“There’s this perfect sweet spot of how much you can push before you pull back. And I think knowing that and tapping into that is going to be huge. We can all have the navy seal mindset for life, you can have that mindset but at some point, you break; mental or physical, it doesn’t matter. You have to know to have that sweet spot to say this is the amount I can push before I pull back.”
-Caroline Burckle, Olympic Medalist
Some people are wonderfully infectious with their smile and enthusiasm. Caroline Burckle is one of those people. Not only is she a positive force that transcends the 2 dimensional boundaries of social media, but she mentors athletes who are rising stars through her RISE Elite program. Caroline is a veteran in what goes on behind the scenes of human performance. She knows about pressure, accomplishments, hard work, and also what happens when you push too hard. Caroline is an Olympic Bronze Medalist Swimmer performing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 4 x 200m relay. Not only that, she took gold in the 2007 Pan Am Games in the 800m freestyle, was the 2x NCAA champ, and was named the 2008 NCAA Swimmer of the Year!
LISTEN HERE
I first found Caroline on Instagram and we instantly became online friends. After only a few conversations with her, I was inspired by her energy, her commitment to personal growth, and her journey. She was training to race the Othillo Swim Run World Championships and was planning to share the journey with Rich Roll and Chris Hauth. (Check out this New York Times article on the event and on Rich and Chris’ adventure.)
Her plans came to a full stop when Caroline suffered an unfortunate injury and fractured her heel (calcaneus). She had to cancel her race entry and the fracture resulted in over 4 months of forced rest. During that time, she decided to dig deep into the depth of her soul to continue learning more about herself.
Topics Discussed in the Podcast
- her journey as an athlete from a child to an Olympian, managing expectations, and competition
- how to redefine your life after retiring as a professional athlete
- continually searching for that next achievement and what that means
- personal identity and purpose
- the importance of rest, symptoms of fatigue
- the duality of pushing and pulling in life
Links
- Rise Elite
- Caroline Burckle’s Website
- Caroline’s Instagram
- Rich Roll’s Podcast (mentioned in the conversation)
- Youtube video with Caroline in Tahoe + Rich Roll & Chris Hauth & their podcast
- Across the Lake Swim Kelowna
Support the Show
If you like my show, I’m aiming to make it an ad-free zone using crowdfunding to support it. All donations will go directly to the production of the show. I’m raising money using Patreon. A lot of podcasts sell ads to cover the production costs of the show, which can be quite high. I am not a fan of ads when I listen to podcasts so my goal is make this podcast an ad-free zone. The currently production of this free show is primarily supported out of my own pocket and a small portion is covered through the donations on Patreon. With my Patreon page, you can donate directly to the show which will help me cover the costs each week. If you find value and enjoy this show, you can donate any amount 200 dollars per month to as little as one dollar per episode (which is only 4 dollars a month!) I really appreciate your support!
Crowdfunding on Patreon – thank you!
Leave a review or share on social media
Don’t forget to subscribe!
Thanks for listening!
