Lindsey Vonn: DISCOVER Your Potential, Destroy Self-Doubt & Develop Habits for SUCCESS EP 1132

This is episode number 1132 with Olympic gold medalist and world champion, Lindsay Vaughn. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. Amit Ray once said, Everyone has the fire, but the champions know when to ignite the spark. And Tim Fargo said, who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today. My guest today is Lindsey Vonn, who is the most decorated American ski racer in history and is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. She entered the international skiing scene in 1999 at the age of 14 and has captivated the world with her perseverance and superhuman ability on the slopes ever since. She's won four World Cup overall championships, the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the first one for any American woman, and many more incredible awards. Lindsay is also a New York Times bestselling author of her 2016 debut novel, Strong Is the New Beautiful, embrace your natural beauty, eat clean and harness your power, and has served as an international games ambassador in the 2018 Winter Olympics and is also the founder of the Lindsay Vonn Foundation, which supports girls through scholarships, education and athletics. And in this episode, we discuss the most influential person in Lindsay's life and how she's dealt with self-doubt over the years. Also, what life after her incredible ski racing career has been all about, how to bounce back from tragedy, the key habits for success and happiness, and so much more. And if you're inspired by this episode at any moment, make sure to text a few friends the link or share it over on social media. Go to lewishouse.com/1132 for the full show notes as well. Okay, in just a moment, the one and only Lindsay Vaughn: the School of Greatness is proudly sponsored by Amica Insurance. As Amica says, Empathy is our best policy. That's why they'll go above and beyond to tailor your insurance coverage to best fit your needs. Whether you're on the road, at home, or traveling along life's journey, their friendly and knowledgeable representatives will work with you to ensure you have the right coverage in place. Amica will provide you with peace of mind. Go to amica.com and get a quote today.

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Father's Day is coming up, and for lots of dads out there, dad doesn't quite cover it. They're groundskeepers, patio whisperers, and rogue leaf vigilantes too. So this year, show dad some love with gifts from the Home Depot. They've got fast free delivery on handy gear that helps dad do his thing. We're talking Ryobi cordless outdoor tools like the Ryobi 40 volt expanded string trimmer. Find the perfect Father's Day gift at the Home Depot. Shop in store and online at homedepot.com, free delivery subject to availability. Welcome back everyone to the School of Green. Very excited about our guest. We have the inspirational Lindsay Vaughn in the house. I'm so excited you're here. I was telling you before, it's always great having the greatest of all time in their field and you're the greatest Dan Hill, skier of all time, and it's exciting to have you here. We have some mutual friends, which I'll share more afterwards, but I'm excited to learn about your mindset because it's always fascinating to me the way people think who get to the top. And as a former professional football player and USA handball player, I was never at your level. I never made the Olympics, but I.

Was able to still professional.

So, but I was able to train. I was able to train hard and I was able to get to a certain level, but not to level you're at, which is inspiring. So I'm curious, I'm always curious about the most influential person in your life growing up because I think that has a big influence in our life. So who was the most influential person and what was the greatest lesson they taught you?

Well, I mean, the person that really inspired me was Peekaboo Street because she was like the only person that we had really in skiing at that time that was like, you know, really in the spotlight. And I met her at an autograph signing in Minnesota. You were 10, right? Nine. And so like as soon as I met her, I was like, that's what I want to be.

Really?

Yeah, because I mean, I skied for fun before that. I mean, I trained and all this stuff, and I loved ski racing, but I never really had a concrete goal until I saw her. And then, you know, it was suddenly an attainable goal. And then, you know, I ended up being on the Olympic team with her in 2002. And she said the only thing that she didn't say much to me because I mean, I kind of followed her like her shadow. And she was probably pretty annoyed because I was, you know, 16. But she said, you know, I asked her when she was inspecting, I said, what are you looking at? And she said, I'm trying to find the fall line. And I said, well, where is the fall line? And she's like, you, have to figure that out yourself. It's like an instinctual thing. And so I always thought about that and it stuck with me. But yeah, so... You mean when you're inspecting the course? The course, like you always look at the course and you find your line, right? And, you know, I was like, I'm just like, what are you, you know, I just want to pick your brain because she, you know, she was my idol.

I'm like, what are you, what are you doing? She wouldn't really teach you that though.

She was kind of-- She didn't really want to teach me that. I tried to force it out of.

Her, but it was a good piece of information nonetheless.

When was the first time you beat her? I actually don't think I did because, oh no, I might have beaten her in some of the World Cups that year, but she retired after the 2002 Olympics. So I didn't really get a chance to race against her very much.

She went out on top of her game, I guess.

Yeah, definitely above me. Right. Yeah.

And she was like, this girl's coming for me, so I might as well get out while I can.

Yeah, I mean, she had-- She had had similar to me, she had a lot of injuries and she was just kind of the same thing, like beaten up.

So what do you think made you such an instinctual dominant athlete? Where did the mindset come from like needing to or the desire to win all the time at the highest level?

I don't know, I'm a really competitive person and I'm always kind of like, I'm like a perpetual one-upper.

Yeah.

So, you know, it's like if I, and you know, I think one of the things that most people said about me is when I started to succeed, I said, well, now she's got this, she's gonna relax and it's not gonna happen again. And that's the exact opposite way that I think. I'm like, if I get this, I need to get this, and if I get this, I need to get that. And then just kind of like, I always try to get better and better because that's the fun of a challenge. And I think as time went on too, that I started to hit these marks of records and that then excited me and then just finding constant motivation in becoming better.

Did you ever doubt yourself?

There's only one time I doubted myself. I was, I think it was right after the Olympics. Which one? 2002. I was still young, you know, it says 17-18. 17, 18, and I just, you know, I kind of got demoted from the ski team. I was on like the, you know, Europa Cup team, which is one level below, and I was kind of crawling my way back and, yeah, I just, I kept crashing and I wasn't sure if I was gonna make it. And then I just decided to double down on what I was doing. I hired a trainer with money I didn't have. I asked for an advance on my contract. and I spent the whole summer with a new trainer in Monaco and I got my first podium the next winter.

So when you doubted yourself, how did you get out of it though? Was it just let me find people to help me get out of it?

I need like a reset, you know, because you get stuck in a rut and it's like what I'm doing is not working. So if I need to get to the next level, what is there that I can change? You can't change everything obviously because then you can't figure out what was wrong, but I needed to find something that I could drastically improve on to get better and fitness is one thing that that I had obviously worked hard at, but not hard enough. And so, I made that change and it worked. Now, when you had all these, you.

Had like what, I don't know, so many crashes and injuries, right? Throughout so many years.

