Gracie & Annie Kunz on the Olympic Heptathlon, Injuries, & Life After Sport

Yeah, and so that, to me, is like, I would rupture my planar fascia 100 times over. She plays 6th at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. She currently holds the 5th best score US All-Time in Hit Tathuan. Not only did she compete in two sports at Texas A&M, she also became an All-American in both. Any Coons, welcome to athletes after all. Thank you. I'm so excited to chat with you. We're so back, babe. We're so back. Oh my god, I'm so happy you're here. Thank you for coming. I have been such a fan of yours. I was actually going to tell you, I haven't, I don't think I ever told you how I found you. Like how we ended up connecting. But I was literally scrolling on my like my reels or whatever and this video pops up and it's like a video of you playing soccer or like running the beat test or something. And it literally said like, missed every beat test or failed every beat test, but still somehow became an Olympic track athlete. And I immediately was like, babe, I'm sad. Like what? And I was just like, I need to know this girl immediately. She seemed so rad. And then I like ended up following you. And then you posted stuff about like your workouts and stuff. And I'm like, I think she works out on my old gem. No, really? Yes, I just worked out at lifetime. Oh my god, wait, that's so funny. And I'm like, is she, is she my home child? Is she my only girl? Yes, I'm like, is she a fellow saint than any girl? I really love it. And immediately I'm like, oh, she's my girl. So I like ended up, I think I reached out to where you followed me back for something we connected. And then immediately when we, when we shot our first sport, so I was like instant. Oh my god, instant. Yeah, so much fun. And then your brother knows my husband. It's just like so, everything keeps connecting. It's so weird. I forgot about that too. Like my older brother's friends with her husband now. And it's just like, they're so funny. You're my husband. I know you're happy. We'll get to that later. I'm so excited to talk about that. But I wanted to start with just you explaining to our audience what the Heptathlon is. Because if you haven't watched our sports swap, you should go watch it. It's very good. It's highly entertaining. I only did like, what, six or five? You did five. I'm excited. You did really good though. Thank you. Like, so good. Go check it out because it was amazing. I was so freaking sore the next day. Oh, my God. I was too after gymnastics, honestly. But yeah, so for people that don't know the Heptathlon, you can explain quickly what it is. Yeah, just for people that don't know. Yeah, so the Heptathlon is basically the women's version of the Decathlon. Usually people recognize the Decathlon more. And that's what the guys do. It's 10 events over two days and we do seven. So it's a 100 meter hurdles high jump shop put 200. And then long jump javelin and the 800R and day two. And it's basically on a point system. So however far you jump or throw or how fast you run, you get like a certain amount of points down to like the millisecond centimeter. Well, and they added up on a point system at the end. And that's how they score for a second third. Well, yeah. So we can come down to like literally milliseconds. Oh, yeah. Yeah, but yeah. One centimeter could be the different, like one point where the difference between first and second. So it's so wild. It's so wild. It's really cool, yeah. I remember I was talking about that actually on hurdles. How like you literally put me next to you. Yeah, it was just like, this is the difference between gold and silver. Yeah, the intensity is crazy. That's so insane. I mean, gymnastics can get close for sure, but it's so much more rare to have that level of like intricacy. Yeah, well, there's no one else out there while you guys are competing. And you're like, everyone's just signed up next to each other. No, no, I'm not on the beam. And I'm like looking at someone else on the beam. Like I got to go faster than that. I'm like, whoa, that would be so scary. Well, I want to kind of start from the beginning. I know you have a very fun athletic family. Come from a very athletic background. How did you get into sports to begin with? Oh gosh. Well, I'm the youngest of three. So my brother is eight and a half years older. My sister's 10 years older than I am. We were all whips babies. But I was a big whips. Came a lot later. So I was always kind of getting dragged to their like soccer and track and football and all that. So my mom put me in track. I'm obviously tall. I'm six feet. I'm sitting down, but I'm six feet tall. And I was tall for my age. So my mom put me in the 50 year in dash. It like two and a half, I think. Wow. When you can do, yeah, I think it was like the first thing you can put kids in as like the deer. No, it's running around. It's the cutest thing I've ever heard. So I was like two and a half. My mom put through me in that. And so that's when I started track. So I mean, I basically came out of the womb running. And then I started soccer at three. So I basically, you know, I did both of them all the way through college. But yeah, my mom just threw me in at a really young age and it's been a ghost ever since. Wow. That is so rad. Yeah. At what point were you kind of, I guess, leaning towards more soccer and track? Did you try all the other sports or were you simply just like soccer and track? Oh, yeah, no, I tried everything. I kind of look back at like my parents and, you know, I really grateful that they put me in like everything. And the ways like let me choose, they never pigeonhole me into something that like was their dream or what they thought I should be doing. So I did everything I did tennis. I did T-ball. I did. Oh nice. I really did it all. Soccer and track were just the ones that, you know, I definitely had more talent and they saw, you know, I loved it too. I loved soccer was my first love. It's a team sport. So that was kind of my focus my whole life. I was always the soccer ball that ran track and in Colorado, soccer and track are in the same season. So I would basically just train for soccer 'cause I'm not, it's a team sport. So I'm like, I'm gonna be with the girls. Yeah. You know, just show up. So I trained for soccer and my sister was actually my track coach through high school, which is super cool. Yeah, 'cause we're 10 years apart. Fair, yeah. So she was amazing because, you know, I would just kind of show up to track practice when I could, but she, like, I could probably count two hands. The amount of track practice I actually had. But that, I would work with my sister, you know, kind of in the off hours, if I had an hour here. Oh, that's cool. So you got to kind of have special treatment a little bit. Yeah, I just, I didn't have a lot of time. I basically just showed up to track needs in high school for the most part. She's a freak. Yeah, and then, you know, college was really the first time in my life that I started training for track and field. And still, it was half the time because I was a soccer scholarship. I was a full ride for soccer. So I was definitely a walk on for track. So yeah, even then, it was like half the year doing both sports and college. Well, yeah, and like, I feel like when you are getting paid to play soccer, it's hard to not make that your priority. Yeah. Don't feel like you have a really strong obligation to the program. Absolutely. They're paying for me to be there. But that was why I landed at A&M and what I think was so special about, you know, my choice going there was they were the only school that really went out of their way to show me what it would look like for me to do both sports there. I had a lot of other schools at the time. I'm like, yeah, I'll let you to vote. But then like, there was no conversations of like what the logistics would look like. They weren't actually serious about that. Yeah, they didn't introduce me. They wouldn't all sit down together with like the track coach and the soccer coaches. And when I went to A&M, we sat there with both coaches. They walked me through what a week would look like. Okay, on Mondays, you're going to go throw a track while you're in season what's not worth that. And then so I just really felt like they actually meant what they were promising to me. So I'm really grateful for that I had the ability to do both. And it was a good experience. That's so cool. I feel like yeah, the action behind the words is so key. Totally. Especially when you're getting recruited because I feel like they can say so much stuff. And then you show up on campus and you're like, where is all the bells and whistles? Totally. And I don't know if they're full of it. Absolutely. That's the hard thing with the recruiting process. It's like you want to trust what people are telling you. But and I think that I don't know that they really thought I would stick with it all four years. I think they thought I'd maybe like try once one year and then tape her off. But I was committed and did it all four years. So she's a savage. I love it. Was there ever at a point where you got so good at track that you thought maybe you'd get a scholarship for track as well? I mean, I could have. Okay, just soccer recruits sooner. So I mean, a lot of the scholarships for track are decided in your like a senior year, which is super late. Soccer is like you're committed in sophomore. Yeah. Freshman sophomore year, you're like pretty much decided about it. So it was really just going to the schools that were interested me for soccer. And then also talking to the track coaches and seeing if they had interested me. Yeah, and then figuring out what worked. That's so cool. And I would tell you, I got like low key recruited by the track. Did you? Well, that makes sense now. That's worth talking like was it hurtling? Because you think that I'm so quickly. But I don't remember like what it was specifically that we were doing. We were doing like some sort of conditioning, like kind of a rebounding thing in the gym, bounce. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're literally just drop off a block and then you bound off the ground. And I just have really tight like ankles and I've hops. I guess just, but the rebounding specifically not the jumping with my legs, but with my like a keelies and my feet. Yeah, yeah. And spring. The guys like, we got to get her on the track. Like, yeah, like she's getting high. Yeah, so they were like, would you ever? And I honestly thought they were kidding. But then when I like met other people who did multi sport, I'm like, you would have been a really good pole holder. I would have loved it. I have tried pole faulting. I want to try it again. Now that I've gotten more experience in other sports, I think it'd be a really fun sport to try. Because I was my first ever real sports swap. Oh, really? I'm trying pole faulting. Oh, my God. I feel like he's really throwing myself into it. But it resonated so much with people because they were like, this is so relatable. Like, I've never seen Gracie like struggle. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, 'cause I'm always doing my sport that I love. Totally. That I'm like, pretty decent at. Yeah, the concept is awesome. Yes, and so that's kind of how we got into it. But I guess my biggest question, especially for all my, like my Olympic athletes, is when in your career, did you know the Olympic dream was actually possible? Oh. That's a hard question. I mean, I there's an interview I mean in high school and I got interviewed and they're like, you know, it was always a dream of mine Yeah, it was always a fever dream and felt like I'm like okay, but it's from my crib like I mean since you were little I remember going to the Olympic trials Then they were in Sacramento. I think I was like 12 like probably like 12 years old somewhere around there I can't remember the year um and It was so funny because of Sacramento is a summer so it was like 120 or something that day and my cousins were with me And my mom you know, it tells me every like vividly she remembers like my cousins were just over it after an hour They were like okay. I'm hot. I'm like ready to just like complaining As she's like you didn't say a word like you just sat there and enamored and like just locked it in locked in and so I and I remember just you know around that time too just watching the Olympics every every four years was just so amazing and so I think it was always a huge dream of mine And there's an interview and I'm in high school and they asked me like you know what sport? Do you want to be an Olympian? And I'm like both so it's always been there as a dream. I think the Reality of it Didn't probably hit me until I was like 27 Wow. Yeah, like I really struggled my first two years as a professional um and even you know, I've just been a late bloomer to the sport as a soccer girl that played track Things in track and field really didn't take off for me until my fifth year up until that point I was always the second best heptath late my training partner is better than me every year Which is a really good position to have when you think about it and the kind of scheme of things Yeah, you're always getting better. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I really yeah she pushed me and it was just hard because you know With doing both sports, which I wouldn't change a thing, but you don't get those foundational parts of the year Yeah, so with track I'm missing the fall which is when you get all the technical training for the heptath one Yeah, I'm jumping straight into into a season in December like as soon as soccer season ended So I really missed the foundational parts of you know, Jack and then in the spring I missed spring season where you're building your conditioning you're getting the rapport with the girls So it's always kind of playing catch up a bit too and I'll come back to soccer season Um having to like prove myself and earn my spot again um So with that like I you know, a track just really didn't take off for me until my fifth year when I read shirted and did solely focus on Yeah, my soccer coaches sat me down um after junior season and they were like you know at my class Also for me and him is like one of the top classes that they've ever had we're like 10 girls for soccer. Mm-hmm No way. Yeah, we had 10 girls. I think three or four of us were Gatorade player of the year Oh my god. Yeah, so we have Gatorade player of the year. Yeah twice For soccer. Why is that not on my accolades card? I see I told you guys like I don't even know my accolades Girl Yeah, she's too humble. Yeah, so Yeah, we had a really talented class and they sat us down They were like, you know, we have the potential to go to final four at the time A&M had never gone Wow So they sat me down. They're like we really want you to just like get the foundation of the spring like lift with the team You know train for so far you're ready to go. Yeah, and then And then transition to track and so I I needed a fifth year for school anyway because just being in season every year I could only take like the minimum amount of credits and Um which I suggest I would do a victory laugh because like why would yeah, why would you not enjoy your college, you know So um, so yeah, I did a fifth year We went to final we went to final four that year Let's go for the first time in school history for A&M It was just like an amaze we didn't you know, we didn't make it to the final but we went to final four Um, and then I transitioned to track for the first time in my life and that was really like truly the first time I put all of my energy and focus into track and field and That's the year that I qualified for the Olympic trials which and it was for the Rio 2016 Olympic trials, which I didn't expect to do at all Um, I think going in I was like 20 second like whatever the whatever deadlosses I was the last or seconds elapsed. I can't remember um and any like 22 girls qualify I think I ended up finishing eighth broke the school record for A&M. Wow So I really just opened my eyes that was like a pivotal moment. I think in my career where you know, I always thought I'd go back to soccer. I wanted to go pro and soccer at the time the Houston dash was getting started It had interest in me. So I was thought I'd go back to soccer after that year in that moment really Just opened up my eyes to like my you know my potential in the sport and You know gosh, what if I actually put all my energy and you focus for more than just one year and like what can I do in this sport? And I think a little bit at the time. I was a bit burnt out of soccer um So just struggling both. I can't even imagine. I'm just so burnt out in general. Yeah getting to focus on one thing like Yeah, probably felt like such a brush like a breath of fresh air. Yeah. Yeah, it was nice It's like you get you avoid the burn out in a way because you're bouncing around to both sports. Yeah, um, but juggling both I was burnt out. I was like okay, I'm ready to just pour into track and um, that's where I got recruited from the The Olympic trials for my now coach to train come training out in San Diego and Um, I ended up going back to school and training with my college coach for like six months, but um after that I moved across the country and decided to pursue it full time and and that but then those first two years are really hard So yeah, I kind of like struggled with self-doubt and What the hell am I been doing am I capable of this and I meant but I mean I was scoring worse than I did in college as a pro Um, so those first two years were so hard and so I really it really took time for me I didn't really probably didn't see the potential to like actually be a competitor to make the Olympic team until like 2019 or 2020 so yeah Do you think that shifting to just one sport might have been like too big of an adjustment because then I think a lot of times that you also have to deal with The not so great side of focusing on one sport where you're putting all your eggs in one basket Yeah, you're putting so much pressure on yourself. Oh, yeah, like you're not distracted from other stuff like yeah I kind of felt that with gymnastics where I had only done that one sport my whole life Yeah, I think if I had more balance, I probably might have had just a better relationship with the sport Yeah, and I wouldn't have taken it to such an extreme like do you feel like maybe just going pro and diving into it? I think it was all for I honestly think Doing two sports of like I think that helped me kind of avoid that feeling for a while. I think when I went pro um It was just the intensity of the training the volume um The comparison to my training partners. There's really tough. I was training with Erica Bogard who She's incredible um, she's been my training partner for like eight years But she you know was national champion like six times in like six times. Oh, she's huge She's like the girl to be as I was with her every day Yeah, and I was constantly comparing myself. I'm eating healthier. You know, then that my