August 7, 2025 • 39 mins
Today on Brewsers, we talk to Gold Medalist, Nikki Stone. We talk about her Olympic career, motivational speaking, and so much more. Follow us on instagram and twitter at Brewserspod. Like, share, review, enjoy and cheers. #brewsers #brewserspod #Enjoylife #DrinkLocal #Cheers
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Bruisers podcast about beer, coffee, booze and Bruisers.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I am your host, Rudy.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
John and today we talked to gold medalist Nicky Stone.
We talk about her Olympic career, motivational speaking, and so
much more. This is such an awesome conversation. I am
so lucky to have talked to an Olympic gold medalist
and we have her here on the show. So you
don't want to hear it from me, you want to
hear from her. So, without further ado, here is gold
medalist Nicky Stone. I would like to welcome a show
(00:55):
Nicky Stone.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
How are you doing today, man.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
I'm doing wonderful.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Thanks for having me, Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
So for those listening kind of paintings the word picture.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Where are you at? What's going on around you?
Speaker 4 (01:05):
I'm in South Carolina and it is extremely hot. I've
I've been doing speaking and traveling the country, so it's
nice to have a break and to join you here today.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Well, thank you for continuing to talk even though he
didn't have to. Well, let's go all the way back
in time. What is your earliest memory of sports and competition?
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Well, I remember my babysitter teaching me gymnastics. We had
a mattress that where you put in our basement and
she would teach me how to do backhandsprings and flips,
and I remember going out there and trying some of
these skills and then starting competitions and gymnastics, and I
fell in love with acrobatics, and anytime I could be
(01:50):
upside down, I.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Was, well, when did that turn? Did you do any
other sports besides gymnastics before you actually started skiing.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
I did some sports, mainly to keep me in shape
for gymnastics, eventually for skiing, but it was more recreational.
You know. I did compete at the school in volleyball
and soccer, but a lot of it was for training
because I always had that path of acrobatics. I did
do moguls and acro skiing for a while, so I
(02:23):
do the combined sport of freestyle skiing. But aerial skiing became,
you know, the sport I really fell in love with
because it really mimicked gymnastics. And I didn't start that
until I was eighteen years old, so a lot of
years went by just learning the skills I needed, and
you know, it was the perfect combination between skiing and gymnastics.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yeah, that's very true.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well when did you actually start skiing, Like, was it
eighteen or did you at least, you know, try a
little bit before that.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Yeah. I don't even remember learning to ski. It was
crazy a memory that I had, So it was, you know,
two years old. My kids both started at about a year.
Just at that age you kind of just stand in
your boots and go. So it's something that I don't
even remember. But I didn't do aerial skiing until I
(03:18):
was eighteen.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Right, Well, where was it about the I mean, you
are one of the most decorated aerial skiers ever, so
what was it about that the category of the aerial
skiing that really grabbed your attention?
Speaker 4 (03:30):
Well, to be honest with you, I was scared when
I first saw it. I thought these people are crazy,
I believe it or not. I'm afraid of heights, so
it looked terrifying. But I just wanted to try the
flip into the pool. That looked fun, It looked close
to what I had in gymnastics, and I went for
(03:50):
three days. I did the backflip backflip with a full twist,
and the third day, ever the head coach came up
to me and said, let's try a double. As nervous
as I was, I felt like I couldn't let the
head coach down and I knew everyone was watching. So
I went and did my first double backflip, and I
was terrified. But to overcome those fears and to take
(04:13):
that risk and to try something so exhilarating, I was
hooked and fell in love with the sport and that
was the sport for me.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
That's crazy. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
I was looking up and it used to be called
hot dogging and then it became aerial scheme.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
Yes, those are you know, a day long ago, before
it was an Olympic sport and before they had much
structure in the sport.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Right, it's just so well, yeah, because it's just so
funny that, like it's always interesting how different categories where
sports do get added on to the Olympics, who are
taken away from the Olympics, and it's.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Like where did this come from?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Like there's still some sports that people it's always funny
Olympic time when people when people were watching them, like
obviously curling and during the winter Olympic gets a lot
of attention just because it looks really absurd, just you know,
cleaning and sweeping up a ice just to get this
big stone in the middle of it. But people love
it and it always grass people's attention. So I think
(05:12):
Ariel is one of those as well that people are like,
so you just go down to jump and then just
do a bunch of flips and then try to land
on two feet, like that's it, Like it's.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Just so weird.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
I always wondered what I would tell my kids that
the sport ever disappeared, or my grandkids, you know, like
telling them that I went down a hill, went off
of jump whiskeys clipped around the air onto the landing
hill and I imagine them going.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
But why, yeah, yeah exactly.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
But you know, I'm glad it was a sport because
there was so much discipline that was put into the
efforts we made, and it really was something that you
could finesse and perform, you know, with such grace and
skill and precision. And it really it was a sport
that taught me a lot.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Right, What was it about competing at that time when
you know, all the eyes of the world are literally
on you And obviously now we're living a different time
where if you miss it, you catch it later online
or whatever. But at the time they were showing it live,
everything was great, and then like you know, from there
(06:20):
after that, Like I kind of want to touch on
this a little bit because we make such a big
deal and we put so much attention on Olympics during
the time of the Olympics, but afterwards or before, we
don't really hear too.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Much about them.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
And you know, they not that they get lost because
obviously you dominated for two straight years, just winning everything.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
But if people don't know.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
About those other events or those other competitions, how are
they supposed to know how dominant you really are except
for their commentator, you know, talking about that.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
So what is it about?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
I mean, obviously we've seen a gigantic leap from the
time you were competing to now, But what is it about?
Like we pay so much attention to them, but then
once it's done, it's like, oh, well, whatever happened to
those people?
Speaker 4 (07:07):
You know?
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Like why do we not give as much attention year
round as we do just those two or three weeks.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
I kind of think that's what makes it special, okay,
because it puts more pressure on the events. It makes
it so that these athletes are going out there and
shining in those few moments that they have. Right if
you don't, worm, well you have to wait another four years. True,
And so going out there and showing the world what
(07:35):
you have and showcasing it in you know that really
minimal time means that you have to be on when
it counts, and knowing that it's not something that happens
every year, it makes it a lot more unique. It
makes it a lot more special, and when you win,
it's that much more exciting.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
I mean I think we're not giving that much attention.
And then also the money factor of it all, Like
obviously we hear all the time about you know, the
main four sports and everyone's contract. It's getting so much
bigger and bigger every year, which is absolutely insanity. Where's
all this money coming from? But then you know, you
talk to these Olympic athletes and they might get sponsorships
and they might you know, this, that and the other.
(08:15):
But from the day to day, a lot of them
are really having a tough time sometimes just trying to
keep bills paid because yeah, have the regular jobs, but
it's only to you know, make sure that their actual
dream is still happening.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
Oh yeah, it's challenging. I remember one of my teammates
would go and get jelly packets at McDonald's wow, just
so we can make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And
I had another friend that would basically dumpster dive to
be able to get food because he was living in
his car while he was training. And so a lot
(08:50):
of people think, you know, athletes make all this money,
and there there are a few that will make quite
a bit, but for the most part, these athletes are
doing it because they love it. And the US the
one country in the world that doesn't get paid for
their athletes. You know, they don't have government funding. So
we do have to rely on sponsors. We do have
(09:11):
to rely on donors, and we have to rely on
working ourselves to make sure that we can make enough
in order to compete. Right.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Do you think that there's anything that we can do
about that to make that a better situation?
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Donate?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Yeah, yeah, there you go.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
Donate to the USOC, the United States Olympic Committee. They
do need the sponsors. I think it helped when they
took walked away from having athletes not be able to
make money from sponsors and whatnot. And you know, hopefully
as more sponsors get involved and see the sport more
(09:48):
and want to be part of it, the athletes will
actually make more money. Bring them into speakers. Bring athletes
in a speakers because it not only helps them, but
it's inspiring to hear their stories and they're pushing towards something.
