Gracie & Katelyn Rosen on UCLA Gymnastics, Bouncing Back, & Big Sister Advice

Now the Daily Brewing is writing articles about me and people on Twitter are talking about me, and it just all, and boom, explosion. Like, I had the worst mental breakdown in the locker room, I'll never forget that day. I, oh my gosh. Like, hyperventilating, and it was just like, full panting, and I've never had one before. Today's guest is one of UCLA gymnastics shining stars, a U.S. classic floor champion, and one of the most captivating floor performers in college gymnastics right now. She's helped lead the Bruins into a new championship era, while becoming known for her confidence, consistency, and ability to light up an arena the moment she steps out onto the floor. Caitlin Rosad, welcome to athletes after hours. That was a crazy intro. Why are you gasp for me? Oh, girl, it's my job. Hello. Thank you. How are we? I'm good. You look incredible. Thank you. You're welcome. Oh, I haven't even showered since practice this morning, so thank you. Fresh out of the gym. Yeah. Honestly, duh. That's like how we do it. I mean, this isn't gel, it's sweat, period, life hack, how to do a slick back, just sweat, yeah. Just train your ass off. Exactly. So we have so much to unpack, because first of all, girls been booked in busy, you've been in season for the last four months, and I haven't seen you. So let's catch the hell up. Okay. I do want you to obviously help our audience understand you a little bit better first. So let's kind of start from the beginning. How'd you get into gymnastics, your background, and then how we ended up at UCLA? Yeah, because miss brewing sister over here. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. Well, I was born in San Antonio, Texas. Okay. And I have three older brothers. Cute, and they're all crazy, crazy, than I am even. And Dawson, the youngest of the sons, he did gymnastics. Okay. So the moment I came out of that womb, he already had me in a hands-in. Oh, right. Yeah. I definitely learned my first flip from him on the trampoline. Oh, my God. Seema. Littlely my older brother taught me a flip on the trampoline too. We're twinning in everything. Always. It's crazy. I always say she's my enemy. It's an honor. So yeah, my mom was already taking him to gymnastics class. So obviously the coaches were like, oh, let's throw her in the mommy and me classes when I was like, what, two or three? Always. I absolutely loved it. I wanted to be at gymnastics class all the time. And then, yeah, I just stuck with it. And then like once I like actually gained consciousness of like what I was doing, yeah, I was like, wait, I want to be better than him. So like that became my goal. And then we lived a competitive bit. No, literally. That's me. So then he quit. So he made it easy on me to be better than him. But he was like, he's genuinely the most talented person like alive. Like it's unfair. Um, it's like very inspiring, but it's also a little bit unfair when it comes naturally. When it's he comes. Oh, my God. My brother is like a natural freak of an athlete. Like any, any sport. You can just do it for a day. And he's like already made it. Good at it. Yeah. So annoying. That's not me at all. Me neither. So yeah, but I do think we're better off. I think we are because we learn how to work really, really hard. Exactly. Yeah. So you had to work hard for gymnastics. Yeah. So I was busing my butt even when I was like six, six, seven, I'm sorry. Even I was six or seven years old. I can't, no, we can't. So sorry. My teammates are going to kill me for that. Um, yeah. I already was like working so hard at such a young age because I wanted to be better than him. Like I don't know if he knows that, but I don't know it now. That's cute. And then he quit, but I stuck with it. And it just got more serious. As you know, like the coaches, like came to my parents were like your daughter's going to the Olympics when you get her home schooled fast track tops. Yeah. Juniorly here we go. If you ever seen stick it, you already know the vibes. You already know. Yeah. So we were all in at a very young age. Actually, like never went to public school. Really? Yeah. I didn't know that. Never. I don't know how I have the social skills. I do. I'm so impressed actually. My parents and like my family. Yeah, like they're everything. But yeah, that makes it even more impressive. Thank you. Like first grade teacher at the gym. Mm-hmm. You literally screw up in the gym. Yeah. I'm a gentleman. How many hours were you training when you were training for the Olympics? 30? Week? More than that. More than that. You do 30 now. Now we do 20 now. I really was because I will say like 20 Twister's was so good about pacing you. Oh, that's cool. That's cool. Not destroying you with heavy, heavy hours. Because we did like eight hours a day at gym max. We did not do that. We didn't do like double day practices. Okay. So we did. Yeah. We did launch and dinner at the gym. Which was in the city. It looked like lean cuisines. I was like yo, if this is what I got, this is what I got to do to go to the Olympics. I don't really want it. This is a lot. That's real. And I was like what 10 11 to a point. Yeah. And then you're just destroying your body before you even have a chance to become great. Yeah. Well, you also I think what's tough is when you're around elite gymnastics. Like I'm curious what your perspective is on it because obviously Twins and Twister's did a better job at making it a little bit more balanced. But a lot of times it's like you see more tears than joy. Unfortunately. Yes. And yeah. Let me get closer. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A little louder for the people in the back. Yes. Yeah. And I have clearly had my fair share of those tears. Yeah. So when I was like, I want to say 15 going on 16. Okay. I was like, I need an adjustment. Like this isn't working for me. I was very unhappy. It was taking a toll where I was. It was taking a toll on my, on me mentally, physically. And like on top of that, it wasn't just that I was like unhappy. I also wasn't really improving. I just totally plateaued. And I also was like losing the spark, losing the motivation. You were burnt the hell out. Yeah. And I'd such a young age. It's like crazy. Yeah. And again, all my brothers were older, right? So my parents were like, they're the most supporting, giving people. Like I could not be any luckier. Yeah. They were like, you can try out any gym you want because we want you to be happy. And we want you to go to college with no regrets about elite. So I tried out some gems, took my mom all the way to Minnesota. So I could try Twin City Twisters. And I loved it there. Wow. Yeah. Like the girls were so welcoming. I remember they asked me to like go to one of their pools like on my try out week and like, hang out with them. The coaches were like so sweet and like, that's cool. For elite coaches, they were great people. Yeah. They really, they cared about you as a human being first. Really did. And they really cared about making practice fun. I loved that. I was like, I could have had this my whole life. Like this is incredible. So wow. Yeah. Chose. Of course, I chose the gym farthest away from San Antonio Texas possible. And in the worst weather conditions ever. Oh my god. I was so mad. Made for the cold. No, I was not you there. It was terrible. That part. But again, the gym was great. How did I get to UCLA? Well, I committed before the rule change before you could only commit after junior year. Correct. Okay. Yes. So you committed what like eighth grade? Yeah. Eighth grade. Miansidney. Miansidney world. Period. Same year. Eighth grade. I mean, I've been asked this question a million times, but I chose UCLA for the Florida teams. Like, period. Of course, I did. Yeah. Because I was so young. Did you always perform in club as well? So you, okay, you've been like built like this for a minute. Yeah. Like we talked about it. Yeah. Nothing about gymnastics comes easy to me except the performing. Wow. Like that has always been my thing. I remember getting complimented on that like super young and compulsory. Like my coaches would be like, the rest of you need to have the same posture as Caitlin. Like you need to extend your fingertips. Like Caitlin does. Oh, that's cool. So that part always came really naturally to me. So when I saw you on TV, hello, guilty. Yeah. Performing the hell out of everything you did. Yeah. I was like, that's going to be me. I want to go to that school. That's actually insane. Yeah. Like I helped dictate your decision. Yeah. No. That's crazy. I mean, I