[Music]
so people have been telling me what they
think I should do all my life where I
should go to college what I should do
for a living you should be married by
now but in 2014 at 30 years old I never
thought I’d hear the words I think you
should bobsled I’d been a competitive
athlete all my life but I’d pretty much
come to the conclusion that that chapter
ended when I entered the corporate world
so after some initial resistance I
decided to look into it I found out
there was an open trial about an hour
away and it was being held on the
weekend so I thought what’s the harm I
ended up doing reasonably well at the
initial testing to be considered for the
team and that got me an invite to the
Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid
New York there they’d put me through a
few additional tests and I’d get to take
a ride in the back of a real bobsled to
see if this was a sport I thought I
could actually do what’s the worst that
could happen for those of you who don’t
know anything about the sport bobsled
tracks are about a mile long they
consist of 15 to 20 turns and the ride
takes about a minute 60 seconds how bad
right I was the first newbie to go down
the track that day I can remember making
sure that my helmet was secure that my
mouth guard was in place that I’d
remembered my bobsled spikes and my burn
vest general rule of thumb stay away
from activities that require something
called a burn vest as I sit at the top
of the track staring down the start ramp
seriously reconsidering my decision to
try this sport the all-clear horn
sounded and the start cloth being in a
countdown I must have blacked out for
just a second because the next thing I
knew I was hurling myself downhill
behind what looked like a carbon fiber
bathtub on ice jumping in for 60 seconds
of twists turns and g-forces what does
it feel like some people described their
first bobsled ride like being kicked off
while others liken it to a control car
crash for me I remember thinking it was
never going to end but it was over in a
flash
it was both terrifying and invigorating
it was like nothing I’d ever experienced
before and when it was over I couldn’t
wait to do it again I got out of the
sled and I thought I think I should
bobsled now I decide to make the team
I’m not sure what made me think that
this was the right time in my life to
throw myself into a sport that most
people know nothing about I was settled
into a career in making enough money for
a single 30 year old to live a more than
comfortable lifestyle I had a
respectable job title a nice apartment
in the cool and upcoming part of town a
luxury vehicle and a few luxury suits
that even made me look like an adult I
was living the life I was supposed to
live after getting the right degrees
from the right schools so how come none
of my days from work left me feeling
like I did after that first bobsled ride
like I couldn’t wait to do it again
looks can be deceiving my social media
accounts would have people believe that
I was living my best life that I had
arrived that the years of hard work and
schooling had paid off
the truth the matter is I felt like a
fraud I may have been living someone’s
version of their best life but it just
wasn’t mine find a company that pays
well show up to work every day put a
little money aside every month and when
the time comes you retire a sentiment
that you said sound like fulfillment
began to sound like a life sentence it
became increasingly difficult to focus
at work the title and the money just
weren’t enough anymore Sunday evenings
left me with a pit in my stomach you
know the one I’m talking about and the
challenging and interesting parts of my
job ceased to exist so I quit
just three months after that bobsled
ride I quit my job in hindsight my
decision was a bit careless I had credit
card bills six months left on my
apartment lease student loans that whole
MBA thing 18 months left on my car lease
fun fact you can’t just turn your car in
early does not work that way
I know but then it was November of 2014
and I figured I had a minimal chance at
best at becoming an Olympian but if I
was lucky maybe they’d select me as an
alternate and even that was just too
seductive to pass up
I found a coach that was willing to
overlook my exceptionally bad technique
and take me on there was so much more
that went into becoming Olympian that I
ever imagined I spent hours in the gym
on the Sprint track on the push track
taking every ride down that bobsled
track to get the experience I needed to
progress and when I wasn’t working out I
was finding ways to supplement my income
and pay my bills I was shocked at how
financially taxing this journey had
become and how little financial support
there was for us elite athletes
I learned a staggering statistic 80% of
Olympians and Olympic hopefuls live
below the poverty line the end of each
season left me both emotionally and
physically exhausted
bobsled began to consume me there were
times that the fear of failure was so
overwhelming I cried myself to sleep you
learn a lot going after something that
matters to you but there should be an
asterisk next to those motivational
quotes about following your dreams you
know kind of like the side effect
warning following your dreams may cause
mental and physical pain at times you
will hate yourself and question your
sanity if symptoms persist seek
professional help that being said my
worst day is a bobsledder was still far
more rewarding than my best day in the
corporate world when I’d share my story
of how I transition back into sport I
was met with sentiments a shock and
admiration the idea of leaving the
financial security for a long shot was
difficult to understand it was clear
that I hadn’t been the only one
condition to live a life of external
expectations but one of the few who did
anything about it but why something my
friend said I think summarized it best
she said life is short
see if to go after those long shots but
at the same time life is long and we can
do more of the things that we want a
light bulb went off that was it if I had