And there's so many skills and abilities that we learned
through sport that really translate well into the business world.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
It's so true now.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
I mean, you, like you just touched on, you go
back and you talk to athletes all the time now
about you know, the mental aspect of competing and just
being an athlete in general. When you were competing, who
were the people that really kind of helped you out?
Because I think we're getting luckily, we're having far more
conversations now about the mental aspect of you know, being
(10:34):
an athlete or you know, like you said, really making
sure you're on for that tiny bit. But there are
a lot of times that you know, sometimes the spotlight's
not on and they think they could just kind of,
you know, glide through it, but you have to be
sharp and you have to be on, you know, whenever
you're actually competing. So who were some people that really
kind of helped you out when you were coming up
(10:56):
in your when you're athletics.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
So in my sport, I didn't necessarily have people that
would come and talk to me about things, but I
always had role models in various sports. You know Bonnie
Blair who is a speed skater, Dan Jansen who is
the speed scare Phil and Steve Mayer who were skiers.
I looked up to, Nadiya Komenitch who was a gymnast
(11:21):
when I was growing up, and Mary lou Rutton. There
were a lot of people that I looked up to.
But you know, as far as me being able to
gain that mental edge, I had a sports psychologist i
work with, and I actually got my masters in sports psychology.
So I did a lot of research myself and had
a good understanding of what makes your mind tick. And
(11:43):
you know, when you get to the Olympics, everyone has
the ability to be there, that is there, but in
order to perform in that small window of time, you
really have to make sure your mental game is there.
And so I did a lot of research and training
to make sure that I could be on in those
key moments right.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Well, now that you're working more with athletes nowadays, and
congratulations on getting a master's. That's that's huge for you know,
it's a lot of work to do that. What do
you feel is the most common problem a lot of
athletes are having with their mindset either going in or
coming out of because obviously you want to ramp your
you want to you want to hide yourself up. We
all have those tracks or whatever it is that really
(12:23):
kind of help us out before we you know, either
competer or do whatever we're doing. But then there's also
that coming down after the fact, because yeah, you get
that roar of the crowd, or you know, in case
you didn't do good, you don't have roar of the crowd,
but it's still coming down from that adrenaline, you know,
not dump, but just that hyighten us and you have
to come down yourself. How do you kind of help
(12:45):
athletes now coming up and then obviously after after the.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Event as well.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
So just to be clear, I don't necessarily work with
the athletes. I don't work as a sports psychologist. I
actually do motivational speaking for corporations, gotcha, But you know
there's similar avenues that you go through, and the United
States Olympic Committee has brought me in a few times
right before the Games to be able to work with
some of these athletes and really having the preparation of
(13:13):
trying to you know, I had the doctors and I
had coaches telling me, try to imagine it like it's
every other day, and it's not like every other day.
It's something different, and so you have to make sure
you're prepared as possible going into it. And so I
tell people to practice for what could go wrong because
the likelihood is that it will go wrong, right, So
(13:34):
I always try to plan ahead for if the weather
was bad, or if I wasn't feeling well, if my
equipment didn't make it to the site, all the things
that I would do to prepare in those moments and
to make sure that my goals were close by. Something
Muhammad Ali actually gave me as a tip is to
make sure you have your goals in your pocket because
(13:54):
you can pull them out at any time and remind
yourself what you're striving for. So it helps push you
past the district actions and the obstacles around you.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Wow, did you meet Muhamma Aldi?
Speaker 4 (14:04):
I met him a few times I'm asking what tip
he could give, and that was the tip he gave me.
But there is an aura about him when you meet him,
and you just sense that the presence of greatness while
he's sitting there with you, and it's really phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Yeah, I've heard that from so many people that anytime
that you actually were able to have a like a
one oh one conversation with him, he was so present
in his energy, like you said, was just so bright.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
Right, Yeah, it was amazing.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
I wish I had a chance to meet him.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
So you were the first American to win a Golden
Arioals and everyone asked obviously what the feeling was like
winning the Olympics and winning the gold medal. But you
did this eighteen months after the being told you were
never going to ski again. So at the moment, can you,
I guess, go back in time, what at the moment
that feeling was like? And then now looking back, what
(14:55):
you know, with everything building up to it and then
everything that has happened after, what that what that moment
really felt like for you?
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Well, first, the moment of ten doctors tell me I
wouldn't ski again. It was devastating. I really started to
fall into a deep depression. I wondered if I'd be
able to come back to any sport, and it was
something that I'd been striving for my entire life. You know,
I told my parents at five years old I was
going to win the Olympics. So having these doctors continually
(15:23):
tell me that I was done with the sport was
absolutely devastating and heartbreaking. But to be able to come
back and build up and come back to the sport,
and in the moment when I landed my jump, it
was a thrill that's incredibly hard to put into words
because it was a lifetime of work. It's hearing these
(15:44):
doctors all tell me, you know, this isn't possible, and
to know that you defeated all that and it culminated
in a dream you've had since you were five years old,
you know. I remember when they placed the metal around
my neck. I had chills up and down my body,
and the hair my back of my neck stood on end.
And I really couldn't believe that I was standing on
(16:05):
a real podium. After when I was five years old,
I made a podium out of tables and chairs, and
so to be standing on the real thing, it was surreal.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Wow, I love that.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Where do you so you have so many awards and
medals and do you keep them in a certain place
or how do you or do you just put them
in a box or everyone does those differently, so I'm
always curious.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
I do have a trophy case where I keep a
lot of them. It is a great reminder to be
able to see, you know, all the hard work I
put in, and also as an inspiration to my kids.
But I also have my medal in a safe because
I've heard of a lot of people having them stolen.
I can't imagine it would have any meaning to anyone else,
but I do keep it safe, but I bring it
(16:50):
with me to all my engagements and I like to
share it with people like I let them wear the
metal because it meant so much to me, and being
able to share it means that much more.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Yeah. Yeah, I was gonna ask that too, because you
do go.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Like you said, you talked to so many different corporations now,
and I've talked to I've been part of the corporate
word for quite a while, and I know how a
lot of those people are, and a lot of them
would love to wear that metal. Even though you know
that's the closest thing to achievement like that that they'll
ever they'll ever get. When you do go to these
different these conversations and these motivational speech, it's your speech.
(17:27):
How often are you kind of like changing this wordage
or this wordage or where are you wanting to go
or is it kind of what they're looking for?
Speaker 4 (17:35):
So I often have a skeleton speech that I share,
but I do a lot of research on the corporation,
Like I have the understanding of everything that's going on
in their business. What are the obstacles that they have,
what are the risks they need to take, what are
some of the challenges they have, What do they need
to focus on, How can they utilize more teamwork? Where
(17:57):
do they find their passions within their work? So I
have a good understanding of the company, and then I
incorporate that all into my talk to make sure that
they're using the skills to be able to reach whatever
their gold medal may be.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Right, Yeah, that's a good good way of putting that.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Now when you're auful. Sorry, you're also an author Where
Turtles Fly Secrets of successful people who know how to
stick their neck out, their necks up talking to all
these people that have stuck their neck out must have
been fascinating because there are so many people that unfortunately
do get you know, or afraid to stick their neck out,
(18:35):
or even you know, want to, but then they're like, uh,
well what happens if you know this happens or whatever happens.
Essentially a lot of people are afraid of that jump.
How how did the idea of the book come along?
And then what was it like interviewing all of these
fascinating people.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
So the book came along based on my philosophy for
success that was called the turtle effect and something my
parents taught me when I was little. Or be successful,
you have to be like a turtle. You have to
be soft on the inside, you have to have a
hard shell, and you have to be willing to stick
your neck out. And with speaking to companies, I had
so many people saying, you know, like you need to
share this, you need to share this story. It relates
(19:13):
to me and X y Z. And I realized, you know,
with all my speeches, all the different groups I spoke to,
there's so many parallels to using this turtle effect in
every career and lifestyle. And so I wanted to get
the most successful people in all different fields, like I
have Lester Holt, Tommy Hillfiger, doctor Stephen Covey, Sean White,
(19:33):
Lindsay Vaughn, Steve Young. You know, the list goes on,
and you know, probably forty different contributors from all different fields.