training partners But I'm gaining weight. I'm working harder than I ever had so I think I hit um Like you know my nutrition was something that I struggled with just not knowing how to fuel properly and like I'm training harder than I have ever trained in my life. Why am I like Why am I gaining body fat percentage and like, you know, why am I book? Why is my performance worse than it was in college Um, and then like my mindset stuff So I would say the two things that like allowed me to become an Olympian were like my I got my body in my mind optimal performance and finding coaches That would help me in those areas. Yeah, um, and that's when things started to turn for me. I love that I mean, oh you talked about your passion for nutrition Was there ever a time when you struggled with fueling your body because of that comparison? I know Yeah, oh my god I think every female athlete has experienced it so yeah, and I had coaches and I mean I had freaking Coge men are just so not tactful and like just they think that they're like motivating you our soccer coaches would call us fat Like oh, I had my eight track coach. Tell me one time like yeah, if you lost you know, and I like I love him to do So I'm not trying to like rag on him, but he was like If you lost ten pounds or five ten or five pounds again, remember what he said you'd like be so much better You'd be so great if you lost like X amount of weight and I'm like yeah that kind of thing Just sticks with girls like my god. Yeah. This is so much with your body image and just that food noise like I just remember Not having a good relationship in that regard where no matter where I was with you know training partners with my boyfriend with friends I'm constantly thinking about like okay, should I have this bread right now? Yeah I really want the bread but like should I eat the bread because I really you know, I'm already struggling with my weight So I think that food noise is really challenging for me. Yeah, and the frustration of feeling like I'm doing everything right like I'm I'm eating like I part My training partners, but yeah, it totino's pizza last time like god. What I would give to have a new you know, so it's like yeah, I struggled without for a long time. So I'm I think that it's such a gift I think that's where so much of my passion comes with the functional nutrition Side of things and just literally learning how to feel my body because I it got rid of that food noise Like I don't have food noise anymore. Yeah, I have such a healthy relationship with food because I feel like I've learned how to feel my body and Just kind of reframe how I even look at food. It was like it's fuel like I was gonna say like you've you've eliminated the emotion Yeah from that relationship as a whole like you just took the emotion out because I think it works exactly and you just are like I'm a Ferrari. Yeah, I can't put yeah mild, you know Terrible gas. Yeah, I got to put premium gas. Yeah, and I just was getting horrible advice like I at that point And that was also the frustration like I'm doing with every nutritionist up and down plan told me what to do Wow, so that was also frustrating. That's crazy. So meeting you know, you're training at the Olympic training center And then not knowing what I remember I did like a food log a three day food log to kind of go over things and they were like oh yeah I did everything great like you know, maybe swap out this for like a Greek yogurt rather than that looks great I'm like well clearly it doesn't because I'm 10 pounds heavier than I was was in like six months ago, and it also gets so complicated. - Yeah. - When it's not that complicated. - Yeah, and it's also, I think it's frustrating though, because I think a lot of times it's like a one-size-fits-all, and that switched for me, is like get your blood work done, figure out what you're deficient in, like figure out what your hormones are doing. Everyone is so different, and so finding a personalized approach to understanding how you should be feeling your body. It was just huge for me, and allowed me to get rid of that food noise, but also get my body in a place that I could see what my potential is. Because at that point, I was like, okay, I think I have potential, but my body's just not firing on all cylinders, so I don't know what my potential is, maybe I'm not bent for this, so just all those questions in self-doubt was really hard for those two years. - And I think even realizing stuff like cortisol levels, and when you're gaining weight, odds are your cortisol levels are just spiking, and you're just retaining water or whatever, and I think a lot of times you forget, and my coping was stressed differently than my competitors. Even things like that, you don't even realize, or just being in a different environment. - Absolutely, or even your sleeping patterns. - There's so much that goes into it. - Are you getting up, are you eating when the sun goes up, or are you like, is this sort of Katie and Rhythm? Okay, there's just so many factors, so I think figuring those things out was just massively important to my success. - Do you think that you maybe took it to an extreme at one point? 'Cause I know I did. - Did you? - I was like, did you? - I have a lot of gymnastics. - Well, I mean, I like when eating disorder, but like. - Yeah, oh, God. - It just doesn't look that way. - Oh, horrible. - Oh my God. - Awful. - I mean, again, like, food and ways, it was like a competition with myself. I would just try to go as long as I could without eating, and just see what I could do, and like, when you're competitive, girly. - And that's that alone when you're under eating is when you gain weight, too. - Oh my God, yeah. - And the best thing that ever happened to me was funny enough, we would do like bod podge. You guys ever do like your body weight percentage measurements? - Yeah, and then I remember our coach one time weighed us in front of each other. - Oh. - It was like, this should be illegal. - Like, what the hell is happening right now? - Yeah, and at the time I was the biggest girl, so it was just like, so demeaning. - So demeaning. Also, I'm six feet tall. My trainer burners were five or seven. - You're six feet tall. - Yeah. - You're gonna be different than my girls. - Like, why are we in a single-fire line like weighing ourselves right now? - What the hell? - Yeah, so yeah, it's so silly. - I know, and it was like, it was so toxic. And I just remember having so much anxiety going into that room every time. And like, it's so weird. You're also like sitting in this weird egg-shaped thing. - Yeah. - It was like, hoping that the numbers are great. You don't even know really what that number like is, what it means or what you're supposed to be, and they don't tell you. There's no education behind it. And I think that's the problem. It's like, I understand the physics of gymnastics. The heavier you are, the harder gymnastics is gonna be. - Totally. - And it's like, you got extra body fat on you, you're gonna be slower. - And that's why men are not the best at explaining that, because to them, there's no emotion behind it. But for us, when we're body shamed, we're held to such an impossible standard through social media and media platforms. Like, yes, it is, it's very personal. And I think like, when we did the bod pod thing, I remember finally eating for the first time, and then going into the bod pod and having a panic attack. And like, I was like, please just don't tell me if it's bad. And he told me, he's like, you actually by eating normal, you gained muscle and lost fat. - Yeah, totally. - And that was the moment I was like, my body knows what to do. Like, I'm an athlete, my body is an athlete. Me, self-sabotaging and attacking it, is just making it worse. Like, my body's gonna regulate properly if I just give it the fuel that it needs. And that was like the biggest sigh of relief I've ever had. And thank God that moment happened, because I think I would have taken it to a really gnarly extreme. And thankfully, it ended up in the bud within one year and we were fine, but it was just like, but it sucked because that year I ended up winning a national championship while starving myself. I couldn't even celebrate that. - You like associate those with a while of this is when I was successful. So this is what I needed to do. - Thankfully, it was a team thing. It wasn't an individual thing. I ended up doing well individually after that. But it was just, it's a weird, sports is tough when you have that much pressure on something. And like, I always wonder with my Olympian friends, I'm like, there is such a new and like profound level of extreme when it comes to training for the Olympics. And I know, because I watched it firsthand with some of my teammates. And like, I mean, I was trying to go for the Olympics when I was 10 years old, like it's a decide when you're like such a baby. And we were training eight, nine hours a day, eating lunch and dinner at the gym. Didn't see my parents, saw my coaches more than my parents and my own family. And I was just like, for what? - Yeah. - Like, that sports tough. Like you have to just be so devoted. - As a young age phase of your life. - And then like, I'm so good. College is really fun. - Yeah. - So that's really cool that you got to have kind of the best of both worlds, deciding to go to the Olympics after college. 'Cause that's rare. I especially with women, 'cause we peak, probably around like 20 is, I think, the scientific peak, right? - First track peak later. 