Jessica Diggins of the USA (L) and Kikkan Randall of the USA (R) celebrate after winning the gold medial during the Women’s Cross Country Team Sprint Free Final race at the Alpensia Cross Country Centre during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, South Korea, 21 February 2018.
Cross Country – PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, Daegwallyeong-Myeon, Korea – 21 Feb 2018
I am publishing this post just after the incredible, screaming at the top of our lungs, victory of Kikkan Randall and Jesse Higgins.
Why? Because they can show you that FOCUS, DEDICATION, and PRACTICE can lead you to realize your wildest dreams. These tactics work whether you are an athlete, an entrepreneur or working on creating a life of increased well-being.
Back when I published my first book (now one of six), I thought “How lucky am I to have had a FOUR-TIME Olympian write the Foreword to my new book!?”
VERY LUCKY.
And now the author of my forword, Kikkan Randall, is a Olympic Gold Medalist. See below for her foreword.
I also had the opportunity to meet and interview Kikkan Randall when she and Liz Stephens were in town for an event in 2015 for Fast and Female. You can listen to the interview here.
Here is when they killed it to win the gold in the 2018 Olympics!!!
I was so impressed by Kikkan and Liz when I met them and heard about their work for Fast and Female that I made this organization the #1 recipient of proceeds from my first book, Mountain Mantras: Wellness and Life Lessons from the Slopes. I felt that their organization really aligned with my own personal mission of helping others to live a happier, healthier life. It was fun to work side-by-side with the organization during events in both Park City (at the Center for Excellence) as well as in Sun Valley. I was fortunate enough that during the initial launch of my book, I was able to write the organization several 4-digit checks in honor of their very important mission to inspire and support young female athletes. 😉
In honor of Kikkan Randall and Jesse Higgins winning the GOLD in the 2018 Winter Olympics, I’m offering a copy of my book, Mountain Mantras: Wellness and Life Lessons from the Slopes for FREE.
Here is a fun video (shot and edited by my then 12 year old son!) that shows a little about how Fast and Female works to mentor young athletes.
Mountain Mantras: Wellness and Life Lessons from the Slopes Foreword by Kikkan Randall
Are you curious to know what mountains can teach you about life and wellness? The answer is a whole lot! Growing up in Alaska, I have always been drawn to mountains and their beauty. I remember watching my first Winter Olympics at age five. Right then and there, I decided that I was going to be a world-class athlete. Since then, I have competed in four winter Olympics and have been a three-time World Cup Sprint Champion and a 27- time World Cup podium finisher. I was the first woman to earn a world championship medal (2009), the first U.S. woman to podium in the overall World Cup standings (2013), and the first U.S. cross country athlete to win world championship gold (2013). What have all of these accomplishments taught me?
I have learned that success in athletics has so much to do with success in health, and success in health has much to do with success in life. What I love about Mountain Mantras is that Kathryn brings together these critical success elements and connects them in a fun, memorable way. She highlights the fact that many of the same skills that make people successful in sports are the same ones that are used by CEOs across America. We all have the opportunity to apply Kathryn’s mantras in our lives to excel and be our best.
Mountain Mantras immediately resonated with me. Preserving a positive view (change your lens on life) is key; we use positive psychology in many ways on the U.S. Ski Team. Building your foundation (get some good boots on) is critical; and as a sprinter, I know that for every minute I’m racing, I’m relying on many months of training. Zoom out for the best view is a mantra I personally love, because, even with our training in vision and visualization, athletes can get stuck on what is right in front of them and forget the bigger picture. Setting goals (plant your poles) rings true whether you are an athlete, a CEO, or a stay-at- home mom. Remembering that life is long is key. We have the opportunity to achieve so much if we can break down a big vision into smaller, achievable steps along the way. Learning from failure (embrace the yard sale) is a mantra that athletes apply regularly. Commitment (throw yourself down the mountain) is the most powerful of all. Having the ability to be centered, listen to my gut, and fully engage in what I am doing is a recipe for success that has taken me far in life. Commitment has allowed me to chase my dreams and succeed.
I met Kathryn in Sun Valley in 2015 as part of a tour that included workshops and events for an organization that I lead, Fast and Female. Fast and Female is a not-for-profit organization, started in 2005 by Canadian Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford, with the purpose of empowering girls ages 9 to 19 to aspire to sports and a healthy lifestyle. Fast and Female is focused on keeping girls in sports through supportive programming and mentoring from top-level female athletes. Our goal is to provide girls with positive experiences in sports, in the hope that they stay involved throughout their lives. We want these young women to develop self-confidence, a healthy lifestyle, and a positive body image. We also want to demonstrate the benefits of working hard and challenging oneself to achieve goals as both an individual and part of a team.
I hope you are inspired to achieve greater well-being and confidence by reading this book. Keep those mountain mantras in mind as you live your life to the fullest and chase your dreams!
Kikkan Randall
Four-time Olympian and “Get Active”ist President, Fast and Female USA
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 2015