to be known for something I wanted it to
be that life is short it flies by so be
present and take the time to do the
things that keep you up at night and get
you out of bed in the morning but at the
same time our life is long and we can do
more of the things that we want even
without making as a dramatic of a life
decision as I did I know it was
incredibly risky to give up financial
security for a long shot and that’s a
luxury not not everybody can take it
would be irresponsible me to stand up
here and tell you to quit your job to do
something that pays you nothing because
it sets your soul on fire because it
but what I will say is this and we’ll
call it things Lauren we learned hanging
out in the back of a bobsled
first it’s amazing what you can
accomplish when you prioritize the
things that matter to you and the
actions that are going to move you
closer to whatever it is you’re trying
to accomplish I had to learn to say the
word no to friends to family to
invitations I normally would have said
yes to even though deep down I knew I
wasn’t interested in give it a try it’s
liberating and the best part is the
people that matter will understand
second you have to ask for help it takes
a village and there are people out there
who generally enjoy helping others but
if you don’t ask they may never know you
need it or want it I got conditioned to
believe that asking for help was showing
weakness or inadequacy the fact the
matter is big dreams and big goals
requires support and resources and
finally focus on the things that you can
control this was both the hardest but
most important lesson self-reflection is
scary it would been easy to look for
external reasons to why things weren’t
going the way I had planned and watching
others how the success I wanted was
difficult but that way of thinking made
me feel anxious and powerless I had to
realize that my journey was unique to me
and if I wanted to get what I wanted I
needed to focus on my deficiencies and
how to remedy them who knew there was so
much room for self-reflection and
exploration in the back of a bobsled if
those three lessons had been the only
thing I got out of the last four years
it would have been worth my time I had
learned to live a life that was true to
who I was there’s a little more though
on January 13 2018 I was named to the
and it’s a moment I’ll never forget
shortly after that I found myself back
at the top of a bobsled track this time
it was day to run four of the Olympics I
prepared just like I had the first time
I made sure my helmet was in place my
mouth guard in place and my bobsled
spikes and my burn vest however this
time was like no other this time it was
with the confidence and assurance this
was exactly where I was meant to be as
all clear horn sounded there was no
blackout I was fully present I felt
invincible the crowd started with a
familiar chant USA USA as a start clock
begin to countdown we took off and as I
load it into the sled I knew I was 60
seconds away from an Olympic medal [Applause]
so people have been telling me what they
think I should do all my life where I
should go to college what I should do
for a living you should be married by
now but in 2014 at 30 years old I never
thought I’d hear the words I think you
should bobsled I’d been a competitive
athlete all my life but I’d pretty much
come to the conclusion that that chapter
ended when I entered the corporate world
so after some initial resistance I
decided to look into it I found out
there was an open trial about an hour
away and it was being held on the
weekend so I thought what’s the harm I
ended up doing reasonably well at the
initial testing to be considered for the
team and that got me an invite to the
Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid
New York there they’d put me through a
few additional tests and I’d get to take
a ride in the back of a real bobsled to
see if this was a sport I thought I
could actually do what’s the worst that
could happen for those of you who don’t
know anything about the sport bobsled
tracks are about a mile long they
consist of 15 to 20 turns and the ride
takes about a minute 60 seconds how bad
right I was the first newbie to go down
the track that day I can remember making
sure that my helmet was secure that my
mouth guard was in place that I’d
remembered my bobsled spikes and my burn
vest general rule of thumb stay away
from activities that require something
called a burn vest as I sit at the top
of the track staring down the start ramp
seriously reconsidering my decision to
try this sport the all-clear horn
sounded and the start cloth being in a
countdown I must have blacked out for
just a second because the next thing I
knew I was hurling myself downhill
behind what looked like a carbon fiber
bathtub on ice jumping in for 60 seconds
of twists turns and g-forces what does
it feel like some people described their
first bobsled ride like being kicked off
while others liken it to a control car
crash for me I remember thinking it was
never going to end but it was over in a
flash
it was both terrifying and invigorating
it was like nothing I’d ever experienced
before and when it was over I couldn’t
wait to do it again I got out of the
sled and I thought I think I should
bobsled now I decide to make the team
I’m not sure what made me think that
this was the right time in my life to
throw myself into a sport that most
people know nothing about I was settled
into a career in making enough money for
a single 30 year old to live a more than
comfortable lifestyle I had a
respectable job title a nice apartment
in the cool and upcoming part of town a
luxury vehicle and a few luxury suits
that even made me look like an adult I
was living the life I was supposed to
live after getting the right degrees
from the right schools so how come none
of my days from work left me feeling
like I did after that first bobsled ride
like I couldn’t wait to do it again
looks can be deceiving my social media
accounts would have people believe that
I was living my best life that I had