'Cause it's okay. - Yes, track you can peak later a lot. And like, I mean, I think like 30 is like, for the hip tath on us. - Really? - Yeah. - Oh my god, guys. - 'Cause I mean, we do the hip tath. - We do the hip tath in the Olympics. - We run it back. - It's just so many events to like be excellent in it. 'Cause I just takes a lot of time. - And we燙 everyone else else as well. Like, you have to be so well-rounded and hybrid. - Totally. - Yeah, so yeah, you peak a little bit later in track, probably around 30. - That's wild. See, gymnastics is like 16. - That's crazy. - So when before NIL, it was like, you had to decide, am I going to the Olympics? Or am I gonna go to college? - Yeah. - You can do both. - Yeah. - Yeah. - And I think girlies are figuring out the longevity of it as well. Like, they're starting to really invest in their health in order to like have a long career. - Yeah. - Before it was like, starve yourself. And compete at the Olympics and then you made it. - That's amazing. - And like, I think that's the thing with female athletes is like, yeah, there's just that comparison factor. There's so much pressure. It's so much harder for girls too. Like, our bodies are so much more complex. - Yes. - And there's no science behind it either. - It's so, yeah, it's just a lot more challenging to understand what your body needs. And so I think I think a lot of female athletes struggle with that for sure. - Yeah. - You said stuff about how what your coaches have said to you, what's something that's really like negatively affected? - I mean, that one, I think, from what I just said. Like what I was like, yeah, you'll be really good if you lost, you know, that was when that food noise, I think really started for me because then I'm associating like, okay, well, then I need to be skinnier to be good at tracks. Like, that's what I need to do. So I put, that's probably like the worst that I, like that time in college, I probably got pretty like neurotic and like just that food noise was really turned up super loud. And then, you know, and then obviously when I turned pro that first year, we're probably like the hardest. But I honestly feel like once I figured out my nutrition and like was seeing like results, I'm like, oh my God. And like not even just my body composition, but like, when I start, when I changed everything and revamped, well, you know, and learned, had to like relearn it's actually good and how to fuel my body and everything. I mean, I jumped a foot and a half longer in the long jump. Like, I had to think I have a second PR in the hurdles. I mean, my first world championships team, and I lost like six percent body fat in like six weeks or something crazy. Like, so I saw results really quick. So I think that was just like, oh my God. Like, I'm on fire for this stuff. So the momentum is crazy. Yeah. And so I became like, I feel like I've had, I've always had a really healthy relationship since that moment. But I was neurotic because I'm like, okay, this shit works. Like I'm not looking at me like I'm eating the stick of breakfast. I am taking the supplements. I am not using any like toxins and stuff. So I just like I, if you ask anyone that's like, knows me, they're like, okay, any like blows up candles. Like she's insane. She's in, she's an almond monster. So I will say I'm like very neurotic when I came to that with my training because I just saw the effects of like, okay, now I'm getting to like where I am reaching my potential. Well, you're controlling your control balls. And when you realize controlling your control balls led to a successful result, you're like. Hell yeah. I'm so freaking literally. Yeah, I'm like, this is where I'm freaking trying to get to. Yes, I know. I saw your TikTok was like, when I used to eat like crap, but then now I make my own sunscreen. I'm like this. Give me the recipe. I need the, I need my own sunscreen. I know. I have that app where it like scans and tells you what the products are bad. It's so good. It's so bad though, because I'm like, I can't shop in my own groceries store because I'm like paranoid. Everything's so bad for you. Everything's so bad. I literally was like, I've been playing beach volleyball like for five hours a day every weekend since I moved here. Yeah. And I'm like, I need good sunscreen. I'm Norwegian, my skin is so pale and so fair. Yeah. So I don't want to like age, but also, and I'm not used to doing it all for a sport. So I'm like, let me find good sunscreen. Hey, I'll give you my recipe. Thank you. I mean, it's just hard because you want you. It's like, you got to use the zinc oxide. So it kind of turns you purple a little bit. That's the only thing that's not ideal. I love that for me. They'll be like, there's the purple girl playing volleyball. [LAUGHTER] Oh my god, I love it. So at what point were you like, this is the game changer. Like, this is why I'm this way. Or like, I guess kind of like, the recipe that really cracked it for you, where you're like, I could do this for a long time. Oh, I mean, I think the moment at the Olympic trials in 2016, like, really opened my eyes. I just didn't expect-- I think that's the thing with track, because I was so late and like a late bloomer in the sport. I just had to keep having these moments where I kept surprising myself. I'm like, oh, shit, like, whoa, I threw what in the shop. But like, I would have these moments where I really struggled with that self belief for a long time. But then I would have these moments where things would click. And then you get that glimpse. And you're like, OK, well, what else could I do? And I think that's always been kind of my motivation. It's like, I wouldn't say I'm the most. - I'm very competitive, but I wouldn't say I'm the most competitive and like, I'm motivated by what they, like, oh, this girl did that on the beater? I'm not that type of motivated. I'm more of like a self-motivated person where I want to see what I can do in this sport. Like, what can I do in the shop? Like, how far can I actually throw this? Like, how far can I push my body, you know, in the 800 or whatever? So I'm more motivated by that. So I think having those glimpses or like breakthrough moments and needs or having like a PB and you're like, okay, hell yeah. Like, what else can I do? Or things start clicking, especially with that tatham because everything is so technical. So it's like, once a cue clicks and you're like, oh, I got it now. Like, I think those moments really have motivated me just to like really just push myself and see what I can do in the sport. - I feel like going into it too with zero expectations is kind of also the key to success because you're not ever disappointed. You're just, it's hard at the moment. Let's keep going with this. Like, clearly I can beat myself again. I completely relate to that as well because I compete with myself. - Yeah. - I just wanna be better than who I was yesterday. - Totally. Which I think is healthier. - Yeah. And that's the tatham because it's like, that's kind of the unique thing about the hip is like, you know, with the individual events, you know, you know, you have one race and you're just trying to beat everyone there. With the tatham, that's also kind of why I like the camaraderie and the tatham is so cool. Like, all the girls are super close because you all have different strengths. It's like, oh, this is her event. Like, hell yeah. And then it's like, I could, you know, someone else could win the event. But like, I got a PB. So like, I'm stoked. I'm at a finished eighth, but I got a PB. So it's like this really unique environment that the hip tatham creates, where you are just competing against yourself. You're just trying to get better than you did last time. And so, yeah, I think that's like a cool aspect of the hip tatham too. - Yeah. I kind of wanna go back to the disappointment thing though, because I know that you obviously didn't have a lot of expectations going into the Olympic trials, but then you did go for a second Olympics right after you did Tokyo, right? - Yeah, I was gonna retire after Tokyo. And then, you know, the Olympic trials in 2021, or was supposed to be 2020 and it would be in 2020, obviously, going into that meet I didn't have a score. So we talk about like, not, I'm like, I didn't know what the hell I was capable of 'cause it was COVID. And then for the hip tatham, you only really only do like, two or three or four hip tathons max a year. So we only have two heps before the Olympic trials to like, forget everything figured out. - So you're capable of that. - Yeah, and so my first one, I got injured, in the first event I fell in the hurt, I crashed in the hurdles, bruised my heels, so I couldn't compete until the next step. The next step I was, it's in God's, this is Austria. It's a big knee and I was leading after day one. It's like a super, it's like outside the Olympics, but the next best hip tatham and I was leading after day one. So I was like, "Oh my God, like shit, I can't do this." And then day two, fouled all my jumps in the long jump. Don't get a mark. So like, you're just out. So going into Olympic trials, I didn't have a fucking score. - Oh my God. - So I was like, you know, it was a basket case for a while, but then I kind of got to that moment. I kind of just like go and I was like, "Okay, I've done everything I can, I give it to you God." I have this like freedom of, I just like surrender. And that me, it was the meat of my life. I had five personal bests. I broke this shot put, Olympic trials record and then won the Olympic trials. So that was, it was, that was probably a moment