WEBVTT - Let's Find our Second Wind...with Marion Jones

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<v Speaker 1>This is Let's be clear, who's Shannon Doherty.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi, let's be clear listeners. I'm Mary Jones, and you

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<v Speaker 2>might know me as a former track and field athlete,

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<v Speaker 2>or maybe you know me from my time playing in

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<v Speaker 2>the WNBA or college basketball, or maybe even most recently,

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<v Speaker 2>you may see me compete on the Hits show Special Courses.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm so honored to be here hosting this episode

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<v Speaker 2>of Cannon Dougherty's podcast.

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<v Speaker 3>I know I've become a special gathering place for her.

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<v Speaker 2>Fans, as well as a positive space where folks can

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<v Speaker 2>share their stories and their lessons that they've learned along

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<v Speaker 2>the way. So I'm excited to share my journey with

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<v Speaker 2>you all today and I hope that maybe just a

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<v Speaker 2>little bit of it resonates with you today in a

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<v Speaker 2>very special way. So I thought I would start out

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<v Speaker 2>by telling you all just a little bit about the

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<v Speaker 2>highs and lows of my career. I am a California native.

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<v Speaker 2>I was born and grew up in the Los Angeles area,

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<v Speaker 2>and my mother and I knew at a very young

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<v Speaker 2>age that I was just really blessed with an incredible

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<v Speaker 2>amount of talent. I have one older brother, and I

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<v Speaker 2>like to joke and say that when your older brother

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<v Speaker 2>picks you his younger sister to play on his neighborhood team,

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<v Speaker 2>you know that there's something very unique about you.

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<v Speaker 3>And that was the case with me.

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<v Speaker 2>I started participating in all kinds of sport and excelled

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<v Speaker 2>in all of them. I was also at that time

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<v Speaker 2>figuring out life my mom. My mom and my father

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<v Speaker 2>biological father were divorced when I was three years old,

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<v Speaker 2>and my mom became a single parent. Thankfully, she found

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<v Speaker 2>love again and I had an amazing stepfather. So I

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<v Speaker 2>had that really warm, loving family until my stepfather passed

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<v Speaker 2>away at the age of nine years old. And that

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<v Speaker 2>time that I share with you is very pivotal in

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<v Speaker 2>my life and in my career because in nineteen eighty four,

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<v Speaker 2>I happened to be nine years old, and that was

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<v Speaker 2>the summer that the Olympic Games came to Los Angeles,

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<v Speaker 2>the city that I was living in, and my mother

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<v Speaker 2>took me to the Olympic Parade where all of the

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<v Speaker 2>athletes are paraded down the street. That summer, I sat

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<v Speaker 2>in front of my television and for the first time

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<v Speaker 2>I watched in amazement as the athlete across the Finch line,

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<v Speaker 2>and many of them won Olympic gold and I made

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<v Speaker 2>the decision, but this is what I wanted to do

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<v Speaker 2>with my life. I wanted to achieve success. I wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to win gold medals, I wanted to run and I

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<v Speaker 2>just I wanted that to be me. And everything from

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<v Speaker 2>that point on in my life revolved around that goal,

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<v Speaker 2>to the point I even wrote on my chalkboard that

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<v Speaker 2>I wanted to be an Olympic champion. Fast forward a

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<v Speaker 2>few years. It was just going through a very difficult.

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<v Speaker 3>Time in my life. I was an adolescent.

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<v Speaker 2>My mom was working very hard to support my older

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<v Speaker 2>brother and I and I was just going through it

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<v Speaker 2>with my emotions, not understanding why I had a biological

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<v Speaker 2>father who just really.

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<v Speaker 3>Didn't want to be in my life.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think a lot of people even listening for

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<v Speaker 2>this kind of understand that where maybe you don't have

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<v Speaker 2>somebody in your family who is you know, it's supposed

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<v Speaker 2>to be supportive, and for whatever reason, they choose they're not.

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<v Speaker 2>And so I gave it to my mom. As we

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<v Speaker 2>like to say, I was rebellious. I lashed out. I

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<v Speaker 2>was one of those adolescents where when your parent asked you,

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<v Speaker 2>how are you doing, honey, I would respond with, I'm

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<v Speaker 2>fine that you all know what I'm seeing what I say,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm fine. That was me, and now, as a parent

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<v Speaker 2>of an actual fifteen year old who gets a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of those I'm fine, mom, I absolutely understand how difficult

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<v Speaker 2>it is to parents, especially at that time when you're

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<v Speaker 2>the only parent.

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<v Speaker 3>Thankfully, though, for me, I had an outlet.

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<v Speaker 2>My outlet was sport, and as I shared earlier, my

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<v Speaker 2>mom and I knew that there was something unique about me. Faster,

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<v Speaker 2>I was stronger. I loved it.

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<v Speaker 3>I was passionate about it.

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<v Speaker 2>I think a lot of young people at that age twelve, thirteen,

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<v Speaker 2>fourteen through high school, they want to be on the

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<v Speaker 2>social scene. I, on the other hand, was waiting by

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<v Speaker 2>the door with my backpack and shoes and equipment, and

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<v Speaker 2>waiting on my mom so that I wouldn't be late

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<v Speaker 2>for Prictice. So that gave you a little idea of

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<v Speaker 2>the mindset that I had even at that young age.

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<v Speaker 2>All of that got you to the age at fifteen

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<v Speaker 2>years old where I was blessed enough to make my

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<v Speaker 2>first Olympic team. The team that the USA team that

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<v Speaker 2>summer was traveling to Soul, Korea, I decided that I

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<v Speaker 2>would hold off even though I made the team, I

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<v Speaker 2>would pull off on pursuing my Olympic dream and my

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<v Speaker 2>Olympic journey because I really didn't think that it was

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<v Speaker 2>going to be the right time. So I decided to

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<v Speaker 2>stay and continue to hone all of my athletics hills,

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<v Speaker 2>particularly basketball at that time. A few years later, I

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<v Speaker 2>decided to accept a basketball scholarship to the University of

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<v Speaker 2>North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I was going to

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<v Speaker 2>be a dual sport athlete. So I traveled across the

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<v Speaker 2>country from California to North Carolina to start this incredible

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<v Speaker 2>athletic and academic journey in Chapel Hill.

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<v Speaker 3>So at this point, I've.

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<v Speaker 2>Shared some highs, I've shared some lows when it comes

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<v Speaker 2>to relationships, but it was all just the beginning. I

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<v Speaker 2>had the opportunity to be on a women's basketball team

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<v Speaker 2>at the University of North Carolina that in my freshman

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<v Speaker 2>year nineteen ninety three, we won the national championship. And

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<v Speaker 2>of course there's so much.

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<v Speaker 1>In the news right now about women's basketball and March Madness,

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<v Speaker 1>and I just feel feel very fortunate to have been

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<v Speaker 1>on a team of women where we can experience winning

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<v Speaker 1>it all.

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<v Speaker 3>It happened to be on the last second shot. So

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<v Speaker 3>if you're looking for something to.

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<v Speaker 4>Do after hearing this podcast, type in nineteen ninety three,

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<v Speaker 4>nineteen ninety four buzzer Beater Women's National Championship and you'll

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<v Speaker 4>see Mike tar Hills winning it all.

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<v Speaker 3>Certainly a highlight in my life.