don't know if the timeline aligns exactly like when I see a freshman year, 2017. Okay. Yeah. Then yes. That's insane. I think I committed to 2018. That's insane. Yeah. Wow. That's crazy. I'm really honored. Honestly. Brand me the tears. Yeah. That girl. What can I say? Oh my god. So I will say like it was such a cool full circle moment that like people recognized your performance quality. Yeah. And they literally said like she's like a baby Gracie. And you had already been like, yeah, girl, I've been knowing that. Like you've been inspiring me. Like you literally were my person I looked up to to better my performance. And I was like, whoa, whoa, what? Like, and I'm out here like admiring the hell out of you because you're out here doing all around freshman year, crushing your such a little rock star. So the fact that like you looked up to me, I was just like, it was so humbling and it was so cool to hear directly from you that you felt that way. So we instantly clicked obviously. So that was a really, really special moment. But you get to UCLA. Yeah. How was your first year there? It was a dream come true. Yeah. Yeah. It was everything you thought it was like no BS. It was everything I thought it was going to be in more. Wow. Like I think was your first year with Chris or was with Janelle? No, it was with Janelle. Okay. Yeah. So you've had Janelle all. Janelle was my girl. Okay. I had her all of college. Okay. Um, like I tell everybody and it's still true freshman year is the greatest year of my life. Like I loved it. Again. No one knows they were late, but love it. Okay. Yeah. I got lucky. I'm like freshman year was the worst year of my life, but I like I love that for you. That's what people say. But yeah, it's impressive. So I mean, like I said, like 20's his years was was great. It's a more positive environment, but it's still isolating his health to be elite. Yes. Everybody knows that. Um, I had only one of what like a hundred girls doing it. Yeah. - Exactly. - It's such a small group of people. - Yeah, so not a lot of people can relate. - No, unfortunately. - But it's like, I didn't have a single friend, my whole life, that was not a teammate. - Wow. - Well, I mean, you're homeschooled. - Yeah, seated school. - Where was I supposed to make the friends? - Yeah, exactly. - Which wasn't a bad thing 'cause I have any friends now that weren't-- - I do! - Oh, I do! - So many! - So like, I came to school and I was like, oh my gosh. I have so many friends now that the world is your oyster. That don't know what a back hand screen is. Like, this is so fun! - That is cool. - And I was so scared about school. But I was so, so nervous because, again, I was doing online school. - Yeah, it's so different. - But then, I ended up having like, because of Boo-yo. - Yeah. - My Malibu-yo, she told me which classes to take and I had the best professors. So like, even my first quarter of school, I enjoyed it. - Aww. - Yeah. - That's special. I mean, I can relate to that 100% because I was homeschooled 7th, 8th, and 9th grade, I think. And before that, I'd even gone to like a weird school where they like didn't leave in homework. And it was like a really, it was like 100 kids. It was like really small moves. - Yeah. - It was interesting. And my, I remember like the first day going to high school, I transferred in my sophomore year. So I show up the first day, didn't know a soul. I felt so anxious and nervous about it. And then literally the first class I took, it was like an English class. And they go, cool, did you do your summer reading? And I was like, definitely did not do my summer reading. And I was like, yeah. And then they're like, cool, we're gonna do a test, like a pop quiz on like your summer reading. So I'm already like, well, I'm F'd, I didn't read. I did not like reading at the time. And then I also have raging ADHD. So like, no way I'm gonna do that book. And then three, they put a scan chart in front of me. And I literally go, what's that? I literally raised my hand, how embarrassing. I raised my hand. And I was like, excuse me. What's, what is that? Blonde over here. Everybody was like behind my back. Like this stupid bitch does not know what a scan chart is. Like it was crazy. Like people would literally come up to me. Like, are you the girl I didn't know what a scan chart was? Babe, I'm sorry. That's so terrible. I was like terrible. I hate this. Bad start to high school. That's so embarrassing. It was bad. It was bad. But yeah, I was like, I remember shitting bricks going into my first year at real school. Yeah. Because it's just you don't know. Everything is so different. It's a complete, am I like, what is this, a locker? Like I got to carry my books with me. Like what? What are you talking about? It was just such a huge adjustment. So I can't even imagine taking that and then putting it even bigger like colleges a whole different beast. Oh my gosh, it's insane. I mean, I remember all the homeschooled girlies in my class having such a big shell shock because it was so different than what they were used to. And also just getting the freedom. Yes. Like having so much free reign is dangerous. And in LA. Hello. And in LA. Like, did you ever get into trouble? No. What? Of course not. I didn't get in trouble. No. It didn't. Like these over real. No. But oh my gosh. I had the best roommate freshman year too. Oh. Alex Irvine. Shout out to you, girl. I miss you every day. No. Like I loved her down. So we clicked like this. Yeah. So roommate. Perfect. Team. Perfect. Coaches. Loved them. Yeah. And then I realized I actually like school. Sick. Oh wow, because I was like taking classes with an actual teacher instead of reading from a computer. It's probably so much easier. Yeah. So then I was like actually motivated. It's like study. Ended up crushing it. Sorry. That's a brag. No. Crushed my girlfriend here. No. Yeah. Like you said, was blessed to compete all around. Yeah. All freshman year. That was crazy. So you're just writing this high. You're having such a great time. Genuinely. I've never been happier. So then we get to sophomore year. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Yeah. Uh-oh. And that was not as great that more of a roller coaster. How do we feel about sophomore year? Okay. So you would have asked me a year ago, I would have been like, oh my gosh, I don't want to talk about it. Yeah. Leave me alone. Yeah. I'm email. I know. I know. Yeah. But I've honestly healed since then. Good. And that sounds like a little bit dramatic. It's a dramatic all girl, like somehow in like that year, I'm a completely new person. I have a completely different perspective on the sport. Yeah. Like everything changed for me. So I just, I wouldn't say long story short, I'm just going to say long story. So you can just do the long story girl. We have an hour. Okay. Like let it rest. Right. Right. Get comfy. Yeah. Freshman year. Was perfect. Yes. Like the team didn't have an outstanding end of the year, but you had a great year. I had all my dreams come true. Yeah. Truly. And I was so excited for sophomore year. And I wouldn't say I was like lazy over the summer because that's like not my, not in your DNA. That's just not my personality at all. But I had never had an off season. Hmm. Ever. Well, yeah, we train you around. We train you around. There is no off season in a league in club. So I was still like working out consistently over the summer. But I was back in San Antonio and I didn't really have like a home gym. Yeah. I was comfortable throwing my actual skills in. That's really tough. Okay. So to give people an idea for those that don't understand what we're talking about. So basically when you're done with your season, you still have school. You can train like you have practice hours, but you're not training the same level that you were when you were training in preseason and season. And then after school's done, you're literally off for like three, four months in the summer. And you're expected to just go to your home gym and train by yourself for three, four months and keep up your skills, but also not plateau, but then also not peak. And it's like, it actually is so difficult. I don't even know how we did it. Like, they basically like our weights coach would just like send us our training regimen and then like, we just have to like try try to do it on our own. And I'm pretty sure nine times at a time like the girl is we're not doing it. Like I train mass off because again, like that's just who I am, but like I also had something to prove. Like I didn't have the freshman year that I wanted. So I came in to the summer