When Olympic medalist Caroline Burckle was awarded the NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year award in 2008, she was in the peak of her career as an athlete. Today, she shares how life after swimming gave her another chance to excel and discover herself.

In this episode Inside with Brett Hawke, Caroline dives into the obstacles she overcame while pursuing her Olympic dreams. She highlights the importance of personal well being and why mental health is fundamental to the success of any athlete. Listen in to hear how she's helping young athletes manage their own well being and all the ways she's been able to move decisively towards living her best life.

"At the end of the day, it's your decision. No one's going to do it for you and you have to get super curious with yourself and rely on people for support but knowing that you're responsible for changing your state in the best way that works for you." -Caroline Burckle [12:40]

Key Takeaways:

How Caroline Burckle has approached life after swimming.
What she has learned from her career as an Olympic medalist.
The work she’s doing today to help young athletes.

Episode Timeline:

[00:03] What Caroline Burckle identifies with now
[01:05] When she recognized her passion for art
[03:30] How it is manifesting in her life
[06:10] Self-discovery after retiring
[10:07] How becoming curious helped her recovery
[13:22] Looking back at her swimming career
[16:40] Why she chose the University of Florida
[18:36] 2008 NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year
[20:30] Breaking Janet Evans' 18 year 500 free record
[22:33] When doubt creeps in
[26:14] Feeling heard builds confidence
[27:06] Her experience swimming in Olympic finals
[28:18] Her brother and fellow Olympian Clark Burckle
[32:00] RISE-athletes mentoring program
[36:08] What they work on with athletes

Key Quotes:

“I finally said stop the running. What is going on? You don't need to judge yourself. You don't need to analyze yourself. There's nothing wrong with you.” -Caroline Burckle [12:03]

“I think the true champion, humans that are always striving for better is a very positive quality to have. It's being happy with yourself. Being proud of yourself with the benchmarks you've achieved and knowing that's not the end all be all and that you can apply that your life now. - Caroline Burckle [15:55]

Connect:

Find | Brett Hawke
At fitterandfaster.com
On Instagram @hawkebr

Find | Caroline Burckle
At carolineburckle.com
At RISE-athletes.com
On Instagram: @caroburckle
On Twitter: @caroburckle

Subscribe & Listen:
Apple Podcasts
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Spotify
YouTube

Special Thanks:

Inside with Brett Hawke is presented by Fitter & Faster. Host a swim camp. More than 1,000 swim clinic sessions in 46 States plus Canada & the Bahamas in 2019.

Inside with Brett Hawke is produced and promoted by Swimnerd. Connect your phone to your pace clock with the Swimnerd Pace Clock. Digital, affordable, and Bluetooth programmable from your smartphone.

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