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<v Speaker 2>Decided that I loved the sport, was going to continue

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<v Speaker 2>dabbled in track and field while I was at the

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<v Speaker 2>University of North Carolina and four years was really decided

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<v Speaker 2>that I wanted to for all of my attention into

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<v Speaker 2>my first love, which.

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<v Speaker 3>Was track and field. I graduated from the University of

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<v Speaker 3>North Calnon.

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<v Speaker 2>Nineteen ninety seven and quickly began the trajectory of my

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<v Speaker 2>track and field career.

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<v Speaker 3>It happened very quickly, as in about eighteen.

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<v Speaker 2>Months, I became arguably one of the fastest women in

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<v Speaker 2>the world, became a world champion at that time, and

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<v Speaker 2>things in my life were fairly well, apparently going fairly well.

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<v Speaker 3>In nineteen ninety eight, I.

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<v Speaker 2>Was traveling around the world competing because, as you might

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<v Speaker 2>know listening to this, many of the track and field

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<v Speaker 2>athletes in the US have to travel abroad in between

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<v Speaker 2>the years of the Olympic Games. Of course, the Olympic

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<v Speaker 2>Games are every four years, and these athletes have.

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<v Speaker 3>To spend a majority of their.

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<v Speaker 2>Time traveling in Europe and Africa and South and Central

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<v Speaker 2>America literally for a living to run these big races.

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<v Speaker 2>And so in nineteen ninety eight, I was at a

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<v Speaker 2>press conference in Bruckels, Belgium, and a reporter asked me, Marion,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, what are your plans for the near future,

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<v Speaker 2>particularly the two thousand Games in Sydney. And I don't

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<v Speaker 2>know my exact age, but I was early twenties, mid twenties,

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<v Speaker 2>and I flippantly answered, just like any twenty year old,

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<v Speaker 2>I flippantly answered, I planned to compete in five events

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<v Speaker 2>in Sydney, and I planned to win.

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<v Speaker 3>Five events, so five golds.

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<v Speaker 2>And I said that, and I stayed flippantly because unbeknownst

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<v Speaker 2>to me, it had never been done before. So that's

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<v Speaker 2>press conference was the catalyst to the world and Hi, hey,

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<v Speaker 2>there's this young athlete, incredible and he wants to achieve

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<v Speaker 2>history in Sydney. And that kind of took on a

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<v Speaker 2>wave and a momentum of its own, whereby the lead

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<v Speaker 2>up to the Olympic Games. I was the poster child

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<v Speaker 2>for the Olympics. So I was on the cover of

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<v Speaker 2>every major magazine from Vogue to Sports Illustrated to.

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<v Speaker 5>Ebony, to Time to Life, and I was that athlete

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<v Speaker 5>going into the Sydney Olympics. I went to Sydney achieved

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<v Speaker 5>a lot of success.

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<v Speaker 2>I won five medals, three of them gold two of them,

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<v Speaker 2>and left Sydney on the most incredible there was len

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<v Speaker 2>We get a little bit of context to you all.

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<v Speaker 2>During that time in two thousand till about two and ten,

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<v Speaker 2>and about a ten year span.

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<v Speaker 6>There had did a lot a lot of news about

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<v Speaker 6>athletes and performance enhancing drugs and trying to get a

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<v Speaker 6>handle of that in the sport. Well, I've always been

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<v Speaker 6>a proponent, proponent for a drug free sport.

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<v Speaker 2>But because I was an elite athlete, I needed to

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<v Speaker 2>make sure that any type of vitamin, any type of

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<v Speaker 2>supplement that I was taking was going to be free

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<v Speaker 2>from any other substances.

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<v Speaker 3>So I hired a company to create the supplement for

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<v Speaker 3>me right, and I also had a team around, a

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<v Speaker 3>manager and coach it is, and everybody to protect my

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<v Speaker 3>best interest, or so I thought. So again achieved a

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<v Speaker 3>lot of success in Sydney.

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<v Speaker 2>A few years later, two thousand and three, I get

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<v Speaker 2>a phone call from federal prosecutors asking me inviting me,

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<v Speaker 2>I say that, loosely, inviting me to come and sit

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<v Speaker 2>with them in San Francisco and share any knowledge so

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<v Speaker 2>that I might have known about performance handing drugs during

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<v Speaker 2>that time, a particular company that was creating them. And

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<v Speaker 2>I just quickly said, sure, I don't have any problem.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't have anything to hide. Understand that during that

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<v Speaker 2>time I was also the most tested athlete in the world,

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<v Speaker 2>meeting every few weeks, somebody would come to my home

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<v Speaker 2>and I would have to go to the bathroom and urine.

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<v Speaker 2>They would text my urine to make sure there were

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<v Speaker 2>no performance to handing drugs, and every single time it

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<v Speaker 2>was negative.

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<v Speaker 3>So I had nothing to hide. I had hired this company.

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<v Speaker 2>I felt very confident that they knew there was nothing

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<v Speaker 2>tainted in it at all.

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<v Speaker 3>So I traveled to In two thousand and three, I

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<v Speaker 3>traveled to San Francisco with my attorneys and prior to

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<v Speaker 3>the meeting, I sat down with federal investigators and signed

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<v Speaker 3>what it's called a clean for a day letter, and

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<v Speaker 3>if you've never heard of that.

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<v Speaker 2>What it is essentially is you sign this document saying

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<v Speaker 2>that you will be honest with the federal prosecutors that

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<v Speaker 2>no matter what they asked you, no matter how brutal,

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<v Speaker 2>no matter what you've done, if you tell the truth,

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<v Speaker 2>they will not prosecute you. Right So, because I went

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<v Speaker 2>into this meeting with absolutely nothing too high, I signed

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<v Speaker 2>a letter. Very quickly, my attorney looked it over. Everything

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<v Speaker 2>was fine. We go into the interview with the federal

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<v Speaker 2>prosecutors and very quickly we determined that they felt that

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<v Speaker 2>I knew a lot more than what I was sharing

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<v Speaker 2>with them, and their questions became a little more intense

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<v Speaker 2>and aggressive, to the point about three hours into this

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<v Speaker 2>interview they pulled something out of the bag and they

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<v Speaker 2>kind of push it towards me, and I quickly realized

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<v Speaker 2>in a very short amount of time, I couldn't realize

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<v Speaker 2>that there was something that had been given to me

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<v Speaker 2>years prior, right before the Olympic Games, by the team

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<v Speaker 2>that I had hired, and it's something that I had

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<v Speaker 2>taken with the the size of it being something else.

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<v Speaker 2>So in that moment, I knew that everything that I

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<v Speaker 2>had heard about in the news about these athletes and

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<v Speaker 2>performance enhancing drugs, and this particular one called but Clear

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<v Speaker 2>was indeed what I was looking at and was indeed

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<v Speaker 2>actually something that I had been given. So in that

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<v Speaker 2>short amount of time, I made the decision to lie

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<v Speaker 2>for fear that everything I had dreamt of, everything I

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<v Speaker 2>had worked towards my entire career leading up from nineteen

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<v Speaker 2>eighty four when I was nine years old and wrote

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<v Speaker 2>I wanted to be an Olympic Champion on my talkboard

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<v Speaker 2>to that moment. I feared that if I was to

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<v Speaker 2>tell them the truth, that everything that I had worked

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<v Speaker 2>for would be taken away, And so I made the

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<v Speaker 2>decision to lie. In that moment. Of people when they

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<v Speaker 2>hear my story, they say, oh, you know Mary Jones,

0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:06.080
<v Speaker 2>she lost it all, or she went.

