She Took On Ninja Warrior — And Did What No Woman Ever Had

Olivia Vivian was never meant to win.

She wasn’t the strongest.

She wasn’t the tallest.

And after being cut from Cirque du Soleil and dismissed by critics, she could’ve quit.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she became the most decorated woman in Australian Ninja Warrior history and one of the most respected athletes in the country.

🔥 In this raw, no-filter conversation, Olivia opens up about:

• The brutal cost of elite gymnastics — and what no one talks about
• Losing everything after the Olympics
• Getting rejected by Cirque and finding her voice on reality TV
• The injury that nearly ended it all
• And how she fought to rise again with the world watching

Whether you’re chasing your own comeback, stuck at rock bottom, or just need to hear how someone actually did it this one is for you.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Doing the research and that sortof stuff.
Yeah. Like Jonesy said, the journey
you've been on being an elite athlete, getting to the heights
you have and the trials and tribulations that have sort of
happened along the way. And how you've sort of stopped
and pivoted and found something else that's really caught your
attention and, and you've throwneverything into.
It'd be great to start and sort of frame you and, and, and

(00:23):
figure out, you know, being a gymnast was a big part of your
life. Where did that start?
You know, because gymnastics is pretty full on.
Oh, it is, but I mean the when and why is probably just like
most families. I had a friend come stay the
night and of course, like I was like 7, seven and a half maybe,

(00:44):
and mum couldn't leave me at home alone.
So she's like Olivia, you know, tried to entice me.
Olivia, do you want to go to gymnastics with Natasha?
I was like, Nah, but then my mum's like, too bad, get in the
car. Yeah, she's she means business.
So reluctantly, I was forced into the car, drove AI don't

(01:09):
know, a whole 7 to 9 minutes to the local PCYC gymnastics club.
And I remember walking in and I saw the girl like doing circles
around the bar. And I was like, that's the
coolest thing I've ever seen. And mum took me in to do the
rhythmic for the ribbon and the ball.
And I just looked at the bars and I was like, it's done, it's

(01:30):
over. So it was kind of one of those
moments as a kid, I just, I fellin love with it.
She couldn't Get Me Out of the gym.
And we signed up and went from like one hour trainings a week
to like three of them. And yeah, I never missed a
session. And mum ended up becoming a
judge and a coach to help the offset the costs and it just

(01:52):
went from there it. Was like love at first sight
when you saw those bars, Is thatyou?
Were were you that type of sort?Of oh, I was a horrendous child,
like I was the kid that was on the roof and no matter how many
times the mum's like get off theroof, yeah, I would just try do
it again quieter like, you know,but we had a 10 roof you could

(02:13):
hear a leaf from. That ninja before she was a
ninja. I know who knew, you know?
So yeah, it was just one of those things as a kid I I felt
passionately in love with. When when did it become serious?
Like obviously at the start a whole heap of joy.
We were chatting on fair before we got on like the how serious
and how quickly gymnastics in particular as a sport become

(02:34):
serious can become quite professional.
Olympics, Commonwealth Games, world champs.
Yeah, super young. Like for you on that journey,
when did it become all consuming?
Well back then they had like some of their coaches go out and
scout and grab talent from localclubs and another girl in the

(02:55):
gym. Apparently these are all my
mum's stories like. Mayonnaise might be getting
around. But I'm just a kid, you know,
I'm just doing what I'm told. Not really.
But these scouts came into the gym to look at a different
gymnast and ended up seeing me and invited me to a trial at the
elite institute. So I went along again,

(03:16):
reluctantly, because I didn't want to.
I loved my coach at the PCYC club and got to this new gym and
it was enormous. Like, and they had a foam pit.
And anyone has a kid in gymnastics, like even adults are
like, Oh my God, there's a foam pit.
I have to jump in there and losemy keys on phone, you know?

(03:36):
So it's just one of those scenarios.
Entered a new gym, went through the trial.
And then I do remember like after three months, they kind of
explained that I probably wouldn't get very far.
I wouldn't win any medals and I'd be too tall to do gymnastics
because my dad was he was tall and the stereotypical height of

(03:56):
a gymnast back then is so I don't know.
They kind of like place that on me, but was like, but we'll take
your money anyway. So where was that noise coming
coming from and is that was thatat a point where hi Olivia's
pretty good, where was the wherewas where were the doubters and
the nice eye is coming from? I think it's just like the

(04:18):
experienced coaches and management through the the
years, they've been taught a certain way that this is how you
produce like an elite gymnast. And these are the the body types
we look for. These are the stereotypes.
This is what does well. I didn't necessarily fit that
box, but I loved being there. I loved learning.

(04:41):
I'd try anything they asked me to try.
So like, the enthusiasm for the sport I think was like, Oh yeah,
this girl's got something. And I really did love the bars.
Like I love, I loved it. So I think that's why they were
like, OK, we like we see something in her, but I had no
idea what I was doing. Like, I thought I was there to

(05:01):
learn backflips. Yeah.
I was I think 9, about 9 at thisyear, yeah.
Have you got a pivotal memory orresult from a young age where
you felt like you started to prove those naysayers and
doubters wrong and you're like, like kind of stick it up and.
I think it's like when you go, you're never going to win a

(05:22):
medal. I think it's when you when you
first like state medal, you know.
And I think for me it was like abronze.
It wasn't even like the gold, but I was like, that's a medal,
you know? It's just those things that they
clearly said you probably won't and you do.
But then like going along the journey again, it changes.

(05:44):
Like I think Sydney Olympics is what like made me realise
there's these things called the Olympic Games even though in the
gym, his rings everywhere, you know, but I couldn't piece it
together at that yet that age. So it was the Sydney game.
So I think flipped me in terms of goals.

(06:04):
I wanted to do something is. That because you were doing it
for sort of different reasons, you just loved it, loved rocking
up, loved the thrill of it, rather than maybe, you know,
what the accolades could look like.
Yeah, I think it's a combinationof like nature and nurture in
the sense of like, you know, I've always been the kid that

(06:25):
will climb the roof. And even though I was told not
to. So there's always that little
voice, that little inner voice that's like, oh, you could do
it. Like you could do hard things.
And then then I'm in an environment that is clearly
training athletes or young children for a particular goal.

(06:46):
So you kind of like put in this pathway and you you follow these
programs that have been set and that have worked for athletes in
the past. So I think it's a combination of
both. But I think it was the games
when I saw Alana Slater, who trained in the gym, she was the
senior and she had red hair. So I was like, oh, wow.

(07:08):
It was again, that moment that Ifelt walking into the PCYC of
this girl doing circles around the bar.
I'm suddenly looking at ATV and I'm like, hey, I know her, she's
on TV. And that's when I was like, I
want to do that. I want to go to the Olympics.
At no stage in your journey did you feel like you were kind of

(07:28):
pushed along from a parent or coach and were you allowed to
kind of flourish in your own right, or do you feel like you
were kind of guided and shoved towards achieving success?
Games, Commonwealth Games, whatever that might have looked
like? What did it?
Did it come naturally for you? Like, like you sort of saying as

(07:51):
you started to piece it together, was it just a personal
drive to want to chase that dream?
I think a little bit of everything as you change and as
you evolve. And I remember like for me, it
was like, I want the Olympics and I loved gymnastics.
So it was like, Oh, well, I'm inthe right spot to get me to that

(08:12):
goal. But then as you go older and you
start reaching your teenage years and you're studying
different things, you're doing exams, boys, you're like, hello,
he's cute. You know, all these other things
piece together. And then you're going to
gymnastics, which was intense environment.
It was a lot of yelling, a lot of you're not good enough.

(08:35):
You're chasing perfectionism doesn't exist.
You know, like we're still goingfor that perfect 10.
And they highlight mistakes constantly.
It was very critical every session.
It wasn't that was amazing. You could do this better, but
well done. And that starts to like get to
you. Since training became not

(08:56):
something that I loved, it felt like something I just had to do
to get the goal. And then on the times when
you're like slacking off or getting distracted, then my mom
would jump in and be like, I've spent so much money on you, you
know? So like, getting there towards
the end was fuelled mostly by, Iguess wanting to be an Olympian,

(09:19):
but also the fear of letting my family down because my brother,
like he is 18 months younger than me.
And all our money went to gymnastics.
We didn't have bucket loads growing up.
And even I was selling raffle tickets, you know, to help pay
the fees. So having that guilt as well of

(09:40):
that he never got to do paid sport, he if it was free, he
could do it and the schedule always revolved around me.
So that definitely drove me towards the end.
You're. Making these teams, you're
winning sort of the state, you know, or not winning your bronze
and but but you you're definitely at the pointy end of
things. I I suppose.

(10:00):
Is that is that fair to say? Yeah.
I mean, for me, I was. I don't think I was ever the
best. I was just a cockroach that just
kept coming back. I was, I just, I think, you
know, the superpower at that point was like, I just didn't
quit. No matter how hard the session
was or how much trouble I got in, I always walked into the gym

(10:21):
the next day. That was me.
Yeah, I just kept just kept rocking up.
Where? Where do you reckon you get that
from? Like is that, is that natural or
is that like who? Who's that trait come from?
I. Think my mum, she's like, she
really was a role model in termsof her work ethic.
She never quit. She, you know, pursued and found

(10:42):
real estate, something that she genuinely loved.
And yeah, she was a really greatexample in terms of, you know,
finding something you love and working and not giving up and
believing in yourself. Was there in the in the
research, there was a time whereyou got picked in a team, but
then there's a petition to have you removed from that spot.

(11:03):
Like that sort of pretty heavy stuff for a young girl.
Yeah, it's interesting. I'm actually like riding my
first autobiography right now, and I'm currently in the section
of the Olympics. And so when riding, I did a
skeleton version and now I'm adding the meat, as I call it.
You have to put yourself back into that moment and like right

(11:25):
now I'm touching on the Olympicsand that was during the after
this team had been selected, theOlympic team.
So like the process of the selection was intense enough.
Like people like, oh, the Olympics that was was that
scary? And I was like, no, because
we're not swimming or running where we get a time and you're

(11:46):
in our teams were selected by, you know, the national coach and
the officials and judges. It's so subjective.
And because of that reason was what like how they got so many
of us to conform as we call it. Like this is how we do things.
This is how it's run. If you're not going to do it,
you're not on. So it was conform or get out

(12:09):
back in that time. So yeah, that that trial process
was did like a week of training before and it's the schedule was
so intense. You're training two to three
times a day. You felt like you're you're
overtraining, you're underfed and you're overstressed because

(12:32):
there's so many things you can'tcontrol sounds.
Like a great mix. Oh yeah.
So fun. It was fun.
Such a brutal sport. Yeah, it like it's getting
better as we learn and we get more education around it.
But yeah, I remember like it wasa 2 day trial Saturday, Sunday
morning and I was exhausted. Like I'm there like popping

(12:55):
painkillers and drinking Red Bull in the morning on an empty
stomach. So just to get through this like
trial. So it was intense.
That part was intense. And then we got selected and I
was one of the sixth name, whichwent from like the most
horrendous feeling in that process to the best feeling ever

(13:15):
that I just couldn't wait to call my family.
And then days later had a petition put in against my spot
on the team because I was a bar specialist and also broke my
foot in the trial. But it was one of those things.
I had one of the best uneven bars routine and scores in the

(13:38):
country and the rest of the teammates.
We had another that was really great and she was an all rounder
but then we were lacking. So like my particular event and
skill was needed that year and that worked in my favour.
But it one of the reserves, you know, and it's not the reserve,
it's not the athlete going, I want the spot, let's put in a

(14:02):
petition. There's 1617 year old girls,
it's the family, you know, it's the parents and then you've got
to understand it from their point of view.
They too have sacrificed a lot. They too have spent probably
hundreds, thousands of dollars. So I understand that.
And they say, oh, this girl's doing one event.
She's got a broken foot, Let's go for her.