with a chip on my shoulder and I was like, and I got freaking thrown into the stands at nationals. I didn't even compete. I wasn't on the floor. So like I very much had something to prove. So thank God, because I had that fire in my ass, but like I trained so hard that summer. But I don't know how it would have been if I had a great year, because it's really hard to be motivated to train buyers. It's scary as shit too. It's a scary sport and it's boring and a long hours by yourself if you don't have teammates to push you. And I'm like a definition of an extrovert. Like I get angry by being around people. Yes. So yeah. And I had like towards the end of my freshman year, I was so competing, but like I had a back injury just like it was like spasiting and stuff. So I remember like everyone was like, Caitlin, like, you need to rest this summer. Yeah. I just work or we know like you just need to chill. Yeah. And I heard that. And then along with just not having a comfortable gym to do my real routines and skills, I went a little bit too easy. Mm-hmm. And again, I was working out, but I wasn't doing my real gymnastics. And like I can't stress this enough. Everybody is different. Yeah. With how they are with breaks in gymnastics. I'm a reps girl. I'm a reps girl too. I need reps. Yes. To feel confident. And then, some people can stay fit and have good basics and throw a retina any moment. I'm not that person. Good for you, babe. Love that for you. I am so jealous. Like I'm so happy for you. Oh, yeah. Like Kate, Pang, Halley, all those girls literally would train like once a week because their bodies were broken and they needed to preserve their bodies in order to compete. Mm-hmm. And I'm like, how the hell do you do that? Like I have so much respect for you to be able to pull out a routine without training at all. You literally do one pressure set and you're done. I'm out here doing 15 vaults a day and I still land on my ass. I feel you. Great to eat. I'm like, great to eat. Yeah. No, I feel you. Could not be me. And I know that now. But I didn't know that then. Yeah. So I was like, oh, I'm going to be like everyone else. No. No. So I show up sophomore year. I'm a little bit behind. And like my skills, like I'm not making my vault to like even the soft landing. Yeah. Like my bars, like everything, like my rhythm was off. And just like immediately my confidence took a hit. But it was okay because I'm still in my dream school. I still have all my best friends around me. I have really great coaches. And then one thing about gymnastics too that a lot of people don't get is it's so mental. And if you're not training to like a specific level, you lose skills so fast. It's like actually terrifying. Like I lost my vault so quickly after I retired. Yeah. And it got scary. It wasn't like, oh, I just can't physically do anymore. Like no. This is actually terrifying. Exactly. So then when you had this confidence hit, like I remember you and I connecting, we grabbed lunch and you were like almost in tears telling me like how frustrated you were about the whole situation. And like, I think what also happened is that you had this expectation over your head. Exactly. You had like everyone expected you to be this great rock star athlete that you wore your freshman year. And it kind of made you crumble a little bit. This pressure was like, yeah, debilitating. Yeah. And that's like exactly what I told you at that, that when we talked. So yeah, like I remember I got like my routines good enough to compete. But I wasn't confident as I was like freshman year, not even close. So I was like, a little bit doubting myself in the competitions wasn't really having as much fun because of that. And then there was one away me, I don't even remember what it was. I sat down my vault, but I was like, no, it's okay. Like vault's never been my best event. We're going to floor. Yeah. And I fall on floor. Wait, what? - I fall on floor. - On what skill? - On a one and a half front layout. - No, not that one. - Did he do that's what? - I was a seat drop. - No, it was my fault. - Oh no, what happened? My legs gave out. - I rushed shit. - I don't know. Now I'm on my butt for the second time. - Oh, humble. - Attenaway me. I'm like, humble. - Should I just quit the team? - Like, obviously nobody's like, nobody's mad at me. - No. - But you're human. - You don't just make mistakes. - I also like, I get embarrassed really easily. I'm just a girl. - I'm mortified. - Okay. But to be fair, you're also in front of thousands of people. - Yeah. - People are expecting things of you. You've created this narrative in your head. They've heard this big rock star girly. Everyone's counting on you. You're the all-arounder. Like, it's a lot. It's a lot of pressure on a girl who's literally 18, 19 years old. By herself in this big world of LA. And you're on this massive stage. And like, also now we have social media where people can rip you to shreds on Twitter. Like, I remember scrolling through Twitter all the time. It was so toxic. After like, I meet where I messed up. And just like literally crying myself asleep over it. 'Cause I'm just out here, like, you're right. I shouldn't be on my mat. - You're right. It just confirms all the insecurities, you know? - Yeah. - No, for sure. - So I got it. So I was like, after that meet, I go back to the gym. I'm like, what am I doing? Like, I am literally putting in 110 effort every day. And it feels like I'm getting worse. I got my sport that I've been doing for my entire life. So I'm not enjoying it. - Yeah. - And that has nothing to do with like the team culture. The coaches, like everybody is giving me all the support that they can. They're trying to make me happy again. And I wouldn't say I was like depressed. That's too much of like a description. But like, I didn't want to go to practice. And that's not me. - You fell out of love for a little bit. - Just a little bit. But enough for it to really like affect my motivation. The sport's too hard. - It's too hard to not love it. - To not love it. - Exactly. - Really? Unless you're motivated by something else. Like, I don't think you're like that where like you get motivated by like accolades and titles and stuff. Like that doesn't do it for me. - Yeah. - For me, it's like the progression and growing. - Yeah. - And if I feel like I've plateaued, I get depressed. - Yeah, I kind of literally feel so down on myself. I'm like, oh, I'm just not gonna get better. - Yeah. - But I'm stagnant. - Yeah. So then I wasn't meaning my own expectations. And even though this wasn't being communicated to me, I feel like I was failing my team. - Yeah. - I felt like I was disappointing my coaches. I felt like my family at home, like, wasn't proud of me anymore, which was the part of the thing from the truth, of course. And then like you said, social media, like, I don't get bothered by social media at all. I think Twitter's honestly hilarious, I think. I think if you're a college or professional athlete, people are gonna talk about you. - Yeah. - And like, you need to be okay with it because that's skin. - That's kind of the fun of sports, is sharing our opinions about things. Do people take it too far sometimes? Maybe, but like, freedom of speech, like, I don't know, I love like, I just love competitions. - Yeah. - Yeah, I'm okay with it. But that is another thing. Now the Daily Brewing is writing articles about me and people on Twitter are talking about me. And it just all, and boom, explosion. Like, I had the worst mental breakdown in the locker room. I'll never forget that day. - Okay. - Oh my gosh. Like, hyperventilating, and it was-- - Really a full panic attack. - A full panic attack. And I've never had one before. I've never, I've always been super cool. - Yeah. - And you know what I think it was? I remember talking about this specific point of it with BJ one time. When I was in elite, I was good. - Yeah. - I was very good, but I was not great as an elite, right? I was always like, top 10 to top 20. - Okay. - I was never podium. I was on the national team one time, but I never actually represented USA. So I was never a winner. - Yeah. - Okay, and then I come in freshman year and I'm winning. - Yeah. - And I'm really good. - You've got to taste good. People know my name. I'm a little bit more famous. So I had never been competing to win. I was always competing because I liked it. And I was really good at it. And now I'm competing to win. And that was the problem. - Yeah. - There was a new pressure that I never felt before. And it just all powered up. I had this huge mental breakdown in the locker room. I remember