Unleashing the Champion Mindset – An Interview with an Olympian

Embracing a Champion Mindset

Rob Dale:

Today, we’re going one on one with a three time Olympian SpeedScader who turned passion and an ice cold determination into gold metal glory, that’s coming up next.

Eric Deschamps:

Hi, and welcome to the living podcast. My name is Eric Desham. I’m here with my very dear friend, Rob Dale, and we’re so excited about today’s show. We have 3 time Olympian Olivier He’s a speed skater. He won gold in the Vancouver 2010, Olympic Games in the men’s five thousand meter relay. he and he’s well known apparently for, at the time, dreadlocks and listening to Rigay Music, which apparently made him faster. It is so great to have you here today, Olivier.

Olivier Jean:

Thanks for having me, guys. This is exciting for me.

Eric Deschamps:

Yeah. We are we’re so thrilled to have you here because You know, making it to the Olympic games, is a feat in and of itself, making it there three times, representing Canada, winning the gold, when I first heard your story, I had had the opportunity. You were speaking at a corporate event where we were both presenting, but you were presenting in the morning. And I loved the the the title of his talk was wisdom from a lifetime of left turns in spandex. I think he got my attention right out of the gate with that. And you shared your story so brilliantly about getting clear about what you want out of life and going after it. And that’s what we’re really looking forward to diving into today. So first question, let’s start at the very beginning. when did you first realize you had a passion for speed skating And what about it spoke to you so deeply?

Olivier Jean:

So, you know, like, when you watch short track speed skating on TV, there’s lots of a exciting stuff happening. There’s lots of crash shit, but when you’re living it, it’s a way more action sport that it can see on TV. You know, there was tight coronered. There’s lots of bumping. And it’s also when you’re a kid, it’s a very social sport because we’re We’re like 20 on the ice in the middle of a short, a hockey ice size ring. So we’re always chitchatting and making jokes. So it was that social aspect mixed with that, the extreme sport, little bit of, action driven that I I really enjoyed. And I got thrown into sport at five years old and never really, rethink about it and just stayed involved. Wow.

Rob Dale:

So you and you mentioned there’s 20 of you or or more in this community that are all kind of hanging out there and and, enjoying this not all 20 become Olympians. so what was it in those at what point in in life at at those early days where you said, hey. I can actually really I’m good at this and I might make something of this.

Olivier Jean:

So I kinda, you know, when you grew up in a an amateur sport, the top or, like, the the best you can do is go at the Olympic game. So ever since I was five years old in the sport, it was always something that, like, My parents would talk about my grandparents, uncle, friends, you know, teacher at school. So you always think about it because that kind of the the best thing you could do or you could achieve. And I was always successful growing up in this sport, but it’s really an I’d say when I I I hit high school and I went to sports school where I shifted and I I became a little bit more serious about it.

Rob Dale:

Now I gotta I gotta ask this question. because I think of you mentioned about doing this on a on a hockey rink. I think of a five year olds on a when they’re when they start playing hockey, you know, the little tim bits, and the way that they are all falling around and everybody’s try I can just imagine what’s it like at five years old? What does it look like to be a speed skater at five years old?

Olivier Jean:

Oh, it’s, you know, it’s, very disorganized. A lot of crap shit, and, lots of crying. And, you know, you start when you’re involved on the ice with those kids, it’s, just learning to skate and, you have a hockey skates. So lots of that, in speed skating club, learn to skate. And, as kids learn to skate, they can either choose to do short track. stay involved in the short track or globally, key or do figure skating. So it’s kind of the loading of the development stage for younger kids. just to, learn out to skates.

Eric Deschamps:

I love that. A lot of crashes and a lot of crying. It sounds like sounds like most adults. Right? It sounds like the Tory never really changes much. Right? but, again, it takes such commitment, to make it to the Olympic game to get to, I mean, and you competed internationally for years, and we’re very successful. can you describe for us a a pivotal moment where you really had to work through some hardship, make some sacrifices, make some tough decisions to help you get there?