0:13:06.000 --> 0:13:09.600
<v Speaker 3>To prison because she took performance enhancing drugs.

0:13:09.640 --> 0:13:12.120
<v Speaker 2>That's not accurate. I actually went to prison, and we'll

0:13:12.120 --> 0:13:15.599
<v Speaker 2>get to that. Because I had signed that Queen for

0:13:15.720 --> 0:13:18.280
<v Speaker 2>a Day letter and because I lied to them, they

0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:20.360
<v Speaker 2>were able to come back a number of years later

0:13:20.880 --> 0:13:24.240
<v Speaker 2>and try me, and I was found guilty, of course.

0:13:24.320 --> 0:13:26.800
<v Speaker 2>But so of course there are a lot of high

0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:30.400
<v Speaker 2>and loans to all of that. Fast forward from two

0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:33.280
<v Speaker 2>thousand and three to two thousand and seven. I had

0:13:33.320 --> 0:13:38.440
<v Speaker 2>been carrying this heavy burden with me for quite some time,

0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:42.520
<v Speaker 2>four plus years. A lot had happened in that four years,

0:13:42.600 --> 0:13:46.520
<v Speaker 2>in that I had my two sons, I was still competing,

0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:50.000
<v Speaker 2>I was still running fast and being considered the fastest

0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:53.080
<v Speaker 2>women in the world. But the burden of this life

0:13:53.200 --> 0:13:57.040
<v Speaker 2>every single time I raced, every interview would ask are

0:13:57.080 --> 0:14:00.200
<v Speaker 2>you a drug free athlete? Do you take right? Just

0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:00.760
<v Speaker 2>became heavy.

0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:03.480
<v Speaker 3>But the heaviest part of it all.

0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:07.679
<v Speaker 2>And many people listening to this will understand this that

0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:13.120
<v Speaker 2>when you have since, your perspective in life most times

0:14:13.640 --> 0:14:16.880
<v Speaker 2>drastically changes and you realize that everything that you say

0:14:17.400 --> 0:14:19.960
<v Speaker 2>and everything that you don't say, everything that you do

0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:24.680
<v Speaker 2>and sometimes don't do, can and will affect them. And

0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:27.520
<v Speaker 2>I was telling my boys, hey, you know, when you

0:14:27.560 --> 0:14:31.880
<v Speaker 2>make a poor choice, and it happens in life to everybody,

0:14:32.280 --> 0:14:34.360
<v Speaker 2>but when it happens to you, son, like, you need

0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:36.080
<v Speaker 2>to come back and you need to tell mom and

0:14:36.160 --> 0:14:38.800
<v Speaker 2>we'll deal with the consequences and then we can move

0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:41.520
<v Speaker 2>on and be done with it. And I certainly wasn't

0:14:41.640 --> 0:14:45.480
<v Speaker 2>living that life. I was quite the hypocrite at that time,

0:14:45.560 --> 0:14:48.160
<v Speaker 2>and it just became too much, and I said to myself,

0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:51.520
<v Speaker 2>you know what, like like I need a fresh start.

0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:54.760
<v Speaker 2>I need to just make this right. And I know

0:14:54.920 --> 0:14:57.800
<v Speaker 2>the consequences would be severe. Didn't know they.

0:14:57.760 --> 0:14:59.240
<v Speaker 3>Would be as severe as they were.

0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:02.360
<v Speaker 2>And so in two thousand and seven, I've led guilty

0:15:02.640 --> 0:15:07.040
<v Speaker 2>to applying to the federal investigators and was sentenced to

0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:11.280
<v Speaker 2>six months incarceration. The only athletes that had served any

0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:15.160
<v Speaker 2>time in all of that. So, of course that's the

0:15:15.240 --> 0:15:18.920
<v Speaker 2>low and probably the lowest point in my career where

0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:23.480
<v Speaker 2>the forty nine days spent in solitary confinement. But I

0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:26.080
<v Speaker 2>also tell people in all of that, like, I'm not

0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:30.080
<v Speaker 2>looking for empathy or sympathy. I certainly made four choices.

0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:34.040
<v Speaker 2>But I also say during that time it was a

0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:38.880
<v Speaker 2>blessing in disguise because it forced me to analyze my past,

0:15:39.480 --> 0:15:42.960
<v Speaker 2>who I was, and more importantly figure out, all, right, well,

0:15:42.960 --> 0:15:45.880
<v Speaker 2>what's the next step, what's my tomorrow look like, what's

0:15:45.880 --> 0:15:48.360
<v Speaker 2>my next year, what's my five year outlooks look like?

0:15:48.880 --> 0:15:52.200
<v Speaker 2>But also I like to say that it forced me

0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:56.240
<v Speaker 2>to slow down. Right, there was so much pressure, there

0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:59.880
<v Speaker 2>was so much same and fortune as a twenty something

0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:07.040
<v Speaker 2>year old that can be enormously overwhelming, and the time

0:16:07.080 --> 0:16:10.320
<v Speaker 2>away was really just an opportunity for me to slow

0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:17.720
<v Speaker 2>down and to also realize that I had allowed my

0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:22.160
<v Speaker 2>sport of choice, track and field, to dominate my life.

0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:25.760
<v Speaker 2>Like when people ask me Mary Jones, who are you

0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:29.720
<v Speaker 2>back then, my quick response to be, I'm attracting cial

0:16:29.800 --> 0:16:33.880
<v Speaker 2>athletes right, which I think a lot of young athletes

0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:39.760
<v Speaker 2>get go down that road whereby they identify by who

0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:44.960
<v Speaker 2>they are with what they do, and that causes a

0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:47.800
<v Speaker 2>lot of problems, particularly towards the end of your career.

0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:03.480
<v Speaker 2>So that was the lowest point of my life. I

0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:07.080
<v Speaker 2>will tell you that the highlights, of course was winning

0:17:07.119 --> 0:17:10.879
<v Speaker 2>the gold medal, but more so the biggest highlight is

0:17:10.960 --> 0:17:14.520
<v Speaker 2>now I have three kids twenty one, seventeen, and fifteen,

0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:19.320
<v Speaker 2>and I'm proud to say that I am probably the

0:17:19.359 --> 0:17:22.280
<v Speaker 2>most joyful and happiest that I've ever been in my life.

0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:27.920
<v Speaker 2>I have created such an incredible business around sharing this

0:17:28.040 --> 0:17:32.159
<v Speaker 2>idea with people that their failure in life does not

0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:37.280
<v Speaker 2>have to be forever that no matter who you are. Yes,

0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:41.640
<v Speaker 2>I understand people don't have the incredible life story potentially

0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:42.480
<v Speaker 2>that I do.

0:17:43.119 --> 0:17:45.840
<v Speaker 3>It's not all it's to be so to take that

0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:46.640
<v Speaker 3>in your account.

0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:51.560
<v Speaker 2>But everybody from all walks of life have some type

0:17:51.600 --> 0:17:54.560
<v Speaker 2>of failure that they deal with. It could be a

0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:59.920
<v Speaker 2>business that has failed, your finances, your relationship, whatever it is, right,

0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:03.840
<v Speaker 2>everybody has been knocked down and everybody needs to learn

0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:07.920
<v Speaker 2>tools on how to pick yourself back up and that success,

0:18:08.320 --> 0:18:13.159
<v Speaker 2>whatever you identify success as, can be had again and

0:18:13.200 --> 0:18:16.040
<v Speaker 2>maybe even more so if you know the right tools right.