A lot, yeah.

Just a couple. I mean, you tore your knees like 50 times. I mean, everything is crazy. You got plates in your arm and your back. I mean, it's nuts. How do you have confidence after a crash and come back and say, well, I'm gonna go back and do this.

Course or the next course, better, faster, stronger. Short-term memory. Really? Yeah.

I mean, it's part of the job.

The concussions, I guess, help because you forget. You're like, oh, wait, I don't even remember that. Shoot. Yeah, you know, it's like, that's crashing is part of the job description. So if you're not ready to do that, then, you know, you should probably not do that. But for me, you know, I always use it as a learning tool. You know, what did I do wrong? What can I do better? You know, I always analyze my crashes. A lot of people can't watch their.

Crashes because they're like, you know, they It's painful to watch your crashes, especially.

When you're schooling them. I was like, what's my style point? Oh my gosh. And every time my coaches, I would crash, they would stop videoing. So they're like, oh shoot, you know, they stop videoing. I'm like, you have to keep videoing. I want to see the whole thing. And so yeah, I mean, I just would analyze my crashes, what I do wrong. And, you know, I think for me, you have to push the limits in order to find your limit. And I always wanted to be right up on the limit. And then obviously you go past it sometimes, which you crash. And, you know, but if you're not pushing yourself, that hard and you're never crashing, you're never gonna find your limit. That's how I think.

But some of these crashes, they would take, what, three to six months to recover, right?

Yeah. Yeah.

So how do you get to, do you feel like you could have done it without crashing or do you feel like you need to crash?

I mean, not for me. That's just kind of how I raced was always 110%. So I think that's the reason why I was able to be, you know, as successful as I was and downhill for as long as I was, but that's also the reason why I crashed a lot. So it's kind of a double-edged sword, but I don't know, I wouldn't change it. I think every injury taught me something. I think I became a stronger person, maybe not physically, but mentally I definitely got a lot stronger. And I think when you go through those kinds of setbacks, you also have a different perspective and appreciate what you have so much more. So every time I crashed or I had injuries, I became more hungry to come back because I realize how much I miss it and how much I love it and, you know, just, I wouldn't change it. Yeah.

Can you walk me through when you're going down, right before you're about to go off, what is it called?

The starting gate.

The starting gate.

Yeah.

Right before you're about to go off, what does that five minutes before look like in your mind?

I mean, hopefully it's really pretty empty.

Really?

Yeah, I mean, because up until that point you do all the preparation, right? You know, I've analyzed the course, I've visualized it a thousand times in my head. I've done all the physical preparation I can do. I've warmed up in the morning. I've warmed up right before I'm in the starting gate. And at that moment, that's when you kind of automatize everything. Like everything should be automatic. You should be in the starting gate calm and like ready to go. Because if you're thinking about, you know, certain things that you could have done, you know, you're screwed. Because you have to be so in the moment. You know, when you're racing at 80 miles an hour, you have to be only thinking about what's Right here, you know, if you're thinking about this and that and the other thing, then, you know, that's a dangerous recipe.

Do you know what your fastest speed was ever?

Um, the fastest I've ever been clocked at was 84. Oh my gosh. But, you know, I don't know. That's so cool. The men have gone 100.

That's nuts.

Yeah.

You crash on that, you're...

It's awesome. How do you survive that? I don't know.

Good question. We have, like, back protection.

I mean, they have airbags now. No way. You didn't have that when you were... 17, didn't you?

No, I wish I did.

Airbags. Yeah, airbags in your back protector. And like if you are inverted in any way, it'll shut up.

Yeah, it's great.

That's amazing technology. Yeah, I know it's awesome.

I really needed that.

20 years.

Yeah. Now, you said you were nine when you met your hero, your idol, right? If your nine-year-old self was standing in front of you right now, what would you say in terms of advice to her?

I wouldn't say anything. Because you can't correct the things you've done in the past. And I think that again, everything that you experience teaches you something, whether it's good or bad. And so I wouldn't be here if I had done things differently. So I wouldn't go back and say, do something differently. I would maybe just say, enjoy the ride. But that's about it.

Do you feel like you enjoyed it?

Yeah, I did. I definitely think sometimes I took myself a little too seriously. I mean, but that's that's also part of it. You know, when you want to be, you know, the best, you have to give up a lot of things. And, you know, you can't always enjoy everything as much as everybody else, but, you know, I think it was well worth it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

For me, one of the hardest transitions in my life has been from when I was done playing football into what's next in my life.

Yeah.

And you've been transitioning for the last few years now. Has it been hard for you, or do you feel like you've set your brand up so well that it's been easy to kind move past the sport in a sense.

I mean, I tried as hard as I could to set myself up, you know, and I had plenty of work and plenty of things to do, but, you know, as you know, it's, you know, one day to the next, your life is completely different, no matter how prepared you are. And it definitely took me until probably, yeah, a few months ago.

Really?

Yeah. Covid was the best thing for me because I actually had time slow down because what I do, I always overwork. So if there's something going on in my life, no matter what it was, I had skiing. I could always really focus on skiing and kind of push the other stuff out. And so work is just a great way to band-aid everything as well. And so with COVID I had to slow down, had to think about things, think about retirement, which was horrible.

When did you officially retire?

February 2019.

Okay, so a year before COVID so almost two and a half years.

Yeah, so it took me, I mean, the year after, you know, before COVID was, yeah, it was really hard. And then COVID was like, okay, slow down, think about things, process things, and now I'm finally at like a really good place where I'm not, you know, working to, you know, forget that I used to ski race. Really?

Yeah. It's weird, huh?

Kind of weird, right?

It's really weird. Now, when your last race was, was that in February then?

Yeah.

Your last race? When was the last big medal that you won? Cause didn't you have like, the last race? That was it. Didn't you have a big crash like.

Five days before or something?

Like two days before. Two days before, you had a big crash. Now, Brad Slater asked me, asked you this question, cause it was a big crash.

This was 2019, huh?

Yeah. How did you decide to be like, okay, I'm gonna come back after demolishing your body?

I mean, there's really no other option.

It's like, not race.

Go big or go home. I didn't want to go home.

Really?

Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I've always been the person that if I can walk, if I can be out there, I will be out there. Unless you have to, like, the doctor physically stops me. Or you can't walk. Right. I'm gonna be out there. Pretty close to like, you know, not being able to walk at that point. Cause I was, I had torn my LCL, so I was racing with no LCL. I had braces on both knees. Shut up. No, I was, it was definitely, I.

Felt like I was being held together by duct tape.