where I was like, I finally like proved it to myself. Like, I can't do this. Like I can compete with the best in the world. I had the top score going into the Olympics. - Wow. - So that, that was another one of those moments where like I was gonna retire after Tokyo. I ended up finishing six in Tokyo. But it got me hungry for the podium. And I was like, I'm not done. Like I'm not retiring. - I felt chills. - Yeah, it was like, it was like, yeah, just such a special year. That meat was just, I couldn't even tell you what anyone else was doing. I was just in that flow state of like, it was just so fun. So yeah, I came back from Tokyo more motivated than ever to like win a medal and so decided to go for Paris. - And then what happened in Paris? - And then, (laughing) here comes the lower. (laughing) And my plan or fashion, I decided to really be an asshole and just rupture right before the race. - And this is before Olympic trials. - Yeah. - So yeah, so I had, after the Tokyo, I think I didn't get my body enough time to recover. I got, I struggled with injury a lot, that second Olympic cycle. I partially tore my plan or fashion, my right one, like right after the Olympics and then that didn't get better. For that took like 18 months to like fully heal. - I didn't even know you could tear that. - Oh yeah, it's horrible. - It's like that really strong tendon under your foot. - Yeah. - It's like when you flex your foot, you can feel like the hard tendon right there. - Oh my god, I can't even imagine tearing that. - Oh, it's so painful. - I've torn my Achilles and like, that was bad. - Oh, I mean, that's, they're both probably-- - They're probably awful. - Yeah. - So yeah, I had some-- - We're trauma-bonded. - We're trauma-bonded. - Yeah, I'm like, oh, the pain. - So yeah, I had some injuries. But finally, you're going into Paris. I was finally like back in true form. I felt like ready to go. I felt super confident in where I was at and finally felt like I was like peeking again. - Yeah. - And then two weeks before trials, I had that pain in my left foot, which hadn't had pain in my left one and you like four years, probably. - It's a type of like moment where your stomach just drops and you're like, are you kidding me? - Yeah, talk about trauma-bonded. - Yeah, like give me a second, please. - Yeah, it was random too. Like I just had one meet where my heel was kind of sore and then I showed up to practice that next day and took one, you know, take off and high jump and just started crying because I was like, that's my ponder fascia. Like no, I'm two weeks out from trials. So yeah, I was so stressful. I did everything I freaking could to get that thing healthy and put me in the pool just to get off of it and not be numbed it. - Like low-gravity training. - Yeah, and I thought, like mentally, I was, talk about delusion. (laughs) - She's dying. - I'm like, I'm being delusional. - I love that. - I was in it, like even like my family, my husband, you know, my now husband at the time was like, she's, she's freaking ready. Like she's so strong mentally. She doesn't think anything. Like I fully going into that meet was like, I'm gonna do it. Like I'm just gonna numb it. If I don't feel the pain, I'll be fine. I just gotta like, give me a peer of peace off. - Yeah, I just gotta get top three out. I'm good. - And then-- - Well, total. - Yeah, literally injected it. But then my last, it was my last rep over the hurdles, literally two minutes before they call you into the tunnel. And came off, heard a big pop and fell to the ground and just started crying. And then I had this moment, like I don't have time to cry. So I like, you know, dry my tears, run out of my, like walk over to my coach and hobble over your hobble. - And I think the reality of like, I think it just, fucking rubs you my implant or flash it again. And he was like, you can do this, you know, like they're calling you under. And then I think I was like the fifth heat. So I had a whole, I can do it right now. - No, that's way too much time. - Yeah, so much time. - You're like, no, I can do it right now. - Yeah. - When the adrenaline started going away. - Yeah, it's that time in between was so brutal because I feel like I had like angel devil situation where like a part of me was like, might never, might never matter bitch. Like, you got to be soft. - Like, you got this. - Don't be a pussy. - Don't worry about it. Like adrenaline, you'll get, you'll get, you have adrenaline, you'll be fine. Then this other side of me is like, I think you just ruptured your plantar fascia and like this could be it. - Yeah. - This could be your last meet ever. - Yeah. - It still makes me emotional. I'll think about it. - It makes me emotional. - I know, I know. Yeah. And then I got out there and it felt like everything just kind of went like, like blurry almost. Like, but I remember, I vividly, I took a moment and I think this goes back to all my mindfulness training and like my mindset work. But I took a moment to just get centered and like ground it. I like looked at my family and the crowd. I looked at the lights. I like took in the stadium because I think I realized like, this is probably my last race. I know it makes me emotional. And I got through the race by the grace of God. Somehow finished like a half a second slower. - Yeah, I race. - I'll be crying too. - I know. - Yeah. Yeah, and just crossed the line and just started, you know, bawling. Yeah, and just the reality of the situation kind of hit me where I'm like, gosh, this is like, I just can't believe it. You just have this moment where you're like, I worked through three years. - Yeah. - Like, why God? Like, why? Like, right before. - Right before. - And then I just sit in the stands with my family. And, you know, I had like 30 people there that all flew out. It felt so bad. I'm like, oh. - I got to watch me, like a half race, one race. But thank God they were there. I sat with them. But it was just such a crazy experience to work for three years and feel like, you know, I have the potential to win a medal and then be sitting in the stands, watching everyone on the track. I'm like, I'm not supposed to be on this side. I'm supposed to be over there. - Yeah. - Like, see, I was incredibly hard and challenging traumatic experience for sure, but I will say like, there's always purpose in the pain that might not be about you, but there's always purpose in the pain. There's always a story and I, what happened after the trials, which I learned, which I am a Christian and my family, I kind of found my mom's Christian, but we didn't really grow up with like big, you know, faith in my family. - Yeah. - But days after the Olympic trials, my brother came to me, like, teary eyed and he's like, I wanna, you know, tell you something and sat down with him and basically when I went down on the hurdles, my brother's always been like more of like a scientific brain, like very black and white he's never been a believer and, you know, he said, I prayed for the first time when you went down in the hurdles and he's, you know, he prayed to God, like, if you just get my sister through this race, like, all that he gave me life to you. Yeah, and so that, to me, is like, I would rupture my planar fascia 100 times over for my brother to find his faith. So I really believe that was like the purpose, the purpose in that. Wow, yeah, that's the testimony that is just so incredible. And you know, I did get through the race. He got through it. He took it through the race. I got to race my last race, you know. It wasn't what I wanted or hoped for. But I got through and, you know, he has a Bible. He drives the Bible on his car. He listens to worship music. He goes to church. Wow. I've seen a light in him that I, that was, wasn't there before. You know, he struggled with, you know, depression, anxiety, and I just see purpose in him now. And, you know, we got baptized a few months after that together. And so, that's so special. There's just, you know, again, there's purpose in your pain. And I just, I'm so grateful that I went through that to get my brother to where he's at today. I didn't mean to go on that tangent. No, I'm so glad you shared that story. I'm a mess over here. Like, there goes our makeup. I know. That is so beautiful. Yeah. I mean, that's just, like, such a special moment for both of you. I mean, I think too, like, you will always look back on that moment with such a beautiful perspective on it. I have so much peace. Yeah. Everyone's like, are you okay? I'm so glad he told you. Oh my gosh. Yeah. And honestly, like, you know, the two weeks of the Olympics happening, because I mean, I think he told me like three days after maybe. But like, you know, once the Olympics, I, and my, he was my boyfriend at the time. But my husband now, you know, we kind of went out and went in the middle of nowhere, which is just dad's house, lives out by no one. Just like we're kind of out in nature on the lake. And I really did a good job of protecting my peace and not watching the Olympics just because it was like way too open wound. But then you kind of zoom out. And I feel like learning that about my brother, not paying attention to anything that was going on, staying off social media. And like, when you're in that world, it feels like it's the only thing in the world that matters. But when you zoom out, you realize like there's just so much more to life. And so while those like first two weeks of it happening were awful. And it has been like, help me, like, cried myself to sleep every night, like two weeks. But I have so after that, after the Olympics over, I've had so much peace. And I'm so grateful because I just so many athletes struggle with that, especially Olympians. Like it can really send you into a tailspin depression and identity crisis. And I just have so much peace about what happened. I have no regrets. I did everything in my control. My brother has faith. He has a relationship with God. Like, that's all I can ask for. So I'm really grateful to that, you know, that happened. I'm so proud of you. That's really cool. It's a really cool story. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah. I haven't really shared it much yet. So it's cool to be able to talk about it. It's a honor that you felt safe to talk about it, because that's a really, really cool story. And I think so many people are going to feel like, I know I just felt like such a breath of fresh air. And felt like this way off my shoulders knowing that like, even when you leave your sport, like life is okay, life goes on. It's just something you do. Yeah. It's just a little ant on a rock. It's really not that deep. Yeah. You know, but it is tough when your whole identity is wrapped up in your sport. And like, I'm just curious. Like, you just got married. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you. She's a wifey. Oh, my gosh. She looks so absolutely stunning. Oh, it's so fun. You're wedding. Thank you. And you're, I know you're getting into, you just said you got certified to be a nutritionist. Yeah. A functional nutritionist. So who's Annie now? I know that you were an Olympian and then a track athlete and a soccer player your whole life. Yeah. Who do you really like identify with now? I mean, I think that I identify as like a child of God first, you know, it's like my identities in Christ. And I think that's something that I've learned over the years. I think that my, you know, my first two, my first Olympic training cycle versus my second were so different. And I think my second one was really, that things just kept happening where it kept pushing me towards my faith. Like, you know, injury or I just wasn't performing as well. I was really, I just struggled a lot at a lot of adversity. I mean, that pushed me towards my faith a lot more. And it also pushed me into like, okay, you know, this is like the tail end of your career. And this is at one day, like the day is coming soon where this is going to be over. And like, who are you outside of that? And I worked a lot with my mindset coach on that topic, those couple years leading into the Paris Olympics because I was just struggling so much. I think you get tunnel vision. I'm sure you understand this with gymnastics. Like, there's nothing else. It's just hours that you guys put in. It's like, this is all I have time for. I don't have time for fries. I don't have time for hobbies. I don't have time for anything but track. Like, it's that, and I have these goals, especially with the Olympics when you're chasing something like the Olympics, like a medal, you get that tunnel vision. And so I was really unhappy. I was really struggling. Things weren't going the way I wanted them to and, you know, my mindset coach kind of challenged me one point. He's like, well, what are you doing, you know, outside of track? Like what are you doing? When you get home, it has like, it's like, not track. And I'm like, well, watch track. I get home. I watch videos of my train session and then I watch videos of people doing those events better than me and then I turn all of it and then I meditate about track and visualized. You know the trail. Oh, yeah. I'm sure you're triggering me. Yeah. We're trauma-minded. Yes. And so. I feel like we were very similar. Yes. Yeah. And that's the thing. I'm very type A when it comes to like my goals and my sport, but I was like, I'm very type A. Yeah. And you know, also that maybe watching Netflix show or like Bravo, like that was the only thing that I was doing. Trash TV turned my brain off. Totally. Which is so healthy. Yes. And so that weeky challenge was like, hey, well, next week I want you to live like gone and done. Like a hobby that has nothing to do with track. And so I signed up for, I like loved ceramics in high school. I would go into my whole hour. Cool. I had this whole like creative artistic side, yeah, that I'm really tapped into just because of, you know, my life is an athlete. And so I went to a potter class just by myself, like, how do you, and I loved it. It was so therapeutic. I just enjoyed it so much. I ended up going like weekly for like, I don't know, five or six weeks during season because it just kind of was a good outlet, trying to brain off. Yeah. And then it's creative. Yeah. So it just forced me to like start thinking about like, okay, like what, who am I? What am I doing outside of my sport? What is my identity outside of this thing that I'm doing? Yeah. And so I'm really grateful that kind of God put me in those, gave me those opportunities to like sit, sit and think about that before I got to that point at the Olympic trials where, you know, it got ripped away from me in a moment. And I was in that moment of like, okay, well, shit, this thing is gone now. And it got ripped away so abruptly and so dramatically. But I think I'd put in so much work and I figuring out who I am outside of what I do. And that's what it's like, you know, you play a sport, it's what you do, but it isn't who you are. And I am grateful for that because I think it grew my faith in that time and that's when I really started to understand like God loves me in a matter. If I win this medal or don't, if I go to the Olympics or not, like I'm still loved. My worth is not tied to this sport and the achievement and performance. And I think that's such a struggle with athletes because you're praised your whole life growing up. Your whole life. Yeah. Your love is tied to performance. Yeah. And so I think rewiring that and really taking the time to like figure out the different parts of you that aren't any, that have nothing to freaking do with your sport is so important. That's one of the biggest things I think I try to like preach to younger athletes is finding that balance. And I've found that the years and the times that I had more balance, I made time for my friends, I had the hobbies going on, I wasn't as tunnel vision focused is actually my performance did the best. Of course. Yeah, it actually hinders you more than it helps you. I think when you do have a tunnel vision, I wish more coaches understood the quality of balance because it truly does give you such a healthy perspective on it all as well because like when you are distracted with hobbies that fill your cup outside of your sport, one, you develop your identity outside of your sport and you also, you don't, you can't sit in it for very long. Like I used to sit and stew in it and I would just be like this hot white rage of a woman because I'm just like, why didn't I compete the way that I wanted to compete? And I had too much time to devote to that one thing. Yeah. Imagine if I just did. You need to be here with everything. Yes. You don't even think as much. And especially with a sport like gymnastics where it's so like, oh, I can't imagine the, it just the one day that I did it with you. I was like the mindset and the, and I understand even just like with what everything that happened with in Tokyo with Simone Biles, I'm like, I can't imagine the pressure that she thought and to have that fear of the spirit that you guys are doing. Yeah. The fear I had to just get off, remember the ring or the, whatever, what's the, the uneven bars? I'm like, there's me tall, I couldn't jump four feet to get like the fear that you guys have to overcome. Yeah. It's so intense. So I can't imagine what that's like. Yeah. It's really tough. Yeah. What's been the hardest part about navigating life after retirement? Ooh. The hardest thing you want. Navigating. Um, I mean, I think that's still, while I'm, you know, preaching everything to you today, I think it's still something you struggle with. I think, I think comparison to, has been hard, um, maybe just seeing, you know, what other girls are doing. That's another thing, I'm like, protect your-- piece. Unfollow. Yeah. Click the unfollow button. Click the mute button. Like I've muted things. I just yeah just out of sight at a mind in a way. Um, but I think that's hard. I think it's also just, you know, um, the grass is always greener. You know, when you're in your house, you're like, gosh, I just wish I had a normal job and like, yes, I just was like, you know, could go out on the weekends with my friends. And it's like, no, I'm in that space. And sometimes I'm like, gosh, I wish I could just go kill my body for a day. And that was all I had to do. You know, instead of the stress and that comes with, you know, building a business and starting in that whole avenue. Um, but yeah, I think, I think the hardest part is probably, um, I think just missing it in a way too. Like, like, I think sometimes it's when I get sad is when I think about like, gosh, I'm just like, never going to train like that again. I'm never going to be in the blocks before the gun. Like that exhilarating feeling and like, you know, of sport is just, is something that I think, um, it's just competing at a high level. But, um, but again, I'm just, I'm so at peace, my body is so happy. I'm like, wow, I can just like go on a walk today. If I just, that's all I want to do. That feels amazing because my body has been broken. You know, like low impact movement. Hello, Pilates. Literally. I'm