Kikkan Randall and the Battles of a Lifetime

Breaking Trail

I’m taking this week off, and we’re running a replay of an interview I did in 2018 with Kikkan Randall. Kikkan and Jessie Diggins won the gold medal in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang exactly three years ago. They are the first-ever cross country skiing gold medal in the women’s team sprint. Kikkan Randall won 17 U.S. national titles, she’s made 16 podiums in the Stage World Cup, five trips to the Winter Olympics, and had the highest finish by an individual US woman at the World Championships. She was the first American female cross country skier to take a top 10 finish in a World Cup competition, to win a World Cup race, and to win a World Cup disciplined title. Unbelievable. It was so great to have her on.

If you have not seen her and Jessie Diggins’ Olympic gold medal finish, I encourage you to check it out. It is pretty dramatic and awesome.

We covered quite a bit in this episode. I was curious to know how she handles big performance days, because I know it’s pretty stressful for me when I’m taking the stage to do a talk or these days on the zoom stage. What is it like to handle that kind of pressure? She actually walked me through what the morning before an Olympic gold medal win looks like. We talked about her training program at a high level. We also talked about her battle with breast cancer, which she learned she had shortly after winning that gold medal so it was quite a year for her with some pretty serious ups and some pretty serious downs.

Lastly, I asked Kikkan about her community engagement. So many athletes are inspired by her, and she really pays it forward. She was inspired by so many athletes when she was growing up, so she talks a bit about how important it is to pay that forward.

So with that, I’m going to turn it over to our conversation in 2018. Whether you heard it years ago or are new to the show, you’ll enjoy it, I’m sure.

Let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.

Where to find Kikkan and other links:

• NBC coverage of Kikkan and Jessie bringing home the Gold for the U.S.
• Kikkan’s video blog
• Fast and female
• Website

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life. She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps. When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving. To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.