The Game Changing Attorney Podcast with Michael Mogill

418. Why Discipline Without Toxicity Wins Every Time with Dominique Dawes

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Dec 2, 2025

Dominique Dawes, a three-time Olympic gymnast and founder of gymnastics academies, shares her journey from the elite sport to entrepreneurship. She discusses the immense sacrifices young gymnasts make and why, despite Olympic medals, family and personal values truly define success. Dominique emphasizes the need for a healthier, supportive culture in sports, shaped by her experiences with mental health issues in athletes. She also reflects on the challenges of launching her business during the pandemic and her mission to cultivate joy and purpose in gymnastics.

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ANECDOTE

Early Drive And Fan Motivation

Dominique Dawes trained nine years before her first Olympics, starting at age six and qualifying at 15.
She received fan mail at 11 and stayed motivated by knowing she inspired others.

ANECDOTE

Everyday Grind Behind The Medals

Dominique says she wanted to quit every day during grueling training and long schedules.
What kept her going was the fans who wrote letters saying she inspired them.

INSIGHT

Rethinking Childhood Sacrifice

Dominique believes childhoods shouldn't be sacrificed for a few minutes on the Olympic stage.
She thinks elite training can be redesigned to preserve kids' enjoyment and development.

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What if the greatest victories of your life are not the ones the world celebrates, but the ones no one ever sees?

In this episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, Michael Mogill sits down with three-time Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes to explore the true cost of world-class performance and what it really takes to build a life defined by purpose, not pressure. From her history-making Olympic journey to rebuilding the sport from the inside out, Dominique reveals the sacrifices, struggles, and pivotal moments that shaped her mission to create a healthier culture for the next generation.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Why greatness requires sacrifice and how to decide which sacrifices are actually worth it
How to transform pain, pressure, and adversity into a mission that serves others
What it takes to build a purpose-driven business without losing yourself or your family in the process

If you are striving for excellence that lasts, this conversation will challenge you to rethink what winning really means.

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Show Notes:

04:56 — Dominique describes the grueling daily training schedule that made her want to quit.

06:45 — She explains why young gymnasts often sacrifice their entire childhood for less than five minutes on the Olympic stage.

08:44 — Dominique shares why gold medals do not make her top ten life moments and what truly matters more.

14:22 — She reflects on signing a lease before the pandemic and pushing through the uncertainty that followed.

17:21 — Dominique discusses expanding her academy and how her daughter telling her she was working too much changed everything.

20:14 — She explains how motherhood shifted her definition of success and forced her to re-evaluate priorities.

24:32 — Dominique talks about why relentless achievement can lead to burnout and what real balance looks like.

32:44 — She contrasts old-school coaching adversity with the healthier culture she’s building at her academies.

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Past guests on The Game Changing Attorney Podcast include David Goggins, John Morgan, Alex Hormozi, Randi McGinn, Kim Scott, Chris Voss, Kevin O’Leary, Laura Wasser, John Maxwell, Mark Lanier, Robert Greene, and many more.

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