And it was interesting hearing their stories of how they
would use the turtle effect to either have a soft
inside a hard shell or stick their neck out. And
it's amazing to see the parallels. But to also have
(19:55):
these pieces of wisdom from each person to be able
to share how how they found success and despite the field,
it really does overlap and kind of give you some
insight and how you can have that success too.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
What is something that you probably learned from either from
all these conversations that either didn't make it into the book,
but something you carry along with you, you know, ever
since then.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
So I think the biggest thing I learned was in
doing my interviews. I interviewed each person for their story,
and the one thing I found is that there was
one group of individuals when I'd ask them, why were
you successful, and they could tell me right off the
bat why they were successful. And this group was always
the athletes. You know, you'd think the CEOs would have
(20:43):
a you know, fortune five hundred CEOs, or military heroes
or international newscasters. You'd think that they'd know why they're successful.
But the athletes knew right away. And it's because they're
constantly looking at why they're successful. They always look back
to what did I do well today? What could I
improve on? They have coaches that are helping them with this.
(21:04):
They have trainers, they have sports psychologists. They're all helping
them look at why they're successful. And so I often
think back to my career and realize, you know, like
these are the things I'd look at all the time.
And it's what I share with my audience is now
to make sure in order to develop our confidence, you
(21:24):
have to look back and realize why you're successful.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Now, I saw on one of your speeches that you
carry a bouncy ball with you anytime you'd be in
the gym. Can you please explain that to people? Because
I love this philosophy.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
This is great.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
So in order to have that hardshell, when I came
back from my injury, doctors told me I was going
to have to build up the muscles in my back
because it was two different discs in my back that
I heard. I wasn't going to be able to fuse
the discs. So the one doctor who told me I
could come back said it was going to be a
lot of work, and it was going to be really risky,
and it was going to be painful because building up
those muscles in your back by lifting heavyweights could blow
(22:02):
out the disc completely. And it was really painful. And
the one thing that helped me get through it was
a quote by General Georges Patten that says success is
how hw you bounce after you hit rock bottle. And
so by bouncing that super ball, it reminds you to
stay strong because you're going to bounce back. And if
you want to be strong, to bounce back. And I
(22:24):
demonstrate it with like a softer ball, and so if
you soft, you're not going to bounce, but the hardball
lets you bounce. And it was that visual reminder I
needed by carrying that ball with me all the time
and bouncing it, I remember, stay strong, you got this.
You got to push yourself forward if you want to
be able to achieve success.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
What kind of workouts did they kind of do back then?
Because this was the early nineties, right late nineties, late nineties. Okay,
so they're they're a little better about the yoga, in
the in the in the swimming, which is really effective
for your for your spinal But like what else kind
of workouts were they kind of doing to help really
build it and strengthen it.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
So of it was deadlifts where you're holding a bar
and you're bending for and standing back up, or back
extensions where you're on a table and you're laying over
the table and you're lifting your chest up but you're
holding weights to do this, and a lot of stomach exercises.
The way to keep your backstrong is by working through
your stomach and something that I really wish I had
(23:21):
done ahead of time because it really does support your back.
They say eighty percent of the population is going to
have spinal injuries at some point in their life. So
do your sit ups. It totally does make you strong
enough to be able to support your back. And it
was what gave me that edge to be able to
come back and start jumping again just a year before
(23:42):
the Olympic Games.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Right where were you? Where are you at now? When
it comes?
Speaker 3 (23:46):
I mean you're not competing obviously anymore. Where what trying
to figure out? How where this when you Obviously, when
you're competing, you have a certain workout routine that you
normally go through and everything like that. But once you're
done competing, where did your workout kind.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Of routine go from there?
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Because you aren't competing for the same reasons, but you still,
you know, have that mindset of this is what I do,
and I got to keep myself moving. And then obviously
all that extra ANTSI energy I imagine you have that
you got to let out as well. So where did
your fit Where did your workouts go from after you
finished actually competing?
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Well, there were I will admit some things that I
didn't love doing, which I got right away. I hated
lifting weights.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
I hated it.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
And I do still need to make sure my back
stays strong, so I do still do some exercises for that,
but I don't go and hit the gym for two
hours anymore. For me, it was trying to pursue the
things that were fun and that I enjoyed. So I'll
go out kayaking or stand up paddle or mountain biking
or skiing or running or hiking, all things to be
(24:54):
able to get me outdoors and enjoying the workouts.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
Now yeah, now that makes sense.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
Well when so, I mean we've touched on you being
a motivationals bigger multiple times. Now where did that even
start for you?
Speaker 4 (25:08):
Like?
Speaker 2 (25:08):
How did that become an option?
Speaker 4 (25:10):
So after the Olympics, a lot of people want to
capture the magic and I had a lot of opportunities
to speak right after the games, and I realized that
there was so much I could learn from analyzing how
I became successful, and I did really well with it.
I made it very interactive with my audiences. I used
(25:32):
this from sports psychology. You know, there were activities and
skills what we learned at sports psychology, and so I
adapt them for my audiences so they can actually have
hands on ways of understanding the skills they need in
order to find focus, or to build up their confidence
or to overcome adversities. And so it really latched on,
did well and found that more and more companies were
(25:55):
interested in bringing me in and so it really developed
into a great career.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
How how many so now that you you know, I
imagine you plan your your either months out or a
year at at least how often do you try to
do motivational speakers and then obviously how much do you
try to keep, you know, just time for yourself.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
So I'll speak probably a couple of times a month,
and a lot of it's still making sure that I
do enough research and understanding from the company, and you know,
having to do marketing and different advertising is a lot
of work as well. So there's a lot of work
that goes into the speeches that I do. And then
(26:39):
you know, there's also has to be time for the family.
And family has always been incredibly important for me, So
I make time for my husband and my kids and
make sure that they're finding their own success as well.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
I mean obviously having the family after your you know,
athletic success, but now you've obviously parlay that into a
much better success when it comes to speaking in front
of so many different people and helping so many different people.
Do your kids ask or when did they really kind
of start asking about like what was it like competing
and then like watching you know, your jump and how
(27:15):
early on did they kind of really kind of be
interested in all that.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
It's funny because I don't think they think of an
Olympic athlete the same way most people do. You know,
it's his mom, you know, so it's for them, and
we grew up. They grew up in Park City, Utah,
where there were you know, in their class, there were
several other kids that had parents with gold medals, right,
(27:40):
and so it wasn't something that they felt was extraordinary,
which is nice because they feel it's attainable. Yeah, but
I always did worry that people would put on them
expectations because of who their mom was. And so I'm
actually glad that neither of them went into aerial skiing
and they pursued their own path defining that success. But
(28:04):
you know, for them, it was always you know, like
this is normal. I remember when my daughter was young
and I was watching Olympics and he said, you gotta
watch this person's going for gold and she said they
all are, mom, and I guess you're right.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
She showed you.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Well, so you've kind of you know, you've been to
the Olympics a couple of times, and then now obviously
you go back sometimes just to just to talk to
them and help them out. What is the what have
you seen the evolution of like the Olympic village being
like because I imagine it was. It's getting hopefully better as
we go. But obviously on the news as well, we've
(28:48):
seen horror stories of just like paper thin walls and
doors and stuff. But where do you have you seen like,
you know, the kind of Olympic village is kind of looking.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Like over the years, so of course that is changed.
I remember hearing someone turn their newspaper in the room
next to me because the walls are so thin, because
a lot of times they're temporary housing. You know, they
they put an Olympic village somewhere because the Olympics are there,
but there's not really a reason for them to have
(29:19):
you know, dorm rooms, so they a lot of times
will just throw something up that's temporary and so it
is going to be thin walls and it's not going
to be all that well made because it's such a
short period of time that they have to use the building,
and that that's something that's you know, lasted throughout the
entire time. The one thing that I think has changed
(29:43):
the most is social media. You know, if it's something
that they have the interaction, they already know a lot
of the athletes by the time they get there. And
I remember at my second Olympic Games, it was the
first Olympic Games we had email that we can email
someone and that was such a groundbreaking thing. You know,
we didn't have email at the time. And I got
(30:05):
an email from Prince Alberta, Monaco and he said, come
watch the bob sled, you know, like we I'd love
to have you come up and watch. And I thought
this was incredible, Like I got to meet this athlete.
And so for all these athletes, they have that connection,
they already have who they're working with, and you get
to see the Olympic Village through their eyes because they're
(30:26):
sharing all these things on social media.
Speaker 3 (30:28):
Yeah, that's so true. I think it it went for
social media. I think a lot of the bad things
that are happening over there wouldn't get as much attention.
But then obviously all the good things that happened as well, So.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
You know, it's a great a little bit of both.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
There's a great interaction of bringing these athletes together. And
I remember my first Olympic Games going into opening ceremonies
and I remember trying to like look for all the
cameras and waiting all the cameras and I got about
halfway around the arena and I looked up and saw
all the athletes sitting in the stands, because the US
is one of the last sports, one of the last
countries to come in, and so all the other athletes
(31:02):
were already seated up in this one section for the athletes.
And I burst into tears because I was like, these
are the top athletes in the world, and I'm one
of them. And to have that camaraderie and that bonding
with athletes in all different sports all over the world,
all coming together in a two week period, it was
pretty phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
Yeah, Oh, I imagine.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
I imagine coming down from that high as well is
probably a little challenging.
Speaker 4 (31:27):
It can be. It can be, you know, on the Olympics,
and it's either that you're in a really good place
or a really bad place, and I've experienced both, and
either way it's still exhausting.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
No, I imagine.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Well, yeah, plus the travel as well. People don't think
about that, and so yeah that then you know, get
into altitudes and all that fun stuff. So little things
people don't think about whenever they're watching their Olympic athletes.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
Yeah, and you see them in one interview and you're thinking, like, wow,
they look tired. But this has probably been the US
interview that they've done, so it's constant and continually moving
and taking you from one interview to a next, and
taking you from this event to another event and to
a sponsor event. And it was endless.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
I imagine that's probably also gotten far worse over the years.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
Yeah, Well, I have a segment on the shall I
call it the five counts Five Random questions? Okay, who
was your first concert?
Speaker 4 (32:26):
My first concert was Billy Idol?
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Oh nice.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Yeah, it was something my friend got tickets and I
loved him at the time.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
So when Billy Idol, it's amazing. He still roughly looks
the same.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
If you owned a liquor company, brewery, winery, or coffee shop,
which one would you own and what would the name be?
Speaker 4 (32:48):
It would probably be a coffee shop, just because I
love the social aspect and the people can still work there,
and because I am not a night so I wouldn't
be able to stay up for the hours. But if
you asked me my twenties, it would it would have
been a bar.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
There you go, it's nothing wrong with that, but and.
Speaker 4 (33:09):
The name of it. Gosh, I really I have to
put some time and thought into that, but it probably
have some kind of play on the Olympics.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
Yeah, I was gonna say golden bruise, but maybe maybe
something else.
Speaker 4 (33:24):
Yeah, that would be good.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
There you go.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
Who was the last person you fan boyd out on?
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Hmm, gosh, it's been a while. I guess Wayne Gretzky.
I got to meet him at one of the Olympics,
and I have been so enamored with everything he's done
and has that He's elevated the sport of hockey, you know,
he brought it to the forefront. And got to meet
him and take a picture with him, and it's something
(33:53):
that you know, I put up on the fridge for
a while and and really, you know, I felt strong
about that picture.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
I've been to his one anyry up in I think
Niagara Falls area in Canada. Oh, it's beautiful, so much
of his stuff up there.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
I was like wow. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
And then I've also been to the Hockey Hall of Fame,
and of course there was well when he did have
the record for the most goals, there was this big,
you know net with all the pucks and the picture
it was great.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
No, he's that's cool.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
Yeah, He's truly an inspiration for everybody, is Yeah, speaking
of which number four, who are what inspires you?
Speaker 2 (34:27):
My kids love that, that's good.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
They both have had their struggles. My daughter's had anxiety,
my son has Type one diabetes, and neither of them
ever asked why. And they are constantly dealing with the challenges.
And I'm so inspired by what they overcome and what
kids have to deal with today. I can't imagine having
(34:54):
to deal with all the issues that they have going on,
you know, shoot in schools and things posting online and
having bullies everywhere, you know, and that they tackle these
things and hit them head on and never complain about it.
It's truly moving.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
The fact that people create burner accounts just to bully people,
it is just like, go find something else to do,
just go outside, like what are we doing?
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Like, yeah, yeah, that makes no sense to me.
Speaker 4 (35:24):
It's easier for people pull someone else down and lift
themselves up, and so they choose that path, and it's
it's a lot more fulfilling when you can lift yourself up. Though.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
Yeah, you do get far more from actually inspiring people
and helping, you know, motivate them to do their best,
so that you know, hopefully that inspires you to do
your best. So but obviously, like you said, it's it's
so much easier to pull people down and you know,
just kind of crap on people, But it's honestly so
much better the other way exactly.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Yeah. And finally, what would you tell your seventeen year
old self.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
That the challenges are worth it? You kind of feel
like in the moment, like this is terrible. I don't
want to deal with this. I remember my parents telling
me that you either have success or you have a
learning experience, and I said, yeah, but I'm really sick
of having learning experiences. But it makes the win that
(36:26):
much greater in the end. I really am thankful for
going through those hard times. I think of people who
gain their Olympic medal and didn't have the same challenges,
and I don't think it would mean as much to
me if I hadn't had those challenges. So I appreciate
them and I really do think that they're worth it.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Yeah, good times are always better after some bad ones exactly.
Speaker 4 (36:49):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
The rainbow right exactly. Yeah, that people want to find
out more about you, follow you online, buy your book,
even try to book you for some motivational speak through
speaking engagements.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
How can they do all the things?
Speaker 4 (37:01):
They can? Look me up on my website which is
Nickystone dot com and Ikki st o n E dot
com on LinkedIn. Feel free to reach out to me there.
I have a lot of posts that I share weekly
so they can see my motivational minutes and any other
inspiration that I can give people to help them in
(37:23):
their personal, live professional lives.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
I love it, NICKI thank you so much for your time.
I feel like we could have talked for so much longer,
but I'm going to be respectful for your time. So
thank you very much, and I can't wait to see
what the future.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
Holds for you.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
It's so fun to be here. I appreciate the interview
and wish the best of all your followers.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Thank you so much to NICKI for being on the
show again. I love having conversations like this where people
have absolutely credible and inspirational stories. And Nicky's is no
joke either, because she was not supposed to ever ski
again and then she won a gold medal, so this
is absolutely wasn't an absolute conversation that I loved and
I can't wait to have her back on the show.
So NICKI thank you so much for being on the show.
(38:15):
While you're following her on social media, make sure to
follow us on social media. It is bruisers Pod. That
is b R E W sd R S b O
D on the Instagram, the threads and the Twitter. If
you want to send us an email, it is Bruiserspod
at gmail dot com.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
If you want to.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Follow me directly, it is Rody John. That is our
O D I E j O N. Roady John is
the name on the Twitter and an untapped case you
want to find on drinking maybe we're gonna have a
beer together. If you want to follow me on the
threads or the Instagram, it is official Rody John. So
until next time, make sure to enjoy life, drink local,
and cheers.
Welcome to Bruisers podcast about beer, coffee, booze and Bruisers.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I am your host, Rudy.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
John and today we talked to gold medalist Nicky Stone.
We talk about her Olympic career, motivational speaking, and so
much more. This is such an awesome conversation. I am
so lucky to have talked to an Olympic gold medalist
and we have her here on the show. So you
don't want to hear it from me, you want to
hear from her. So, without further ado, here is gold
medalist Nicky Stone. I would like to welcome a show
(00:55):
Nicky Stone.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
How are you doing today, man.
Speaker 4 (00:58):
I'm doing wonderful.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Thanks for having me, Thanks for coming on.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
So for those listening kind of paintings the word picture.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Where are you at? What's going on around you?
Speaker 4 (01:05):
I'm in South Carolina and it is extremely hot. I've
I've been doing speaking and traveling the country, so it's
nice to have a break and to join you here today.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Well, thank you for continuing to talk even though he
didn't have to. Well, let's go all the way back
in time. What is your earliest memory of sports and competition?
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Well, I remember my babysitter teaching me gymnastics. We had
a mattress that where you put in our basement and
she would teach me how to do backhandsprings and flips,
and I remember going out there and trying some of
these skills and then starting competitions and gymnastics, and I
fell in love with acrobatics, and anytime I could be
(01:50):
upside down, I.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Was, well, when did that turn? Did you do any
other sports besides gymnastics before you actually started skiing.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
I did some sports, mainly to keep me in shape
for gymnastics, eventually for skiing, but it was more recreational.
You know. I did compete at the school in volleyball
and soccer, but a lot of it was for training
because I always had that path of acrobatics. I did
do moguls and acro skiing for a while, so I
(02:23):
do the combined sport of freestyle skiing. But aerial skiing became,
you know, the sport I really fell in love with
because it really mimicked gymnastics. And I didn't start that
until I was eighteen years old, so a lot of
years went by just learning the skills I needed, and
you know, it was the perfect combination between skiing and gymnastics.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yeah, that's very true.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Well when did you actually start skiing, Like, was it
eighteen or did you at least, you know, try a
little bit before that.
Speaker 4 (02:56):
Yeah. I don't even remember learning to ski. It was
crazy a memory that I had, So it was, you know,
two years old. My kids both started at about a year.
Just at that age you kind of just stand in
your boots and go. So it's something that I don't
even remember. But I didn't do aerial skiing until I
(03:18):
was eighteen.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Right, Well, where was it about the I mean, you
are one of the most decorated aerial skiers ever, so
what was it about that the category of the aerial
skiing that really grabbed your attention?
Speaker 4 (03:30):
Well, to be honest with you, I was scared when
I first saw it. I thought these people are crazy,
I believe it or not. I'm afraid of heights, so
it looked terrifying. But I just wanted to try the
flip into the pool. That looked fun, It looked close
to what I had in gymnastics, and I went for
(03:50):
three days. I did the backflip backflip with a full twist,
and the third day, ever the head coach came up
to me and said, let's try a double. As nervous
as I was, I felt like I couldn't let the
head coach down and I knew everyone was watching. So
I went and did my first double backflip, and I
was terrified. But to overcome those fears and to take
(04:13):
that risk and to try something so exhilarating, I was
hooked and fell in love with the sport and that
was the sport for me.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
That's crazy. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
I was looking up and it used to be called
hot dogging and then it became aerial scheme.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
Yes, those are you know, a day long ago, before
it was an Olympic sport and before they had much
structure in the sport.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Right, it's just so well, yeah, because it's just so
funny that, like it's always interesting how different categories where
sports do get added on to the Olympics, who are
taken away from the Olympics, and it's.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Like where did this come from?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Like there's still some sports that people it's always funny
Olympic time when people when people were watching them, like
obviously curling and during the winter Olympic gets a lot
of attention just because it looks really absurd, just you know,
cleaning and sweeping up a ice just to get this
big stone in the middle of it. But people love
it and it always grass people's attention. So I think
(05:12):
Ariel is one of those as well that people are like,
so you just go down to jump and then just
do a bunch of flips and then try to land
on two feet, like that's it, Like it's.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Just so weird.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
I always wondered what I would tell my kids that
the sport ever disappeared, or my grandkids, you know, like
telling them that I went down a hill, went off
of jump whiskeys clipped around the air onto the landing
hill and I imagine them going.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
But why, yeah, yeah exactly.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
But you know, I'm glad it was a sport because
there was so much discipline that was put into the
efforts we made, and it really was something that you
could finesse and perform, you know, with such grace and
skill and precision. And it really it was a sport
that taught me a lot.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Right, What was it about competing at that time when
you know, all the eyes of the world are literally
on you And obviously now we're living a different time
where if you miss it, you catch it later online
or whatever. But at the time they were showing it live,
everything was great, and then like you know, from there
(06:20):
after that, Like I kind of want to touch on
this a little bit because we make such a big
deal and we put so much attention on Olympics during
the time of the Olympics, but afterwards or before, we
don't really hear too.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Much about them.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
And you know, they not that they get lost because
obviously you dominated for two straight years, just winning everything.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
But if people don't know.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
About those other events or those other competitions, how are
they supposed to know how dominant you really are except
for their commentator, you know, talking about that.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
So what is it about?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
I mean, obviously we've seen a gigantic leap from the
time you were competing to now, But what is it about?
Like we pay so much attention to them, but then
once it's done, it's like, oh, well, whatever happened to
those people?
Speaker 4 (07:07):
You know?
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Like why do we not give as much attention year
round as we do just those two or three weeks.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
I kind of think that's what makes it special, okay,
because it puts more pressure on the events. It makes
it so that these athletes are going out there and
shining in those few moments that they have. Right if
you don't, worm, well you have to wait another four years. True,
And so going out there and showing the world what
(07:35):
you have and showcasing it in you know that really
minimal time means that you have to be on when
it counts, and knowing that it's not something that happens
every year, it makes it a lot more unique. It
makes it a lot more special, and when you win,
it's that much more exciting.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
I mean I think we're not giving that much attention.
And then also the money factor of it all, Like
obviously we hear all the time about you know, the
main four sports and everyone's contract. It's getting so much
bigger and bigger every year, which is absolutely insanity. Where's
all this money coming from? But then you know, you
talk to these Olympic athletes and they might get sponsorships
and they might you know, this, that and the other.
(08:15):
But from the day to day, a lot of them
are really having a tough time sometimes just trying to
keep bills paid because yeah, have the regular jobs, but
it's only to you know, make sure that their actual
dream is still happening.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
Oh yeah, it's challenging. I remember one of my teammates
would go and get jelly packets at McDonald's wow, just
so we can make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And
I had another friend that would basically dumpster dive to
be able to get food because he was living in
his car while he was training. And so a lot
(08:50):
of people think, you know, athletes make all this money,
and there there are a few that will make quite
a bit, but for the most part, these athletes are
doing it because they love it. And the US the
one country in the world that doesn't get paid for
their athletes. You know, they don't have government funding. So
we do have to rely on sponsors. We do have
(09:11):
to rely on donors, and we have to rely on
working ourselves to make sure that we can make enough
in order to compete. Right.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Do you think that there's anything that we can do
about that to make that a better situation?
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Donate?
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Yeah, yeah, there you go.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
Donate to the USOC, the United States Olympic Committee. They
do need the sponsors. I think it helped when they
took walked away from having athletes not be able to
make money from sponsors and whatnot. And you know, hopefully
as more sponsors get involved and see the sport more
(09:48):
and want to be part of it, the athletes will
actually make more money. Bring them into speakers. Bring athletes
in a speakers because it not only helps them, but
it's inspiring to hear their stories and they're pushing towards something.
And there's so many skills and abilities that we learned
through sport that really translate well into the business world.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
It's so true now.
Speaker 3 (10:12):
I mean, you, like you just touched on, you go
back and you talk to athletes all the time now
about you know, the mental aspect of competing and just
being an athlete in general. When you were competing, who
were the people that really kind of helped you out?