0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:18.600
<v Speaker 2>So what I share with people is that, hey, you

0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:22.400
<v Speaker 2>need a living example of somebody to look forwards that yeah,

0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:25.040
<v Speaker 2>they've had so much success, they've lost it all for

0:18:25.119 --> 0:18:28.280
<v Speaker 2>various reasons, and they are on the comeback of sport too.

0:18:29.320 --> 0:18:33.120
<v Speaker 2>Not I make it identical in terms of the height

0:18:33.200 --> 0:18:35.800
<v Speaker 2>of my success, but for me, success and now looks

0:18:35.840 --> 0:18:39.800
<v Speaker 2>like people realizing that they are strong, that they can

0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:43.879
<v Speaker 2>overcome anything, that their setbacks in life do not have

0:18:44.000 --> 0:18:47.520
<v Speaker 2>to define them, that their mistakes don't have to be

0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:50.000
<v Speaker 2>their narrative for the rest of their life.

0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:51.560
<v Speaker 3>And that's what I hope to do.

0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:55.080
<v Speaker 2>So that's actually the high of my career and where

0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:57.320
<v Speaker 2>I'm at right now, I'm not such a wonderful feeling.

0:18:59.240 --> 0:19:02.119
<v Speaker 2>So I share some of the challenges that I faced

0:19:03.119 --> 0:19:06.760
<v Speaker 2>that changed me as a person, certainly as an athlete.

0:19:06.760 --> 0:19:10.560
<v Speaker 2>I would say that that the challenges of surrounding what

0:19:10.600 --> 0:19:13.960
<v Speaker 2>are the challenges that I faced was that I made

0:19:13.960 --> 0:19:20.240
<v Speaker 2>the decision to surround myself during that time with what

0:19:20.320 --> 0:19:23.760
<v Speaker 2>I call yes people, right. And these are people whom

0:19:24.320 --> 0:19:27.560
<v Speaker 2>you make a decision that they're gonna be your community.

0:19:27.680 --> 0:19:32.600
<v Speaker 2>They're your people, and they're gonna stay and do anything

0:19:32.720 --> 0:19:35.480
<v Speaker 2>that you want them to do, right, and usually it's

0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:39.360
<v Speaker 2>for reasons that would benefit them, not too These are

0:19:39.359 --> 0:19:42.960
<v Speaker 2>people that if you're making poor decisions, they're gonna say, oh,

0:19:42.960 --> 0:19:47.280
<v Speaker 2>I don't have to get a good idea or even

0:19:47.400 --> 0:19:52.160
<v Speaker 2>something simple like that output on you. And I made

0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:56.200
<v Speaker 2>make a choice during my twice right to surround myself

0:19:56.240 --> 0:19:59.399
<v Speaker 2>with people who would just say, Mary, I think that's

0:19:59.440 --> 0:20:02.840
<v Speaker 2>a great idea, instead of surrounding myself with people who

0:20:02.840 --> 0:20:05.000
<v Speaker 2>would give it to me straight. What do I mean

0:20:05.040 --> 0:20:08.960
<v Speaker 2>by that? These are people most likely your parents, right,

0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:12.720
<v Speaker 2>not every case, but people who've known you for a

0:20:12.760 --> 0:20:15.720
<v Speaker 2>significant amount of time or know you really well, and

0:20:15.760 --> 0:20:19.200
<v Speaker 2>who are not afraid to just say, hey, married, maybe

0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:22.160
<v Speaker 2>you should rethink that, or hey Mary, maybe you should

0:20:22.240 --> 0:20:25.120
<v Speaker 2>look at it from this angle, and so I think

0:20:25.480 --> 0:20:29.200
<v Speaker 2>in regard to how I've changed as a person now,

0:20:29.240 --> 0:20:33.080
<v Speaker 2>I certainly identify the need to have a strong, strong

0:20:33.200 --> 0:20:38.320
<v Speaker 2>community around me that pours into me in a healthy way. Right.

0:20:38.600 --> 0:20:41.159
<v Speaker 2>The people that I surround myself now certainly are not

0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:44.800
<v Speaker 2>get people. These are people that love me for who

0:20:44.840 --> 0:20:49.359
<v Speaker 2>I am, right and are willing to say the hard

0:20:49.440 --> 0:20:53.399
<v Speaker 2>things to help me navigate this thing called life. And

0:20:53.440 --> 0:20:57.000
<v Speaker 2>I am so very grateful for them in my life.

0:20:57.800 --> 0:20:59.480
<v Speaker 2>I want to tell you all why it's so important

0:21:00.080 --> 0:21:04.040
<v Speaker 2>I said to surround yourself with the right team, because

0:21:04.680 --> 0:21:09.280
<v Speaker 2>if you go through life thinking that it's it's going

0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:12.000
<v Speaker 2>to be what social media looks like. Because that's the

0:21:12.000 --> 0:21:15.520
<v Speaker 2>big thing right now, Everything on social media is it's beautiful,

0:21:15.800 --> 0:21:19.399
<v Speaker 2>general and pretty, and everybody wants to portray their life

0:21:19.440 --> 0:21:24.720
<v Speaker 2>as something magical, which we know is not active. Right.

0:21:25.119 --> 0:21:29.080
<v Speaker 2>There are moments in life that are, but many thingses

0:21:29.119 --> 0:21:32.800
<v Speaker 2>there are at people moments that are not. And I

0:21:32.800 --> 0:21:35.480
<v Speaker 2>think people just kind of get stop thinking that's the

0:21:35.520 --> 0:21:38.720
<v Speaker 2>way it is, and that there will be no picked

0:21:38.800 --> 0:21:42.879
<v Speaker 2>upsk in life. And it's so sad that young people

0:21:42.880 --> 0:21:47.919
<v Speaker 2>in particular see this example every day as they scroll Instagram,

0:21:48.119 --> 0:21:51.520
<v Speaker 2>tick pout, Facebook, whatever it looks like, whatever social media platform,

0:21:51.800 --> 0:21:56.960
<v Speaker 2>and that's what they see all the time. And so again,

0:21:57.240 --> 0:22:04.040
<v Speaker 2>surrounding yourself with reality, right they're on yourself with people

0:22:04.080 --> 0:22:07.560
<v Speaker 2>who will keep it real is so important, I believe

0:22:07.760 --> 0:22:09.960
<v Speaker 2>in our lives. So I also want to share with

0:22:10.040 --> 0:22:13.840
<v Speaker 2>you. You know, there was a time when, of course I

0:22:13.920 --> 0:22:16.240
<v Speaker 2>surrounded myself with I'm not going to take the wrong people.

0:22:16.280 --> 0:22:19.760
<v Speaker 2>They just weren't the right people for me, right, And

0:22:19.920 --> 0:22:25.040
<v Speaker 2>that led to obviously a lot of disappointment, uh.

0:22:24.880 --> 0:22:28.320
<v Speaker 3>And just a lot of feeling of hanging there.

