#68 Develop a Winning Mindset: Tips from Olympic Champion Grace Prendergast

How can an Olympic champion’s mindset help you to succeed in your professional life? In this week’s episode, I speak to Grace Prendergast, a former sweep rower who boasts 15 national championships in the premier category, Olympic gold, five world championship titles, and won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the coxless pair. We talk about trial and error before specialising, and that dabbling in her teenage years helped Grace decide on a career path. The life of a professional athlete is demanding - both physically and mentally. Grace explains that learning how her specific brain worked helped her to manage her emotions, become more self-aware, and enjoy small moments of satisfaction. Grace also establishes that there are no superstars in rowing - it’s all about teamwork. She talks about “productive conflict” and why you need it to improve, as well as valuing diversity in your team. If you’re curious about how an athlete’s mindset can help you in life, whether you want tips on knowing yourself, want your team to be the best, or what it feels like when you finally achieve your life’s ambition, then this episode is for you! Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 02:03 - Who is Grace Prendergast? 06:18 - Dabbling in Different Sports 12:48 - Making Sacrifices and Difficult Decisions 15:23 - The Olympics: Achieving Your Life’s Ambition 23:43 - Coping, Self-Awareness, and Mindfulness 28:18 - We’re All in This Together: Rowing as a Team Effort 31:33 - Productive Conflict 34:13 - Bringing out the Best in Your Team 47:13 - Individual Responsibility in Rowing 50:33 - Transitioning from Rowing Grace Prendergast: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-prendergast-493106198/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graceprendergast.nz/ Grace's Book Recommendation: Will it Make the Boat Go Faster? by Harriet Beveridge & Ben Hunt-Davis https://amzn.to/3ZbIjRe Maria Hvorostovsky: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maria_hvo Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhvorostovsky HVO Search: https://www.hvosearch.com Podcast filmed, edited and produced by: https://www.londonbeautyphotographer.com Need help HIRING – http://www.hirewithmaria.com SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT AND GIVE IT THE THUMBS UP