Tia Toomey: Finding Your Why, Rejecting Complacency, and Developing a Champion's Mindset
Mar 7, 2024
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Tia Toomey, a six-time CrossFit Games champion and Olympic weightlifter, discusses her inspiring journey in sports and her new book, "The Heart is the Strongest Muscle." She shares insights on balancing motherhood with elite athleticism and the challenges female athletes face. Tia emphasizes the power of mindset over physical training and how psychoemotional growth fueled her success. Additionally, she highlights the importance of supportive relationships and the evolving landscape for female athletes in CrossFit, including financial recognition and community support.
Tia Toomey emphasizes that true athletic excellence comes from mental resilience and self-belief, not just physical training.
Her strong support network, especially with her husband, has been crucial in balancing her roles as an athlete and a parent.
Navigating motherhood has motivated Tia to challenge stereotypes about female athletes, showcasing their capacity to excel in sports and family life.
Deep dives
Tia Toomey's Athletic Achievements
Tia Toomey is recognized as one of the fittest women in the world, holding the title of six-time CrossFit Games champion and being an accomplished Olympic weightlifter. She made history as the only CrossFit athlete to compete in both the CrossFit Games and the Olympics within the same year. Her remarkable journey includes winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal and achieving record-breaking results in her sport. With the release of her new book, 'The Heart is the Strongest Muscle,' Tia reflects on the key elements that contributed to her success as an athlete.
The Role of Psychoemotional Factors
Tia emphasizes that her development as an athlete transcended just physical training; it involved significant psychoemotional growth. The most crucial changes for her came from a deeper understanding of mental resilience and self-belief, prompting her to explore what was psychologically missing in her past performances. This emphasis on mindset shifted her perspective on competition, as she evolved from competing to merely participate to fully believing that she is there to win. As she articulated, recognizing this mental aspect was pivotal to her continued success in CrossFit.
Support from Family and Community
Tia's strong support network, especially from her husband Shane, has been integral to her career. They have successfully balanced their roles as partners, parents, and coaches, thereby fostering a unique dynamic that contributes to both personal and professional growth. This relationship allows them to support each other thoroughly, ensuring that feedback is constructive and respected. Tia attributes her resilience and ability to manage multiple roles to this supportive partnership, which continuously drives her forward.
Journey through Motherhood and Athletics
Navigating motherhood while remaining a top-tier athlete has been both a challenge and a source of motivation for Tia. After the birth of her daughter, she was apprehensive about how pregnancy might impact her sponsorships and athletic career. However, she has found success in showcasing that athletes can achieve high performance while balancing family life. Tia's experiences have opened dialogue around female athletes' capacities to manage both motherhood and sports, uplifting the narrative around women in competition.
Writing 'The Heart is the Strongest Muscle'
In her upcoming book, Tia aims to share insights that have shaped her as an athlete, particularly focusing on the mental strength necessary for achieving greatness. She details how early in her career, she neglected the importance of psychological preparation and self-affirmation. Tia's reflections encourage readers to prioritize mental well-being alongside physical training, aiming to help them understand their own motivations better. This holistic approach in her book is designed to empower not only aspiring athletes but anyone facing challenges in pursuit of their goals.
Tia Toomey was named one of the world’s fittest women by Sports Illustrated, and is a six-time CrossFit Games champion, Olympic weightlifter, and Commonwealth Games gold medalist. She is the only CrossFit athlete to have competed in the CrossFit Games and the Olympics in the same year. With her sixth title, she solidified her record-breaking streak as the most successful CrossFit athlete the sport has ever seen. Tia’s new book, THE HEART IS THE STRONGEST MUSCLE was released on 2/13.
We loved getting to understand how Tia went from great to unstoppable, and that the missing piece isn't always physical, even in high performance. She is a new mom and a banner example of how women CAN have it all, including babies and demanding careers competing in elite sport.
SPONSORS
This episode of The Ready State Podcast is brought to you by Momentous, a leading high-performance lifestyle company making the best supplements and sports nutrition products for individuals looking to optimize all parts of their lives. We find that athletes can eat a balanced diet but still struggle to meet their protein minimums. Enter Momentous Whey Protein which is hands down the best-tasting protein powder and our most favorite Momentous product. And if you don’t tolerate whey, check out their plant-based protein. Go to livemomentous.com/TRS and use code TRS for 20% OFF your first purchase.
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This episode of The Ready State Podcast is brought to you by LMNT, a tasty electrolyte drink mix with everything you need and nothing you don’t. That means lots of salt — with no sugar. We carry LMNT everywhere and always bring it when we travel. Kelly just went to a conference and sipped on hot LMNT all day rather than drinking many cups of bad coffee. To put a little pep in your step with festive water, go to DrinkLMNT.com/TRS and check it out!
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