0:22:28.400 --> 0:22:30.560
<v Speaker 2>You put like there are a lot of wood haves

0:22:30.600 --> 0:22:34.119
<v Speaker 2>and puttos right, and then you could have been X,

0:22:34.280 --> 0:22:36.760
<v Speaker 2>Y and Z, or you could have achieved this right.

0:22:37.040 --> 0:22:39.960
<v Speaker 2>And I don't really allow myself to go there very

0:22:39.960 --> 0:22:43.760
<v Speaker 2>often because it's hard to pull yourself out of that place.

0:22:44.040 --> 0:22:48.359
<v Speaker 2>People see particularly now on social media and on interviews

0:22:48.440 --> 0:22:53.800
<v Speaker 2>or whatnot, and it looks like one percent I've always

0:22:53.800 --> 0:22:57.720
<v Speaker 2>had it together. That's not the case. There are good days,

0:22:57.760 --> 0:22:59.800
<v Speaker 2>there are bad days. But now I just learned how

0:22:59.840 --> 0:23:00.880
<v Speaker 2>to hope with it all.

0:23:02.880 --> 0:23:04.560
<v Speaker 3>So I want to pivot a little bit.

0:23:04.640 --> 0:23:07.679
<v Speaker 2>We've talked about from UPSTI downs in my life. But

0:23:08.280 --> 0:23:10.320
<v Speaker 2>I know a lot of my listeners and followers and

0:23:10.359 --> 0:23:15.359
<v Speaker 2>people who watch the Legs Clear podcast just want to

0:23:15.400 --> 0:23:20.160
<v Speaker 2>know what it takes to be a disciplined elite athlete

0:23:20.200 --> 0:23:23.760
<v Speaker 2>and how people can embrace that discipline in all areas

0:23:23.760 --> 0:23:25.960
<v Speaker 2>of their life. And I love to speak on that

0:23:26.800 --> 0:23:30.239
<v Speaker 2>because currently what I do. In addition to being on

0:23:30.440 --> 0:23:35.399
<v Speaker 2>shows like Speciful Forces, I also am so blessed to

0:23:35.480 --> 0:23:41.160
<v Speaker 2>have started my own podcasts with my business partners tou

0:23:41.200 --> 0:23:45.040
<v Speaker 2>Van Evans called Second Wind, where we have the opportunity

0:23:45.080 --> 0:23:47.720
<v Speaker 2>to sit down with guests from all walks of life

0:23:48.200 --> 0:23:51.399
<v Speaker 2>who we believe are on their second wind in life.

0:23:51.480 --> 0:23:55.399
<v Speaker 2>They keep achieve some type of success, have hit the roadblock,

0:23:56.760 --> 0:23:58.879
<v Speaker 2>people have written them off and all of a sudden

0:23:58.880 --> 0:24:01.560
<v Speaker 2>but whatever different reason, they've been able to come back

0:24:03.080 --> 0:24:06.680
<v Speaker 2>and it's cake. You know, you'll find that a lot

0:24:06.760 --> 0:24:12.920
<v Speaker 2>of companies love to hire former athletes, former champions, and

0:24:12.960 --> 0:24:14.520
<v Speaker 2>the reason is very simple.

0:24:14.280 --> 0:24:18.240
<v Speaker 3>Is because to be a success, you really in.

0:24:18.359 --> 0:24:22.359
<v Speaker 2>Sport, you have to have self discipline. You have to

0:24:22.400 --> 0:24:28.159
<v Speaker 2>have figured out the formula to wake up in the

0:24:28.160 --> 0:24:31.200
<v Speaker 2>morning when you're tired, or when you're hurt, or when

0:24:31.200 --> 0:24:35.480
<v Speaker 2>you're sick, or when you're like, you have social pressure

0:24:35.680 --> 0:24:38.600
<v Speaker 2>pulling you away, right, you have to have a certain

0:24:38.640 --> 0:24:40.800
<v Speaker 2>discipline to say, you know what, this is my goal

0:24:41.240 --> 0:24:44.920
<v Speaker 2>and I'm going to sacrifice everything else for that goal.

0:24:45.240 --> 0:24:47.560
<v Speaker 2>So well, that's why you see these Fortune five hundred

0:24:47.560 --> 0:24:51.240
<v Speaker 2>companies like when they look at their list of potential candidates,

0:24:51.440 --> 0:24:57.120
<v Speaker 2>they're generally lean towards the side of hiring former college

0:24:57.200 --> 0:25:00.679
<v Speaker 2>athletes because they know that in the ground, in the

0:25:00.920 --> 0:25:05.000
<v Speaker 2>thick of it, these people will get the job done.

0:25:06.160 --> 0:25:13.240
<v Speaker 2>For me, I have always been self driven, self motivated.

0:25:13.600 --> 0:25:18.960
<v Speaker 2>I had some wonderful coaches and mentors along the way

0:25:19.080 --> 0:25:21.440
<v Speaker 2>in my life that I've just been fortunate. I had

0:25:21.480 --> 0:25:24.119
<v Speaker 2>some that were horrible. To be honest with you, it

0:25:24.119 --> 0:25:27.120
<v Speaker 2>didn't really make a difference for me because I knew

0:25:27.320 --> 0:25:30.160
<v Speaker 2>what for me the end game was. The end game

0:25:30.200 --> 0:25:32.440
<v Speaker 2>for me was to be a success.

0:25:32.640 --> 0:25:35.720
<v Speaker 3>The endgame for me was to make my mother proud.

0:25:36.960 --> 0:25:40.760
<v Speaker 2>And people sometimes will say, well, Mary, you messed all

0:25:40.840 --> 0:25:44.200
<v Speaker 2>day up, and I will quickly respond and say, you

0:25:44.320 --> 0:25:48.399
<v Speaker 2>think I have the one person who was there for

0:25:48.520 --> 0:25:53.280
<v Speaker 2>me when all of that negative stuff happened on the

0:25:53.359 --> 0:25:57.399
<v Speaker 2>courtroom steps after I played guilty. My mom's hand is

0:25:57.400 --> 0:26:00.159
<v Speaker 2>on my shoulder and she's tapping my shoulder rubbing. I

0:26:00.200 --> 0:26:02.399
<v Speaker 2>told her, and she's my biggest.

0:26:02.000 --> 0:26:06.159
<v Speaker 3>Supporter, saying, I love you, everything will be okay. I

0:26:06.280 --> 0:26:06.960
<v Speaker 3>believe in you.

0:26:07.160 --> 0:26:10.040
<v Speaker 2>I believe in this next chapter for you. They're gonna

0:26:10.040 --> 0:26:14.720
<v Speaker 2>be amazing. And so there's nothing that anybody says on

0:26:14.800 --> 0:26:20.080
<v Speaker 2>social media anywhere that can make me believe otherwise. I've

0:26:20.200 --> 0:26:23.919
<v Speaker 2>just been grateful for that support for my mother and

0:26:24.080 --> 0:26:29.240
<v Speaker 2>just seeing her and all the sacrifices that she has

0:26:29.400 --> 0:26:34.399
<v Speaker 2>made in her life has told with the discipline that

0:26:34.440 --> 0:26:38.400
<v Speaker 2>I was speaking of earlier, Right, Like, my mom came

0:26:38.440 --> 0:26:41.600
<v Speaker 2>here from a small, beautiful country by the name of Believe.