Okay. And so like my last race was literally, I was like, well this is it. This is all I got. So I'm just gonna lay everything on the table and see what happens. And I, it was hard because I didn't want to crash in my last race. There's no do-overs.

You knew this was gonna be your last race. Oh yeah, it was, I'm done after this. Yeah, as long as My body is falling apart.

Literally. And so, you know, it was like, there's no do-overs, this is your last chance. And yeah, I just literally, I threw down and gave it everything I had and I'm, you know, third place. It's crushing it.

So how did you get your mind right though? Like, I know in your body, you're like, okay, I'm just gonna toughen it up and just make it happen.

But how did you get your mind right? Well, I actually talked to my coach that I grew up with in Minnesota the night before my race and he's like, What is 60 seconds in your whole life? Wow. Like, what is 60 seconds? I was like, wow, it's a really good perspective. I'm like, it's nothing. It's like, exactly, it's nothing. So who cares? Just go. Like, all right, yeah. I mean, that was my mindset anyways, but it just kind of like put everything in perspective in that moment. And then he made a great point.

He's 96 years old and he made a great point. Wow. That's a great point. Isn't it crazy that, I mean, how many Olympics did you do? Three, four.

Four Olympics. Yeah.

That's nuts. Just Masochi. What's it? Only four times the Olympic. Isn't it crazy that so many athletes, I'm sure you know as well, train decades for 60 seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds.

It's nuts. And especially, you know, qualifying too. You have cold, you're a track and field athlete, your competition is 60 seconds, 45 seconds, and you're a little bit off and you're done. Yeah, it's crazy.

A decade, two decades of your life. Over.

Over.

Luckily you never had to deal with that because you won a bunch of medals, but how do you think people could deal with that mindset, that mentality of I gave my whole life to something, whether it's a relationship, a career, a project, whatever, business, and it doesn't work out.

How do we bounce back from that? I mean, it's hard. I think everyone has their own process. I always felt like if I worked hard enough, things would turn around. Like whenever I had really bad moments, I said, you know, the good guy's not gonna finish last. You know, I'm going to come back. I just have to double down. you know, reinvest everything in myself and come back. You know, sometimes you just need a little bit of a reset. Sometimes, you know, you need to take a break and come back to it. Sometimes, you know, it's more of just a mind over matter. There's a lot of different ways to get from point A to point B. But I think the biggest thing is just believing in yourself, which can be very difficult to do, obviously, especially if you have, like, multiple setbacks in a row. But that's why I always journal. Really? You know, I did a lot of journaling from, like, a general day-to-day to when I was I would write everything down. Really? Especially when things are going well. Because everyone thinks when things are going well, this is great, it's so easy, and they forget about what they're doing, and then all of a sudden one day things aren't going well, like, Shit, how do I get back? You know? So it's good to keep, like, I always kept notes of everything, like what runs felt good, what skis felt good, what boots felt good, and then I always had a reference point to go back to.

Was that daily or was that just most days?

No, daily. Every day. I have stacks of books, yeah.

When did you start?

Probably 2005.

So you were what, like 21 or 23 or something? Yeah. Okay. So for 13-14 years. 14 years you were journaling consistently.

And I also, on and off, I journaled my workouts because that got a little bit excessive. There's only so much journaling one can do, but I occasionally did do my workouts as well.

But was it more like, here's what I did, here's the feeling I had, here's what worked, what didn't work?

Yeah, like every run, you know, I would write down, you know, I tried a different line, it didn't work, I felt good, like this boot felt good, you know, this setup felt good, you know, this felt bad, I tried to do, you know, this line, it didn't work. I just, as much detail as I could give myself, I felt like the better because it's only helping me.

Where do you think you would have been if you never journaled?

I think I would have lost my way a couple times because, you know, looking back definitely gave me confidence and thinking about, you know, remembering, you know, like how it felt to have a good run and what I was doing in that moment, you know, my own words helped me visualize that, which then translated into me finding my way again. So, you know, I don't know.

I feel like-- so you would read back your journals?

Yeah.

Mm-. Okay.

Yeah.

Interesting.

Yeah.

You talked about believing in yourself. How did you learn to believe in yourself consistently with all the setbacks though? How do you stay in belief when it's like, okay, crash, failure, didn't make the Olympics here, whatever.

I'm going through personal struggles in my life, whatever it might be. How do you stay in belief with yourself? I kind of always went back to, especially when I had multiple injuries, I always went back to why am I doing this? You know, I'm doing it because I love it. I'm passionate about it. And, you know, even if I have setbacks, I still am happy every time in the starting gate. So it's kind of like always going back to the root of why I'm there. Yes, I love winning, and that's always what I wanted to do.

Right, right.

That's, there's no going to lose about that. Yeah. But, you know, at the end of the day, you know, when I'm in, when I'm putting myself through everything that I did, you know, all the rehabs and everything, I always remembered I loved it and I wanted to go fast again. Whether I won or lost, I wanted to go fast again. So kind of keeping things in perspective, which again is like, you know, one of the reasons why I think being injured, you know, not so many times, but you know, having injuries is just a good way to have a different perspective on things.

Reflect and see, do I still love this or not? Do I want to keep going? And it sounded like you did so many times. How important was mental health for you, you know, throughout your entire career? Because it wasn't really talked about until like the last five years, mental health, importance of self-care and Taking care of your mindset, how important was that for you? And do you ever feel like you lost it at times or overwhelmed or stressed or depressed at certain points?

Yeah, definitely. I mean, I definitely struggled with depression for a long time and I, you know, was vocal about it not until.

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Slash Lewis 2012 maybe and at that time like you know no one was talking about it I hadn't told my parents like I didn't tell anybody and then I just was like this is something I really need to do and it definitely helped me kind of process everything and like feel more comfortable about it. But I mean, you know, if being on the road is really hard, you know, you're always in a hotel room. I'm always by myself. And, you know, a lot of times, you know, people just see the athletes like on the podium and happy and like in the media. But, you know, when the cameras go off, you go back to an empty hotel room and it can be really, really hard again, especially because you're doing it for so long, you know, and the end of my career, I think, thankfully, I got my dog Lucy. so she was like my companion and always was with me and definitely helped a lot. But it's like the loneliness really gets to you.

It is lonely. If you're training that hard for something, I mean your team is there and I'm sure your family are there, but at certain points you're just alone.

It's isolating.

It's very isolating. There's not many people that can probably relate to you. You have a couple peers, there's a couple other athletes you can talk to and kind of understand your coach maybe.

But... Then also, you know, If you want to talk to somebody about it, they're not really going to have any sympathy for you. Because you're doing well.

Because you're making money and complaining about something.

