Mistakes, Menopause, & Second Winds with Marion Jones (Episode 235)

Jul 16, 2025

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Former track and field Olympic champion Marion Jones, who lost her record-breaking 5 medals and served prison time in a high profile doping scandal, thought that her hardest days were behind her. And in that realm, they certainly are. But now she’s facing a challenge she never saw coming: perimenopause. This week, Marion opens up about all of it–navigating her past, moving forward from her mistakes, trying triathlon as she approaches her 50th birthday, and the wrecking ball that is perimenopause. From learning to swim to navigating knee pain, hormone shifts, and public scrutiny, Marion shares what it means to start over—and live with gratitude—no matter where you are in life.

Marion Jones became the first woman to win five medals in a single Olympics when she won three gold and two bronze in the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. She appeared on the covers of Time Magazine, Vogue, and Sports Illustrated and became a household name. Though she never tested positive in a drug test, in 2007 Marion confessed that she had lied about taking performance enhancing drugs and was subsequently sentenced to six-months in prison and surrendered her medals. In 2010 she returned to her basketball roots, having led the North Carolina Tar Heel team to the 1994 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, and played for the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock for two seasons. Marion is now a speaker, entrepreneur, and an expert trainer and coach. Her new podcast Second Wind features guests who’ve faced major adversities, only to rise up even stronger; because failure isn't forever and reinvention isn't just possible - it's inevitable.

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