0:26:41.760 --> 0:26:45.639
<v Speaker 2>She came here very young, wanting a better life for

0:26:45.720 --> 0:26:50.840
<v Speaker 2>herself and for her kids, and she sacrificed time away

0:26:50.880 --> 0:26:54.639
<v Speaker 2>from family. She sacrificed so much for a better life

0:26:54.680 --> 0:26:57.600
<v Speaker 2>for her kids. And people say, oh, it would be

0:26:57.680 --> 0:27:00.639
<v Speaker 2>so difficult to be an elite athlete, so difficult to

0:27:00.680 --> 0:27:02.360
<v Speaker 2>do this, And I'll tell you this. I'll say, No,

0:27:02.760 --> 0:27:06.760
<v Speaker 2>what's difficult. It's coming to a new country, right leaving

0:27:06.800 --> 0:27:11.280
<v Speaker 2>your family behind, having a young child, not knowing what

0:27:11.320 --> 0:27:16.040
<v Speaker 2>the future would look like, and waking up every day

0:27:16.480 --> 0:27:19.600
<v Speaker 2>with this desire that no matter what, you're going to

0:27:19.680 --> 0:27:23.480
<v Speaker 2>make a better life for your kids, like don't is

0:27:24.480 --> 0:27:27.280
<v Speaker 2>that is sacrifice? And so when people ask me that,

0:27:27.320 --> 0:27:29.480
<v Speaker 2>I just kind of sit back and I say, I like,

0:27:29.720 --> 0:27:32.320
<v Speaker 2>you have no idea, right, It might look like, yeah,

0:27:32.520 --> 0:27:34.919
<v Speaker 2>the athlete a lot of success, and yes it is.

0:27:35.119 --> 0:27:37.800
<v Speaker 2>But then when you have gotten a chance to witness

0:27:38.000 --> 0:27:41.240
<v Speaker 2>through greatness and I have with my mom, everything else

0:27:41.320 --> 0:27:46.560
<v Speaker 2>is much more simpler. Let's move a little bit more

0:27:46.760 --> 0:27:50.720
<v Speaker 2>to like like's talking about fitness and the body, which

0:27:50.720 --> 0:27:53.840
<v Speaker 2>I love. I am a certified personal trainer. I have

0:27:54.080 --> 0:27:58.879
<v Speaker 2>such a passion for healthy living and for helping people

0:27:59.000 --> 0:28:04.399
<v Speaker 2>live longer, happier, healthier lives. Over a decade ago I

0:28:04.640 --> 0:28:10.919
<v Speaker 2>got my certification and training people virtually the proper technique

0:28:10.720 --> 0:28:13.520
<v Speaker 2>on how to stay fit and run and lift and

0:28:13.560 --> 0:28:16.840
<v Speaker 2>all that. And I want to share with you how

0:28:16.880 --> 0:28:20.320
<v Speaker 2>I've been able to connect the body, you know, and

0:28:20.359 --> 0:28:24.040
<v Speaker 2>as it's older, I will be fifty years old October

0:28:24.119 --> 0:28:27.040
<v Speaker 2>of this year, and it's it's.

0:28:27.920 --> 0:28:30.119
<v Speaker 3>It's amazing me to even say.

0:28:29.920 --> 0:28:33.080
<v Speaker 2>That that I've been on this planet for fifty years

0:28:33.240 --> 0:28:38.040
<v Speaker 2>and the incredible life that I've been given. But naturally,

0:28:38.520 --> 0:28:41.200
<v Speaker 2>at this age you start to see cases in your body.

0:28:41.200 --> 0:28:43.960
<v Speaker 2>I start to see aches and pains and things that

0:28:44.040 --> 0:28:47.920
<v Speaker 2>I never knew existed. But I have found with a

0:28:49.240 --> 0:28:54.560
<v Speaker 2>good nutrition and with a consistent movement pattern, meaning yeah,

0:28:54.800 --> 0:28:57.680
<v Speaker 2>I work out every day, full struggle. I have great

0:28:57.760 --> 0:29:01.160
<v Speaker 2>four art writings who both needs. You know, I struggle

0:29:01.240 --> 0:29:03.520
<v Speaker 2>with certain things. I don't nearly run it. I don't

0:29:03.560 --> 0:29:05.960
<v Speaker 2>run nearly as fast as I used to or jump

0:29:06.000 --> 0:29:08.800
<v Speaker 2>that side. But every single day of my life there

0:29:08.880 --> 0:29:11.840
<v Speaker 2>is some movement right. It's a non negotiable. I share

0:29:11.880 --> 0:29:15.160
<v Speaker 2>this with my clients often. Movement every day is a

0:29:15.240 --> 0:29:19.160
<v Speaker 2>non negotiable. Good eating right, making sure at this age

0:29:19.360 --> 0:29:26.440
<v Speaker 2>protein is everything, particularly for premenopausal and menopausal women. Making

0:29:26.480 --> 0:29:31.240
<v Speaker 2>sure that you get the proper amount of protein, healthy water, intake,

0:29:31.840 --> 0:29:36.200
<v Speaker 2>good sleep, relieving stress and so to me, just making

0:29:36.200 --> 0:29:38.640
<v Speaker 2>sure that is a priority in my life as I

0:29:38.720 --> 0:29:56.640
<v Speaker 2>age is so very important. I decided a few.

0:29:56.520 --> 0:29:57.720
<v Speaker 3>Years fact that.

0:29:59.480 --> 0:30:02.160
<v Speaker 2>I would notice a good amount of my friends who

0:30:02.200 --> 0:30:06.520
<v Speaker 2>are my age. I would see them getting heavier, I

0:30:06.520 --> 0:30:09.400
<v Speaker 2>would see them stressed out. I would see them dealing

0:30:09.440 --> 0:30:13.520
<v Speaker 2>with work and relationships and just really struggling overall in

0:30:13.560 --> 0:30:18.640
<v Speaker 2>their life. And I was been having those struggles and

0:30:19.200 --> 0:30:21.440
<v Speaker 2>I decided number of years fact that.

0:30:23.120 --> 0:30:27.840
<v Speaker 3>Making a decision to one plunging thing every.

0:30:27.720 --> 0:30:30.040
<v Speaker 2>Year of my life, something that's going to get me

0:30:30.120 --> 0:30:34.280
<v Speaker 2>out of my comfort zone, I think is the recipe

0:30:34.320 --> 0:30:37.040
<v Speaker 2>for a long and healthy life. So this year I

0:30:37.080 --> 0:30:39.280
<v Speaker 2>made the decision that I was going to attempt to

0:30:39.360 --> 0:30:43.560
<v Speaker 2>compete in my first triathlon. I had had an affinity

0:30:43.640 --> 0:30:46.960
<v Speaker 2>for the sport for many years, lots of respect for

0:30:47.080 --> 0:30:49.480
<v Speaker 2>these athletes who have to commit so much of their

0:30:49.520 --> 0:30:55.760
<v Speaker 2>time to perfecting three different disciplines or really four if

0:30:55.800 --> 0:31:00.520
<v Speaker 2>you consider nutrition as one cycling, biking, swimming, good nutrition.