So, you know, success doesn't equal happiness. I mean, everyone says that. Like, money doesn't equal happiness. Success doesn't equal happiness. You have to find that, you know, on your own. But, yeah, it's just because you're successful doesn't mean you're happy. And there are definitely a lot of.

Times where I was not happy.

Really?

Do you feel like you're happy now?

Yeah, I'm actually the happiest I've ever been.

I love that. You do have a great energy about you right now. Not that I knew you before, but you have a great energy right about you right now. What brings you the most joy in your life?

I think just waking up every day and being excited about something new, new challenges, new experiences, meeting new people. I think I was so focused on skiing that I had blinders on and I didn't see a lot that was around me. And you have to do that if you want to be successful. But I just, I get so excited every day because I'm like, what am I gonna do today? You know, am I gonna wake surfing? Am I gonna go mountain biking? You know, all these things that A, I haven't been able to do just because of my sport. And like B, I just have never experienced, so I just, I'm excited. It's a very exciting time. I'm very, very happy.

So it sounds like it only took you two years to kind of transition from the sport to feeling at peace about moving past it now, right?

Yeah.

Kind of letting it go. That's pretty quick though. Most athletes hold on to a sense of loneliness or depression or the glory days.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I miss it. And it's easier in the summer 'cause no one's racing.

You know, like ask me again in.

February when the Olympics are going on. Oh man. Yeah, and this past winter was the World Championships in Cortina, which is literally.

One of my favorite places and I.

Was commentating for NBC. Oh, how was that? Watching and commentating at the same time. I could only do a couple races and I I prefer to only do, I prefer the men because, you know.

It'S, you know, like I could beat these girls right now.

I'm not putting myself in a position. But, you know, it's like, it processes it as a death, you know, like a death. You know, like it's gone and never coming back. 'Cause the second you think, oh, well maybe I could do a comeback, it'll really mess with your mind.

How important has rituals been in your life? Do you do a lot of rituals beyond journaling to when you said it's like a death, have you ever like put your skis in a coffin and buried it to like allow you to process or something like that?

Yeah, I actually did the opposite. I always had like my Olympic medals in my sock drawer. I never had them out. Like I never, I mean I had like a nice trophy case for my other other, you know, trophies, but I never.

You probably had a whole room for all your trophies. There's been so many of them.

I had a nice display case in Colorado, but now I moved to Utah, so I don't have, literally everything is in storage. But you got your-- But I have my Olympic medals. So my Olympic medals, I for the first time got my gold medal framed. Wow. And I got all my world championship medals framed. That's cool. And it was like, this is a big moment. Of course.

And it kind of was like, this.

Is what I did. You know what I mean? It's not what you're doing.

Right.

Ooh.

'Cause it was kind of like, it's put away now. You know what I mean?

Yeah, right? There's a lot to celebrate, but my heart hurts.

Right? Gosh.

So it was like, it was an interesting moment to do that. It seems weird and you know, slightly vain, but I just felt like it was like, this is what I did and it's done now and I can look back and be happy about what I did, but it's not what I do. And it's not who I am, certainly.

Who are you?

I'm just a nice girl from Minnesota.

You're from the Twin Cities, right? You're a small town near there? Yeah, I played football in Marshall, Minnesota for a a season. Oh, no way. I played in the Metrodome like four or five times. Metrodome. Yeah, it was the old school. Crazy. The Astro turf. Oh man, I still have like turf toe from the Astro turf, the Metrodome. Yeah. It was a good time. I was in Minnesota for three months. I came from my freshman year to play football at Southwest Minnesota State and I left after the winter. I was just like underground tunnels to get to classroom. I was like, this is nuts. Remember the first day I went to training camp? In football in the summer, it must have been August. Remember stepping on the field and literally, I've never seen this in my life, the field moved with me every step. Millions of mosquitoes moving with me to the next step. I was like, what am I doing?

For weeks, I'm just swatting mosquitoes.

Yes, Minnesota, it's mosquitoes, a state bird.

It's crazy.

Yeah, it's gross.

It's probably not as bad in the Twin Cities, but like in the farmland, it was nuts. Yeah, I mean actually when I grew up racing, It would be so cold sometimes they wouldn't let us take off our jacket and pants. We would have to race with everything that we had on. Which is like, my dad would have the car sitting, like, ready and warmed up. It would literally go straight through the finish and into the car.

I'm curious about mental health now, 'cause you talked about when you were lonely and kind of had some depression during the traveling time. What is it like now that you've hung up the awards, that you've gone through different challenges in your personal life, and I'm sure you're having career stuff up and down? What are you doing to stay mentally strong? post career?

I mean similar things. I started working with a new psychologist which was really good. He kind of focused on more like athletes and had worked with other athletes that have retired which was I think really helpful.

What's his name?

Dr. Armando.

Dr. Armando.

Yeah, he's awesome and again we're with a lot of athletes and he kind of also had a different technique of like processing things which is really good.

What was the technique?

It's called brain spotting.

Okay.

But it's also, it's kind of hard to explain, but basically you sit there and you really focus on the thing that really makes you emotional, whatever that is, like retirement or, you know, whatever. And your brain has to actually like process it to be able to like unload it, otherwise it's just gonna sit there because he has a theory that, you know, you're like your body keeps score. Absolutely. So any trauma- It's a great book.

Called the Body Keeps the Score.

Oh, really?

It's amazing.

It's called the body.

It's called the body keeps the score. Okay. And it's not just physical, emotional trauma.

It's like stored in the body until you process and heal it. But he didn't say that I don't.

Store my trauma from my crashes, which... You don't. No, I don't. You don't physically or emotionally?

Both.

I mean, physically I do, obviously.

Right, right. But... But you don't keep it emotionally. No, I don't know. How'd you do that? I don't know. Short-term memory? Short-term memory.

Concussions.

I always watch my video. I always, like, I processed it.

I was like, this is what I did. This is what I need to do better.

I just moved on. The more you don't address it, the more it becomes a problem.

Absolutely.

So yeah, so he was like one of the best things that happened to me.

Brain spotting. So you think about the moment of sadness or frustration or the emotional trauma.

Or whatever it is that is really causing you anxiety or emotional frustration or whatever.

Frustration or sadness. so you think about it, how long do you think about it for? What's the process then?

It could be a couple hours, you.

Know.

He usually comes to my house for a few days, like we have good sessions and kind of work when we have time, when we can. It's really different, but it's really great. And yeah, he's awesome. We should look him up.

I'm gonna check him out.

Yeah.

So what happens at the end of the 30 to 60 minutes when you're thinking about, are you supposed to put your attention on the feeling, on the event, on the emotions.