arrived that the years of hard work and
schooling had paid off
the truth the matter is I felt like a
fraud I may have been living someone’s
version of their best life but it just
wasn’t mine find a company that pays
well show up to work every day put a
little money aside every month and when
the time comes you retire a sentiment
that you said sound like fulfillment
began to sound like a life sentence it
became increasingly difficult to focus
at work the title and the money just
weren’t enough anymore Sunday evenings
left me with a pit in my stomach you
know the one I’m talking about and the
challenging and interesting parts of my
job ceased to exist so I quit
just three months after that bobsled
ride I quit my job in hindsight my
decision was a bit careless I had credit
card bills six months left on my
apartment lease student loans that whole
MBA thing 18 months left on my car lease
fun fact you can’t just turn your car in
early does not work that way
I know but then it was November of 2014
and I figured I had a minimal chance at
best at becoming an Olympian but if I
was lucky maybe they’d select me as an
alternate and even that was just too
seductive to pass up
I found a coach that was willing to
overlook my exceptionally bad technique
and take me on there was so much more
that went into becoming Olympian that I
ever imagined I spent hours in the gym
on the Sprint track on the push track
taking every ride down that bobsled
track to get the experience I needed to
progress and when I wasn’t working out I
was finding ways to supplement my income
and pay my bills I was shocked at how
financially taxing this journey had
become and how little financial support
there was for us elite athletes
I learned a staggering statistic 80% of
Olympians and Olympic hopefuls live
below the poverty line the end of each
season left me both emotionally and
physically exhausted
bobsled began to consume me there were
times that the fear of failure was so
overwhelming I cried myself to sleep you
learn a lot going after something that
matters to you but there should be an
asterisk next to those motivational
quotes about following your dreams you
know kind of like the side effect
warning following your dreams may cause
mental and physical pain at times you
will hate yourself and question your
sanity if symptoms persist seek
professional help that being said my
worst day is a bobsledder was still far
more rewarding than my best day in the
corporate world when I’d share my story
of how I transition back into sport I
was met with sentiments a shock and
admiration the idea of leaving the
financial security for a long shot was
difficult to understand it was clear
that I hadn’t been the only one
condition to live a life of external
expectations but one of the few who did
anything about it but why something my
friend said I think summarized it best
she said life is short
see if to go after those long shots but
at the same time life is long and we can
do more of the things that we want a
light bulb went off that was it if I had
to be known for something I wanted it to
be that life is short it flies by so be
present and take the time to do the
things that keep you up at night and get
you out of bed in the morning but at the
same time our life is long and we can do
more of the things that we want even
without making as a dramatic of a life
decision as I did I know it was
incredibly risky to give up financial
security for a long shot and that’s a
luxury not not everybody can take it
would be irresponsible me to stand up
here and tell you to quit your job to do
something that pays you nothing because
it sets your soul on fire because it
but what I will say is this and we’ll
call it things Lauren we learned hanging
out in the back of a bobsled
first it’s amazing what you can
accomplish when you prioritize the
things that matter to you and the
actions that are going to move you
closer to whatever it is you’re trying
to accomplish I had to learn to say the
word no to friends to family to
invitations I normally would have said
yes to even though deep down I knew I
wasn’t interested in give it a try it’s
liberating and the best part is the
people that matter will understand
second you have to ask for help it takes
a village and there are people out there
who generally enjoy helping others but
if you don’t ask they may never know you
need it or want it I got conditioned to
believe that asking for help was showing
weakness or inadequacy the fact the
matter is big dreams and big goals
requires support and resources and
finally focus on the things that you can
control this was both the hardest but
most important lesson self-reflection is
scary it would been easy to look for
external reasons to why things weren’t
going the way I had planned and watching
others how the success I wanted was
difficult but that way of thinking made
me feel anxious and powerless I had to
realize that my journey was unique to me
and if I wanted to get what I wanted I
needed to focus on my deficiencies and
how to remedy them who knew there was so
much room for self-reflection and
exploration in the back of a bobsled if
those three lessons had been the only
thing I got out of the last four years
it would have been worth my time I had
learned to live a life that was true to
who I was there’s a little more though
on January 13 2018 I was named to the
and it’s a moment I’ll never forget
shortly after that I found myself back
at the top of a bobsled track this time
it was day to run four of the Olympics I
prepared just like I had the first time
I made sure my helmet was in place my
mouth guard in place and my bobsled
spikes and my burn vest however this
time was like no other this time it was
with the confidence and assurance this
was exactly where I was meant to be as
all clear horn sounded there was no
blackout I was fully present I felt
invincible the crowd started with a
familiar chant USA USA as a start clock
begin to countdown we took off and as I
load it into the sled I knew I was 60
seconds away from an Olympic medal [Applause]
Please follow and like us: