Jessica Ennis-Hill, Olympic champion and key face of the London 2012, shares her journey as a heptathlete and discusses perseverance, the incredible 2012 Olympics, balancing pregnancy and training, getting back into shape after giving birth, the joys and challenges of parenting, and a shift in perspective on exercise.
Jessica Ennis-Hill learned to appreciate the journey and trust in her coach's plan, showing the importance of perseverance and long-term perspective.
Jessica Ennis-Hill emphasized the power of visualization and positive thinking, highlighting the significance of staying focused on one's own journey and not allowing distractions to impact personal goals.
Deep dives
Jessica Ennis-Hill's Athletic Journey and Overcoming Challenges
Jessica Ennis-Hill shares her journey as an Olympic gold-winning athlete and the challenges she faced. Starting off in sprints, she eventually fell in love with the heptathlon, but it took time and hard work to master all the events and excel. She learned to appreciate the journey and trust in her coach's plan, which involved a longer-term perspective. Overcoming injuries and setbacks, she persevered and achieved great success in the 2012 Olympic Games. Jessica emphasizes the importance of focusing on one's own performance, blocking out distractions, and harnessing the power of positive visualization. Retirement brought a sense of freedom, and now she channels her passion into helping new moms with exercises through her app.
Dealing with Pressure, Adrenaline, and High Expectations
Jessica Ennis-Hill discusses how she managed pressure, adrenaline, and high expectations during her athletic career. She reveals that sleep was often challenging before major competitions, but she developed a routine of visualizing perfect performances to ease her mind and promote restful sleep. She emphasizes the importance of staying focused on oneself in competition and not getting distracted by others. Jessica also discusses the power of adrenaline and how she learned to embrace and channel it to enhance her performance.
Transitioning to a New Career and Finding Balance
After retiring from professional athletics, Jessica Ennis-Hill experienced a transition period and a newfound sense of freedom. She shares her journey of finding a balance between work and family life, particularly as a mom. Exercise now serves as a way to clear her head and feel good, without the pressure of training for competitions. Jessica highlights the importance of not comparing oneself to others, and the need to appreciate the journey rather than focusing solely on outcomes. She also expresses her concern for the impact of social media on young people and the importance of teaching them to differentiate reality from curated online personas.
Harnessing the Power of Visualization and Positive Thinking
Jessica Ennis-Hill emphasizes the power of visualization and positive thinking in both sports and everyday life. She discusses the importance of imagining and manifesting the desired outcome, rather than getting wrapped up in negative thoughts. Jessica shares her strategies for using visualization to alleviate nervousness and boost confidence. She also highlights the significance of staying focused on one's own journey and not allowing external distractions and comparisons to impact personal goals and achievements.
As an heptathlon Olympic champion and one of the key faces of the London 2012, Jessica could have packed it all in as soon as she decided to have a baby. But then she came back, to further medal-winning glory. In this chat with Fearne, she reveals how she did it, what she learned, and what we can all apply to our lives.