Everything, like visualizing what happened, how you feel, and like the more you think about it, it's weird. I start, you know, with something that's emotional and it's very triggering and then by the end it becomes less triggering and less triggering and then by the end it's like, okay.

You let it go.

Yeah.

It's when we resist something where it continues to kind of fester and be suppressed inside of us, but the more we actually pay attention to it, and go through different scenarios and process it, then we can let it go. It's not as scary anymore. Right. So brain spotting, what's another strategy you've used to help?

Surrounding myself with people that really support me and for me who I am, like my sister and my family and really good friends. I have a very small group of friends, you know, I mean, I travel all the time. I have a crazy lifestyle, but I have really, like, A couple of friends that I grew up with in Minnesota since I was seven years old and like were solid. And it's just, you know, spending time with those quality people, allowing yourself to be you and not having, you know, any fear of judgment. I think that really helps, you know, I don't know, be yourself and then be around other people is easier.

Did you feel the fear of judgment when you were competing ever?

Not really. I think when I was competing, I had the most confidence. You know, I felt like on any given day, if I was healthy, I could win. It was totally different than what I am in real life.

Really?

Yeah.

So in competing mode, you were super confident. Yeah. You're talking about, but then you walk off.

I harness all of my confidence that I ever had, and I put it right in the game.

Okay, but you're saying you weren't as confident in your normal life outside of competing?

No, not really, yeah.

What did that look like?

I'm more shy. I'm not really, I feel like I'm more right now this is like media mode. Yeah, yeah. You know, and which is still me, but I'm just, I don't know, it's different when I'm at home or like I'm at a dinner or I'm at a, you know, a function. I'm not the person that's like overly, you know, talking to people. You know, I'm like, I hang back and I wait for someone to come to me. Interesting. I don't know, that's just, well, the.

Next time I'm on an event with you, I'll make sure to come up to you.

I'll give you a hug. I swear. I'm not like trying to be my, like, you know, some people think that I'm just, you know, they don't want to come say hi and I just, I'm not trying to be, you know, negative. I just, you know, shy in my corner.

Do you feel like you're, you've been able to translate that confidence into your life now or do you feel like.

There are more times where you're, It's been a while. Really. But yeah, I feel like finally I've kind of spread out the confidence. Really. So it's not, you know, solely in.

One place, but it's like, you know, sprinkled everywhere.

What do you do on a daily basis to build confidence? Honestly, I think working out is one of the best things that's happened to me.

The greatest.

Yeah, I thought for a while, you know, I don't want to work out. I'm retired.

Really?

I want to, you know, enjoy it because I've been working out my entire life. And I stopped working out like, wow, I really feel like, you know, like, I I felt miserable. And then I got back into it, and the more I did it, the better I felt. And so now it's like I prioritize working out because it makes me feel so much better. And I like working out first thing in the morning because then it That's my day up for success. And I feel confident and, you know, better and clear-minded and it's just, it's awesome.

It's the greatest feeling ever.

Yeah.

And when you can look yourself in the mirror completely naked, stripped down, and be like, at least I'm proud of the process. Maybe I'm not proud of the result right now, but I'm proud of like.

Showing up for myself today. That feels good. Well, I feel like no matter how you look, as long as you like, you're putting your best effort forward. Like when I work out, you know, six days a week, you know, and like the scale says something other than what I feel like I put in. Like, I mean, sometimes it still bothers me, but, you know, I feel like that's not a testament to, you know, the effort that I felt like I gave and also, like, how that made me feel from a confidence perspective. And so you always got to keep that in mind. It's really more about, I don't know, I feel like it's more about mental.

Absolutely. Mental competence.

Yeah.

Than physical competence. What would you say are the non-negotiables you've been living this life? for a while now at a top level, 20 plus years you've been competing and now transitioning. What would you say are the non-negotiables, three to five things that have helped you become successful and that will help you to continue to be successful? If you had three to five habits or things that you must do, non-negotiable in your life to support your success, what would those be?

I mean, work ethic is general, but at the same time, if you want to succeed at anything that you're doing in life, you have to be willing to put in the work. you know, and make those sacrifices. I honestly feel that the most successful people aren't the most talented. They're not the smartest. They're the people that are willing to go the extra mile that the other people are not. What else? I think, you know, rituals are habits that, you know, help you, you know, get to the place where you can work hard. So whether that's working out or again, journaling or going on a walk or, you know, meeting your friend once a week or whatever it is. finding habits like healthy habits like that that put you in a mental place that allows you to then work harder and again then be more successful. And then surround yourself by people that believe in the same things that you do. So that will help facilitate your success and not bring you down. I think it is oftentimes really hard to actually find people that want you to succeed. I think.

Why is that you think?

That's just human nature, I think.

Or jealous or... Yeah, I mean and.

Honestly I haven't experienced that a lot but sometimes it like creeps up on you and you're like, wow, you really didn't want me to succeed.

Really?

Yeah, so it's just kind of... Like.

People you've hired on your team or friends or peers.

My internal teams were tied, you know, they've been with me since I was 16. I'm a very loyal person. We're a very tight-knit group and I like to keep it that way. But yeah, there's peers or friends or people, yeah, coming in that pretend to be one thing and they're not. And so it's good to make sure you keep yourself surrounded by people that want to see you succeed and will help you get there. And if you have to make your sacrifice, they're going to pick up the slack for you.

Right.

Because you can't do everything alone. That's the other thing.

Right. What were your coaches and your team like when you were competing? Do you think you could have been as successful on your own or without the team?

No. You need a team. You absolutely need a team. And so it goes with everything that you're doing, whether it's in business or sports or whatever, you know, you can't do everything by yourself. So surround yourself by people that will help you. And, you know, my coaches were amazing. I had the best ski technician in the world, Heinz. He literally was just as invested in my success as I was. I mean, if I, when I won, he would cry. You know, that's beautiful. It was great. And, you know... Did you cry too? I cried because he was crying. It was like a thing. I'm like, Heinz, why are you crying? You're making me cry. And, you know, he was so nervous when I crashed. And, you know, it just feels really good to know that someone's that invested in what you're doing. And they're putting just as much effort into what they're doing to make you succeed as you are. It's like me working in the gym. You know, he's in the ski room. tuning my skis for hours on end. And a lot of people don't know that about ski racing. It's your equipment is a huge part of your success. So if I didn't have him, if I didn't have my coaches, I didn't have my physical therapist, Lindsay Winniger, who helped me get back from all my injuries, you know, if I didn't have like all those people, I couldn't do what I did. Right. So.

Team is everything. What's the greatest lesson your coach taught you?

It was my coach from Minnesota, the 96 year old. said, I think it was like 10 or 11, he said, I'm fast the way I am, so don't change it. A lot of people at that time in my career tried to change my technique, and even my dad was like, you know, this isn't, she's not gonna succeed if she stays like this. And he's like, no, this is her natural talent. Stay with what you have. Don't try to be someone else. You're fast the way you are. And so I kind of, you know, morphed that into life as well. You know, it's like you are who you are, and that's what makes makes you special, so stick with it.

That's a good lesson. It's a beautiful lesson. And how do you deal now and how did you deal with negative thoughts? Did they fester for a while? Did you have a technique that allowed you to get out of it into more positivity?

What did you do? I think journaling helped. Honestly, skiing was the best outlet for me. It's therapy, huh? Yeah, and which was why it was so hard to retire, you know? Which is why then, you know, COVID sitting there with your thoughts, not ideal, but ended up being great. Yeah, I mean, I think social media was at times really difficult, you know, because other people would say negative things about me and that would kind of creep in. And I wouldn't necessarily always believe it, but it's still kind of, it's like there, you know, it's like a little mosquito, and it's like, annoying. People actually think that about me, you know, and it kind of adds a little bit of, of doubt in there and. It's not always easiest to get rid of those negative thoughts, but I try to focus on again, like what makes me happy? Why am I doing this? I'm not doing it for other people. I'm doing it for myself. Yeah. And, you know, everyone's going to judge you. Everyone's going to there's always going to be people that say bad things about you. But, you know, when the lights are off and you go to bed, you know, it's just you and are you happy with yourself? And I think that's the ultimate question. And if you can be happy with that, then you're good. Who cares what anyone else thinks?

Amen to that. There's a great speech by Matthew McConaughey where he talks about his hero is 10 years away from him. He's always chasing his hero when he won the Oscar, I think it was. He said, I'm always chasing my hero who's 10 years away from me. We talked about your 10-year-old self. You've had a couple of years of transition now. I'm curious, in 10 years from now, where do you see yourself being and what advice do you wish your 10-year-old.

Your 10-year away self, would give you right now? I have no idea what we'll be in 10 years. Like, I don't know where we'll be in 10 days.

I know, it's crazy.

And I really like not knowing it. You know, I used to really try to, I'm a planner, and I like organizing and like knowing what's gonna happen and like planning as far out as I can.

You're always scheduled. You got events, you got training. Yeah, yeah.

It's always a schedule. And I kind of really like not having as like, you know, as tight of a schedule as I used to have. And so, I don't know. I have no idea. hopefully I'll have kids and, you know, 10 years is a long time, you know, I'm 36 and that's, you know, I don't know. But I know that I have a lot more to do and that's really exciting.

What do you think advice you would want to hear from your 10, your 46 year old self?

I think the same as, you know, when you ask me what would I tell my 10 year old or 16 year old self, I wouldn't say anything.

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Because I have to have those experiences and I'm excited for them, you know, good or bad. I think, you know, it's just a part of the journey. And so far it's been great. So I feel like just keep it.

One day at a time.

One day at a time. Keep it simple.

And when do you feel the most loved? when you're doing what?

Hanging out with my dogs. Yeah. They love me no matter what. Isn't that the best feeling ever? Isn't it incredible?

So I have three. I'm the crazy dog lady.

Oh my god, it's not crazy.

Well, I have one cat, so I'm.

The crazy cat dude.

Oh, yes. That's where I draw the line. Because I travel so much. I travel so much. And cut. She's a good cat.

She just relaxes.

She's like a little dog. She like lays next to me. She just like purrs on me. I think I'm scarred for my mom's cats. They're crazy cats.

No, you need a chill cat.

You need a cat that's like a dog. That plays fetch and- yeah, no, no, no.

Yeah, so my dogs are the best. Nothing like having a Ben and Jerry's, my three dogs watching Law and Order. Pizza, the look.

Oh my gosh.

Yeah, that's when I feel the best.

What is something about yourself that you're most proud of that most people don't know about?

I don't know. I feel like everyone knows everything about me. Sometimes way too much. That I'm most proud of. I don't know, I'm most proud of my family. Just like, you know, I think I'm really lucky to have siblings that are, you know, as great as they are. And, you know, I'm really proud of, you know, where everyone's, how far everyone's gone. And I guess that has something to do with me, but at the same time, I don't know, I feel like we're all a unit, so I'm proud of them.

Beautiful, yeah. What about your biggest fear right now?

I mean, I had a lot more of them a couple months ago, but I feel like... What were they a couple months ago? Well, you know, I hadn't really processed like, you know, retirement. So I guess now I'm, I don't know, I'm just kind of happy not knowing what's gonna happen, you know, where I was a little bit nervous, you know, it was gonna happen before, like, you know, where's my career going? You know, what's life? What's gonna, you know, just, 'cause, you know, as much as I have things planned, nothing's really planned. Right. Right.

So, I don't know.

And your fears now? I don't know. I kind of, it's, I guess it's similar to skiing. Like, I don't really, I try not to think about any, like, I don't, I never had fear when I was skiing, and I think I'm finally in a place where I am, like, very present in the moment. I'm not thinking about, you know, what could go wrong. I'm just seeing about what opportunities are there.

That's beautiful. And what is the question you wish more people would ask you, but they don't ask you? How are you doing?

How are you doing?

Yeah, I'm great. Thank you.

How are you? People don't ask you that enough. Like, in a general way. Like. Yeah. You know, it's like, how are you feeling? Like, I don't know, people. It's like. There's greetings. We're like, Hey, what's up? You know, how's it going? But it's like, actually, how are you feeling? Like, are you happy? You know what I mean? Like, I have a few people that.

Say that, and those are my friends. Not many people ask you how you're feeling. No. Again, next time I'm at an event and you're by yourself, I know what to do.

Exactly. I know what to ask you. I'm coming up to you.

I'm gonna ask you how you're feeling. I'm pretty simple. Yeah. Yeah, I think those are really important things.

Who is the person in your family that has taught you the biggest lessons?

I'm sure they've all taught you something, but what's a lesson that really stands out?

I mean, everyone's taught me something. I think, you know, my grandfather and my dad taught me, you know, about toughness and, you know, what it really means to sacrifice and work hard. And I think those are incredible traits that, you know, not a lot of people have. And, like, I have a really good understanding of what it means to sacrifice because they had such a great example for me. Yeah. But, I mean, I think my sister, Karin, really kind has been, she just helped me be like a person.

And that's all she's a human being.

Yeah, I'm like, that's been great.

Not the athlete and not the competitor or the personality.

