Hurdle with Emily Abbate

This entire conversation could be a life coach session. I sat down with Vanessa Garcia, Chief Impact Officer at Nike, at the Paralympic Games, and I feel truly honored to share her immense amount of knowledge and advice with the Hurdler community. Vanessa started out as a human rights lawyer before pivoting to Nike and we talk about her non-traditional career path while keeping her mission of advocating for women and girls at the center of her journey. She sheds light on how her upbringing helps to inform how she makes decisions, where she gets her confidence from, and gets real about navigating the nerves that come with the nature of her role at Nike and what she does to "train for her job like an athlete." MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ⁠⁠Nike's GameOn Program⁠ IN THIS EPISODE Vanessa’s feelings to be in Paris at her FIRST Paralympic games (4:35) What inspired her to make the transition from a human rights lawyer to team Nike (5:40) Keeping your composure during big, impactful conversations (10:18) How Vanessa’s upbringing informed how she shows up for herself and others every day (13:35) A fresh perspective on a support system and understanding your value (17:45) Advice for chasing the next level of your career (23:29) How Vanessa keeps a balance in order to live her life in purpose on purpose (28:30) Integrating a love for movement into your family (32:20) Training for your job like an athlete (34:20) The power of the pivot and defining what success looks like to you (37:40) SOCIAL ⁠Vanesa Garcia-Brito on LinkedIn⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ OFFERS AG1 | Head to ⁠drinkag1.com/hurdle⁠ to get 5 free travel packs and a year’s supply of vitamin D3 + k2 drops with your first purchase JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message⁠, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does balance look like when you're pouring too much into one cup? Answering that question, as well as a listener question about what it could mean to be a certified health coach and how that's different than a certified trainer. SOCIAL ⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠ JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah Reinertsen knows a thing or two about getting things done. The Paralympian is the world's first female amputee to complete the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, and that 2005 hurdle conquered is just one of her lengthy list of accomplishments. In this week's special episode, she talks about how she turned her passions into her profession working in sports marketing at Nike, and she also sheds light on what it takes to keep showing up when times get tough. Plus: Advice for harnessing your own tenacity, and what she hopes the future looks like for other disabled people. IN THIS EPISODE Learn about Nike’s GameOn Program (2:30) What Sarah does in her role of sports marketing at Nike (4:30) Sarah explains her T63 classification: An above the knee amputation (7:16) Sarah talks about the bone growth disorder she was born with (8:33) Sarah’s experience being othered as a child playing soccer (9:20) How September 11 really influenced her to make a dream happen and follow her passions (13:15) Sarah talks about her first attempt at Kona in 2004 (15:32) Sarah explains the World Marathon Challenge (22:40) MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ⁠Nike's GameOn Program⁠ SOCIAL ⁠@alwaystri⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email hello@hurdle.us to ask me a question — and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the confidence in this episode for me. Meet Em Johnson: A proud, multi-hyphenate content creator who has been behind the camera working with some of the top female athletes in sport. In this week's episode, she talks about how she got her start while playing college basketball, channeling her effort into something creative when she wasn't getting the playing time she deserved. The Brooklyn-based creative shares what it was like to be employee No. 2 at TOGETHXR, what it was like for her to transition into working for herself, and how she navigated extreme anxiety and mental health struggles and came out on the other side better. Plus: Her feelings on the lack of other female photographers on popular sidelines, what it's like to work with Breanna Stewart, and what she's looking forward to most in the next few years. IN THIS EPISODE How Em first got into photography (4:40) How Em feels about being a stand alone or othered in her career path (5:52) The disadvantage in sport that actually helped Em get started in photography (7:50) What Em did when she got to college and wasn’t getting playing time on the basketball team (10:00) Em opens up about dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, how she navigated that in college (13:46) The tools that Em used to deal with her depression (17:50) What the “Bet on Yourself” era looks like for Em (18:30) How Em got involved with building TOGETHXR as employee No. 2 (32:00) How to deal with repetitive No's, and what kept Em knocking on doors when it didn’t click (36:16) SOCIAL ⁠@em.johnson⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ OFFERS LMNT | Head to ⁠DrinkLMNT.com/Hurdle⁠ to get a free sample pack with any purchase JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message⁠⁠⁠ or email hello@hurdle.us to ask me a question — and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's the healthiest approach to every day life, and is it different than what I'm used to? Answering this question after spending a week living out of a suitcase, as well as one from a listener about how to know whether