like, sounds amazing. Yeah. Perfect. Which Pilates is so humbling. By the way, it really is. Um, so good. So yeah, I think just, I think just maybe missing that, like, competitive competitive atmosphere. I think also realizing that like we, I mean, we could, if we wanted to, and we wanted to throw away all of our balance, but like, never really competing at that peak ever back. Yes. That's, I think like that hitting that flow state and just having that, like, really insane peak of athleticism is just like, it's like a drug. It really is. And then, I was, I was probably one of the harder parts of like the Olympic training for like the second, um, for Paris, because then I was constantly trying to get back to that Annie. Yeah. That version of Annie, that like peak Annie, and it's like, well, it kind of looks different now. So I kind of had to rewire that too. Yeah. It might not look exactly how it did in 2021, but I can still achieve the same thing if not better in a different way. Maybe I just have to train a different way, and train smarter, not harder. And that was a thing, a lesson that I learned for sure, that second Olympic cycle. I love that. Yeah. Now that you're a wifey. Yeah. Congratulations to you, and Tyler. Thank you. So exciting. So crazy. What do you want this new stage of married life to look like for you? I mean, you are quite the planner. So like, have you thought about what you want this new stage to look like? Yeah. I mean, I can't wait to have kids. Like, I think Tyler and I throw all of our ups and downs and whatever. I think the thing that we are the most excited about, and like, I have confidence in his like parents. Like, I cannot wait to have babies. You're going to be such a good mommy. Oh, my God. I mean, I'll probably forget the big daycare sometimes, but like, okay, my mom will pick about it. But if you guys stay in like the money, my mom will babysit. There you go. Perfect. Lorraine, the best. Lorraine, I'll be on speed dial. Yeah. I mean, I think I think having kids is like such an exciting stage that we're in, and I think it's cool because we got, you know, my husband's a little bit older, and I'm 30, I'll be 33 this few days this week. I know. Yeah. But I think it's cool because it's like, we've lived a lot of life already. And so we're really ready for this stage. I'm excited for that. And I think just in this chapter in my life, like, I don't know, with being an Olympian and professional athlete, I've had to be selfish. And I don't say that in like a negative way. Like, it's just part of the territory. Like, when you have goals like that, and only you do have to be a bit selfish. And, you know, Tyler's so, you know, supportive and amazing, but he's had to put his life on hold for a long time. Like, we've been together almost nine years before we got married. Wow. Yeah. I didn't know that. We had a couple of hiccups there. But yeah, all together, all together, nine years. So yeah, it's just like, I have been married to my sport for so long. Yeah, like step aside, babe. Like every I case, Tyler was okay. We lived in separate cities for seven years, just like, yeah, for seven years, long time. We would do weekends. So I think for this chapter in my life, I'm very excited to kind of make that shift and to be more selfless. And like, okay, Tyler, like you take, you take center stage now. And like, I want to, you know, have kids and be a mom and, and pour into my children and pour into, you know, my motivation of what I'm doing now is like, I feel like I've been so blessed and lucky with the people that I've met, the resources that I've gotten, the tools that I've found in my career, especially that I've found later, like probably 26 or 27. Like gosh, if I had those, if I had that knowledge and those resources at a younger age, I would have been such a better athlete. So that's a lot of my motivation now too. And just sharing everything that I've learned with others to hopefully improve their life and help them reach their goals. And really just be like I said, just be more selfless is what I'm really excited about. I love that. I mean, you doing your business and helping with nutrition, like everything that you learned personally, like you're going to pour your passion. And it was just such a gift for me like that to be able to give that gift to others is like so motivating and rewarding. And it's why I love coaching. Yeah. Because I'm like, I have so much knowledge that I'm never going to have to really apply much to. Yeah. With like my own personal stuff now. But like, I'd love to be able to pass that knowledge on. And that's why I love this podcast because like, I really want my audience to be able to learn from such incredible world class athletes. It's like amazing. There's so much knowledge to be had when you devote your life to something to that extreme. And I'm sure every story is so different that you've had. So different. Yeah. Oh my gosh, you're strapping. Yeah, it's a crazy way. I can't wait. She asked just like, have you guys recorded any episodes yet? I'm like, Oh, have we? Yeah. Just buckle in. Oh, yeah. Look at my popcorn. Oh, yeah. It's a good one. Well, I feel so happy that we were able to sit down and have this conversation. I have one little final segment that we do here, which is called Deer Athlete. And for those of you that don't know, Deer Athlete is like a fun little spin off of the advice column in the newspaper called Deer Abbey. Thank you. I love that. Yeah. Where I just like ask my followers for like, hey, like if I were your big sister, like, what would you ask me kind of thing? Yeah. One question that we got was, what is one thing that you think every athlete should do to perform at their best? I'll answer one. I know. One thing that every athlete should do to reach their goals, that would perform at their best. I would say mindset work. Like, I think that everyone, once you get to a certain level, whether that's D1, whether that's varsity, whether that's Olympics, professional, everyone has a certain level of talent. I think that it really comes down to what's between your ears once you get to that level. That is your competitive edge. And that was my story. I was like, okay, I might not be the most talented at that professional level. When I sat down in my coach's office on the Olympic era, I sat down and I gave them my goals. I was like, I want to be the Olympic trials champion and I want to score six, seven hundred points. I only scored 61-50 at that point. He looked at me like, you're a junior girl. And at that time, like my train partner, Erica, and then this other girl, Ken Williams, were like the top two girls, been top 10 world ranking for years going into that. So I was like, I mean, to beat them, they're talented. They're way more talented than me, like way more talented than me. So it was just a big statement. But I just, I made that decision that year. Like, okay, well, I'm going to be, my competitive edge is I'm going to be the most dialed with my nutrition. I'm going to be feeling a bottle of anyone. I'm going to train my mind every single day. I'm going to work with my mindset coach every single week so that when we get to that, me, I'm going to be the most resilient strongest athlete between my ears that there is. And that, that was my competitive edge. And I think that's probably my biggest advice because I think that gets neglected so often. And I just think it's the most important piece of that elite level of being an athlete and reaching your potential and peak performance. Couldn't agree more. For me, I would say championship mindset similar, but it'd be more like, I guess for me, what really helped me was thinking like every single day, every decision I made either got me closer to my goal or got me further away. It's choices. It's every choice you make. It takes the life you lead. And that's a quote from my coach, Ms. Val. Yeah. And Shadow Ms. V. Levy Queen. But literally like, once I found that out, I was like, it's not all that complicated. It's actually quite simple. Just like, cool, do I eat protein for breakfast or do I eat, you know, something crappy? Yeah, like crappy cereal. Or do I not eat it at all? You know, what would a champion do? And even like Kobe Bryant going in three hours before practice to get reps in, like I was always the girl that stayed late and stretched after practice. I did the extra stuff at home. I did all my PT. I did everything in my power and in my control to live like a champion. And eventually it paid off. And like, I do fully think just living with intention. And like you said, like having that mindset of it's this. This is it. Yeah. And it's just stacking daily choices. People are like, oh, I feel like when people talk to Olympians, they like want this like magic, like, relaxing. Yeah. And like, that's the thing too. Like, no one's going to give you the secret to success. No one's going to give you some secret little nugget that like, it really does, it comes down to you and the choices, the daily choices that you stack every single day. And your ability to stay disciplined and committed to them. Yeah. And getting one of those better. No. And then I was thinking of the day, like if you do that. And I think you wanted my motivation in doing all that too is like, I don't want to look back and have new regrets. If I did all these things that I know are going to set me up for success and give me the best opportunity to be at my best. Yeah. And make the team and make the Olympics. Whatever. But like I get there and I just wasn't the