Right, and that's the one thing I love about my family, which, you know, is why I talk about them so much is because they're, I'm always me, you know? So they always, you know, doesn't matter what I do, I'm always, you know, gonna be me and they always treat me like that and it's just kind of nice to always have that to go back to.

What was that like coming from such a small I guess, Midwest town, I guess, Northwest town, but I think of Minnesota's a Midwest town. Midwest, yeah. I'm from Ohio, so I think it was all.

Ohio. Oh, yeah.

We had little bunny hills that I skied sometimes when I was a kid. What was it like transitioning from small town, you know, Midwest values into the spotlight and into the scene and into everything that comes with that? How did you stay grounded?

I think there are moments where I kind of like, you know, especially when I was like 18, 19, where I didn't really 20 and you kind of got into the hype a little bit. You did get into it a little bit.

A little bit.

And then, you know, my family was like, this isn't you. Chill out.

Yeah, like, what are you doing? Just 'cause you went to two Olympics doesn't mean anything.

Doesn't mean or anything special. And so again, like, you know, family kind of always has been the equalizer. And I always go back to Wisconsin and see my relatives and it's like, and we just had like a big celebration for my grandma's 90th birthday and, you know, like everything's the same.

We're in the garage celebrating, you know, Playing cornhole, wake surfing.

Exactly. Right? Definitely cornhole, s'mores, amazing.

It's the best.

Yeah, so it's just, you know, that's normal for me and so I don't ever get, I don't know, I don't, that's actually. You don't let Hollywood take over.

Yeah, that's something else. Yeah, that's beautiful. Sounds like a good life. This is a question I ask people towards the end of the interviews.

It's called the Three Truths. So, that sounds really intimidating.

I don't know if I'm scared. So, it's a hypothetical question. So, I'd like you to imagine, how'd you imagine your childhood, your older self? I'd like you to imagine that many years away from now, it's your last day on earth. And you get to live and accomplish and do everything you want to do. All the ups and downs and the beauty of life. You get to live as old as you want to be, but then eventually.

It'S gotta be your last day.

Yeah, hypothetical. Okay, so this is your last day. Last day. You've accomplished everything.

Yeah.

But for whatever reason, all of the words that you've said, all the content, this interview, your books, anything you create, goes away. Yeah. Goes to the next place. So no one has access to your information anymore.

Okay.

So you're blank slate. Blank slate. Okay. No one's got your message to the world. Okay. If you could leave three lessons behind, and this is all we would have.

To remember you by, three lessons.

I call it, I call it, it's really intense. You know, it's called the School of Greatness, Lindsay. It's not School of Average. Oh, wow.

If you have three lessons you can leave behind, I call it three truths.

Yeah, based on what's in your heart right now, what would be those three truths?

I don't know, always stay true to yourself. Like, never give up on your dreams, which is cheesy, but very true. And, I don't know, third one. I don't know. I feel like maybe you can't make anyone else happy. You can only make yourself happy.

Mmm, that's so true.

It's a good one.

You can't make anyone else happy.

Yeah.

Did you have to learn that the hard way?

Yes, I did. I've had many times. Yep. It's, I cannot make anyone else happy no matter what I do or how hard I try. So I can only make myself happy and I can make someone else happier.

Mmm.

But I can't make someone happy.

I think I saw Will Smith share a quote about this recently. He was like, happiness, I think he was talking about his wife, happiness is Her responsibility. I can contribute to the happiness.

I've seen that one.

But it's not my responsibility to make someone happy. It's my responsibility to make me happy, there's to make them.

Which seems really kind of narcissistic in a way. But it's true because if you don't know who you are and you don't know what makes you happy, how are you supposed to make someone else happy? It's like you have to focus on yourself and if everyone focuses on making themselves happy, we'll be a lot better.

I feel like up until recently, I have I've been in the pattern my entire life of wanting to please and make others happy. Yeah. Especially like in intimate relationships and close dynamics. And it hasn't been until up until recently when I started to really not abandon myself in those settings, make sure I stand up for what I want, say what I need to say, and not just...

Boundaries.

Give in and do something to make someone else happy.

Yeah.

Because I've done that my entire life up until recently. And I tell you what, It's exhausting trying to move that way.

It's very exhausting.

It's exhausting, right, Lindsay?

Very exhausting.

What made you realize that that's one of your truths? When did you realize like, okay, this.

Is-- I mean trial and error. Yeah.

Do you feel like you were that way in multiple-- You feel like you were like that with family or intimate relationships and business?

A lot of things.

Really?

I think, you know, personal stuff, but also like, you know, with media stuff, I had to learn to say no. I can't please everybody. I can't do everything that everybody wants me to do. I can't sign, I can't physically sign every autograph, even though it kills me when I see little kids. And I'm like, I literally physically have to go to the start right now. I can't literally have to race. I literally cannot sign your autograph. That's tough. And that's really hard, but that's the reality. And, you know, I can't live my life, you know, upset that I didn't do something or I didn't make somebody happy or one person doesn't like me You know, I mean, you can't live your life that way. And, you know, sometimes it really ate at me. Really. Yeah, but now it's like, I can only do what I can do.

Right.

You know, I can't do more than that, and I can't make other people happy again to the point.

How have you learned how to disappoint people and be okay with it? Because I feel like I'm gonna need to learn how to just be comfortable.

With-- I'm disappointed in myself. Like, if I can, again, turn the lights off, go to sleep by myself and say, I did the best I could today, then that's what it is.

What if you disappoint millions of people? How do you feel?

I mean, it sucks. But that's, you made either you made a mistake and you gotta live with it and just own it or, you know, people just don't like you. But if, you know, if it's like something that you really believe in, then that's what it is. You know, I mean, you can't change who you are. You can't change what you think or, you know what I mean? It's like some people, you know, no matter how polarizing have opinions, and as long as that's what you believe and you're true to it, then that's, who am I to judge someone else's opinion? That's the thing. I never judge anyone else. No matter what it is, whatever you believe, that's you. I'm not going to criticize that.

What would you say has been the biggest emotional challenge for you to overcome in your life? You talked about depression and mental health. Is it people pleasing? Is it staying true to yourself? Emotionally? Is it trusting yourself? What's been the biggest emotional challenge?

I think people pleasing. Really? Yeah.

You've been like me your entire life too?

Working on myself. Yeah, because I'm very, I'm selfish when it comes to skiing. Because you have to be focused on yourself in order to make gains and to be in that position. But, you know, I was very selfless when it came to, you know, other people around me and like, and wanting them to be happy. And that takes a lot of energy and it's very draining.

Exhausting.

Exhausting.