0:31:01.160 --> 0:31:03.520
<v Speaker 2>And I decided that I wanted to compete this year

0:31:03.680 --> 0:31:05.560
<v Speaker 2>and see what I can do. And I've taken that

0:31:05.680 --> 0:31:08.080
<v Speaker 2>on and he has taken over my life. But I'm

0:31:08.120 --> 0:31:10.880
<v Speaker 2>excited to say that in about one month time, I

0:31:10.920 --> 0:31:14.520
<v Speaker 2>will be competing in Honolulu in a triathlon. And really,

0:31:14.520 --> 0:31:15.040
<v Speaker 2>what it.

0:31:14.960 --> 0:31:17.400
<v Speaker 3>Has taught me at this stage of my life.

0:31:17.960 --> 0:31:23.560
<v Speaker 2>Is an endurance component that I have been unfamiliar with,

0:31:23.920 --> 0:31:30.480
<v Speaker 2>particularly because in my prime, endurance was not the thing

0:31:30.960 --> 0:31:34.520
<v Speaker 2>right I was intended. I was chosen to run fast

0:31:34.560 --> 0:31:39.160
<v Speaker 2>from here to there, very fast, not around around, around,

0:31:39.280 --> 0:31:41.960
<v Speaker 2>around me tract lots of times and so taking on

0:31:42.000 --> 0:31:45.959
<v Speaker 2>a sport where endurance is everything. You can't go out

0:31:46.000 --> 0:31:48.080
<v Speaker 2>too hard, you can't go out too fast. You have

0:31:48.200 --> 0:31:50.960
<v Speaker 2>to learn and hate that you can maintain at a

0:31:51.080 --> 0:31:55.280
<v Speaker 2>high level for an extended period of time. It's such

0:31:55.280 --> 0:31:59.240
<v Speaker 2>a challenge for me participating in disciplines that I didn't

0:31:59.280 --> 0:32:04.040
<v Speaker 2>have a background. The pop swimming, I knew how to swim,

0:32:04.560 --> 0:32:07.360
<v Speaker 2>but the swimming that I did was hey, with my friends,

0:32:07.360 --> 0:32:09.680
<v Speaker 2>I'm jumping off the diving board and getting over to

0:32:09.720 --> 0:32:11.880
<v Speaker 2>the side, or with my kids making sure that they

0:32:11.880 --> 0:32:13.800
<v Speaker 2>don't drownd, nor do I.

0:32:13.800 --> 0:32:16.600
<v Speaker 3>I've never really swam left from.

0:32:16.360 --> 0:32:19.520
<v Speaker 2>Here to there. I learned proper technique and that is

0:32:19.600 --> 0:32:23.000
<v Speaker 2>mind blowing, especially learning to do that as an adult.

0:32:23.760 --> 0:32:26.440
<v Speaker 2>So that is the first challenge, the swimming component. The

0:32:26.440 --> 0:32:30.120
<v Speaker 2>second challenge was the fipling component. Did I know how

0:32:30.160 --> 0:32:33.280
<v Speaker 2>to ride my bike? Sure, my little Puffy and if

0:32:33.320 --> 0:32:36.960
<v Speaker 2>you're a third age you know all about puffy. I

0:32:37.000 --> 0:32:39.000
<v Speaker 2>could ride that around the block, or I can ride

0:32:39.040 --> 0:32:40.960
<v Speaker 2>that fast. But it had been a number of years

0:32:40.960 --> 0:32:43.520
<v Speaker 2>before I had really been on a bike for a

0:32:43.560 --> 0:32:46.200
<v Speaker 2>good amount of time, and there is a skill set

0:32:47.160 --> 0:32:49.520
<v Speaker 2>associating with that that I did not have that I

0:32:49.560 --> 0:32:52.280
<v Speaker 2>had had to learn. And then, of course the third

0:32:52.320 --> 0:32:55.760
<v Speaker 2>discipline is the running component, and most people hearing from

0:32:55.760 --> 0:32:59.800
<v Speaker 2>me might say, oh, that portion he must have down packs.

0:33:00.160 --> 0:33:03.640
<v Speaker 2>Got agatn't? I can run? Used to run fast from

0:33:03.680 --> 0:33:07.280
<v Speaker 2>here to there right short distance, but to have to

0:33:07.360 --> 0:33:11.400
<v Speaker 2>run a five k or further was mentally exhausting in

0:33:11.400 --> 0:33:13.280
<v Speaker 2>addition to physically exactly so.

0:33:13.280 --> 0:33:14.720
<v Speaker 3>Having to train my body for that.

0:33:15.280 --> 0:33:19.200
<v Speaker 2>It has forced me to learn balance in my life

0:33:19.240 --> 0:33:22.560
<v Speaker 2>because I when I competed at the highest.

0:33:22.320 --> 0:33:24.720
<v Speaker 3>Level, like that was all that.

0:33:24.720 --> 0:33:28.840
<v Speaker 2>I was supposed to do. Train At this point in

0:33:28.840 --> 0:33:30.960
<v Speaker 2>my life, It's not all I supposed to do. I

0:33:30.960 --> 0:33:34.320
<v Speaker 2>have a family, I have a business that need as

0:33:34.440 --> 0:33:38.040
<v Speaker 2>much science as my training. So learning balance in my

0:33:38.120 --> 0:33:42.040
<v Speaker 2>life and not allowing it to overwhelm me, not allowing

0:33:42.040 --> 0:33:45.479
<v Speaker 2>it to start to define again who I am and

0:33:45.600 --> 0:33:47.960
<v Speaker 2>want to be, has been the challenge. But it has

0:33:48.000 --> 0:33:51.480
<v Speaker 2>taught me so many new things about myself and whom

0:33:51.520 --> 0:33:54.840
<v Speaker 2>I want to be as a person, a mother, a partner,

0:33:55.080 --> 0:33:59.640
<v Speaker 2>an athlete, and I do things that I didn't even realize.

0:33:59.800 --> 0:34:02.720
<v Speaker 2>So that is my journey on triathlon. Every year from

0:34:02.760 --> 0:34:04.960
<v Speaker 2>this point out, I plan.

0:34:04.840 --> 0:34:07.960
<v Speaker 3>To choose something new, something that.

0:34:07.920 --> 0:34:11.160
<v Speaker 2>I a new skill, set a new challenge, something that

0:34:11.200 --> 0:34:15.040
<v Speaker 2>I've never done before, and I'm just so excited to

0:34:15.120 --> 0:34:19.160
<v Speaker 2>have discovered that and the need for that really in

0:34:19.200 --> 0:34:23.640
<v Speaker 2>my life. So with all of that, you know, my

0:34:23.800 --> 0:34:29.160
<v Speaker 2>kids have watched me transform and through all of this

0:34:29.520 --> 0:34:32.680
<v Speaker 2>all along with them. My mom, I've always just been

0:34:32.760 --> 0:34:38.280
<v Speaker 2>mom for them. It's funny. They know about my success

0:34:38.320 --> 0:34:41.920
<v Speaker 2>in sport, they also know about my challenges in life.

0:34:42.680 --> 0:34:44.520
<v Speaker 3>But at the end of the day, I'm his mom.