Because I think we're getting luckily, we're having far more
conversations now about the mental aspect of you know, being
(10:34):
an athlete or you know, like you said, really making
sure you're on for that tiny bit. But there are
a lot of times that you know, sometimes the spotlight's
not on and they think they could just kind of,
you know, glide through it, but you have to be
sharp and you have to be on, you know, whenever
you're actually competing. So who were some people that really
kind of helped you out when you were coming up
(10:56):
in your when you're athletics.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
So in my sport, I didn't necessarily have people that
would come and talk to me about things, but I
always had role models in various sports. You know Bonnie
Blair who is a speed skater, Dan Jansen who is
the speed scare Phil and Steve Mayer who were skiers.
I looked up to, Nadiya Komenitch who was a gymnast
(11:21):
when I was growing up, and Mary lou Rutton. There
were a lot of people that I looked up to.
But you know, as far as me being able to
gain that mental edge, I had a sports psychologist i
work with, and I actually got my masters in sports psychology.
So I did a lot of research myself and had
a good understanding of what makes your mind tick. And
(11:43):
you know, when you get to the Olympics, everyone has
the ability to be there, that is there, but in
order to perform in that small window of time, you
really have to make sure your mental game is there.
And so I did a lot of research and training
to make sure that I could be on in those
key moments right.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Well, now that you're working more with athletes nowadays, and
congratulations on getting a master's. That's that's huge for you know,
it's a lot of work to do that. What do
you feel is the most common problem a lot of
athletes are having with their mindset either going in or
coming out of because obviously you want to ramp your
you want to you want to hide yourself up. We
all have those tracks or whatever it is that really
(12:23):
kind of help us out before we you know, either
competer or do whatever we're doing. But then there's also
that coming down after the fact, because yeah, you get
that roar of the crowd, or you know, in case
you didn't do good, you don't have roar of the crowd,
but it's still coming down from that adrenaline, you know,
not dump, but just that hyighten us and you have
to come down yourself. How do you kind of help
(12:45):
athletes now coming up and then obviously after after the.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Event as well.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
So just to be clear, I don't necessarily work with
the athletes. I don't work as a sports psychologist. I
actually do motivational speaking for corporations, gotcha, But you know
there's similar avenues that you go through, and the United
States Olympic Committee has brought me in a few times
right before the Games to be able to work with
some of these athletes and really having the preparation of
(13:13):
trying to you know, I had the doctors and I
had coaches telling me, try to imagine it like it's
every other day, and it's not like every other day.
It's something different, and so you have to make sure
you're prepared as possible going into it. And so I
tell people to practice for what could go wrong because
the likelihood is that it will go wrong, right, So
(13:34):
I always try to plan ahead for if the weather
was bad, or if I wasn't feeling well, if my
equipment didn't make it to the site, all the things
that I would do to prepare in those moments and
to make sure that my goals were close by. Something
Muhammad Ali actually gave me as a tip is to
make sure you have your goals in your pocket because
(13:54):
you can pull them out at any time and remind
yourself what you're striving for. So it helps push you
past the district actions and the obstacles around you.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Wow, did you meet Muhamma Aldi?
Speaker 4 (14:04):
I met him a few times I'm asking what tip
he could give, and that was the tip he gave me.
But there is an aura about him when you meet him,
and you just sense that the presence of greatness while
he's sitting there with you, and it's really phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Yeah, I've heard that from so many people that anytime
that you actually were able to have a like a
one oh one conversation with him, he was so present
in his energy, like you said, was just so bright.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
Right, Yeah, it was amazing.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
I wish I had a chance to meet him.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
So you were the first American to win a Golden
Arioals and everyone asked obviously what the feeling was like
winning the Olympics and winning the gold medal. But you
did this eighteen months after the being told you were
never going to ski again. So at the moment, can you,
I guess, go back in time, what at the moment
that feeling was like? And then now looking back, what
(14:55):
you know, with everything building up to it and then
everything that has happened after, what that what that moment
really felt like for you?
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Well, first, the moment of ten doctors tell me I
wouldn't ski again. It was devastating. I really started to
fall into a deep depression. I wondered if I'd be
able to come back to any sport, and it was
something that I'd been striving for my entire life. You know,
I told my parents at five years old I was
going to win the Olympics. So having these doctors continually
(15:23):
tell me that I was done with the sport was
absolutely devastating and heartbreaking. But to be able to come
back and build up and come back to the sport,
and in the moment when I landed my jump, it
was a thrill that's incredibly hard to put into words
because it was a lifetime of work. It's hearing these
(15:44):
doctors all tell me, you know, this isn't possible, and
to know that you defeated all that and it culminated
in a dream you've had since you were five years old,
you know. I remember when they placed the metal around
my neck. I had chills up and down my body,
and the hair my back of my neck stood on end.
And I really couldn't believe that I was standing on
(16:05):
a real podium. After when I was five years old,
I made a podium out of tables and chairs, and
so to be standing on the real thing, it was surreal.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Wow, I love that.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Where do you so you have so many awards and
medals and do you keep them in a certain place
or how do you or do you just put them
in a box or everyone does those differently, so I'm
always curious.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
I do have a trophy case where I keep a
lot of them. It is a great reminder to be
able to see, you know, all the hard work I
put in, and also as an inspiration to my kids.
But I also have my medal in a safe because
I've heard of a lot of people having them stolen.
I can't imagine it would have any meaning to anyone else,
but I do keep it safe, but I bring it
(16:50):
with me to all my engagements and I like to
share it with people like I let them wear the
metal because it meant so much to me, and being
able to share it means that much more.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
Yeah. Yeah, I was gonna ask that too, because you
do go.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
Like you said, you talked to so many different corporations now,
and I've talked to I've been part of the corporate
word for quite a while, and I know how a
lot of those people are, and a lot of them
would love to wear that metal. Even though you know
that's the closest thing to achievement like that that they'll
ever they'll ever get. When you do go to these
different these conversations and these motivational speech, it's your speech.
(17:27):
How often are you kind of like changing this wordage
or this wordage or where are you wanting to go
or is it kind of what they're looking for?
Speaker 4 (17:35):
So I often have a skeleton speech that I share,
but I do a lot of research on the corporation,
Like I have the understanding of everything that's going on
in their business. What are the obstacles that they have,
what are the risks they need to take, what are
some of the challenges they have, What do they need
to focus on, How can they utilize more teamwork? Where
(17:57):
do they find their passions within their work? So I
have a good understanding of the company, and then I
incorporate that all into my talk to make sure that
they're using the skills to be able to reach whatever
their gold medal may be.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Right, Yeah, that's a good good way of putting that.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
Now when you're auful. Sorry, you're also an author Where
Turtles Fly Secrets of successful people who know how to
stick their neck out, their necks up talking to all
these people that have stuck their neck out must have
been fascinating because there are so many people that unfortunately
do get you know, or afraid to stick their neck out,
(18:35):
or even you know, want to, but then they're like, uh,
well what happens if you know this happens or whatever happens.
Essentially a lot of people are afraid of that jump.
How how did the idea of the book come along?
And then what was it like interviewing all of these
fascinating people.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
So the book came along based on my philosophy for
success that was called the turtle effect and something my
parents taught me when I was little. Or be successful,
you have to be like a turtle. You have to
be soft on the inside, you have to have a
hard shell, and you have to be willing to stick
your neck out. And with speaking to companies, I had
so many people saying, you know, like you need to
share this, you need to share this story. It relates
(19:13):
to me and X y Z. And I realized, you know,
with all my speeches, all the different groups I spoke to,
there's so many parallels to using this turtle effect in
every career and lifestyle. And so I wanted to get
the most successful people in all different fields, like I
have Lester Holt, Tommy Hillfiger, doctor Stephen Covey, Sean White,
(19:33):
Lindsay Vaughn, Steve Young. You know, the list goes on,
and you know, probably forty different contributors from all different fields.