Shay Campbell walked in and she gave me like the biggest hug ever. - Oh. - And like, that is, of course, how I got through it was my teammates in the end. But it took time. - Yeah. - It took a long time. - And then-- - Well, because you've created these neural pathways where it's like you have basically these thoughts that now have become your reality. And it's really hard to shake those thoughts because they're so intrusive. And especially when shit hits the fan and things get difficult, you're gonna revert back to those beliefs that you've created about yourself that are so diluted. Well, obviously your parents support you. Obviously, your team loves you. Nothing is actually happening, but we've convinced ourselves of this narrative. And it's completely ruined your experience, precisely. And every athlete can relate. I think, maybe I'm biased. I think it hits gymnast more, but every athlete can relate. It's near impossible to separate yourself worth from your performance and your support because we're literally gymnasts since we come out of the womb. Like, that's been our identity since the very beginning. - Exactly. That's why it literally launches podcasts because I'm like, oh, wait, you also struggle with identity. - Okay, cool, cool, got it, me too. I'm not the only one. - We. - And then you start realizing like everyone feels that way. - Yeah, I mean, shit, like there's literally stats about like NFL players who are suicidal after their career's on. - Absolutely. - Because they have nothing else left. - No, it's a serious problem, yeah. - They're an entire identity. I mean, I was gonna ask you later, but like we can talk about now, like how do you feel about all the NIL stuff? Because now that there's money involved, how do you not compare yourself to your teammates who are making more money than you, or less money than you, or how do you not get wrapped up in all of the big business of it all? - Oh my gosh. - It's so much noise. - I have strong opinions about NIL. - Let's hear it. - Okay. - I love it. First of all, I love that individuals are profiting off of themselves in their hard work because I do think universities were in a way taking advantage of that for sure by profiting off of us. If you're selling a jersey with my name on the back and you're making money and I haven't seen a cent of it, that's wrong. I agree with that one hundred percent. On the flip side, I think a degree used to mean more. I know. I think the dream was always to compete for a school and have your education paid for. And I think that's a privilege and that's an honor that has disappeared. I think we've lost the plot a little bit. - I think we've lost the plot of college athletics as much as I think I should profit off of my own success. And well, everyone's a walking billboard now. - Everyone's a walking billboard and I feel like people aren't people anymore. They're just a money sign. And especially with like football and basketball, I feel like it's just another professional league. - Yeah. - The way people are transferring in and out just following the money bag, I think less for gymnastics 'cause it's not as often, but it's continuing to increase. I feel like if you're just following the money, then you're never gonna build team culture because you're not in it for the right reasons. - You're in it for the wrong reasons. You're in it for the bag. Again, respect, I think you deserve it, but not if it's at the cost of your team culture and actually winning a national championship. - Yeah. 100%. - I mean, I have strong opinions about it too, even though it doesn't affect me anymore, obviously. Like, but I mean, to some degree, it kinda does affect me because I do contact creation. I make money up brand deals. Like that's my main income. And so, when they pay athletes to rep brands and stuff, and these athletes, like, don't know what the hell they're doing and they're just like, oh, sure, I'll promote this, I'll promote that for a very small amount of money because they just see the check and they're like, oh, wow, like, I'm finally getting, and it's like, it dilutes the influencer market. Anyways, long story short, I think what really sucks is athletes losing their love for the sport because they're looking at the dollar sign. - 100%. - It really actually makes me sad. Like, I am so curious if they took all of that away. - Yeah. - How many athletes would be taking fifth years, sixth years? Like, you're taking opportunities away from people that are coming in. - Yeah. - You're taking scholarships away. - And another thing is, I worry about high schoolers choosing their college based on who's writing the biggest check and not do your values aligned with this school. - Yeah. - Are you going to get a degree that's gonna set you up for the rest of your life instead of short term cash? - Yeah. - And when you're a high schooler, like, you're easily persuaded. - Oh my God, people were literally buying the girl, like the kid's house is. They're like buying their parents' cars. - Yeah. - And like, it's crazy. - It's crazy. - That's crazy. - Because money they're getting thrown out. And also like, who's managing their money? I gotta know. - I know. - Like, you're crazy. - Yeah, yeah. - You're an 18-year-old and you're getting $5 million checks. Like, that's insane. Unreal. - And then also, what is that really teaching people? - Chase the check. - No, exactly, I'm with you. - Are you really gonna develop any skill sets outside of that? - Yeah. - And then what happens when brand deals dry up, you retire, and then you've done absolutely no hard work to actually set yourself up for success. - Yeah, that's exactly right. - It's gonna be a hard slap in the face. - Yeah. - It's gonna be a tough reality. - Crazy. - How has it been with you guys in the culture, having someone like Jordan on the team, who's a big name, making big money, and has that effect to the culture at all? Has it shifted the dynamic? - I don't think so because she's one girl. And hello to time Olympian, deserves. - Deserves all her flowers. - You know, it deserves everything, and she shares it with us. Like, she gives us gifts. - She does also give you guys a lot of opportunities. - Yeah. - Like, she brings you guys along for brand trips and stuff like that. - Exactly. - Things like that all the time. So I feel. - I feel like because it's-- - But she buys all things. - Sometimes. (laughs) - I have a few Nike shoes from her, what? So yeah, I feel like-- - Period. - Since it's just one team and-- - One team and-- - One team and-- - Completely justified and all of her success 'cause of what she's accomplished. I think it's been okay for us, but I can't imagine what it would be like if we had five Jordans on the team. - Oh yeah. - Oh I can't. - That would become cutthroat for sure. - I mean, I've even heard just like, it just sometimes affects the dynamic in a sense of like, favoritism, and like the whole crowd only cheering for her. I mean, you look at like social media and it's like they're gonna use her face for every thumbnail and-- - Yeah. - It's like it makes sense, it sucks, but it's like that's the way it is. - Yeah. - It frustrates me actually as like a viewer because I wanna see all my girls and it's like, I loved Jordyn to death and I think she deserves her flowers 100%. But it's like can we not like throw other people in between? Like I went and checked like the social media recently after you guys went to nationals and I was looking for posts from all y'all and it was only Jordyn. And I'm like, I mean, like yes and no because on the other side like, she has done so much for college gymnastics. Like she has brought in so many new fans. - True. - And like she's literally what the fans wanna see. And I get it and I get it 'cause I wanna see her too. - Yeah. - And at the same point like just makes me sad for everyone else 'cause I want them to have opportunities as well. I want equal opportunity for every day. - I get that, yeah. - I'm just productive with my friends. I'm like, just give it a night. - I give it everybody and I know that it's hard because like I was on a team with massive names too. Like Katelyn Oashii and Kyla Ross and Madison Coshan and like-- - Yeah, legends, yeah. - Peng-Peng Lee, like of course, they're gonna be the front runners for all the content and they're gonna be the ones getting picked for media days and they're gonna be the ones, you know, being the face of the program. But yeah, I do think it's important to still give other athletes an opportunity to be given the same opportunity to the platforms. - Yeah. - Especially when there's NIL deals involved. - Yeah. 