Olivier Jean:

So I guess, where, like, my career really, changed direction is, when I stopped, when I became a senior athlete, So as a junior, you’re always competing an age category. And I was very successful from a young age, but my six says mainly came because I was a lot bigger and more difficult than all the other kids my age. And, when I searched to, to race as the senior athlete, against other adult or, yeah, adult, actually. Then, like, that physical advantage, was not showing at all. And what I it could we could really see analyzing my skate is like my technique was totally shipped. So I kinda always use my fig my physical strength to win as a kid, but that physical training disappear as a senior, and then I I need it to spend a good, like, 4 or 5 years of bad result when I transition from 17 years old to 22 years old. And that was, lots of lots of commitment on flexible, getting into the right angles, changing my technique, and not really getting support also because, financial support from the federation. cause I was not yet successful. Having a going to school full time, having to work, having to train. So that was a kind of very, very hard 4 or 5 years, I’d say

Eric Deschamps:

I I would imagine. And, you know, it’s a it’s incredible to me. You describe, you know, uh-uh your strength and your size, in the early stages, were key to your success. And then all of a sudden, you find yourself competing at another level. and that’s no longer working for you. We call that, you know, what got you here won’t get you there. and all of a sudden, you spend the next 4 to 5 years in many ways, relearning the sport, learning new techniques, learning new, like, taking your game to the next level. The vast majority of people when they find themselves in that type situation, kinda tend to throw in the towel or just coast. But for you, you kept going. What were the beliefs that you had or the commitments you made to yourself that that helped you through that that season.

Olivier Jean:

So I I could have a very fancy answer, but the real thing is that I and and still today, I don’t I don’t see anything else that’s more fun than being on the ice turning left and going fast. So I just kept going for it because I I didn’t know I could find anything else outside of the IA string that would bring as much fun and and excitement. So I wanted to really try it to stand and keep going and keep going. And I got all of your friends, and I was surrounded by a very good group of friends and skating. So I I just stayed involved with it. and I, yeah, I I push I push through those a couple of artists, art season. And, I The first time I made senior, national team and race world cup had a fantastic, rookie year. winning middle, almost every race is at international level. So, yeah, it’s just, mainly following the fun and, didn’t realize getting to corporate or a a real job. And at that time, I guess I still don’t wanna do with that.

Rob Dale:

Yeah. You you you and me both.

Eric Deschamps:

I love that. I love that. You you found something you loved. I love following the fun. There’s a phrase. Right? and you were surrounded by people that both supported your journey and enjoyed it as well. And and so what a great winning combination.

Rob Dale:

I think that’s an incredible for sure. And it’s interesting. We we often talk about who I mean, that’s part of the whole living, Richley, message is this idea of Follow the fun. Follow the fun. Follow the passion. Follow it matters to you. Now I imagine for you, there probably were some significant moments, where it really kind of, the challenges, whatever that is that caused you to make the shift, in your life to be more dedicated and focused on this. you wanna talk a little bit about some of those those significant moments for you?

Olivier Jean:

So I’d say like when I when I look back at my career, when I decided, with my parents to go to the sports school, when I hit high school. So, I’d go and train full time. go to school on Lee, from 8 to 12, have lunch, and train full dime. So that was a decision where, okay, we’re taking this more seriously. It’s not for not only for fun anymore. We’re gonna train full time and go to a sports school. So that guy was the first small man where I was like, okay. that thing is getting serious. After that, then when I I started to get crushed, because I was very successful to all high school, I was successful internationally as a junior. As a senior, I got crushed, yeah, 4 years at a rope, while other of my other teammate from Canada started to win international senior races. I was still getting crushed in Canada. We’re the same age category. So I I was really, working out trying to catch up to them. So that was a a second, yes, second situation in my career. It was challenging and I had to rethink my mindset. And at that point, like, in high school, I took the sport seriously, And when I became senior, I was like, okay. It’s not about working art. It’s about training smart. And that I I went through a a major injury. When I was twenty three years old, I cut myself. I miss a full season on the ice, and Yeah. Coming back from that injury, I rechanged my mindset with training, and, I I kinda work a little bit more on the the mental part of it. with, and I I went through, how to, better set goals and achieve those goals and have a more systematic approach about setting goals in my daily life and also in the eyes I think that that 3rd phase of my career really skyrocket me into a better success.