(14:24):
She's the weak one. But the reality was like the
team really needed my basketballbasketball for the event, so.
Talk to us about that process because that just sounds a bit,
I don't know, just sounds a bit,sounds a bit backwards.
If the team's picked, the team'spicked.
Let's work towards the actual Olympics.
Let's focus on that. Like, it must have been a bit of

(14:44):
a cloud, you know, for a little bit.
For me it was terrifying. Well.
Like what? How's that your preparation?
How, how far out from the games?Just for six weeks.
Yeah, right. Yeah.
So the team was selected. It's brutal.
Then we spent six weeks trainingtogether as a team before we
head over to Beijing so. How'd you deal mentally with

(15:06):
like what Pete had sort of just alluded to?
Like mentally to deal with that and then realign yourself and
when. Did I make that call that you're
actually on the tape? What do you mean or?
Or or that the petition would bewould be dropped type thing
like. I have no idea.
I'm just an athlete doing what I'm told all.
Right. So yeah.

(15:26):
So at any stage that could happen, really what?
Was worse. Like you feel like you've
trained so hard and you've earned this spot.
And I understand from the petition view, like there's no
hate, there's no judgement. Like I get it, you know, it's a
team that's not selected by times.

(15:46):
So there's always the iffy in the what ifs.
But I remember being told there's a petition against you.
Your job now is to make every single routine in training.
You can't make a mistake. That's that's the brutal part
because we were already growing up in this high pressure

(16:09):
mistakes are bad. You must be perfect environment.
But to now go here's your dream.You're on the team.
Oh, it's in jeopardy. You can't fuck up ever.
And and is. That on more on you because
you've got the petition on you or is that just across the six

(16:31):
that was the message or is that like, hey, you've got a bit,
you've got you've got the extra pressure because of this
petition? Wow, that's such a great like
question because I never thoughtabout what the others must think
about me. I was just thinking like, I've
what are you talking about? I just told my family like,
yeah, they. Just yeah, they.

(16:51):
Just bought tickets to they justpaid thousands on tickets to
Japan. I mean, sorry, China.
And so for me, I think it was just a lot of pressure that was
putting my on myself 24 hours a day.
It was there was no rest and it was it was brutal.

(17:11):
I think mentally, I don't think I coped at all.
And but I had to put on a face. I had to pretend everything was
great. I'm great, I'm amazing.
I'm, you know, meant to be here.And I just, I just remember,
'cause now I'm just performing bars as well, so I've already
got that pressure going. If you're doing one event, it

(17:33):
better be you better tail. You know, there's the elephant
in the room. But yeah, hello, you're doing
one for. Perfectionist, so I feel
stressful listening to that chat.
I'm like, yeah, I feel. Exactly the same way.
Sometimes we have to go there, OK?

(17:53):
But yeah, yeah, it was intense. I do.
I think it really broke me in a sense until like weeks later
when they said, all right, the petitions been, you know, turned
down and that gymnast ended up breaking her foot in the
training camp as well a little. Karma bus.

(18:14):
But yeah, so that that those first couple of weeks didn't
help the lady into the Olympics.I wouldn't have thought.
But anyway, it just sounds like a brutal it's not the ideal prep
journey. It it was a lot.
There was a lot that I don't think I had the skills or the
support. You know, there's one thing to
have. How old?
Would. You be then nineteen.

(18:35):
Wow. But you know, there was no
psychologist there sitting down with me, helping me deal with
this or get through it. I think that's the most
disappointing part, was just thelack of support to cope with
that. So.
But yeah, I was, I don't know. We were just taught to shut up
and get on with it. Yeah, right.

(18:55):
So you get to that's. How I coped that's.
That's incredible. Really.
Yeah. That's so brutal considering
I've had some experience in a professional sporting realm.
And yeah, like to think of you and the pedestal that Olympians
in particular are put on. And then hopefully things have
changed since back in that time.But yeah, like, I can't imagine

(19:17):
like even more admiration for them, for what you go through,
particularly you young, young woman trying to make your way,
dealing with all of that shit leading into the one of the
biggest moments of your life. Talk to us when you finally get
there. Like you've got to Beijing.
You ready to compete? Yeah.

(19:38):
That's all behind that. Six weeks is behind you.
Yeah. Talk to us about that
experience, I. Really just like have to commend
my teammates in a sense, like weall put in the gym, we all put
100% of our effort in and what that did was it brought us
closer together as a team. We like had expectations to
hopefully win at bronze. Australia's never won Olympic
medal in gymnastics. So we were like Oh my God and

(20:00):
like my bestie on the team was our national champion, our all
rounder and. So we went into Beijing like
absolutely prepped. Nothing could shake us.
We had like distraction C DS on in the gym even like we'd just
be playing music and as we're doing our routines, like a baby
would start crying on the speakers or an elephant.

(20:23):
You're like, this is going to bean elephant in Beijing.
Why is this sound on here? But it tuned us into like hyper
focus in our bubble. So when we get there and we
March out into that arena, you're like, it was nothing.
It was just like the zone of ourfocus was so intense.