And it was interesting hearing their stories of how they
would use the turtle effect to either have a soft
inside a hard shell or stick their neck out. And
it's amazing to see the parallels. But to also have
(19:55):
these pieces of wisdom from each person to be able
to share how how they found success and despite the field,
it really does overlap and kind of give you some
insight and how you can have that success too.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
What is something that you probably learned from either from
all these conversations that either didn't make it into the book,
but something you carry along with you, you know, ever
since then.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
So I think the biggest thing I learned was in
doing my interviews. I interviewed each person for their story,
and the one thing I found is that there was
one group of individuals when I'd ask them, why were
you successful, and they could tell me right off the
bat why they were successful. And this group was always
the athletes. You know, you'd think the CEOs would have
(20:43):
a you know, fortune five hundred CEOs, or military heroes
or international newscasters. You'd think that they'd know why they're successful.
But the athletes knew right away. And it's because they're
constantly looking at why they're successful. They always look back
to what did I do well today? What could I
improve on? They have coaches that are helping them with this.
(21:04):
They have trainers, they have sports psychologists. They're all helping
them look at why they're successful. And so I often
think back to my career and realize, you know, like
these are the things I'd look at all the time.
And it's what I share with my audience is now
to make sure in order to develop our confidence, you
(21:24):
have to look back and realize why you're successful.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Now, I saw on one of your speeches that you
carry a bouncy ball with you anytime you'd be in
the gym. Can you please explain that to people? Because
I love this philosophy.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
This is great.
Speaker 4 (21:40):
So in order to have that hardshell, when I came
back from my injury, doctors told me I was going
to have to build up the muscles in my back
because it was two different discs in my back that
I heard. I wasn't going to be able to fuse
the discs. So the one doctor who told me I
could come back said it was going to be a
lot of work, and it was going to be really risky,
and it was going to be painful because building up
those muscles in your back by lifting heavyweights could blow
(22:02):
out the disc completely. And it was really painful. And
the one thing that helped me get through it was
a quote by General Georges Patten that says success is
how hw you bounce after you hit rock bottle. And
so by bouncing that super ball, it reminds you to
stay strong because you're going to bounce back. And if
you want to be strong, to bounce back. And I
(22:24):
demonstrate it with like a softer ball, and so if
you soft, you're not going to bounce, but the hardball
lets you bounce. And it was that visual reminder I
needed by carrying that ball with me all the time
and bouncing it, I remember, stay strong, you got this.
You got to push yourself forward if you want to
be able to achieve success.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
What kind of workouts did they kind of do back then?
Because this was the early nineties, right late nineties, late nineties. Okay,
so they're they're a little better about the yoga, in
the in the in the swimming, which is really effective
for your for your spinal But like what else kind
of workouts were they kind of doing to help really
build it and strengthen it.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
So of it was deadlifts where you're holding a bar
and you're bending for and standing back up, or back
extensions where you're on a table and you're laying over
the table and you're lifting your chest up but you're
holding weights to do this, and a lot of stomach exercises.
The way to keep your backstrong is by working through
your stomach and something that I really wish I had
(23:21):
done ahead of time because it really does support your back.
They say eighty percent of the population is going to
have spinal injuries at some point in their life. So
do your sit ups. It totally does make you strong
enough to be able to support your back. And it
was what gave me that edge to be able to
come back and start jumping again just a year before
(23:42):
the Olympic Games.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Right where were you? Where are you at now? When
it comes?
Speaker 3 (23:46):
I mean you're not competing obviously anymore. Where what trying
to figure out? How where this when you Obviously, when
you're competing, you have a certain workout routine that you
normally go through and everything like that. But once you're
done competing, where did your workout kind.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Of routine go from there?
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Because you aren't competing for the same reasons, but you still,
you know, have that mindset of this is what I do,
and I got to keep myself moving. And then obviously
all that extra ANTSI energy I imagine you have that
you got to let out as well. So where did
your fit Where did your workouts go from after you
finished actually competing?
Speaker 4 (24:22):
Well, there were I will admit some things that I
didn't love doing, which I got right away. I hated
lifting weights.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
I hated it.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
And I do still need to make sure my back
stays strong, so I do still do some exercises for that,
but I don't go and hit the gym for two
hours anymore. For me, it was trying to pursue the
things that were fun and that I enjoyed. So I'll
go out kayaking or stand up paddle or mountain biking
or skiing or running or hiking, all things to be
(24:54):
able to get me outdoors and enjoying the workouts.
Speaker 2 (24:58):
Now yeah, now that makes sense.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
Well when so, I mean we've touched on you being
a motivationals bigger multiple times. Now where did that even
start for you?
Speaker 4 (25:08):
Like?
Speaker 2 (25:08):
How did that become an option?
Speaker 4 (25:10):
So after the Olympics, a lot of people want to
capture the magic and I had a lot of opportunities
to speak right after the games, and I realized that
there was so much I could learn from analyzing how
I became successful, and I did really well with it.
I made it very interactive with my audiences. I used
(25:32):
this from sports psychology. You know, there were activities and
skills what we learned at sports psychology, and so I
adapt them for my audiences so they can actually have
hands on ways of understanding the skills they need in
order to find focus, or to build up their confidence
or to overcome adversities. And so it really latched on,
did well and found that more and more companies were
(25:55):
interested in bringing me in and so it really developed
into a great career.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
How how many so now that you you know, I
imagine you plan your your either months out or a
year at at least how often do you try to
do motivational speakers and then obviously how much do you
try to keep, you know, just time for yourself.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
So I'll speak probably a couple of times a month,
and a lot of it's still making sure that I
do enough research and understanding from the company, and you know,
having to do marketing and different advertising is a lot
of work as well. So there's a lot of work
that goes into the speeches that I do. And then
(26:39):
you know, there's also has to be time for the family.
And family has always been incredibly important for me, So
I make time for my husband and my kids and
make sure that they're finding their own success as well.
Speaker 2 (26:52):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
I mean obviously having the family after your you know,
athletic success, but now you've obviously parlay that into a
much better success when it comes to speaking in front
of so many different people and helping so many different people.
Do your kids ask or when did they really kind
of start asking about like what was it like competing
and then like watching you know, your jump and how
(27:15):
early on did they kind of really kind of be
interested in all that.
Speaker 4 (27:19):
It's funny because I don't think they think of an
Olympic athlete the same way most people do. You know,
it's his mom, you know, so it's for them, and
we grew up. They grew up in Park City, Utah,
where there were you know, in their class, there were
several other kids that had parents with gold medals, right,
(27:40):
and so it wasn't something that they felt was extraordinary,
which is nice because they feel it's attainable. Yeah, but
I always did worry that people would put on them
expectations because of who their mom was. And so I'm
actually glad that neither of them went into aerial skiing
and they pursued their own path defining that success. But
(28:04):
you know, for them, it was always you know, like
this is normal. I remember when my daughter was young
and I was watching Olympics and he said, you gotta
watch this person's going for gold and she said they
all are, mom, and I guess you're right.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
She showed you.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Well, so you've kind of you know, you've been to
the Olympics a couple of times, and then now obviously
you go back sometimes just to just to talk to
them and help them out. What is the what have
you seen the evolution of like the Olympic village being
like because I imagine it was. It's getting hopefully better as
we go. But obviously on the news as well, we've
(28:48):
seen horror stories of just like paper thin walls and
doors and stuff. But where do you have you seen like,
you know, the kind of Olympic village is kind of looking.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Like over the years, so of course that is changed.