'Cause like I imagine if, I mean, I even remember, there was something that happened recently with a Minnesota coach was pissed because they didn't get any screen time at Nationals. - Oh wow, really? They made Final Four. - No screen time. - Yeah, see the last, in the last rotation, they got 3%, that hurts my heart. - 3% coverage, because you know those girls work just as hard. - Works, they're native. - They made it to the end. They deserve to be celebrated. They deserve to be shown on TV. - Yeah. - But because they weren't in contention to win, you didn't matter. And I just think, I don't know. It's the name of the game, it's broadcasting, it's whatever, like we can't control that. - And I think like gymnastics is like just now really gaining viewership. - Yeah, so things are going to start. - You know those channels are trying to figure out what the hell is going on at these competitions. They don't really understand. So I think they're going to figure it out, but I'm totally with you, like I think. It's just an internet smash, but it's like, I get it, you're making money. So it's like, you got to show the big names, you got to show what's going to, it's like clickbait. - Yeah. - Like it makes sense, just, I hate that it's like that, unfortunately. - Yeah. - But, I mean, I have heard that it is really important like as you guys are moving forward in athletics to build out your followings, to build your brand, how is that going? - Okay, I'm not a social media girl. - Lionel. - You know, like, you know. But some people love it. Some people love the vlogging. - Yeah, like page, page is so good at it. - Oh my gosh, like her content is amazing. I just don't have the motivation to do it. But it is- - Girl, it's a bunch. - It's so much work. - I don't know how y'all do it. - I'm literally like, I do this as a full-time gig. - I can't imagine- - It's a little of a full-time job. - Yeah. - I can't imagine having to film, edit, post, on top of train, school. - Yep. - Social life somehow. - Yeah. - So, like, yeah. - How do you find time for it all? - It's so hard. - Building my brand is like not in my top five priorities at all. - I will say I was really grateful UCLA brought in a new company to help us with that. - Nice. - Article 41, like they work all of our NIL deal. They do, like if they get us the deal, they'll film edit, tell us what to post and when to post. - Oh, it's amazing. - That is so, so helpful. - Oh my god, where do I sign up? - No, literally. Like, I love- - That's sick. - Again, page, if you're listening. Thank you for all of your hard work for me. 'Cause that definitely helps a lot. But, obviously, we don't all get assigned one person to follow us around with a camera all day. So, like, if you do want to reach more people and grow your following and all of that, it takes a lot of extra hours. - Yeah. - That some of us aren't willing to give. (laughs) - 'Cause you were recruited to do gymnastics. - Yes. - And get a degree. - And get a degree. - I'm like trying to get a degree from the number one university, public university, like. - Yeah, I don't really. - It's a grind. - Yeah. Have you noticed other girls, maybe not on your team, but, like, just across the board and athletics, maybe slipping a little bit with either school or gym or their sport, whatever? Like, something has to give. - I think I think something has to give. And, like, have you heard, like, people struggling with managing it all? - Yeah, I mean, everybody is just beginning of the time. Like, student athletes are stressed and tired all the time because of everything on our plate. And this is just one more thing to worry about. - Yeah. - So it can be very overwhelming. And I do think something has to give. I haven't heard, like, horse stories or, like, any specifics, but I will also think, like, your university kind of is gonna dictate how much time you have. Like, I think you see, like, horse load is much greater than other schools. - Yeah. - Oh my gosh, like, it's you see, like, the academics are crazy there. So I think I might have way more homework than somebody else. So they might have more time to focus on, like, the social media aspect of it. - Yeah. - And I also know that I have heard, like, other schools get a lot more academic help. - Yes, I have heard that. - And even, like, social media help as well. - And social media help, yeah. Because I think UCLA is a very, like, self-sufficient school. Like, they really want to teach us, like, self-sufficiency in owning your own life and everything you do in, like, figuring out a way to do it. Obviously, if we're, like, struggling with a class of course, we're gonna get a tutor. - Yeah. - But our hands are not held through it. - No. - At all. - Oh yeah, I can, I can toss. - Yeah. - Ah, yeah. That's. - I did not miss school. (laughing) - Oh my God. - So, we just wrapped our junior year. - Oh my God. - Oh my God. - You're feeling, you're going in your senior year, though. - I cannot believe I'm a senior. - It doesn't feel right. - I feel ancient. - What the hell are you? (laughing) - What do you mean, you're graduating, Sam. - Ew. - I can't even think of that. - I'm gonna cry. - No, me too. - I'm not trying to come to as many meets as possible in my cheer because, like, I'm gonna have to soak it all up. So, how are we feeling? You just wrapped your junior season. - Yeah. - You guys had a tough end. - I really do. - How was that? - What was that? - Let's walk through that. - All right, let's walk through it. First of all, was the season better? - Yeah, the season was great. - Okay. - For you, person. - Oh my gosh, for me? - Yeah. - Okay, great. - Yeah, to give a little conclusion to sophomore year. Wait, we jumped around a little while ago. - We really did. - And we're out here. - Okay, so sophomore year was terrible beginning and middle, but then, I had the best coaches ever that let me take as much time as I needed to come back. - Yeah. - So then I come back, big 10 championships, my first B-Martine in two months. One of the judges gave me a 10. - Get the hell out, swear. - Yeah. - You know what, that is so cool because I feel like so many athletes are like, "I'm burnt out, I want to stop a blah blah." But I don't want to quit. And it's like, bro, there's an option to walk away for a second. Like, you can take a break. There's no rule book. - Yes, there is no rule book. So go take a break. - Yeah. - How bad can do it when you actually wanna be there? - Exactly. - 'Cause you will perform better. - Exactly, I needed the break. And again, like, how good did that feel though? It probably confirmed so much for you too. To be like, wait, no, I really didn't eat that break. - No, it was really good. - Like, it wasn't just you. It was just, you're psyche needed a second. - Exactly. - Mental, physical, emotional, break. And then, that's so healing. We had been undefeated all season, going into big team championships. And then my first beam routine. I mean, it was not a perfect routine. I don't know why they gave me a 10, but I didn't end up getting a really high score. I definitely cried. I mean, that day is probably like my favorite competition ever because Sienna gets her 10 on beam. - Yeah. - And then we go to floor. And it's neck and neck with MSU. They were putting up a really good fight. - Wow. - But then Brooklyn Morris goes 10 on floor. Jordan Childs goes 10 on floor. And those were 10s. - Yes. - They were pretty 10s. And I'm pretty sure, yeah, that was our highest score of the season. - Wow. - So it was just so gratifying that not only did I come back and have my best meet, but also by putting me back in the lineup, we got our highest team score. - Yeah. - That was very gratifying for me. - Yeah, absolutely. - You're like, wait, my team really needs me. - And a good way, not in a pressure way. - Yeah, and then from there, it wasn't pressure anymore. It was like an honor again. - Yeah. - And that's when I do my best is like when I'm competing out of gratitude. And so yeah, so then we were national runners up. It was amazing. - So sick. - Such a good year. I knew what to do this past summer. - Let's go. - Okay, I never took my foot off the gas. Like a girl doing, yep. I was doing routines, parts, all of it. - Did you train? back in Texas or did you go to Minnesota? - I actually stayed in LA. - You stayed in LA? - Yeah. - So I cannot tell you how many privates I had with Mark on vault. - Smart. - Yeah. - And I had my vault locked in by November. I was feeling really confident. And now it was like, I had experienced the best freshman year possible. - Yeah. - And then I had experienced the worst sophomore year, but with the best ending. So now I feel like, and I've experienced everything and still my coaches love me, my team loves me, my family's proud of me. Life goes on. - Nothing changed. - No matter the outcome, nothing has changed. - That's cool. - And that completely changed the sport for me. It really did. 