(20:44):
But a few days, like when we gotthere, we spent a few days
training, acclimating, getting like used to the village, the
distractions, because I mean, you are walking around in a
village and these athletes that you've only ever seen on TV are
just walking next to and you're like, Oh my God, you know, like
for we, we were staying next to Leighton Hewitt and it's that's

(21:06):
just like, I've only ever seen him on TV.
It was really cool. What what was the result in the
end? And then following that, you
mentioned 2000 was the the moment you wanted to make the
Olympics once you'd finally got there.
Been through it, lived it. Yeah.
The entire journey. Yeah.

(21:26):
Did it live up to expectations? Like did it, did it fulfil you
how you thought it would? Yeah.
Yeah. Great question.
Eight years earlier. Great question.
I think like for us, we had to pivot and adjust our
expectations. We had unfortunately like my
best at the time, she ruptured ligaments in her ankle.

(21:46):
And so that kind of like hopes for potential bronze.
We just had to really pivot on that.
So we just went out there and just like just did our jobs
essentially. We kind of was just like, all
right, that might not happen. Whatever, we're still here,
we've trained, we're ready. Let's just go do our absolute

(22:07):
best. So I do remember like walking
out and as we're getting to the bars event, my event, I hear
this Olivia super like fainted start and then get closer again.
We are so trained to be like. The elephant trained you not to
look at that. I know that's a weird elephant,

(22:31):
you know, And then I meant I do look up and in a sea of red,
because we're competing the samecompetition as China and the
Chinese fans, we're just a sea of red.
I look up and it was my dad and my brother in flora green and
yellow. Just me.
Like that's such a like a special moment because they gave

(22:54):
up so much. And to have my family there in
the crowd was huge. Like I, I would say that's my
highlight to getting to share that moment with them, but also
like completing the bars, sticking the landing.
And when you present in gymnastics, you know, after your
routine, it was like that presentation felt like a giant

(23:14):
fuck you. And I just like to all the
people that like told me I couldn't be here to the petition
that still told me like 4 weeks prior that I won't be here.
That was like, that was a key moment to be like, yeah, we did
it. So in terms of the goal and the

(23:35):
dream, the Olympics, for me, it definitely was worth it.
Like in terms of being able to achieve something no matter how
many people told you you couldn't or how many doubts were
placed on you by other people. But also the lessons I learnt in
terms of trusting and believe inlike having faith in myself.
That little voice that was like throughout was like, yes, you

(23:57):
can't do this no matter how manyinjuries or mishaps or you know,
it was like you can't, you can do this if you focus enough.
But in terms of like long term, I'm not sure.
It's not like you come away fromit with a bunch of job offers or
payments or anything like that. It's, it's quite amazing because

(24:20):
the Olympics comes along and rolls around and millions of
people, TuneIn families across the country, TuneIn and they buy
in, they buy into characters in the story and athletes and the
whole lot. And then when you, you know, you
dive deep into their journeys and how little they get paid
and, and you know, the, the actual, the actual drive and

(24:42):
want and why for these athletes such as yourself, you know, is
quite deep and quite amazing really.
Because lots of other sports outthere, like you mentioned, a
couple of boys sitting behind you at the basketball, you know,
they get paid very well to do what they do at the top of their
game, football players, rugby players, cricketers, whatever it
might look like. Then you sort of get to the

(25:03):
Olympic space, which, you know, every four years it rolls around
and it's the it's the top athletes in the world competing,
but they don't really get remunerated that well.
You know, they've got to probably have jobs on the side,
all this sort of stuff that. Yeah, I just you don't see that
on the screen. You don't people don't
understand that. I don't think that's something
that I, you know, you sort of gowow, yeah.

(25:25):
Like they must have a real why there and rather than, I guess
those, you know, there's other things that can drive athletes
from time to time. Yeah, totally.
I mean we're all driven and motivated by different things.
I don't think I've ever been like a a money focus like if I
was. Obviously not.
Yeah, I think I would, you know,been golfed, which I'm sure my

(25:49):
mum many times was like, why? But I think for a lot of Olympic
athletes, they're motivated by different things.
They might be goal focused or intrinsically like wanting to be
their best version of themself and stuff like that.
So yeah, you it is. It's interesting in the terms of

(26:12):
like, well, to get more money, you got to have more viewers.
You got to have more fans. And like, yes, when the Olympics
are on, I think we all watch gymnastics.
We all sit there and like, Oh myGod, that's amazing.
But you know, our national championships is, is the
parents. So it is one of those, yeah.

(26:32):
So you've got a yeah, you've gotan understanding on how the the
commercial realities. Yeah, and like we we are seeing
change, you know, like how much,you know, women's footballs and
like the soccer, like the Matildas and what that did was
just absolutely incredible. And they're proving that people
do watch women's sport. But yeah, just at that time it

(26:55):
wasn't that way. And we're just driven by
different things. Yeah, you're not there for the
paycheck. What, what, what comes next?
Beijing's done almost. Did you feel like this kind of
peak and did you come out with the through on the other side?
How much longer did you spend pursuing professional gymnastics

(27:17):
and then what was the transition?
What came next? What were the learnings that you
then transitioned into the next phase of your life when you
closed that chapter and opened anew or started a new one The.
Olympic dump like is real. I think for me, I got, I
wouldn't say lucky. I in school like I always kind

(27:37):
of thought I do want to do university.
I do want to get like a a good job.
I bought into the whole you needto go to uni to get a good job
Be like, but I'd signed a full ride scholarship to Oregon State
University before the Olympics, like earlier in the year
thinking, oh, well, I want to goto uni, but I don't want to pay

(28:00):
for it. Wow, there's this amazing
opportunity and we were lucky. We had a national coach and she
was American and she like helpedwith that process big time
because I had no idea college gymnastics was a thing.
What they, what they will pay for your education, what you
know, and they have gymnastics. What?