I remember hearing someone turn their newspaper in the room
next to me because the walls are so thin, because
a lot of times they're temporary housing. You know, they
they put an Olympic village somewhere because the Olympics are there,
but there's not really a reason for them to have
(29:19):
you know, dorm rooms, so they a lot of times
will just throw something up that's temporary and so it
is going to be thin walls and it's not going
to be all that well made because it's such a
short period of time that they have to use the building,
and that that's something that's you know, lasted throughout the
entire time. The one thing that I think has changed
(29:43):
the most is social media. You know, if it's something
that they have the interaction, they already know a lot
of the athletes by the time they get there. And
I remember at my second Olympic Games, it was the
first Olympic Games we had email that we can email
someone and that was such a groundbreaking thing. You know,
we didn't have email at the time. And I got
(30:05):
an email from Prince Alberta, Monaco and he said, come
watch the bob sled, you know, like we I'd love
to have you come up and watch. And I thought
this was incredible, Like I got to meet this athlete.
And so for all these athletes, they have that connection,
they already have who they're working with, and you get
to see the Olympic Village through their eyes because they're
(30:26):
sharing all these things on social media.
Speaker 3 (30:28):
Yeah, that's so true. I think it it went for
social media. I think a lot of the bad things
that are happening over there wouldn't get as much attention.
But then obviously all the good things that happened as well, So.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
You know, it's a great a little bit of both.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
There's a great interaction of bringing these athletes together. And
I remember my first Olympic Games going into opening ceremonies
and I remember trying to like look for all the
cameras and waiting all the cameras and I got about
halfway around the arena and I looked up and saw
all the athletes sitting in the stands, because the US
is one of the last sports, one of the last
countries to come in, and so all the other athletes
(31:02):
were already seated up in this one section for the athletes.
And I burst into tears because I was like, these
are the top athletes in the world, and I'm one
of them. And to have that camaraderie and that bonding
with athletes in all different sports all over the world,
all coming together in a two week period, it was
pretty phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
Yeah, Oh, I imagine.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
I imagine coming down from that high as well is
probably a little challenging.
Speaker 4 (31:27):
It can be. It can be, you know, on the Olympics,
and it's either that you're in a really good place
or a really bad place, and I've experienced both, and
either way it's still exhausting.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
No, I imagine.
Speaker 4 (31:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:41):
Well, yeah, plus the travel as well. People don't think
about that, and so yeah that then you know, get
into altitudes and all that fun stuff. So little things
people don't think about whenever they're watching their Olympic athletes.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
Yeah, and you see them in one interview and you're thinking, like, wow,
they look tired. But this has probably been the US
interview that they've done, so it's constant and continually moving
and taking you from one interview to a next, and
taking you from this event to another event and to
a sponsor event. And it was endless.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
I imagine that's probably also gotten far worse over the years.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:18):
Yeah, Well, I have a segment on the shall I
call it the five counts Five Random questions? Okay, who
was your first concert?
Speaker 4 (32:26):
My first concert was Billy Idol?
Speaker 2 (32:28):
Oh nice.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Yeah, it was something my friend got tickets and I
loved him at the time.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
So when Billy Idol, it's amazing. He still roughly looks
the same.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
If you owned a liquor company, brewery, winery, or coffee shop,
which one would you own and what would the name be?
Speaker 4 (32:48):
It would probably be a coffee shop, just because I
love the social aspect and the people can still work there,
and because I am not a night so I wouldn't
be able to stay up for the hours. But if
you asked me my twenties, it would it would have
been a bar.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
There you go, it's nothing wrong with that, but and.
Speaker 4 (33:09):
The name of it. Gosh, I really I have to
put some time and thought into that, but it probably
have some kind of play on the Olympics.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
Yeah, I was gonna say golden bruise, but maybe maybe
something else.
Speaker 4 (33:24):
Yeah, that would be good.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
There you go.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
Who was the last person you fan boyd out on?
Speaker 4 (33:30):
Hmm, gosh, it's been a while. I guess Wayne Gretzky.
I got to meet him at one of the Olympics,
and I have been so enamored with everything he's done
and has that He's elevated the sport of hockey, you know,
he brought it to the forefront. And got to meet
him and take a picture with him, and it's something
(33:53):
that you know, I put up on the fridge for
a while and and really, you know, I felt strong
about that picture.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
I've been to his one anyry up in I think
Niagara Falls area in Canada. Oh, it's beautiful, so much
of his stuff up there.
Speaker 2 (34:05):
I was like wow. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
And then I've also been to the Hockey Hall of Fame,
and of course there was well when he did have
the record for the most goals, there was this big,
you know net with all the pucks and the picture
it was great.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
No, he's that's cool.
Speaker 3 (34:19):
Yeah, He's truly an inspiration for everybody, is Yeah, speaking
of which number four, who are what inspires you?
Speaker 2 (34:27):
My kids love that, that's good.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
They both have had their struggles. My daughter's had anxiety,
my son has Type one diabetes, and neither of them
ever asked why. And they are constantly dealing with the challenges.
And I'm so inspired by what they overcome and what
kids have to deal with today. I can't imagine having
(34:54):
to deal with all the issues that they have going on,
you know, shoot in schools and things posting online and
having bullies everywhere, you know, and that they tackle these
things and hit them head on and never complain about it.
It's truly moving.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
The fact that people create burner accounts just to bully people,
it is just like, go find something else to do,
just go outside, like what are we doing?
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Like, yeah, yeah, that makes no sense to me.
Speaker 4 (35:24):
It's easier for people pull someone else down and lift
themselves up, and so they choose that path, and it's
it's a lot more fulfilling when you can lift yourself up. Though.
Speaker 3 (35:35):
Yeah, you do get far more from actually inspiring people
and helping, you know, motivate them to do their best,
so that you know, hopefully that inspires you to do
your best. So but obviously, like you said, it's it's
so much easier to pull people down and you know,
just kind of crap on people, But it's honestly so
much better the other way exactly.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Yeah. And finally, what would you tell your seventeen year
old self.
Speaker 4 (36:00):
That the challenges are worth it? You kind of feel
like in the moment, like this is terrible. I don't
want to deal with this. I remember my parents telling
me that you either have success or you have a
learning experience, and I said, yeah, but I'm really sick
of having learning experiences. But it makes the win that
(36:26):
much greater in the end. I really am thankful for
going through those hard times. I think of people who
gain their Olympic medal and didn't have the same challenges,
and I don't think it would mean as much to
me if I hadn't had those challenges. So I appreciate
them and I really do think that they're worth it.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Yeah, good times are always better after some bad ones exactly.
Speaker 4 (36:49):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (36:50):
The rainbow right exactly. Yeah, that people want to find
out more about you, follow you online, buy your book,
even try to book you for some motivational speak through
speaking engagements.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
How can they do all the things?
Speaker 4 (37:01):
They can? Look me up on my website which is
Nickystone dot com and Ikki st o n E dot
com on LinkedIn. Feel free to reach out to me there.
I have a lot of posts that I share weekly
so they can see my motivational minutes and any other
inspiration that I can give people to help them in
(37:23):
their personal, live professional lives.
Speaker 3 (37:26):
I love it, NICKI thank you so much for your time.
I feel like we could have talked for so much longer,
but I'm going to be respectful for your time. So
thank you very much, and I can't wait to see
what the future.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
Holds for you.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
It's so fun to be here. I appreciate the interview
and wish the best of all your followers.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
Thank you so much to NICKI for being on the
show again. I love having conversations like this where people
have absolutely credible and inspirational stories. And Nicky's is no
joke either, because she was not supposed to ever ski
again and then she won a gold medal, so this
is absolutely wasn't an absolute conversation that I loved and
I can't wait to have her back on the show.
So NICKI thank you so much for being on the show.
(38:15):
While you're following her on social media, make sure to
follow us on social media. It is bruisers Pod. That
is b R E W sd R S b O
D on the Instagram, the threads and the Twitter. If
you want to send us an email, it is Bruiserspod
at gmail dot com.
Speaker 2 (38:27):
If you want to.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Follow me directly, it is Rody John. That is our
O D I E j O N. Roady John is
the name on the Twitter and an untapped case you
want to find on drinking maybe we're gonna have a
beer together. If you want to follow me on the
threads or the Instagram, it is official Rody John. So
until next time, make sure to enjoy life, drink local,
and cheers.
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On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!