'Cause literally, that's what I always think. I'm like, no matter the outcome, nothing changes. That part. If I win a national championship, I guess what, I still have to take my final exam when I come back. So, isn't that serious? Like, I love the sport. I love winning. I'm the most competitive person, a live competitive girl. If you watch our Blue vs. Gold challenges, like if it's a board game, I'm gonna flip the board if I lose. But, yeah, but it's not that deep. - It's not that deep. It really is it. - That's really cool though, that you've been able to find a perspective that really helps you perform your best. - It really does. - But yeah, we were undefeated. Big 10s again. - Slazing. - We also broke a bunch of attendance records for a wave. - I didn't see that, which I think is really cool. Love bringing in new fans. - And it's cool to help elevate the other schools as well. - Yeah. - 'Cause I didn't know that if they're going to that school to watch Jordan, they're gonna start coming back to all that. - Yeah. - Do you want to help that school? - Yeah. - Exactly. - Exactly. And I love seeing Big 10s and Asics grow. Like, that makes me really happy. It's cool. - So cool. - Love it. Yeah, we kicked ass this season. We were feeling amazing going into nationals. Like, we weren't overconfident though. We knew we were gonna have to put up a fight. - Yeah. - I mean, Oklahoma's always good. - They're always gonna be good. - Ellis, he was always gonna be good. - Florida's always gonna be good. - Yeah. And I have a matter of respect for them. And we don't really have any regrets though. Like, yeah, we choked. - Did you? - We choked on day one nationals. I think everybody's mindset was right. We didn't have any crazy injuries. - Yeah. - All of the things were in order aligned. It should have been a great meet. And it wasn't. - Damn. - Sometimes it starts this don't align. - Exactly. And it hurt. And I was really pissed off. - Especially because obviously it felt like it was my fault. Even though it wasn't. It's a whole puzzle. It depends on everybody. But I choked on vault. Like, I sat down. - I didn't remember mine. - Yeah, I fell. At the biggest meeting of the year. - Yeah. - Wait, we need to talk about this. - Oh my God. - I was so embarrassed. 'Cause, like, vault is not my event. It's just, it's just an accident. - Which is crazy. - It's a phenomenal vaulter. - Thank you. I appreciate it. - You're welcome. - But, again, I have to put in, like, so many reps. - You've worked really hard for it. - So hard for it. But I was finally confident in it this year. - Yeah. - 'Cause I was nailing them. Like, they were getting, they were getting better. - I literally posted on my Instagram. You sticking your one and a half. And I, they gave you a frickin' 985. And me and Poole were like, what the hell? - I mean, my legs were a little sloppy in there. I'll give 'em all. - But no. - It didn't matter to me. 'Cause I stuck my one and a half, that part, you stuck that six. - I think so. - I cannot tell you how many times I replayed those three seconds in my head. I think if we're looking at it from a technical gymnastics perspective, yes, I rushed. But I can't tell you why I rushed. I was in, everybody was in such a good mental state, yeah, and the star's just in the line. And unfortunately, that's sports. And I cried about it all night. - Oh, babe. - But then I woke up and Janelle was like, KK, and guess what? And I was like, what? She was like, the sun rose today. - I was like, yeah, you're right, Janelle. It's dead. - Wow. - That's okay. - Like, really refreshing. - It's actually going to be okay, yeah, which, that's exactly what I needed to hear that day. - Yeah, you're like, my heart's beating. - I'm alive. - I'm alive. I'm at one of the best universities in the country, genuinely, with my best friends. - I get to do my sport that I love. - Yeah. Wow. So obviously it hurt, but again, it was hard to dwell on it. - I couldn't, I couldn't even give any more emotion to it because just like I said, I'd learned after sophomore year, like life goes on. I put in all this work. I didn't walk away with the trophy, but guess what? I enjoyed the hell out of all that work. - Yeah. - I made so many good memories with this team. I think this was one of the best teams I've ever been a part of. - That's so cool. - And I wish we won, but we didn't, and I'm okay with that. - Yeah. - Yeah. - That's beautiful. - Thank you. - I'm proud of you. - That's freaking growth, man. - Yeah. - And I would not be talking like this freshman or sophomore year. Trust. Trust. I would be here solving still, saying I should have done more, but I gave it my all. I really did. - You did. - Yeah. - And sometimes it just doesn't pan out, and that's okay. - And I want people to know that it's actually okay. Literally life goes on. - Life goes on. I'm a perfectionist. - Still. - Yeah. - But I know I can't be perfect every day. I know I'm going to fall in my ass sometimes, and that's okay. - It's simply okay. - Yeah. - And also how exciting is it that you still have one more year left? - Yeah. - It's not over. - And I know, girl. - 'Cause I'm not over. - We just add in a little spark to the flame. - Absolutely. - Absolutely. Yes. - Okay. So then what's the plan for this year? - What's your goal? - When a daddy just want to win a damn daddy, it is pretty fun and market life. - Yeah. - It's pretty fun. - So what was that like? - Well, you know, I don't think I ever cried so much my entire life. My emotional reaction is to just sob. - Yeah. - So I think I cried for an average of like five hours that day. Just because we had such an incredible team, and then it was just like so fun, and then we all just like somehow knew in our bones that we were going to do it, and I genuinely think the stars just aligned. I don't even know how the hell we did it. Like paying, getting a perfect ten on two events, and she needed to get a 9.973 or some shit. - I can tell you how many times I've watched this be a routine. Like, bro, if you, people listening need to go watch this meet, watch the whole meet now, watch the whole thing. - Do. - Insane. We literally had like, I think a 5% chance of winning by like the second rotation, like people did not think we had in the bag, we didn't even think we had in the bag, but we were just out here like Delulu. - Yeah. - Like, oh yeah, we got it. We're not easy. - You know, we're not easy. Like, I truly believe the best part about sport is you can be as delusional as you want, and that's the memory that's going to be in your core. - Yeah. - Like, that's a good point. - You could, and I even said that when I got a perfect ten, was like, when I got interviewed about getting a perfect ten, they were like, how does it feel? You finally got this number, blah, blah, blah, and I'm like, I knew in my core, not even on some cocky shit. I knew that I had done a perfect ten routine in the past, because I knew what I had trained for and I knew the standard that I held. And just because I didn't get that specific day, didn't mean that I wasn't worthy of a perfect ten. - 100%. - Those are all things that were out of my control. - Yeah. - So as long as I lived like a natty champ, I believed I was a natty champ. And I truly believe, like, you guys could have easily won a national championship if you had done the performance that you did at Big Ten. - Yeah. - Oh, 100%. - Do you know what I mean? - Yeah. - It's literally just any games. - And guess what? - Guess what any team could say that. - Exactly. - And the cool thing about it is why do we have to harp on the negative when we can truly just say, like, no, I am a national champion athlete, I haven't won it yet, but I treat myself every day like one. I love every day like one. - Yeah. - You know? - Yeah. - Like, I'm not a millionaire yet, but like, yet. - Yeah. - You know what I mean? - I will be. - But I will be, because I act every day like a millionaire would. - Yes. - I hold myself to the standard of a million people. - Yes. - The realistic delusion is good for the soul. - Delulu is key. - Truly. - Yes. - I mean, that's how I literally became a gymnast on UCLA's team. - Right. - Hello. I let it walk out. - Yeah, you have the best story ever, actually. - It literally walked on. And it was like, I suck