(28:21):
Because it was kind of in Australia, it was like once
you'd either reached a certain age, which typically was 1617,
or you'd been to the Olympics and you just kind of retire.
That's just retire weird silly, but that was the new well,
you'd. Have been 20 right at the time
when I was 1919, yeah. And the oldest gymnast in

(28:43):
Australia. Yeah, yeah.
So it was retirement on the horizon.
Well, I'd signed this scholarship like I'd signed my
life away. But I think that trial process
especially absolutely broke me. And so I remember after the
Olympics, it was, I felt regret that I'd signed this

(29:05):
scholarship. I was like, I don't want to do
four more seconds of gymnastics,let alone four years.
And so I had to flip my mindset and go, well, I'm getting an
education out of it. Let's go do gymnastics for this
college, but get my education. Like what can it give me in a

(29:26):
sense which I understand how selfish that sounds, but that's
what I was telling myself. Beyond college and all these
experiences, which is amazing and obviously it's shaped you
into the person you are. What happens after college and
at any moment did you think thatyou could, did you'd want to or

(29:47):
could go back into that coachingrealm?
Like with all your experience and the way you're talking now,
your own personal growth and self-awareness and stuff.
Like I feel like you'd have a great impact on, on that
environment, being able to create something new and sort of
lead a change in direction that that never kind of crossed your
mind. I.

(30:08):
Like it, it has in a sense, but only more recently because I
think for a long time I didn't dive down the path of
self-awareness and personal development.
I think because I was told to shut up and get on with it for
so long. That was like my mindset.

(30:29):
And I think it was when the documentary Athlete A came out
on Netflix in 2020. And unfortunately, it
highlighted a very severe incident that was happening in
America. But the culture, because it was
gymnastics, like my teammates, they messaged me and I was in
Perth. Now.
Have you watched the documentaryyet?

(30:51):
And I hadn't. And so I downloaded it and
watched it on my flight back to Brisbane.
And I was like, holy shit, this is my, this is our childhood.
Like, this is how we grew up. And that kind of sparked there.
We need to learn about this. I need to learn about my brain
because for a long time I was. Ignorance is bliss, you know?
I always felt like something waswrong, like there was definitely

(31:13):
lacking in self worth big time. But whatever, Shove it, shove
it, shove it down. Let's get on with it was my
mentality. So diving down that path and
seeing a psychologist and starting to learn about my own
brain was awful. It was, you know, I encourage

(31:34):
everyone to do it, but it's not easy.
It's not like you show up like my first session in the
psychology in the room. He's like, Olivia, why?
What brings you here? I want.
I want to get into ninjas. I want to get into.
Of course I've got time for Ninja, but yes, I want to get
into Ninja too. When?
Did When did this? When did this all come about?

(31:55):
Like I, I've like I've obviouslywatched the shows, seen you in
action, but like how how did this?
How did you find it? From where you'd been and or
how? Did it find you?
Yeah. Well, I was in the cafe and it
was about 10:30. It's like a quiet period.
And my phone went off. And I remember answering the
phone. It was a lady.

(32:17):
And she's like, hey, Olivia, we're like doing ATV show in
Sydney. We'd love to fly you over or put
you up and like, you're just gonna do some obstacles.
How does that sound? And in my mind, I was like the.
Full pitch, yeah. Sounds like Gladiator.
I was like, remember that show? Yeah.
I thought I was doing Wipeout, yeah, 100% thought like kind of

(32:42):
was like, that's what the concept is.
And I'm getting a free trip to Sydney.
I was like, yeah, so I flew overthere and they we did like a
full day of media all day. It was interviews, photos and
they had the Ninja Warrior signsup, but I'd never seen it.
I didn't watched it or anything like that and went in the

(33:03):
interview process and they're like, so why?
Why do you want to be Australia's first ninja champion
or whatever? And I couldn't say because you
invited me. You.
Could have. That would have been great,
really. So I was like, I'm here to pep
on all my guys to. Get up.
They totally used by the way, but yeah, they show you the

(33:24):
course of an hour before they start filming.
They film anywhere between 9:00 PM to 4:00 AM.
So it's all dark. They can control the editing,
the cuts, the sound, all that stuff.
And I remember like walking out for this course walkthrough and
my jaw like, like felt like it hit the floor.
I was like, this is not wipe out.

(33:45):
This looks gangster. I was like, this was it?
Like seeing those uneven bars again for the first time.
Kinda, but also being like how, how, how do people do this?
Like how do you get through it? And then you don't get to try
it, don't get to test it. We go back to a back warehouse,
don't get to watch each other. And I remember like talking to

(34:07):
people because they had this ramp at the end, this warped
wall. I've never seen one of them
before in my life. How do people get up there?
And that's I started asking and one guy super confident was
like, Oh yeah, easy. When you get there, wipe the
sweat off your brow and clean your shoes like you want clean

(34:27):
shoes. So that's that's like all I was
thinking. I don't know how, I still don't
know how. Like even when I rewatched the
run, I got to the walk. I don't know how I got through 5
obstacles. Like it's scrappy.
It's like desperate, but I get there.
I remember like being like I don't have any sweat or was that

(34:51):
even hard? But I was like I don't have any
sweat. So like lick my hands.
So gross. But I did and cleaned my shoes
and then went full bolt, like, ran out this thing and face
planted it because I'm not running up, but I'm running into
it. And I do it three times.
Like, like, yeah, the red lightscame on and live.

(35:18):
I don't know. I didn't make it through to
semis, but I wanted to. Like, something was lit.
Something had just gone. Wow, this is cool.
And I think it was a combinationof that plus the community, like
the people I was around because it felt like it like I showed up
in there and it's kind of like areunion because they'd invited

(35:38):
quite a few Olympic gymnasts. And it's like, oh hey, oh hey, I
haven't seen new news, but the people were just so supportive
and kind and in the same boat and bonded by the trauma of TV.
But yeah, I flew back to Perth, found a ninja Academy in Perth
and I was like, who has a ninja Academy?

