I freaking love the Olympics and everything about them. I love the insane training the athletes put themselves through. I love the power of putting all that training to the test in the moment of truth. I love seeing how people from around the world come together to celebrate what is possible in human performance. So whenever I get to meet an Olympian, I’m really excited. And meeting one like Apolo Ohno was no disappointment. If you watched the winter Olympics at all in the past 15 years, you know his name. He is the face of speed skating and is still commentating at Olympics currently. But what you might not know is that Apolo was once a punk kid, who had never met his mother, was angry at life, and had no work ethic. Yes he was talented and powerful. But it wasn’t until he put his mind to train like a champion, committed fully, and became obsessed with his sport that he rose to Olympic glory. There were so many parts of this interview that I loved so much. I can’t wait for you to listen to Episode 470 with Olympian Apolo Ohno.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:Apolo’s preparation process before Olympic races (13:33)Why Apolo has never wanted to meet his mother (22:00)The story of how he won his first national competition (27:47)How Apolo had a “peaceful warrior” moment at age 15 (32:50)Why becoming obsessed with your craft is important to succeed (37:58)How to overcome the biggest challenges of leaving an elite sport (43:40)Why losing money in investments can be helpful (47:00)The difference between focusing on competition and what you really want (52:12)What failing teaches us (58:28)Why Apolo and I really want the US to win the bid to get the Olympics in LA (1:01:03)Plus much more…