at vault. I can't get my vault for the life of me, and, uh, I guess I'll just do floor. I literally wasn't recruited to the floor. - I don't think I knew that. - Oh, yeah. Girl, I literally fell in my ass at warmups. - Yep. - How do I stay in nationals? Can I freshen my year? - Love it. - Um, Mississippi knocks on my door, asked for the credential, says you're staying in stance. My parents had flown all the way out to St. Louis. Oh, yeah. - Just from podium training before, like the warmup. - It was the first day of comp. - Oh, wow. - So I was like, alternate or whatever. I was kind of like seventh in line if someone couldn't get their vault together, I was going to be in. And then I had been in and out of line up, like consistently, and Randy, like my coach was batting for me. Like he was in my corner, he's like, Gracie, I really want you to get this vault. - Yeah. - We need your vault. We need the one and a half. You know, it's a ten oh star. Like it's a great vault. How many times do you hear that? We need that one and a half. - This is the name of college in Nashville. - And it just did not help. The pressure. I was so one well in the pressure. - Yeah, and so then literally I sobbed that morning because I was like, oh my god, I lost my chance. Like, I literally lost this incredible opportunity to be on this team. And then I was sitting in a stance on my parents and I was like, I'm never going to let this happen again. - I love that. - Like I just was like, this was all my fault. Like I took full accountability. I was like, I could control my control bulls and I didn't. And I'm not. - And I'm never going to feel this way again. - Never. - And then literally the next year, I won a national championship and contribute on floor. Boom. - So it's like truly, it is all in your head. You just have to be able to, like, kind of be ballsy enough to like, look, take a hard look in the mirror and be like, what did you do wrong? - Yeah. - Yeah, we do a lot of, you know, negative self-talk as well that we don't realize is so toxic. - Literally. Because we hold ourselves as such an impossible standard, but giving ourselves grace while simultaneously holding ourselves to a really high standard I think is the key. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And unfortunately, I feel like you can tell a freshman that a million times and they're not going to learn until they live it. Girl, you got to live it. You have to live it. You have to live it. That was like that moment, well, for ever being green to me, as like the moment that I finally took control of my life. Because you don't really get to make decisions for yourself until you get to college anyways. You know what I mean? Like, everyone's dictating what you do and how you do it and, you know, like we talked about, like when you have your summer, you get to decide what you do and what you get out of it. Yeah. And so, while everyone else kind of just like did the whatever that was expected, I went above and beyond because I knew I had to as an individual in order to keep up. Yeah. Yeah. Like shit, I'm literally on the same team as Olympic champions, like, and I'm a nobody. Like, obviously, I'm going to have to kick my ass, you know? So yeah, I think it's, you're in a very similar position where it's like you know what you need to do. I'm very so aware. Like I have always had to work twice as hard to be half as good, but we ain't scared to hardly just steal that quote, but like that, that's how I felt growing up for real. And I'm not scared of hardware. I know how to endure. And when I like set my mind to something, it's like, I will work myself to death through accomplish it. And the really good thing is like from college, I've now learned like what my limit is because I know if I work too hard, you'll burn out. I'm going to burn out and I'm not going to enjoy it. So I have to find that sweet spot, but I know where that sweet spot is now. Yeah. Yeah. I think what's cool too is having that understanding of like, there are seasons. There's seasons within seasons, you know, there's the season to grind and to hold yourself to an impossible standard and kick your own ass and all the things. And then there is a time when you are competing to give yourself some credit. And be like, girl, this is freaking hard. You're in school. You're navigating life. You're trying to be normal every now and again. You know, God forbid a girl gets a boyfriend, you know, oh my God, yeah. Like juggling all of that on top of now and all the NIL stuff and the pressure from social media. Everyone's expecting shit from you. It's just like, give yourself credit. You're in a very, very difficult position. I think people need to compliment themselves more. I have a rule with myself. I don't really follow it very well. I've been pan of badly lately, but that's your it. For every mean thing I say to myself, I have to say three nice things to calm back. Ooh. That's hard to do. It's tough. You got to get creative. Yeah. Really creative. And some of my friends know this, so then anytime I say something mean to myself, they'll be like, three nice things and I'm like, shit. And nice to people sometimes. I'm like, no, I'm uncomfortable. She's like, I drink water today. I drink water. I ate a meal. Yay. Okay. So, I actually do want to know how are you feeling about leaving your sport? Shut up. Bad. Bad. Bad. I've already cried about it. Yeah. Today? No. Oh. I'm like, I cry every day. We cried like an hour ago. It's no. But what about it makes you emotional? Okay. You're a lot to cry by the way. We cry on you all the time. Okay. I've just, I've seen it already, you know. I know. I've known this whole like college experience that it's going to be over. Yeah. Again, I've been preparing myself for that. And like I'm sure every athlete comes on here and they tell you, my sport is my identity. Yeah. I don't know who I am without it. I think I'm starting to learn who I am without it. Okay. Which is really good. Yeah. Because I've made some great friends in college and again, I'm succeeding in school. So I feel like there are a lot of pieces of me that have nothing to do with gymnastics that I really love. Good. And that's great. And I know that's a really good starting point. But I still feel like I'm mentally 16. So I'm like, what do you mean I have to get a job and be an adult? Yeah. Like that's really scary for me. So I don't know if it's so much as giving up gymnastics as it is not knowing what's next specifically because I've always had such a clear plan. Yeah. Of course. Like you're going to be a junior league. You're going to be a senior league. And then you're going to go college. Yeah. But there was nothing after that. I wasn't told what comes after that. There's no gameplay after that. Yeah. What's next. Yeah. And I guess I have to use senior year to figure that out. And that's like the scary part is like living in the moment enough to enjoy senior year. But still have a plan. Still have to think. I have. Yeah. I know. That's tough. I can't imagine trying to navigate that balance because when I was the senior, I didn't give a shit. I'm like, I'm going to try to get a perfect time and win another national championship. I'm busy. Okay. I'm tunnel vision on this and COVID ended my career, so my career, I forgot a lot sooner than I expected. And I think, yes, as much as it was a gut punch and like the craziest reality check of my life, I don't really regret it because I am kind of an all-ass kind of girly. I don't be half-assing anything. So when I am all in on something, that's when I thrive. And I think there's, yes, there's different ways to go about it, but like go with how you feel. Go with what feels right. If you feel called to explore broadcasting or stunting or whatever, passion, you feel like exploring, explore it for sure. Give yourself every now and again opportunities to go try things and just test the waters just so you can kind of get a glimpse of what life would look like. But at the same time, like if you feel called to give it your all and go out with a bang on your senior year, do it. And I mean, don't let the outside noise affect you either because I know it's easy to use your stuff and done. But like for me, I remember so many times, it's like such a fricking cliche, oh, you know, what are you going to do when you graduate because when you're a senior, it's like what's next? What's next? And it sucks that society is so hyperfixied on what's next. Yeah, can we talk about that? It's so annoying. Yeah. Like I literally just launched podcasts, well, what do you want to do for five, five, ten years? What