(36:00):
Like what is this? I started training there and
yeah, totally it. It totally changed my life and
started training the wall. Took me about 6 bloody months to
get it, but when you get it and you don't drop down, you're like
Oh my God. Yeah, but then also, then you.
Had your own little move, didn'tyou?
Yeah. Like I say, you started to own
it. Yeah, well.

(36:21):
I think that's like always been a part of who I am.
It's like, well, everyone does this one thing the same way.
Why don't I stand out? Why don't you be different?
Why you do something that no oneelse is doing?
So I learned to trick. I had this super cool trick and
I knew I had the trick and I knew I could do the wall.
And you show up to season 2, I was more nervous for that first

(36:44):
run than I was the Olympic Games.
Easy hands down because one, I knew I could do this cool trick
on the last obstacle 2, we were told this was going to be the
first episode aired and no female had hit a buzzer.
So I was like, there's an opportunity to now be the first
female to hit a buzzer three. I had five obstacles before I'd

(37:08):
never done before. Like it was terrifying.
But that's when you have to bring yourself back, feel your
feet. And I still do this in moments
where I'm absolutely terrified. Feel your feet, deep breaths,
slow that heart rate and remind myself that I love this and this

(37:29):
is fun and I can only do what I can control.
And I've trained hard for it andtrust in that training.
Let that take the reins. Let that pay off here.
So, yeah, get through, get the five obstacles showing off.
Like drop one hand and waver into the crowd.
The Fulcher Bank, because it's TV.

(37:51):
It's not the national championships of Ninja.
And I understand that. So we got to give content.
We got to make this TV, get to the wall, catch it, turn around.
I can hear the announcers like they're losing their mind.
They have no idea what's going on.
Croft. Would have been going off.
Was it Croft? Or not.
It was Rebecca and. Beck and Freddie.

(38:11):
Freddie was on the side. Ben Fordham.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And yeah, do this backflip, hit
this buzzer. Like, yeah, it was like, there's
the opportunity. I really nailed it.
And then and then the American kicked in in me because that
year I was the first and only female to go to the grand final.

(38:34):
And I was like, why am I just going to beat a warped war?
Why was that my goal? You know, as I just started to
reassess what I wanted and had the courage to go, OK, I'm going
to train to win it. I'm going to train to beat the
men. And it hadn't been done before.
So you feel like a delusion optimist, you feel OK,

(38:57):
especially like telling someone as well.
But once I've changed my goal and realigned my focus, my
attitude changed, my training changed, my habits changed, all
towards getting there. And then season 3, I rock up
like I'm I'm like ready. I am so fit.
I'm so primed again. Only grand final female and this

(39:23):
one stage 1 is against the clock.
You're not versing other competitors like it's you hit a
buzzer or you're out. I was flying like this.
Furthest fastest is that. Furthest fastest is when you
beat. You beat them like you're the
top ninja, Yes, But in stage oneof the grand final, it doesn't
matter. It's you.

(39:44):
Yeah. If you don't hit a buzzer,
you're out. You don't go through stage 2.
And no, FEMA would hit a buzzer in stage one of the grand final.
And I had one obstacle left and I looked back at the clock.
I got a whole minute and I'm like, Oh my God, it's amazing.
And it's a spider jump, which I'd done before.
I'd actually done it in America.And they they like their fries.

(40:06):
Everything is super sized. So I was like, oh, cool, I could
do this. And when you go for a trampoline
jump, you full scent. There's no like I'm going to jug
up to it unless you're super tall and you can.
But I'm not, so I have to full send.
So I full send and I trip on a mat and because I'd committed, I

(40:30):
couldn't stop myself. But I tried to stop myself.
So I just trip and stumble and like awkwardly run over this
tramp into the water. Just I don't, I don't want to
get out. I felt like like you're living a
nightmare. You're like, this is not real.

(40:50):
This is this didn't just happen.And that I think that's when I
had to really reassess what I was doing and why I was doing it
because I was running a full time cafe.
Like I'm working seven days a week training, putting
everything into this to beat theman.

(41:13):
Why? I had to ask myself why, And I
think that's a massive learning lesson for me in my entire life,
because I after a lot of searching, it wasn't that I
wanted to beat the man. It's because I wanted to be the
girl on the TV doing something no one's done before so that

(41:35):
little girl could watch and go. She can do it.
I can do it. It's that's pretty.
Cool, that's. Super cool, yeah.
That was my why. That's why I was training my ass
often. Yeah, it.
Kind of connects back to like what you touched on earlier,
like, yeah, being told that you're too tall and.

(41:56):
Absolutely. You know, you'll just be making
up the numbers. But yeah, yeah.
Which is crazy luck. Yeah.
You'll kind of always find yourself back in that mentality,
and that's what drives you to succeed again.
Totally. We're shaped by our experiences
and what we're told and what worked and what didn't work.
So yeah, for me it was yeah. I wanted to be that role model

(42:17):
for anyone else who's told they couldn't, especially the girls
in a sport that the men are 300 times better at because they
have power, endurance. So I.
Think that's, that's a great lesson as well for people just
to figure out, you know, maybe, you know, you're deep seated.
Why? You know, there might be an
initial why? Because I wanted to beat the

(42:38):
boys. Yeah.
But then sounds like you went a bit deeper and there was a
deeper 'cause there, which, yeah.
So I think if you get your head around that, then if you do get
knocked off course or that microevent doesn't go your way, well,
there's a deeper seated thing atplay here which doesn't, yeah,
stop you. Absolutely, because I mean, I
can't, we're all humans. Like everyone's like, how do you

(43:00):
stay so motivated? And I'm like, I'm not, I am not
like motivation does this. I'm just disciplined When I
understand my why, you know, it was like, why are you setting
your alarm that early? Well, because that little girl
and once like that connects withyou, you're like, oh, of course,

(43:21):
no brainer, let's go, let's fucking go.
And it's not easy. It's not like that.
It's not like I wake up and I'm like, you know, like you're
still like, oh gosh, I just wantto sleep.
I just want to go back, you know?
Like, it is hard. But yeah, I encourage other
people at least start asking themselves why, because if
you've never done it before, it's a very daunting question.

