32,560
Speaker 1: I really enjoy. And when I tell people why I

999
00:52:32,680 --> 00:52:35,280
Speaker 1: like making wine so much, it fulfills so many different

1000
00:52:35,320 --> 00:52:38,480
Speaker 1: parts of my brain. There's the physicality of it. There's

1001
00:52:38,480 --> 00:52:40,080
Speaker 1: a lot of physical things you have to do. You

1002
00:52:40,080 --> 00:52:43,200
Speaker 1: have to move barrels around, you have to pick fruit,

1003
00:52:43,320 --> 00:52:45,560
Speaker 1: you have to do a lot of like lifting. There's

1004
00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:48,239
Speaker 1: one move that if you look on my Instagram that

1005
00:52:48,400 --> 00:52:51,080
Speaker 1: I absolutely love and wine making. It's called a punchdown.

1006
00:52:51,560 --> 00:52:55,920
Speaker 1: And because we do our punchdowns by hand, we are

1007
00:52:55,920 --> 00:53:02,600
Speaker 1: so small. You basically stir the ferment around with your

1008
00:53:02,719 --> 00:53:04,320
Speaker 1: arms and it's like swimming in wine.

1009
00:53:04,520 --> 00:53:06,120
Speaker 3: That's amazing.

1010
00:53:06,239 --> 00:53:08,919
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's something that we only do for our red

1011
00:53:08,920 --> 00:53:11,560
Speaker 1: Pino noir. Pin noir is really thin skinned and you

1012
00:53:11,560 --> 00:53:14,080
Speaker 1: want to be gentle with it. And instead of using

1013
00:53:14,120 --> 00:53:16,240
Speaker 1: a machine, we use our arms to stir the ferment

1014
00:53:16,280 --> 00:53:19,799
Speaker 1: and it's amazing. And so there's the physicality of it.

1015
00:53:20,120 --> 00:53:24,000
Speaker 1: There's the art of making something like we're we're using

1016
00:53:24,080 --> 00:53:28,879
Speaker 1: chemistry and science to you know, convert the sugars into

1017
00:53:28,920 --> 00:53:32,440
Speaker 1: alcohol and try and get as many aromas out of

1018
00:53:32,480 --> 00:53:35,560
Speaker 1: it and flavors out of this beautiful thing that nature's

1019
00:53:35,600 --> 00:53:40,600
Speaker 1: given to us. And then there's the the art of

1020
00:53:40,880 --> 00:53:45,000
Speaker 1: sharing some product that we made and sharing it with

1021
00:53:45,040 --> 00:53:47,360
Speaker 1: the masses. So it's it's just like all these different

1022
00:53:47,360 --> 00:53:49,120
Speaker 1: parts of the brain that are stimulating you know.

1023
00:53:49,160 --> 00:53:51,760
Speaker 2: What I'm hearing you say, though, is that this journey

1024
00:53:51,840 --> 00:53:54,920
Speaker 2: in wine making is very similar to the journey that

1025
00:53:54,960 --> 00:53:58,400
Speaker 2: you had within swimming, and you understand the bigger picture,

1026
00:53:58,480 --> 00:53:58,879
Speaker 2: which is.

1027
00:53:58,840 --> 00:54:00,640
Speaker 3: That the journey is destination.

1028
00:54:00,800 --> 00:54:04,799
Speaker 2: Yes, you are truly enjoying this now, you enjoyed that then,

1029
00:54:05,280 --> 00:54:08,080
Speaker 2: And one is not necessarily better than the other. It's

1030
00:54:08,160 --> 00:54:10,719
Speaker 2: just both an experience that you are in bracing as

1031
00:54:10,760 --> 00:54:11,360
Speaker 2: it happens.

1032
00:54:11,640 --> 00:54:14,240
Speaker 3: I think that's really beautiful. Yeah, it's really beautiful.

1033
00:54:14,320 --> 00:54:16,959
Speaker 2: And it also segues me as we start to wind

1034
00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:20,719
Speaker 2: down here into this broader topic, which is as athletes

1035
00:54:20,800 --> 00:54:23,759
Speaker 2: often graduate within sports, something I recently wrote about from

1036
00:54:23,719 --> 00:54:27,000
Speaker 2: Marie Claire, there is that little bit of a struggle

1037
00:54:27,480 --> 00:54:29,200
Speaker 2: who am I now without this sport?

1038
00:54:29,600 --> 00:54:31,320
Speaker 3: Who is Natalie?

1039
00:54:31,800 --> 00:54:35,040
Speaker 2: So these days when you look in the mirror, What

1040
00:54:35,200 --> 00:54:37,160
Speaker 2: is it that you see looking back at you.

1041
00:54:37,880 --> 00:54:40,840
Speaker 1: I still see an athlete, honestly, Like I'm not a

1042
00:54:40,880 --> 00:54:46,640
Speaker 1: professional athlete by any means anymore. But I realized through

1043
00:54:47,040 --> 00:54:53,520
Speaker 1: having kids and through the pandemic and that being strong

1044
00:54:53,600 --> 00:54:56,120
Speaker 1: and being fit are what make me feel like me.

