BMX Racer Nikita Ducarroz is no stranger to differentiating anxiety and fear. Heading for her second Olympic Games in Paris in just a few short weeks, she's on the show this week talking about how she's managed to navigate crippling anxiety from a young age and turn her fear into her power. Plus: What it was like for her to sign with Red Bull before her first Games, how she feels about cultivating community with M1ndtricks, and what she's excited for now beyond sport.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

How Nikita’d relationship with her anxiety is treating her these days (4:30)

How she copes with the stress that goes with the Olympics (5:00)

Nikita breaks down her anxiety symptoms including heart rate increase, loss of breath (5:48)

How saying positive words and affirmations helps keep her focused in the moment (12:22)

How Nikita first found BMX on YouTube and what it felt like (13:56)

How it felt for Nikita to share openly about her struggles with other members of the extreme sports community (18:04)

Exactly how Red Bull became her sponsor before the Olympics (24:12)

How does someone train to ride BMX? What Nikita’s workouts look like including bike time, mobility, injury prevention, and strength training (27:30)

How Nikita defines what her “best” performance really looks like (31:56)

The strategy Nikita uses to fight fear and trick her mind to do hard things (36:50)

What is exciting right now outside of the Olympics (43:40)

The importance of young women and girls picking up sport (45:12)

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