do you see the podcast doing in five, ten years? Can I just do it now? Girlie, pop. I haven't interviewed you tomorrow. That's all I'm worried about. Yeah. Like what do you mean five to ten years? Yeah. I'm just trying to stay present. And everyone's just like trying to hurry up and grow up and get their life together. But it's like, what are we hurrying up for? Exactly. Like this is the golden year. Yeah. You know, like these are our golden years. So yeah, I would say honestly, like F the noise, like focus on you, focus on what's really fulfilling for you. Yeah. And like my biggest mantra when I was a senior was people asked me like, what are you going to do when you graduate? And I was like, I don't know. But I'm going to do it. I love and get paid for it. Oh, I love that. And look what you did. Delulu became. I know. I know. Yeah. It's flippant for a living over here. That's incredible. I love it. Like, yeah. It just happened to be, you know, something like almost low-key manifested where it's just like, oh, shit. Yeah. You made it happen. I am doing what I love. Yeah. And I'm somehow getting paid for it. And I do think in the same age, like the world is your oyster, like you could truly do whatever you set your mind to. Yeah. That sounds like again, so cliche. But it's just like, if you are passionate and genuinely so obsessed with something, you will stop at nothing to make it happen. And I know that about you and that is so ingrained in your personality that like, I'm not worried about you. Thank you. You have the personality to like, efferone and find out in the best way. Yeah. So I wouldn't stress by you. Yeah. Okay. Just let the wind take you. I love it. Yeah. You're very much, very good. Thank you. I wouldn't tell you that if I didn't mean it. I really just wanted to like blow smoke up people's ass for no reason. I believe you. Yeah. Okay. Well, I want to get into our little segment called your athlete, which is where we get to give advice to the younger generation. I know. Okay. Okay. They be greasy. Oh, so cute. Just trying to do dance dance. Okay. So first question is what's something that you learned over the years that you wish you knew as a freshman? Yeah. Literally what we just talked about. Winding isn't everything. If you win, if you lose, the sun is still going to rise the next day and life is going to go on. So that you have to actually enjoy and love the work that leads up to the big moments. I love it. That's what you're really going to remember. That part. So true. Yeah. Yeah. Build your satisfaction in your progress and in the work because that you can control. Yeah. Exactly. You can't control what the frickin' judge is saying about you or what score they're giving you. Precisely. You can also can't control what your competitors are doing. Yeah. Like, again, we did everything right, going into Nationals. It just wasn't our day. It's just wasn't your day. Yeah. Like, if you try, do you succeed it? Ooh. I like that. Yeah. Try something. Yeah. I think because we're gymnasts and it's been ingrained at us since day one, that perfection is everything. It's the frickin' pinnacle. It's the peak, whatever. We're not encouraged to fail enough and we're not encouraged to fall. And we also aren't trained to find joy in failing totally. And I feel like I've really reprogrammed my brain in the last few years to not enjoy failing, but enjoy the journey that it takes to get to whatever I'm trying to do and also embrace that every little failure is a step in the right direction. - I also feel like everyone, including me, like everyone's so scared of being embarrassed. - Yeah, it's like embarrassment is a mindset. - Embarrassment is a mindset. - I literally get an Instagram post about this. It was like this, it was like this audio that was like embarrassment is a mindset. Like I don't think people, I think it's an under explored emotion. Like people do not experience embarrassment enough and like it shows. - Yeah. - And it's like go be silly, go be yourself. Like you truly cannot be embarrassed 'cause what is embarrassment? You're literally just like convincing yourself that everyone's judging you. Are people actually looking at you? - You actually know what's going on in their brain. Like it's your brain telling you that. - Yeah, you're thinking you're the main character when you're not. Come on. - What is one thing you swear by that helps you compete at your best? - Ooh. I would say, I mean, it's actually different for everyone, but if you're actually asking me, it's saying super loose and relaxed. Like dance breaks, laughing with your friends. Like literally talking about the most random out of pocket - Getting out of your head. - Getting out of my head. If you watch me in the biggest moments, I dance before I salute. I'm talking right before I salute. - It's facts, I've seen it. - I'm dancing. - It's great. - Yeah, that's the process. - That's what it really helps. I know it doesn't work for everyone, but it really helps me. It just completely get out of my head. - 'Cause you put the work in. - It's muscle memory. - And so you have to trust that, if you can go on autopilot. - If you can control your nervous system and get yourself to that sweet spot that's different for everyone. - That flow state. - That flow state. You do not need your brain. - It's butter at that point. It's like the best feeling in the whole world. - Nothing. - When you can turn your brain off and just be, yeah, it's the best. - Yes. - Last question. How do you pull yourself out of a bad place after a bad meet? Two things, number one, friends. Super important. Your teammates are experiencing the exact same thing at the exact same time. So if anybody's gonna get it, it's them. They all know what it feels like. - And when I get upset, I get angry. I'm not a big cryer. I get really angry and I keep it in. And I freshman your sophomore year, I didn't like to tell people when I was angry or when I was sad, 'cause I feel like I was being a burden, you're not. You're not. You're absolutely not. It's so important. Even if you're not comfortable expressing your emotions, write it down. - Yeah. - And it's not a dear diary moment. It's like, no, this is psychological. Write it down, get it out of your head and you're going to feel better. So I think like releasing that, to your friends and if not your friends, to a piece of paper is really helpful. And then another thing I like is simple self talk. Like break your sentences down to like as simplistic as possible. I had a bad day. I'm still great at the sport. - It's like really simple sentences to kinda trick your talk again. - Yeah. 'Cause positive self talk feels cringy and weird in the beginning. - And so like when I broke it down into like simpler pieces, it started to work. - I love that. - Yeah. - That's really cool. Yeah, for me, I think it was, yeah, just getting out of my head, remembering that there's so many other opportunities. Like this was just an opportunity to learn. - Yeah. - You know, like these were all lessons. These are all moments to grow. And growth is the pinnacle. Growth is success. Not a medal, not a title. - You sound like John Wooden right now. It's really great. - Oh, we'd stop. - Oh, it was a big compliment, right? - No, it was a big compliment, whatever. Oh my God. Make every day your masterpiece, everyone. Period. Well, on that note, thank you so much for coming on. - Thank you for having us. - Can we do this every week? - Yes. - Okay, period. - Actually, we don't even need these. We can just, you and I can just, yeah, every week. (laughing) - Yeah, you're gonna call me when you're officially retired. - Yeah. - And then we can brainstorm. - Yes. - Okay. We can throw you into search as a lay. We can do all of this. - Call me in the movies, bro. - That's the thing. - How did you get my Oscar? - Literally call me and I will take you to try search as a lay in Vegas. I have so many friends that do that. - Okay. - We can go into stunts. You can try wire work. You can do shooting. You can do literally everything you want. If you hate that, we can get into production. You can be my little sister. You can get to social media. - Like you're amazing. - The world is your oyster. Just call me. - Oh, okay. - See now I'm excited. - See, that's the thing. Anxiety is just excitement. Just in a different mindset. - Put that on the t-shirt. - That part. Well, thank you so much for coming. I love you so much. - I love you so much. This was so fun. - Be sure to tune in every Wednesday. I'll see you on the next one. This is Athlete's Up to Rower. - Hey. - Bye. - Bye. (laughs) (upbeat music)