(43:43):
And sometimes I've LED some workshops and getting, you know,
the staff to start asking themselves why.
And a lot of the times it's no, that's true.
No, it's very confronting for people, especially if they
haven't done any. Reminds me of a saying if if the
why is strong enough, the how iseasy, which is all I could think
about as soon as you said that, Yeah.

(44:04):
Because you figure out the how, you're motivated to ask the how.
Yeah. And yeah.
And that's, again, a process I feel a lot of us.
And it could just be me, I'm notsure.
But I feel overwhelmed when I don't understand the how and
when there's too many watts but there's not enough house.
Yeah. And I think, you know, we don't,

(44:27):
we don't really have much an excuse because really, we could
go, hey, Siri, how, how? You know?
But you know, we we have unlimited access to tools and
knowledge now, thanks to the Internet.
Like before we in my day, we have to go to a library to go
get a book. You know, we had, we're on the

(44:49):
road pulling out the MacBook. We were the kids in the backseat
going H8, you know, and what page is next.
Yeah. So we just, we have so many
tools, but I think we lose the motivation or the drive because
we don't understand our why. Olivia, so Ninja, like you say,
has been such a big part of yourlife.

(45:10):
You said before that you went back to where it all originated
just recently. Do you want to talk to us about
that? Yeah, I think I used to say I'm
lucky. I'm so lucky.
Like I've done this. I'm so lucky.
Like I ended up getting further as fast as female in the last
season We filmed in Australia and I have to rewire my brain

(45:33):
because it wasn't luck. I earned it.
I trained you. Know what what you did that luck
ain't coming my way. So I.
Ain't getting further as fast asjust you felt lucky.
Right. But I used to like is just the
way my brain was taught. So I earned that.
And because I've put in the work, I've put in the time, the

(45:57):
training, the focus, the sacrifice towards those goals,
I've built a name and a reputation for myself across the
world. And I can say that proudly
because I have for a lot, you know, I, if you go to the
Australian female ninja, I'm thego to.
And so ninja started in Japan ina comp called Saske, still

(46:19):
called Saske, but it's the originator.
And it's like in Japan, everything they do is with
meaning and purpose. So it's not like a, you're going
to win $1 million if you can't come out Midoriyama.
It's like, no, they, I think they get maybe $20,000.
They do it for pride and respectand purpose.

(46:42):
And you know, so they have this comp and it's invite only.
It's not, you know, everyone cansign up or register or apply for
a show. It's invite only.
And since I started learning about Ninja and the history and
all that stuff, it's like being on my, my bucket list, my Ninja
bucket list for so many years. And this year finally got

(47:05):
invited to go compete on Sasuke in their first ever World Cup
event. So myself and four other Aussies
were invited to go. And we're over there and in
traditional like Japanese style,we're doing the interviews and
like, what is your goal? You know, like, why are you here
for Sasuke? And we're like the Australian

(47:28):
classic spirit, like we do you ever have a good time?
We're here to like, you know, doour best.
We want to make our country proud with every other country.
So Japan, US, Germany, France, we're like, we're here to win.
So we like, we went in just and we're all, we know each other

(47:49):
from the Australian Ninja Warrior.
We're such good friends. We went in there and we just had
this classic Australian camaraderie around us and show
up to the first day where everyone right, runs Stage 1.
Like there's no 03 members from your team.
No, everyone runs and we're there.
We're having a good time, we're supporting other countries and

(48:11):
we ended up being the only country on stage 1 to hit all 5
buzzes on there. And the feedback after it too
was like we wanted to be on TeamAustralia with you.
Look like you're having so much fun that you're best friends.
It was, it was like honestly maybe my favorite ever Ninja

(48:31):
production because yeah, you show up, they start filming
within like 30 minutes too. They're not like backroom.
This person comes up, you know, it was like a real competition.
Like felt real. Like it felt like the national
championships of Ninja in a sense.
And I remember coming after likehitting that stage 1 buzzer,

(48:52):
which I think only 4-5 females have done total ever coming down
like, and after watching the show for so many years on TV, it
just like, I don't think I just started crying.
That was such a a cool moment tolike tick off that bucket list
item in terms of ninja because I've done a lot of stuff within

(49:16):
the sport itself. But yeah, that was special.
That was really cool it. Sounds like it to go back to
where it all began and be invited back, but then but then
perform. Yeah, individually.
And it sounds like the team did as well.
Yeah, we had such a good time, and it was great TV, too.
It was because producers can't script it.

(49:38):
They set up the course, they setthe rules, and the content is
all up to us. You know, if this person falls,
oh, that's drama. If this person succeeds,
amazing. We have they need, they need a
combination of both to make it an interesting show.
If everyone hit a buzzer, I was like, or if everyone fell on the
1st obstacle, as a viewer, you're like, you know, there's

(50:01):
not much in that. But we had like countries on the
verge of getting kicked out because out of the seven that
ran stage 1, only 5 went throughto stage 2.
So like it was, yeah, we had some great dramatic moments
throughout the whole event. And I think Team Australia made
it to stage 3 by .18 of a secondor something.

(50:22):
It was dramatic. It was amazing.
Yeah, loved it. I love Japan.
That sounds that sounds pretty epic.
Where can we watch is? Can you watch that?
Is it going to be aired? They.
Aired TBS in Japan. I'm hoping either, like one of
our Australian networks picks itup and there's it, but maybe
because of the Japanese commentary, maybe YouTube.