1045
00:54:56,680 --> 00:55:01,200
Speaker 1: So it was really interesting. My son was born October

1046
00:55:01,200 --> 00:55:03,520
Speaker 1: twenty twenty, so you could just imagine what the world

1047
00:55:03,600 --> 00:55:06,480
Speaker 1: was like in October twenty twenty and the lead up

1048
00:55:06,520 --> 00:55:11,200
Speaker 1: to that. So I had my daughter was eighteen months

1049
00:55:11,239 --> 00:55:13,799
Speaker 1: when the world shut down and we were stuck in

1050
00:55:13,800 --> 00:55:17,280
Speaker 1: our house, especially in California, and so I wasn't working

1051
00:55:17,320 --> 00:55:19,840
Speaker 1: out as taking care of a toddler while my husband

1052
00:55:19,920 --> 00:55:24,480
Speaker 1: was trying to keep his swim team afloat, and I,

1053
00:55:25,040 --> 00:55:27,239
Speaker 1: you know, I was pregnant, so I couldn't go out

1054
00:55:27,239 --> 00:55:28,920
Speaker 1: on the hikes that I wanted to because I had

1055
00:55:28,960 --> 00:55:31,319
Speaker 1: a pee all the time. So I went from like

1056
00:55:31,560 --> 00:55:34,600
Speaker 1: just not working out, and then I had two kids

1057
00:55:34,600 --> 00:55:36,759
Speaker 1: in the pandemic and taking care of that and just

1058
00:55:36,800 --> 00:55:41,080
Speaker 1: staying afloat, and I got so out of shape. And

1059
00:55:42,160 --> 00:55:45,960
Speaker 1: when I kind of exited the fog of is this

1060
00:55:46,040 --> 00:55:49,279
Speaker 1: the pandemic or is this postpartum or is this the

1061
00:55:49,320 --> 00:55:51,080
Speaker 1: combination of the two, which I think it was a

1062
00:55:51,080 --> 00:55:54,480
Speaker 1: combination of the two. I really started to work on

1063
00:55:54,600 --> 00:55:58,840
Speaker 1: my fitness again and getting back into the gym just

1064
00:56:00,160 --> 00:56:04,560
Speaker 1: like it's it felt so right, Like I hadn't been

1065
00:56:04,880 --> 00:56:09,840
Speaker 1: lifting hard for about five years or so, and around

1066
00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:13,640
Speaker 1: right when I turned forty, I started lifting very heavy again,

1067
00:56:14,160 --> 00:56:17,680
Speaker 1: and within six months, I couldn't believe it. My legs

1068
00:56:17,719 --> 00:56:20,680
Speaker 1: were as strong as they ever were. I was back

1069
00:56:20,760 --> 00:56:23,680
Speaker 1: up to doing a bunch of pull ups and just

1070
00:56:23,800 --> 00:56:27,520
Speaker 1: I felt so much lighter emotionally, and I just felt

1071
00:56:27,520 --> 00:56:29,640
Speaker 1: so strong. And that's like how I need to feel

1072
00:56:29,760 --> 00:56:31,440
Speaker 1: like that. That has been such a part of my

1073
00:56:31,480 --> 00:56:33,799
Speaker 1: life for a long time, so I needed to feel that.

1074
00:56:34,480 --> 00:56:36,880
Speaker 1: So I still see an athlete even though I'm not

1075
00:56:36,920 --> 00:56:40,000
Speaker 1: a professional athlete anymore. And then a mother and a

1076
00:56:40,040 --> 00:56:44,680
Speaker 1: business woman. Yeah I am home both, Like I'm home

1077
00:56:44,760 --> 00:56:47,640
Speaker 1: with my husband and my kids every day. You know,

1078
00:56:48,040 --> 00:56:50,879
Speaker 1: my husband and I do a really we do our

1079
00:56:50,880 --> 00:56:54,440
Speaker 1: best of juggling the kids amongst the two of us

1080
00:56:54,440 --> 00:56:58,440
Speaker 1: in our schedules, and it's tough at times, but I

1081
00:56:58,520 --> 00:57:00,919
Speaker 1: love being with them as as much as we are.

1082
00:57:01,480 --> 00:57:05,120
Speaker 1: And then I see myself as a scrappy business owner,

1083
00:57:05,800 --> 00:57:10,239
Speaker 1: you know, trying to grow thoughtfully and trying to get

1084
00:57:10,239 --> 00:57:14,120
Speaker 1: good placements into restaurants and things like that. But really,

1085
00:57:14,160 --> 00:57:16,680
Speaker 1: I know that once we get our wine out there,

1086
00:57:16,840 --> 00:57:19,640
Speaker 1: that it's a beautiful wine and people love it. So

1087
00:57:19,720 --> 00:57:21,240
Speaker 1: I just need to get it in their hands, and

1088
00:57:21,280 --> 00:57:23,240
Speaker 1: so figuring that out is the next chapter.