Eric Deschamps:

It’s amazing. We talk so much about the importance of your mindset, right, that we we can either wait for life to give us the right type of circumstances or we can go about creating the life that we want. And a big part of that is our mindset. You talked about the shift that happened in your mindset, the shift that happened in the way you set goals, I know when you spoke about this at the event that we were both at recently, I was so deeply impressed by it. Can you share with us gives our listeners some insight? What were those changes of mindset? What were they like? And how did you go about changing the way you set goals?

Olivier Jean:

So, actually, like, I was young. I had goals, and it it’s kinda like, I always wanted to go to the Olympic game. Wanted to be Olympic champion. You have some goals. You sit down with your goal. She’s like, your shoulder or crooked. You need to have flat shoulder. Her, that’s my goal. I’m gonna have flat shoulder. You’re in that lifting, in enough way you gotta get stronger. That’s my goal. So, like, setting gold was always there, and it’s kinda easy, and we kinda all we’re all able to set goals and everyone kinda do it in their own way. But what really changed with my mindset is making sure I remember those goals when the illustration got hard. So if I like

Eric Deschamps:

so

Olivier Jean:

8 years before the Olympic game, I put on top of my bed in my real giant Olympic ring. So every morning, I would wake up and know what my dream is and why I’m waking up. And every day I would go to bed, I would see those ring. and remember what is what I’m gonna be dreaming about. So it was about keeping that dream alive that going to the Olympic game and making it real every day. 4 or 5 years before the Olympic game, I did a a photo where I put myself on top of the Olympic auditor in front of Vancouver Olympic ring. So every day I add my training book And that picture on my training book and add that picture in the background of my lab. So I would see myself, who literally see myself, on top of the podium at the Olympic game. So that really made my dream real. So I use different strategy like that to make sure I would remember that dream. So you can set goal. You can have dream. But if you forget them when things go sideways, then they become useless. So it’s strategies like that that I use to make sure keep those dream alive, you know, and I do the same thing in training. So I I I need to keep my shoulder flat. I need to extend my left. till the end of the coroner. I would have my training book by the boards and write down how many time did I think about it? I did 20 laps. Those are 40 corners. That was 40 opportunity to think about my shoulder. I only did it 20 times. That’s 50% of the time that sucks. It needs to be

Rob Dale:

80%

Olivier Jean:

of the time, or you’re not gonna improve. You know what? Like, it’s It’s all a neuroplasticity. You’re trying to create a new idea. The more you think about it, better chances you have to to to change and create change. So I would force myself to remember my daily training objective and always use strategy to keep my dream alive that long term dream that that really came. yeah, that that morris the Metrc approach came with, a year of the eyes being injured where I I got a little bit smarter with mental work. I grew up. I was like, let’s Let’s go our art and skate fast and I I don’t need to work anything mentally. I’m just gonna muscle it out.

Eric Deschamps:

Yeah. We talk about the difference between, again, most of us spend our lives trying to hustle or muscle our way through lives, but, there’s a a great book called atomic habits in The author’s name is gonna escape me right now. But in it, he talks about most of us don’t rise to the level of our goals. We fall to the level of our systems. and I remember when I heard you tell the story about how, you know, the visualization and daily looking at your dream and reminding yourself and the and the systems that you put in place to keep your dream alive. I said, see, there that’s where it is. That’s the discipline. That’s the day to day effort required to go after something is create a system that makes it really hard to stray.

Rob Dale:

Yeah. It’s so good. You know, Ben, Ben Berger on is an he’s a coach and an author. He’s the author of the book chasing excellence. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with him, but Ben Bergeron is a, a cross fit coach and he has coached, David’s, Catherine David’s daughter and some of the other athletes who have won the world’s fittest athlete at the Crosswood games. And in his book, chasing excellence, he starts out at the near the beginning of the book. He says he said, you know, people ask me all the time. Would I rather have a an athlete who is, got all the talent in the world or has the right mindset. And his his answer, he goes, I’m gonna surprise people. He says, I would rather have a the athlete with the talent because I can teach and train mindset. I can get them to change their mindset He said at the end of the day, when you get to the elite level like you’re at as an as an Olympian, you’re talking tens of seconds between being on the podium and being off. The talent that everybody has is the same. It’s the mindset that you approach Talk I wanna just get you to lean in because it’s such a it’s such a big part of what we talk about all through this podcast. in day to day life, not just for the Olympian who’s trying to get on the platform, but just how you live your life each day so much of your success is gonna come back to the mindset that you bring into that. Maybe just, again, how much has mindset affected your your success?