best that day. Then I can have peace with that because I did everything I did everything in your power. Yeah. I totally agree. Yeah. I'm a big controller, your controller was garlic. And I definitely think that like, you will live with regret. If you know that there's something in your control and you didn't take advantage of it. Absolutely. Yeah. You have a very unique story with athletics. Like you said, your sport is a little bit of a later peak. Yeah. I feel like everyone normally starts their sport very young, which you did. Yeah. But I have some questions from people asking if it's too late to learn a sport in your 20s. It's never too late. It's never too late. It's never too late. It is never too late. Like I obviously, you know, you have to have certain level of talent, whatever. Like I'm saying that. But and I did track since I was two, but I didn't really start training till later. Like I basically switched sports at 21 years old, 20 years old. So it is never too late. You guys take me as an example for that, for sure. And even if it's not even about the performance, like it's just the joy of finding and trying something new. Who cares if you're good at it. Just do it if you like it. Like I'm the biggest advocate for that now after doing the sports swaps and doing getting into Beach volleyball. Like guys, you know, when we're out there, I was like, shit, I want to do this. I'm like, I want to go try other sports. Like I think it's so much fun. It's so fun. And you just don't know, you don't know, like what's like, try new things. And that's the thing is like what we talked about, too, with like realizing your potential later, you're just like, like I never tried other sports growing up. So I actually don't know. Maybe I could have been an Olympian at like the most random sport. Yeah. Like what if I was just really freaking get it curling? Yeah, you know, you know, because I never tried it. Totally. Like don't know what you don't know. Maybe we should just all try a sport now. And then we can try to go the Olympics. Is that why I went back in pottery? Yeah. So you have to do it while you're pulling 900 pounds. Yeah. Make it extreme. Totally. Okay. Amazing. Have you ever felt insecure competing on a national stage? How did you deal with that? Yeah. Oh my gosh. That's just so part of the territory. I think especially as a female. Yeah. I think that I think women compare ourselves constantly to each other to earlier versions of ourselves. I think the comparison and insecurity is just part of being a female. Like I, it's it's just kind of shitty. But yeah, I've definitely been been in those moments, anything that they were. And also I'm in track of I mean, you're in gymnastics. Have her butt is hanging out. Oh, literally, we're in the tiniest love. It's ever on national television. Yeah, like yeah, yeah. So I definitely, you know, been in those in those moments where you're you're feeling more insecure. I think that once I started learning out of fuel, that's when everything switched for me where I started feeling more confident because I felt that strength I felt like my body was doing what is meant to do. Because you're looking inward. You're not focusing on the aesthetic. You're not focusing on the outward. And then I've always said this like you can look as good as you want. But if you feel like shit, yeah, you're not going to have longevity. And I was the thing, I'm loving you with better. Yeah, you know, your energies level, your energies are leveled, your cortisols are better. Like your hormones are regulated. And it's like, no, you're not having mood swings. You're not having bad sleep. Like everything's so correlated. And I think like understanding, like if you can fix the inside, you'll feel really confident in the outside. Totally. A thousand percent. You got to get through roots. You got to get to the root cause of all that stuff. And that's, yeah, getting blood work done and figuring that thing out. All of that out is huge and kind of turning that into confidence. I don't know about you, but I've never once felt inspired to work out when I felt that. No. I felt like I want to put on a big shirt and go cry. Totally. Totally. The moment I started focusing on like, I just want to move my body for me and for the longevity of my life and to be 90 years old one day. Yeah. To see my grandkids grow up. Like quality of life. Quality of life. Yeah. I mean, I think that that's what the Europeans have locked down. It's just like walking every day, moving your body because you want to not because you have to. Yeah. And the food isn't killing them over there. Our food is so bad. I'm in mummies for like seed oils. No. Okay. Last one. Yeah. How do I know when it's time to step away from my sport? Oh, you know, I think that when it stops being fun, obviously there's seasons or you know, all this month's been tough. That's inevitable. Yeah. But I think when you have a really long stretch of being unhappy doing what you're doing because it's like you have to remember. I just think about like what did Little Annie get into the sport for? Yeah. Like why did she get it? Because it was fun. Yeah. Like she enjoyed it. She loved being with her friends. She had fun, like pushing her body, trying new things. And so I think if you have a really long stretch of a period where you're unhappy, I think that's when you have to sit and evaluate like where what is the source of an happiness coming from? And like is it worth it to me to keep going? Or is it just going to am I just going to be miserable doing it? Because you want it to be fun. You want it to bring joy to your life. You want it to add to your life. You don't want it to just suck the life out of you. So I think just really evaluating that if you've had like a long stretch where it's been tough. I couldn't agree more. A passion is everything. I've always said passions my purpose. And like thank God I loved my sport all the way to the end. I mean, obviously I love it because I still do it. Yeah. No one's holding a gun to mine. Yeah, yeah. I get a little stuff tomorrow. But yeah, and I've even had moments within this career now after my competitive career where it's like I've had full-blown mental breakdowns about like, oh my god, my sport's not fun anymore. It's become my job. And I'm like, I don't want to quit, but I don't like, I don't know how to deal with this like weird feeling of like not loving it. And so I just took some steps away. And I'm like, yeah, it's going to suck to come back. But like, I'm going to do it when I love it. And I think that's such a big thing. And even I think for a lot of girls, like they think about quitting and they're like, I don't want to quit. Like I love it. I don't want to like stop doing it, but I also hate it. And it's like, well, you can always come back to it. Yeah. Like what if you took a season off? I know. And there's so many like Kendall Williams, the one that the girl I was talking about earlier is like, National Champ, whatever. She did that. She did a year where she just did the events in the haptathlon that she loved. She's like, I'm just going to hurdle in long jump this year because I'm so burnt out of that time. I love that. And she came back and she made the Olympics. So like, look what happened. I totally agree. And giving your body a break, giving your mental load of break, if you need it in the back, it's going to be okay. It's not the, it's like the end of your career when you do that. I actually think it would help you. So absolutely agree. I think a lot of times too, as, as like teenagers, like we hype up the dances and the all the fun extracurricular activities that like all the normal people get to do. And it's like, well, then babe, go try it. Go see what it's all like. Like, go try it a hobby or go, go to prom, whatever the hell you want to do. Odds are just going to be kind of overrated. Yeah, yeah. And then I humble opinion. But like, I still made it work. I went to gymnastics meets and then that night, threw on a gown and then back in my malls too. Or did my makeup and then went to winter formal. And it was like, if you want it to make work, you're going to make it work. Like, nothing's a sacrifice because you love what you do. Yeah. It's never, it's never giving something up. Yeah. It's just devoting more time to something you love. And if you don't love it, then it's a job. And it's like, who are you doing it for? Are you doing it for yourself? Are you doing it for your parents? Are you doing it for the medals? Like, who, who are you doing it for? I think is a question to ask yourself too. Yeah. I kind of agree more. Oh, well, I'm so, so thankful you about to come today. Thank you. What's a cozy and fun? Thank you for sharing. Thank you for having me. This is like, I love talking about the real stuff. This is stuff that matters. So I'm glad you're doing this. Absolutely. This is all what the podcast is all about. Like, athletes after hours is so much more than just a pod. It's, to me, like, my passion project. It's something that I think people need to hear. Yeah. So I'm really, really thankful that you felt safe to share your story because it's going to inspire so many people. Oh my gosh, you're so easy to talk to you. We have so much fun. I need to hang out more anytime. Yeah. Also, guys, let us know if you want to see another sports one. Yeah. I haven't tried soccer yet. Yeah. Let's do it. All right. I love you guys so much. Thank you for listening. Also, be sure to follow Anja on everything. She's killing it. Thank you. And I'll see you next Wednesday.