running is the "right" activity for her. SOCIAL ⁠@emilyabbate⁠ ⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠ JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you look up "hard work" in the dictionary, you may just find a photo of Athleta's Chief Marketing Officer Ilona Aman. This conversation truly touches on so many of my favorite topics: Careers, entrepreneurship, wellness, women in sport, a fresh perspective on imposter syndrome, and so much more. In today's episode, Ilona gets real about the challenges that go hand in hand with being so career motivated, how she structures her family for balance, and her motivation to inspire her daughter and the next generation. IN THIS EPISODE What Ilona has been up to in Paris and what it means for her to be at the Games with Athleta (3:36) What 'getting it right' looks like to Ilona (6:35) Showing up to a challenge and feeling confident in what you have to offer (10:55) The career journey that propelled Ilona to her role at Athleta (17:40) Tools for self compassion and avoiding negative self talk (23:24) What Ilona looks for in emerging talent and the importance of soft skills (30:35) A new perspective on imposter syndrome (33:10) A moment to reflect on Ilona's Beyonce moment (40:36) The balance of firm but kind in the workplace (42:45) Ilona's motivation to inspire the next generation (49:06) SOCIAL ⁠Ilona Aman on LinkedIn⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ OFFERS AG1 | Head to ⁠drinkag1.com/hurdle⁠ to get 5 free travel packs and a year’s supply of vitamin D3 + k2 drops with your first purchase. JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message⁠, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do I manage my anxiety in situations that scare me? Answering a listener question about this, and giving some details from my experience running Hood to Coast. SOCIAL @emilyabbate @hurdlepodcast JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie Hoff Anderson has a lot of exciting projects on deck. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t have her reservations about returning to this year’s Games in a different capacity. Embracing being a spectator instead of a competitor, Katie talks about the tools she used to get to a grateful place — and her feelings on gratitude as a whole. Plus: what it’s like to be a Team USA creator, the excitement she has about her new podcast, and the way she feels about calling Nashville home.  IN THIS EPISODE What it’s like to be a Team USA creator (3:26) What it was like to compete in her first Olympics (7:20) How it felt for Katie Hoff medal, but not get gold, in 2008 Olympics despite being called “the female Phelps” (7:40) The tool she uses to return to the moment and get more present when things feel hectic (17:44) Her feelings on the word gratitude versus good (18:05) What is The Hoffman Process and how did she feel before vs. after (23:00) What her new relationship is with sport and wellness is like now after her career as a professional athlete (28:50) How she felt after completing the New York City Marathon (31:15) SOCIAL @kthoff7 ⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ OFFERS LMNT | LMNT | Head to ⁠drinklmnt.com/hurdle⁠ to get a free sample pack with any purchase (including the new LMNT sparkling!)  JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message⁠, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meet Dana Mathewson: One of the most prominent wheelchair tennis players in U.S. history. Currently ranked No. 1 in the United States, Dana is the first American woman to win a grand slam title in wheelchair tennis and is gearing up for this year’s Paralympic Games which start on August 28th. Dana shares her remarkable story when she was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune condition at the age of 9, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. When her mom introduced her to wheelchair tennis at the age of 13, Dana quickly fell in love with the sport and never looked back. We talk about how tennis became a quick passion for her as a way to reclaim her independence, her opportunity to attend the University of Arizona on an athletic scholarship, and why she chose to put her academics on hold to chase her Paralympic dream. Dana shares valuable advice around the mental side of training for performance, and sheds light on how she puts her mental skills training into practice on a daily basis, both on and off the court.  IN THIS EPISODE What brought Dana to wheelchair tennis and the emotions around those early playing years (3:50) Self confidence and Dana’s mindset around continually showing up for yourself (12:10) How Dana’s passion with tennis came to be and a conversation on independence (14:15) A peak into Dana’s training as a professional wheelchair athlete (22:50) The excitement around her third paralympic games (26:30)  Dana’s first professional season and how it grew her love for the game (31:45) Accepting the ‘what is’ and the mental side of training for performance (36:05)  Mental skills training in practice (42:40) SOCIAL @dana.mathewson ⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠ OFFERS LMNT | LMNT | Head to drinklmnt.com/hurdle to get a free sample pack with any purchase (including the new LMNT sparkling!)  JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Overwhelm is something we all deal with. It can feel paralyzing at times, especially after a big high (read: My recent trip to the Olympics). Talking about how I navigate the low times after high times, and answering a listener question about what I wish I knew back when I started creating content. SOCIAL JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.