Olivier Jean:

So, so being an athlete is a 247 job. And a problem with a 24 hours 7 days a week job is you can go mentally crazy really fast because everything you do can have an impact. should I sleep 1 more hour? Should I eat a little bit less? Should I stretch a little bit more? Who’s doing what? You know, is is the Chinese theme doing a little bit more weight than me so you can really, make yourself go crazy. And I I’m, I was always bored or aligned. So I I add very systematic approach, and I I’m data driven. I like I like my data. You know, I I write everything down. when power meter came out on the bike, I had my power meter, you know, like the in the gym, looking how fast you move all that. I I love that stuff. So I was always a little bit borderline with that. And I think how I I was able to keep, the the approach LD is, I am very social person I always stayed involved in school. I did my kinesiology degree as I was training. I never skipped a a semester of school all the way during my career. It was always involved. So it really gave me it forced me to have a good life balance. And I think as other athlete I was involved with that may be going to school, took a little bit recovery time off I thought it it gave me a great mental violence. So for for me, it was more about that that mental violence to not go overboard and too crazy. with the with training.

Eric Deschamps:

I love that you told the story again at the event that we shared together about trying to bring ideas to the team and to the coaches. And that at first was not well received, but turned out to then become a winning strategy. Can you tell tell us that story in in maybe 2 to 3 minutes? Tell us that story at the high the high points.

Olivier Jean:

Yeah. So, in short, track speed skating, there’s a team event. It’s a relay. It’s for the men. It’s 5000 meters. It’s a 45 laps. And, in, in 1991, just before 90, the I need 2 Olympic game, the Canadian team decided that the best strategy was for each athlete to schedule a lap and a half and exchange to the next one and schedule a lap and a half and exchange to the next one. And, for for 20 years, that’s been the winning strategy, and every single theme on the ice was using exactly that same strategy. And, as a a development athlete, I was a little bit younger in 2006 leading for a Tokyo Olympic game. I was looking at that. and thinking about it, and, again, it’s chitchatting with friend involved with football soccer and hockey. And, the guy was so funny that every single team would use the same strategy. it made no sense for someone coming out of a team sport, but we’re an individual sport doing a team event. And I looked at everyone race, and I I thought we would gain an advantage in Canada if we would use the strength and weaknesses of each of our athlete and use a different strategy to increase our chance of winning in to win an Olympic game. I was not on the team I I was a a younger athlete. I was not qualified. I went to that coach, and then I was like, I’ve got a fantastic idea. We should change. We should change the exchange. We should change. I love that. We’re gonna do something totally new. Yeah. And they were like, no way we’re gonna sent to you. You know, like, I I don’t know if they thought about it or what happened in the the background. But it was, it was refused. And then, fast forward 4 years later before the Olympic game in Vancouver and my spot on the team I was successful on. I was a senior athlete. I was getting ready 2 years before the Olympic game. I came back with that idea. We had a new coach We had a new sport director, and then we we give a little bit more talk with. I showed some data, some ideas, and I was able to change the strategy. And, we secretly work on a new strategy that, we call the cooperation. we the day before the final at the Olympic game where all of the other team were watching us on the ice training. We got the security to empty the stand. So no other team could see what we were doing. Everyone got pissed off. we think people out It’s usually all the other team are recording and watching you. We got people out of the the arena. It was a great it was great where, like, that where it, we have more chance of winning because they’re pissed off that being able to spy on us. And then, we, we executed that new strategy only at the Olympic final in Vancouver and give us a winning edge.

Eric Deschamps:

Yeah. It was a phenomenal. You think again of the the willingness to just when you you have a dream or you have an idea, you have something you wanna bring to the table. And, again, the vast majority of people, you know, there’s a there’s a saying. I think it’s Henry David thorough who said most men go to the grave with the song still in them. I think a lot of folks never even bring what’s inside of them to life, but even for those that find the courage to do that to be shut down only to then find the courage to bring it again. And then win gold as a result of that COBRA strategy, COBRA operation, I mean, that must have been very satisfying for you.