0:34:44.600 --> 0:34:46.560
<v Speaker 2>If you're listening to this, you know about that that

0:34:46.920 --> 0:34:48.960
<v Speaker 2>As long as I have their cash app and their

0:34:49.040 --> 0:34:53.840
<v Speaker 2>Venmo and I'm the mama Uber, they're perfectly happy. But

0:34:53.920 --> 0:34:58.120
<v Speaker 2>people always ask me why I made certain choices to

0:34:58.200 --> 0:35:01.560
<v Speaker 2>come back onto the scene, why I even decided to

0:35:01.640 --> 0:35:05.360
<v Speaker 2>play professional basketball I had after I had been released

0:35:05.360 --> 0:35:08.480
<v Speaker 2>from prison, And I tell them it's this simple fit,

0:35:08.560 --> 0:35:13.320
<v Speaker 2>simple equations for me. My kids, particularly with social media

0:35:13.800 --> 0:35:16.560
<v Speaker 2>and the internet, like they even if I made a

0:35:16.640 --> 0:35:17.440
<v Speaker 2>choice not to.

0:35:17.440 --> 0:35:20.399
<v Speaker 3>Tell them about what I did in my past.

0:35:20.320 --> 0:35:23.200
<v Speaker 2>They would know. I certainly wanted to be able to

0:35:23.480 --> 0:35:28.000
<v Speaker 2>explain things to them how they understand which I've done right.

0:35:28.320 --> 0:35:31.440
<v Speaker 3>But also as they get older and they have their

0:35:31.480 --> 0:35:34.680
<v Speaker 3>own families and they many dive.

0:35:34.400 --> 0:35:39.520
<v Speaker 2>In deeper into their mom's life. I wanted them to

0:35:39.600 --> 0:35:43.080
<v Speaker 2>be able to follow the trajectory of my life and

0:35:43.120 --> 0:35:47.440
<v Speaker 2>my career and see certain things that were important to me.

0:35:47.600 --> 0:35:54.120
<v Speaker 2>One sure, had a childhood and an adolescence whereby I

0:35:54.239 --> 0:35:56.960
<v Speaker 2>learned to love spork, found out I was very good

0:35:56.960 --> 0:36:01.560
<v Speaker 2>at it, achieved some hues dry and successes in sport,

0:36:01.840 --> 0:36:06.440
<v Speaker 2>Olympic champion, all of that. Along the way on this timeline,

0:36:06.560 --> 0:36:10.359
<v Speaker 2>Mom made some poor choices, right, lost it all right,

0:36:10.880 --> 0:36:14.600
<v Speaker 2>had to figure out how to refrain whom she was,

0:36:15.080 --> 0:36:17.480
<v Speaker 2>how to figure out what is she going to do

0:36:17.640 --> 0:36:19.800
<v Speaker 2>with her world and with her life, and to build

0:36:20.000 --> 0:36:25.200
<v Speaker 2>her reputation back. And again they're following this timeline and notice,

0:36:25.280 --> 0:36:27.960
<v Speaker 2>oh yeah, you know she had come back from it all.

0:36:28.800 --> 0:36:31.359
<v Speaker 3>You know, She's had the opportunity to share.

0:36:31.040 --> 0:36:34.359
<v Speaker 2>Her story with the world with the hope that people

0:36:34.440 --> 0:36:40.000
<v Speaker 2>can make better choices for their own lives and the

0:36:40.160 --> 0:36:43.839
<v Speaker 2>fact that I can be a living example to them,

0:36:44.239 --> 0:36:47.319
<v Speaker 2>and even once I'm gone from this world, they can

0:36:47.400 --> 0:36:50.799
<v Speaker 2>share with their kids and their families like this is

0:36:51.280 --> 0:36:54.480
<v Speaker 2>this is what real life looks like, if not what

0:36:54.600 --> 0:36:57.399
<v Speaker 2>you see on social media. Always right, this is what

0:36:57.520 --> 0:37:00.279
<v Speaker 2>real life looks like you have to set them time.

0:37:00.560 --> 0:37:03.520
<v Speaker 2>Sometimes you make a wrong whom you make a wrong call.

0:37:03.800 --> 0:37:07.680
<v Speaker 2>Sometimes something knock you down. Maybe it's a death in

0:37:07.719 --> 0:37:10.360
<v Speaker 2>your family, Maybe it's a divorce. Maybe it's something you've

0:37:10.400 --> 0:37:13.520
<v Speaker 2>done and not git down right, and you do not

0:37:13.719 --> 0:37:17.760
<v Speaker 2>know how you're gonna take another step, and you figure

0:37:17.800 --> 0:37:21.640
<v Speaker 2>it out, You repray, You create your own legacy, you

0:37:21.760 --> 0:37:24.840
<v Speaker 2>create your own narrative, and you pull yourself out of

0:37:24.880 --> 0:37:27.319
<v Speaker 2>that dark place, and all of a sudden you find

0:37:27.360 --> 0:37:31.040
<v Speaker 2>yourself knocking on the doors and then actually being opened

0:37:31.080 --> 0:37:34.239
<v Speaker 2>for you whatever that looks like the next season of

0:37:34.280 --> 0:37:37.080
<v Speaker 2>your life. And and for me, I can sit back

0:37:37.120 --> 0:37:41.640
<v Speaker 2>and say, Okay, a life well lived because my kids

0:37:41.680 --> 0:37:44.920
<v Speaker 2>can identify and see the timeline and say, you know what,

0:37:45.520 --> 0:37:48.440
<v Speaker 2>like my mom is a bad mammage general or she

0:37:48.680 --> 0:37:50.719
<v Speaker 2>was a bad mamma gemma. And for those of you

0:37:50.760 --> 0:37:54.080
<v Speaker 2>all hearing this and they're not certain way Mamma Gemma is,

0:37:55.560 --> 0:37:57.240
<v Speaker 2>it's a badass woman.

0:37:59.600 --> 0:37:59.880
<v Speaker 5>Oh.

0:38:00.840 --> 0:38:03.279
<v Speaker 2>I am excited just to be in this season of

0:38:03.320 --> 0:38:07.279
<v Speaker 2>my life. As I've shared, I had the opportunity on

0:38:07.360 --> 0:38:11.280
<v Speaker 2>Special Forces and I did well and I have launched

0:38:11.320 --> 0:38:14.439
<v Speaker 2>along with my business partners Susan Evans, The New York Times,

0:38:14.440 --> 0:38:18.960
<v Speaker 2>step Zone author our own podcast all called Second Wind.

0:38:20.120 --> 0:38:23.960
<v Speaker 2>You can find Second Win wherever you find your podcast.

0:38:24.200 --> 0:38:27.400
<v Speaker 2>We've brought in some incredible guests in our first season,

0:38:27.719 --> 0:38:31.560
<v Speaker 2>and I'm just excited to explore where that's going to

0:38:31.640 --> 0:38:35.000
<v Speaker 2>go and to continue to share my story, but even

0:38:35.080 --> 0:38:39.560
<v Speaker 2>more so like share the stories of people who inspire

0:38:39.640 --> 0:38:43.719
<v Speaker 2>me for various reasons, particularly those who are on their

0:38:43.800 --> 0:38:47.760
<v Speaker 2>second win in life. So that's my story in a nutshell.

0:38:47.880 --> 0:38:49.960
<v Speaker 2>In a nutshell, I'm going to wrap it up now,

0:38:49.960 --> 0:38:52.200
<v Speaker 2>and I want to thank you all really for listening

0:38:52.440 --> 0:38:56.160
<v Speaker 2>to this episode of Let's Be Clear. I'm Mary Jones

0:38:56.160 --> 0:38:59.960
<v Speaker 2>and you can follow me on Instagram at the Mary Jones.

0:39:00.560 --> 0:39:01.560
<v Speaker 2>Until next time