(50:46):
Yeah, yeah, it'll they'll drop it on YouTube, I think.
Yeah. It sounds pretty cool, yeah.
It does sound so cool. It is cool.
I think I'm I'm interested in that whole the whole TV journey
where you've obviously built this brand and personality and
showbiz and TV and all these experiences over what a 710 year
period like. And, and obviously that

(51:08):
experience that you had as a youngster coming up through the
ranks from a professional athlete perspective, like what
lessons have you learned in the in the spotlight that you would
reflect on? And how do you think that's sort
of shaped and changed your life really?
Like has it influenced you or impacted you in a way that you

(51:31):
didn't see coming, You know, living your life in a more
public realm? It's.
It's weird because other people think I live in the public or
whatever, but I forget I'm the kind of person that will show up
to the shops in her Ugg boots and then the kids like can I
have a photo? And I'm like, you know, like I'm

(51:53):
like, Oh yeah, forget people have seen me.
But I think in terms of a biggerspectrum.
I think I've, as I've learnt over the years, I just like to
encourage people to think about their why, or at least just
start thinking about it because understanding yourself even

(52:16):
through like ATV network kind ofspace, like I was fortunate
enough I had the education to understand that this is TV so I
could rock up there and put it on for the cameras.
And you know, you say things in your interviews that like a lot
of ninjas felt uncomfortable saying, but you're like, this is
ATV show. I had.

(52:39):
And as like, as weird as it sounded, when I'm sitting there
in my interviews going, I want to be the first Australian Ninja
Warrior female champion. For years that felt incongruent
because deep down I knew how unlikely that would be.
But then you come back to, well,this is ATV show and I want this

(53:02):
show to continue. I want it to be successful.
I want it to because it's a positive show.
I want it to change people's lives.
So I'm going to do what I need to do to help that succeed.
So I think perspective is a big one to help you get through and
understanding. And then at times when you just
feel like because we're all the centre of our own world, right?

(53:23):
We all think that everyone caresas much about our issues as we
care about our issues with everyone's got life, no one
really cares. So again, having that deeper
perspective of go outside, like look at the stars, like this
world is in this universe is enormous.
So give yourself the grace, giveyourself permission, even when

(53:48):
things are not OK, that's OK as well.
So yeah, I think what I've learnt is more around just the
personal growth and perspective,yeah.
Cool Olivia, this has been an awesome chat.
What? What's what's next on the cards?
You've gone and conquered Japan.What's it called again?
And Ninja. Saskar.
Saskar, Saskar, Saskar. So you've gone and conquered

(54:10):
that. What's what's next is the cafe
cafes. I we ended up moving to
Brisbane, so I ended up selling the cafe.
Yes, right before COVID time. Well played.
Was not the plan, but that was. I definitely felt like I'd sold
my child. Yeah, I don't have children, but

(54:32):
I did raise that from the groundup.
So I felt like that was that wasa hard thing to get over and
then go into the space of what'snext.
But I'm currently in that space of gone.
I've just ticked off this massive bucket list item, what
is next? And although I'm doing stuff

(54:53):
like I'm writing my first book and I say first because I
thought it would just be one, but turns out I really enjoy it.
So, you know, as I'm doing stuffin terms of building brand and
putting things out to help more people because that's where my
brain is gone, you know, withoutATV show, how do I still, you

(55:18):
know, inspire that young girl? How do I still do the?
Why the why is still driving you?
Yeah. That why is still really quite
important to me, but it's also shifting in the space of being
OK with not having this massive goal because that was my life
was always goal after goal afterachievement after achievement.

(55:40):
Like when people like, you know,read my resume, it's like, well,
OK, so I have to sit in that space of being OK that there's
not that next massive goal rightnow.
And for me, when even when I talk to high school kids where,
who were in the space of what amI going to do?

(56:01):
Like that ultimately is that space where they feel pressured
to have this find this job or find this, you know, like I look
like give yourself the permission to try different
things. Like you don't know what you
want to do or you don't know what your, your why or your
purpose is. That's OK.

(56:21):
Go test some stuff, go experiment.
So for me right now it's that's learning and being OK with
learning and dropping the shame around the shame we put on
ourselves of being in that spot or not knowing what we're doing.
And then also, I feel like in Australia, there's this culture
where if we invest in ourselves,it's seen as selfish when in

(56:47):
like, we are actually our biggest outset and we should be
investing in ourselves and that should be celebrated.
So that's me right now, yeah. Now you did a great job and well
done and look forward to seeing the next moves.
And you know, you know, your whysounds quite amazing, like
Jonesy and I both raising young girls.

(57:09):
So yeah, to have have people like yourselves with a with a
pure why I think super important.
Especially like the times we live in and what they're saying
on social media and they're. Saying a lot the.
Fakeness and you know, you can try and monitor and control it,
but I think at the end of the day you've just got to educate,
educate them to understand that that's not real or that's, you

(57:32):
know, that's not healthy or, youknow, there's other things that
we can aspire to, there's other options.
But yeah, just, I guess I'm justtrying to be the best role model
I can. Yeah, yeah, I think.
That's great if I always think anyone can be that.
Anyone can. Anyone can, Absolutely.
You don't need a social. Media account to do that you'd
there's role models all around us so one. 100% firmly believe

(57:56):
that. Great work, Olivia.
Thanks, Jonesy. Thanks mate, that's a cracker.
Thanks Olivia. My.
Pleasure. Easy.
What is the time? Thanks guys.
Please like share, subscribe, whoever is going to get value
out of that. See you at the top.
People will be part of a winningteam.
People can find a better versionof themselves if they choose.
You just need to go start some shit.
Action is all that matters. Be a man of your word.

(58:18):
Think I look back now and I'm like, well, that took some guts.
We can't, we can't. We can't see you at the top.