Olivier Jean:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was great. And it was it was great from, like, the old team and the feeling on the team where, like, we’re doing something special. We’re having an edge, and our coach is sitting. Yes. And if we lose because of that, he’s gonna lose his job and look stupid that he said yes to something new and the the support director. So it was all all of the organizations saying yes and deodorantly. and it just I like, maybe we could have one without doing a different strategy, but it just made us feel like we had something and we were were going to win for a shirt. It was just, yeah, great feeling going to the line and and on on the ice at the Olympic game.

Rob Dale:

What an what an incredible example of leadership from that coach to be willing to put his own career, at risk in order to engage, and support idea that is brought from one of the teammates. my guess is there’s been all kinds of lessons that you have learned throughout your Olympic experiences. are some of the lessons that maybe you’ve learned that you’ve been able to transfer into life outside of speed skating. What would some of those lessons be that you’re kinda taking into all of life.

Olivier Jean:

So, so since I retire area, you retired from sport and, your next lead, and, yeah, you did lots of skill being an athlete, but you don’t have, like, corporate skill or you don’t have anything else to put on your resume then. I look good in Spandex, and I had earned less. And I also, like, I don’t know if that that makes you good for a job or not. So, it kinda gets easy to compare yourself to other people that like, oh, they’re the same age as me. Where are they in their life? That’s something that’s also really easy to do when you’re training. You know, you get on the ice. You’re at 10, 15, 20 athlete. and you keep comparing yourself. Like, how did that guy was doing on the ice? How fast was deboning? How fast was I was was I going? So, I I grew up getting very, very competitive in that way and always comparing myself. And, when I got my my cut and my injury on my leg, I came back on the eyes. I couldn’t follow Julia Ratley. I couldn’t follow the the ladies. I I couldn’t follow anyone. It was a year of the ice. So, we really worked on instead of focusing on a on a comparing yourself on other people’s level, We’re gonna focus on your own improvement and see where are you today? How much did you improve compared to yesterday? And how much investment did you do, toward your goal? So, if you’re thinking about your shoulder, if you’re doing squat, So be happy with all those small improvement toward your goal, toward your long term dream. instead of comparing yourself to people around you. And I did that on the eyes and became a lot happier with every single training. because comparing myself, I would come off the ice and be like, someone was faster than me. Someone did someone did that. but maybe I still did a great training, but I couldn’t see it comparing myself. So being happy with my my own improvement, And that’s something I I I did, and I still do coming out of sport. And, sometimes I, yeah, I’m almost forty years old and no experience and someone else gonna grade out or 20 years of experience in their job and in their field. So it’s more the the path I’m taking and at how I’m I’m improving personality that makes me happy than comparing myself. Absolutely. I mean, if, when we compare ourselves to others, that is a formula for misery.

Eric Deschamps:

Right? it robs you as you’re saying, even though you’re performing better, even though you’re growing, even though you’re evolving, you look there’s always, in your world, a faster skater. There’s always a bigger fish. There’s always someone who’s at a different place in their path. And when we compare ourselves, it it just steals the joy, out of our journey. And you know, I’m curious. our show, living richly, is all about people getting very deliberate about figuring out what their best life looks like and then going after it. Right? a lot of people are just going through life, sort of like in a coma. right? they’re passing the time not making the time count. You’ve clearly been on a journey of, eye on the eyes on the prize and working through adversity and discipline and building your mindset and all the physical challenges you had to go through. But, how would you answer the question What does it mean for you to live your best

Olivier Jean:

It’s crazy because I I was thrown into the sport, but I feel like, I never really had a bus, and I never really had a work. I also never took any vacation because and I don’t feel like I need to take vacation, and I never felt like I needed to take a break or a vacation because every day I wake up, and I’m doing what I like. So that’s a little bit little bit how I felt. And when you’re in Italy, you’re always in control. So you have the final say on what you’re doing. So, it’s I know it’s harder. I I know, and I’m still living it right now. It’s harder to do when you come out of sport. but I’m now trying to found strategy where I feel more, more in control of my old decision and the direction that I go because the inside square was really, really easy. And also, you have kind of a a support team all pushing in the same direction. And then that’s what I’m currently trying to navigate in the the the the normal life. I would say how to to feel in control of the decision even if I I need to do something for someone else or write email that I don’t want to write. seeing a little bit of the the bigger picture and how it’s gonna connect with the long term long term dreams or long term goals. And, yeah, it’s it was easier to do in sport because it it’s very clear, bad. Be on the top of the podium. And in the the real life, it says I I I retire. It’s a little bit harder to do, but I I kinda try to use that that same strategy and when I I do something that I’ll really feel like doing, remembering long term, what it’s gonna bring, and what are those those investments. So Really good. Good. Good.

Eric Deschamps:

I I loved I loved how you you responded to the question when we sent it to you ahead of time. Just prepared for the show. You summed it up as have fun, no boss, no rules, no work, no vacation.

Rob Dale:

Yeah. Yeah. what a lot of our listeners, we we often will hear listeners will send us, we’ll get emails or comments about some of the episodes. And one of the most common themes that we hear from, people is they’re struggling either to find their passion, their own passion, or they’re struggling to stick to it. They some, you know, setbacks come issues come and everything, and they and they they don’t know how in the middle of challenges to stick with their passion. what advice would you give if you’re talking to somebody and they say to you, how do how do I find my passion? How do I commit to it or stick to it? What would you say to the

Olivier Jean:

I’m it it was easy for me inside sport and never had that, really, that that question because I grew up with it. And to be totally honest, I’m still kinda trying to see what would be right now, kind of that that passion and that long term objective. I I’d say for since I came out of competitive sport. It’s been a it’s been a challenge. I don’t know if I’m the greatest guy to give advice right now because I’m still in the still in the middle of it after 4 years of retirement. So I’m I I still love doing sport, and I am not really involved now in sport for competition, but more for long term health and make me feel really good every time I do sports to feel like I’m investing in my sales. And, it’s just deep down. Makes me feel good. yeah, it’s a tricky question.

Rob Dale:

Oh, I’m sorry.

Olivier Jean:

I love the

Rob Dale:

honesty. I actually I love the answer, and I’m gonna actually use the answer. Next time somebody says to me, I’m really struggling to find my passion. I’m gonna say then you’re just like an Olympian. that, right? Because and it just it’s it and what that does is it it for people, it normalizes. It’s it’s okay. We often talk here, on with living richly about the notion of having compassion, for yourself, being, you know, and and so when somebody struggling to find their their their passion to struggling to find, what it is that’s gonna drive them. I the first thing to do is is it’s okay to be struggling with that. It’s okay to not know. it’s not okay to stay not knowing, but it’s okay to not know. Don’t be hard on yourself because you don’t have that answer. instead do is just as what you’re doing, which is to start taking the steps to finding what that is now in your case life after the Olympics, life after professional or a a a a mature sport. where do you go and what do you do next? But what I I love the answer because it normalizes it for people.

Eric Deschamps:

Yeah. I mean, most people wouldn’t expect an Olympian to be honest on that particular front. Right? Like, and this, anyone who achieves tremendous success early on in life, I think, goes through this challenging now journey of one that chapter of their life is over is now now now what? What’s next? Right? I and you you’ve talked about a few of the things you’re involved in, but what is next for you as you look forward to the future I know you’re still figuring some things out in terms of where you’re going, but what are the things that you’re currently involved in that you want our listeners to know about?

Olivier Jean:

So I’m, I I have the like, I’m still very passionate about the speed skating. I have the I had the opportunity to, again, a national team, coaching staff. I’m tactical coach right now for skateskating Canada. So, I’m very happy to to be sharing my 30 years list of experience of turning fast and turning fast left, with the younger generation. And right now, trying to get them to achieve their full potential toward that next Olympic game. So I’m very still involved with the with speed skating. and I will see, what’s gonna happen after that and how I can keep growing after or try to I’ll probably at some point come out of a dispute skating world, but right now I’m focused on the using my knowledge and my experience. Try to get a young, very kids to reach their full potential and have success at the next Olympic games.

Eric Deschamps:

Well, speaking of investing in, in youth and young people, if, if you were to give advice, a a young person came to you, with a dream and maybe it’s speed skating, maybe it’s something completely different, but they came you with their dream and said, listen, I’ve admired you on the ice and off the ice. what advice would you have for me in order to achieve my dream final words of advice to them, what would you say to them?