1089
00:57:23,480 --> 00:57:27,479
Speaker 2: The next chapter, well, such a beautiful reflection, and I'm

1090
00:57:27,560 --> 00:57:30,880
Speaker 2: so excited for you as you continue to navigate this

1091
00:57:31,360 --> 00:57:33,680
Speaker 2: different journey than the journeys you've been on before.

1092
00:57:34,320 --> 00:57:36,040
Speaker 3: As we wind down here, I end.

1093
00:57:35,920 --> 00:57:39,120
Speaker 2: The show every time by bringing you back to one

1094
00:57:39,160 --> 00:57:41,440
Speaker 2: of the hurdles that we spoke about during our conversation.

1095
00:57:41,640 --> 00:57:44,680
Speaker 2: You spoke about the difficulties that went hand in hand

1096
00:57:44,760 --> 00:57:48,440
Speaker 2: with tearing your labrum in your teenage years, missing what

1097
00:57:48,520 --> 00:57:51,840
Speaker 2: you thought would be your first opportunity at the Olympic Games.

1098
00:57:52,120 --> 00:57:55,360
Speaker 2: Knowing what you know now, what advice would you offer

1099
00:57:55,480 --> 00:57:59,040
Speaker 2: to your teenage self during that devastating hurdle moment.

1100
00:57:59,800 --> 00:58:04,200
Speaker 1: I mean, I always I love like having little mantras,

1101
00:58:04,320 --> 00:58:08,520
Speaker 1: and trust in the process is my mantra. Just trust

1102
00:58:08,560 --> 00:58:11,040
Speaker 1: in the process, Like have faith that if you just

1103
00:58:11,160 --> 00:58:15,320
Speaker 1: keep your head down and just stay focused, that eventually

1104
00:58:15,600 --> 00:58:18,600
Speaker 1: you will get either close to your goal or you'll

1105
00:58:18,760 --> 00:58:22,200
Speaker 1: you'll hit your goal. It's one of those things where

1106
00:58:22,240 --> 00:58:24,480
Speaker 1: just because you set a goal and you set a timeline,

1107
00:58:25,000 --> 00:58:29,960
Speaker 1: it doesn't mean your timeline is the accurate one. It's

1108
00:58:30,000 --> 00:58:33,760
Speaker 1: a roadmap, but by no means is it the law.

1109
00:58:34,240 --> 00:58:36,480
Speaker 1: And so you just have to trust that, like maybe

1110
00:58:36,760 --> 00:58:38,720
Speaker 1: maybe you didn't get this time, but you're going to

1111
00:58:38,760 --> 00:58:41,520
Speaker 1: figure out some ways to be better the next time.

1112
00:58:41,720 --> 00:58:45,960
Speaker 2: Every opportunity, every everything that you put forth, every goal

1113
00:58:46,000 --> 00:58:48,000
Speaker 2: that you set out, is an opportunity to learn, whether

1114
00:58:48,120 --> 00:58:50,720
Speaker 2: or not you accomplish it or not, whether you like.

1115
00:58:50,680 --> 00:58:52,880
Speaker 4: It or not, it's a learning opportunity.

1116
00:58:53,000 --> 00:58:54,920
Speaker 2: Natalie, I'm so happy that we were able to do this.

1117
00:58:55,000 --> 00:58:57,040
Speaker 2: For those that don't follow you, just yet give us

1118
00:58:57,080 --> 00:58:58,840
Speaker 2: the info. How can they keep up with you on

1119
00:58:58,880 --> 00:58:59,600
Speaker 2: the social.

1120
00:58:59,560 --> 00:59:02,200
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm most active on Instagram, as I think most

1121
00:59:02,240 --> 00:59:06,080
Speaker 1: people my HR. So it's Natalie Coglin on Instagram n

1122
00:59:06,080 --> 00:59:07,800
Speaker 1: A T A l A E c o U g

1123
00:59:08,080 --> 00:59:11,000
Speaker 1: h l A N and then Gadarian Wines. I manage

1124
00:59:11,040 --> 00:59:13,680
Speaker 1: that Instagram as well, So that's g A D E

1125
00:59:13,880 --> 00:59:18,000
Speaker 1: r I A N Wines Dot. Yeah, I was gonna

1126
00:59:18,000 --> 00:59:18,760
Speaker 1: say dot com, but.

1127
00:59:19,400 --> 00:59:21,880
Speaker 2: Both are fine Instagram dot com, wherever you want to

1128
00:59:21,920 --> 00:59:24,640
Speaker 2: check it out. I'm over at Emiliabody and at Hurdle

1129
00:59:24,680 --> 00:59:26,840
Speaker 2: Podcast Another hurdle conquered.

1130
00:59:27,200 --> 00:59:28,200
Speaker 3: Catch you guys next time.