So why do you think people live in that way, in that space? Why do you think me and you have done that and others tend to do that?

I have a question for Dr. Mondo.

There you go.

I've called him after this. What is the answer to this question? You know, I don't know. I've always been like that. I'm the oldest of five. I always try to take care of my siblings. Change all their diapers, like, you know, I just, I help when I can. I, you know, try to make everybody happy and, I don't know, it's so tough. It's like, some of you gotta ask Dr. Mohan, like ask some psychologists, 'cause that's a deep question I don't have the answer for.

I will ask him. I've got one final question for you and a statement. Before I share the statement and ask the question, I want people to follow you, 'cause I love your content around social media. So check out Lindsay Vaughn with two Ns, around social media. You got LindsayVon.com as well, right? Or what's your-- I think so.

Your website?

I don't really use a.com anymore. Your website? It's like, yeah. It's there.

Gotcha. But social media is your main thing. Is it Instagram or Twitter or Facebook?

Which one to use most? Probably Instagram the most, but yeah, all those platforms. I'm not really on TikTok. We gotta get you on there. I feel like I'm too old. I don't know.

I'm 38 and I'm on TikTok. Oh, come on.

The generation is getting older, you know?

Yeah.

Remember when Facebook was just for college kids?

There's so many platforms.

It's nuts.

It's really overwhelming.

But you got a great team, don't you? I do it all myself.

Oh, you got to build your team. Everything I do. Just like you had in sports. That's not me. That's not authentic.

I'm, this is me. This is everything that's on there.

That's all me. I know.

Of course. But you can have teams support you. Just like everything on the- I don't trust anybody. So, I don't mess it up.

Everything on the slopes is all you. But you had a team to support.

You with the tuning Skiis and doing this and making your schedule is good.

Yeah, but would I have my team come in here and do an interview for me? No, so you got to there. You can still post your content, take.

The content you want to do and make sure they support you in other ways. It's an extra step.

It's actually an extra step. It's easier for me to post it than to send it to somebody. I get it. You know what I mean? I get it. It's like, also it's like, what's the point? I say what I want to say. It's very authentic.

Yeah. It's very authentic. Very inspiring.

It's just me. If you want to follow me, great. If not, I'm sure there's a lot.

Of people out there. There's millions of people. It's great. And you got a book coming out next year, early next year, which I'm excited to share out as well. So be on the lookout for that.

People can pre-order it, hopefully soon.

I don't know if they can pre-order it now. I don't think they can now, but in a few months, I think they can.

Pretty soon, yeah.

It's called Rise. It's going to be inspiring about all these lessons and more. Yes. I really should have talked to you.

For all the books.

But I'm assuming you're sharing a lot of these insights and more philosophies and stories and lessons, right?

Yeah, it's kind of like all of the things that I've experienced in my life and what it taught me and how I overcame it. You know, more the mental side of it.

That's cool.

It's meant to be inspiring because we all face obstacles and we all have to overcome certain things. And so, yeah, it's my life as a roller coaster written down.

Beautiful. Beautiful. It's exciting. So, when that comes out, make sure you guys pre-order that. My statement, Lindsay, is I want to acknowledge you for a moment for the incredible life you've had up until now, for the ups and downs, and for being so mentally and emotionally tough to continue to show up for your dreams even when you had so many injuries. I've been surgeries and injuries myself and I know how hard it is sometimes to come back. after the first time, but then after 30 times, for you to keep showing up for your dreams and for your heart is so beautiful and inspiring. And also for you to know when it's time to transition. I think it's inspiring as well, even if you didn't maybe want to, but showing up authentically where you're at now, healing in the process of the transition, being a positive force for your fans, your followers and your family, which is most important. It's really inspiring to meet you, to connect with you, and to hear about these stories and kind know more about your life. So I acknowledge you for all this that you've created and accomplished. And I'm excited to see what you create moving forward. And when I'm at an event that you're at, I know exactly what I'm gonna do. Hi. I'm coming right up.

I'm nice.

I'm gonna ask you how are you feeling? How are you feeling? Thank you. Yes. That'd be great. Yes.

Look forward to it. I'm very excited. My final question, what is your definition of greatness? My definition of greatness is like overcoming all obstacles. I mean, I think The greatness isn't just, you know, a perfect run on a perfect day, you know, it's when you're at your absolute limit and, you know, you're scratching and clawing to get to the finish and, you know, you make it and you push yourself past where you, you know, think you could ever go. Because, you know, like Tom Brady, you know, his best, he always says, like, his best performance isn't, you know, winning this or that Super Bowl. There's, like, certain moments where he felt like he overcame a lot, and those are, those are like really great moments and again to each his own so not everyone has the same experience and everyone's greatness is different but yeah, that's beautiful.

Were you in Greatness Code also?

Yes I was. So many greatness.

That's right, that's because I remember that story from that of Tom Brady talking about that I was like oh I think you were in that too yeah it was a great series.

I always watch stuff like that because.

I think it's so cool.

Yeah it's really cool to see and to hear and you know again everyone has their own experiences and it's interesting to learn from that. yeah. Yeah.

I think it's all very inspirational. Love it. Lindsay Vaughn, thank you for being here. Thank you. Appreciate it. My friend, thank you so much for being here and for listening to this episode. I hope you found it inspiring. Lindsay's message, her lessons, her stories are inspiring to me. And it's so cool to see what she's been wanting to create in her career and also what she's doing now in the different stage of her career as well. And if you enjoyed this, make sure to share this with a few friends. You can text a few friends, you can post it on social media, you can post it wherever like, use the link lewishouse.com/1132 or just copy and paste the link on any platform that you're listening to this podcast. Also, if this is your first time here, then welcome to the School of Greatness. We've got over 1100 incredible episodes with some of the biggest names in the world. Make sure to click the Subscribe button right now on Apple podcast so you can stay up to date on the latest and greatest right here on the School of Greatness. And leave us a review over on Apple podcast. I'd love to hear your biggest takeaway from today's episode with Lindsay by leaving us a review over on Apple podcast. And I want to leave you with this quote from Jeffrey fry, who said, the difference between Champions and everyone else is that Champions are never afraid of losing while everyone else is afraid of winning.

Whoo.

Man, that's a good one. And I remember playing sports my entire life, and you could feel it. The ones that were playing not to always did. The ones that played to win sometimes lost, but they gave it their all and they won most of the time. So make sure you're going out there every single day playing to win. Don't be afraid if you fail, because it's only just feedback helping you get more information to move forward the next day. I appreciate you. And I want to remind you, if no one has told you lately that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. And you know what time it is? It's time to go out there and do something great.

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