Olivier Jean:

So I’ve talked about it earlier in at such a big impact in my carrier. you need to remember that dream. If deep down, this is the dream. Make sure you remember it. It’s easy to have a dream. It’s easy to think about that dream. It’s smooth sailing. You’re sixteen years all your successful until you’re twenty years old. At twenty years old, maybe you’re gonna run into a huge hurdle. And start to doubt yourself, you need to remember that dream and make that dream real and use a systematic approach to not forget it is it’s really, really easy to get disappointed and forget about those long team long term dreams. I were talking about, like, I wanted to go to the Olympic game at five years old. I did that twenty four years old.

Rob Dale:

20.

Olivier Jean:

So I know there’s lots of stuff happening during those too many years, like, as you grow as a person and as you grow as an athlete. So for me, definitely, if I would have had that mindset when I was younger, I think maybe I would have been more successful early earlier on in my career. and for anyone young, dream dream big for sure and make sure that dream stays alive and remember it. We hear so many people saying like, oh, I had that dream. I had that dream. Yeah. Why? How did you forget about it? And why did you forget about it? You know, it’s still on back of my ad, but I kinda steer away and, yeah, then stick with it.

Eric Deschamps:

I so I absolutely love that. people speaking of their dream in the past tense. how do you move the dream back into the present and into the future? That that’s brilliant.

Rob Dale:

I’ve I’ve got a I’ve got a recommendation. I I know what you can do with the next phase of your career. you need to start a new competition where they only go right. It’ll be brilliant. Wearing wearing fleece gym

Eric Deschamps:

pants, not spandex.

Rob Dale:

fleece gym pants and only right turn. It’ll be brilliant. Nobody’s done it before. That’s it. Olivia, it’s it’s been so great. This is we so deeply appreciate you taking the time, to be a part of this. to be able to share with our listeners. I know that there’s going to be some great feedback from hearing you. the success that you’ve had, you’ve represented Canada well. and, we’re so certainly proud of of, and I do recall as soon as we talked about the dreads, I recall watching that race in which you were part of. You did stand out because of, of the appearance and and it was just it’s really been a just wonderful to to the chance to have this conversation with you today.

Olivier Jean:

Hey, Ewa. It was a great time for me. Thanks, and thanks. I, you know, like, I love sharing my stories. And if it’s gonna l but there are people to to realize stuff and bring some positive out. You know, that’s one of the reason why I’m involved as a coach. I wanna use that knowledge and try share it because I I like sport and what I did got such a positive and backed on me that I I’m very happy if I can share it in Hell Butter people. So thanks Thanks for it to you, unfortunately, Pete, guys.

Eric Deschamps:

Yeah. Absolutely, man. Your passion for it is clear. And, again, thank you for coming on the show. To our list We just want to thank you for joining us today and listening in, on this great conversation. We remind you that our website living richly dot me, you’re gonna wanna check it out there you’ll find show notes to today’s episode. We’re gonna make sure to put all the ways. You can get a hold of a a LUV and how you can track his ongoing journey. you’ll be able to do that there on the website

Rob Dale:

and make sure that you take a moment to like, and, and to subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss any other episodes. We mentioned, the book from Ben Berger on. Ben’s gonna be a guest of ours this, in sometime in October. Want you to be able to take a chance to listen in on that episode. but you may have somebody in your network that’s a aspiring athlete who is, maybe somebody who is dreaming of a podium one day. What a great episode that you could share out and maybe inspire them a little. and we’ll certainly make sure to have that opportunity where you can even connect and talk to people like Olivia. wanna encourage as well, Instagram. We are pushing it hard right now because we are putting out so many shorts, reels, 1 minute clips that you can, just digest, digest so much of the information that we’re providing on each episode. want you to, just connect to us on that social media platform as well.

Eric Deschamps:

Yeah. Those, those short that short form content. Think of it as micro nutrition for the soul that can keep you going. last thing we would say, listen, we get we heard about the power of coaching and the influence of coaching in your life of Eviti, but if you’re looking, if you’re listening and you’d like some help on your, living your best life journey, then please reach out to us. We do have that availability of both in 1 to 1 and group format. and we encourage you to avail yourself of it.

Rob Dale:

Thanks so much for listening in, and, we hope you’ll join us again next week.