Habits and Hustle - Episode 528: My Thoughts on Lindsey Vonn’s Crash and Having an Olympian Mindset

Episode Date: February 13, 2026

Are you watching the Winter Olympics right now? Because if you are, then you’ve probably witnessed real-time examples of resilience, and it forces a bigger question: do you really know how resilient you are until you’re tested? In this Habits & Hustle episode, I am joined by one of my dearest, closest friends Shani to talk about resilience in its greatest form, the Winter Olympics, and to give a big shout out to Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn, who has been here on the podcast before. We get into what it takes to compete at 41 years old, tear your ACL ten days before competition day and still show up, and why that level of commitment is what separates high performers from everyone else. If you have something you want to accomplish or a standard you’re ready to rise to, this conversation is your reminder that with the right mindset and real commitment, nothing can stop you. Tune in. What’s Discussed (01:41) Lindsey Vonn’s comeback story and competing at 41 (02:21) Tearing an ACL ten days before the Olympics and still choosing to compete (03:16) Freak accident mechanics vs preexisting injuries in high-risk performance (06:24) Are elite performers built different or shaped by relentless training (07:26) Age, longevity, and the shifting ceiling of Olympic careers (08:41) Modern recovery, training evolution, and extending athletic prime Thank you to our sponsors: Rho Nutrition: Try Rho Nutrition today and experience the difference of Liposomal Technology. Use code JEN20for 20% OFF everything at https://rhonutrition.com/discount/jen20. Prolon: Get 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift. Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off  Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE40 for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout. Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off  Manna Vitality: Visit mannavitality.com and use code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your order  Amp fit is the perfect balance of tech and training, designed for people who do it all and still want to feel strong doing it. Check it out at joinamp.com/jen  Find more from Jen:  Website: https://jennifercohen.com Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagement

Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it. Before we dive into today's episode, I want to thank our sponsor, Momentus. When your goal is health span, living better and longer, there are very few non-negotiables. One of them, quality. And when it comes to supplements designed for high performers, nobody does it better than Momentus. Momentus goes all in on NSF certification, which means every single batch is tested for heavy metals, harmful additives, and label accuracy. And that's why they're trusted by all 32 NFL teams and top collegiate sports dietitians across the country. Here's the thing. They don't sell every supplement under the sun because

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You may have seen her around because she used to do solos with me all the time, and she always plays the best foil. So thank you for being here. Today, I want to talk about a topic that, I want to talk about resilience in its greatest form, and I'm going to tell you why, why I think this is I'm so passionate about this topic today. Did you watch the, uh, the Olympics over the weekend? I've been, I've been catching bits and bobs, but I love the winter Olympics. It's such a fun time. I have to just give it. I have to talk about this. I got to give a shout out to Lindsay Vaughn. She was on this podcast maybe a year or two ago.

Was she? Yes. I love her. How cool is that? She's great. And I'm going to tell you why I wanted to really kind of like talk about resilience because I have never in my life, in my life. I mean, people overuse the word badass and like all these like you know buzzwords this girl this woman is so inspirational and aspirational what she accomplished and what she did on the weekend i mean it left my my jaw was literally open she tore her ace for those of you who don't know this girl tore her she's 41 years old okay she has like a titanium knee okay that she got i don't know how many years I don't remember, okay? And she was out for the count.

Like she was already, like old to be in the Olympics even five, six, seven years ago, eight years ago. She got herself back up, like up and running, so to speak. She won all these new championships or new whatever you win in skiing. What qualified for the Olympics at 41 years old, okay? Crazy. Ten days before she goes, she tore her ACL. Okay, so she's got one knee that's tight.

titanium and the other knee is a torn. She tore her ACL in practice. 10 days before the Olympics, 10 days before she goes out to do the Olympics at 41. Okay. She decides, you know, screw that. I'm still going. And she decided to still compete.

So she then goes and competes like with this torn ACL. And it's like unbelievable. And like 10 or. 12 or 15 seconds into it, she has this terrible accident and like basically goes, you know, basically topples over herself twice and breaks her leg. And the accident that she has, yes, breaks the leg. I was not following the full story. She broke her leg 10 seconds or 12 seconds or whatever it was into her competing for her final Olympics at 41 years old after all. all the things that she went through her whole career.

She's had so many injuries, had so much stuff happened to her. And still, still was such a, like a badass fighter and talk about resilience and got herself back up on the, like, competing for the Olympics and then breaks her leg 10 seconds into it. And this is the kicker. Oh, I thought you meant she got back up after breaking the leg and continued. No, no, no.

no, she broke her legs and they had to like airlift her like out of the, out of the place. But this is what I find to be even more crazy is that she A decided to even compete when she had this, you know, torn ACL. But this is the part that seemed more insane. Her injury, how she got the broken leg and how she like had that accident, what had nothing to do with her knee. She hit some something on the way down, you know, that flag? Was it the flag that she hit? The pool? Yeah, the pool? Yeah, the pools.

She hit the pool that made her topple over and over. So that's how she broke her. It wasn't because of the ACL injury. How crazy is that? That is just, honestly, that's such an insane story, but also such a badass story. I only followed the Trump comment part. Did you see that? No.

Trump made a comment about her ACL. And then all these other athletes started coming out in defense of her. No, what did he say? I don't know, something stupid on truth social. Oh, I have no idea what he said. I don't follow what he says. I was more about the fact that she, to me, is such an inspiration to it. Like, not just to girls, young girls.

I think to anybody and everybody, if you want to do something, if you have your mind on right, if you're, if you have, if you are, like, if you have a mindset that you want to do something, if you're committed to a certain thing, nothing, like, nothing can stop you. Like how do you even teach that level of resilience, that level of drive, grit? Like, I just think that she was, she's made differently. I think there's some people, this is my ball. I think that some people are just made differently than others, you know? Like, when I heard stories, even from her when she was sitting here talking about her,

like her whole evolution of being like a champion and Olympic champion and her whole career, I mean, things that she says and things that she pushed through, I don't know, almost, I don't know anybody who would be able to, like, go through that pain and that suffering. Yeah, you do. You've had so many of them on your podcast. I'm telling you, she's in the top two. Okay, like, I'm talking, she's in the top two or three in terms of, like, people that are inspirational. Okay, yes, I agree with that. But I think that people don't know what kind of pain and suffering they can actually take until they're put into insane circumstances. Okay, I agree with you. And you find a level of strength.

you didn't even know was possible. You're right. I do agree with that. I think that people can endure way more than they even give themselves credit for. I think you don't know what you don't know until you're in that situation. I do agree 1,000 percent. So yeah, that's true. And I have had a lot of people on who have been remarkable in terms of their story, their resilience, and their inspiration, for sure. But I think that she, I think that she, right now, currently, What I saw on the weekend was just so remarkable. And like I said, like I, they, I don't know many people. If you think about how hard it is to get into the Olympics on a good day and then qualifying

for the Olympics at the age and then having an injury and like actually committing to still do it. Yeah. And then like getting getting that horrible, getting to that horrible accident only like 12 seconds into it, not even because of the injury that you had in the first place. It's so crazy. It was like a fluke that she hit the pool. Honestly, it's kind of surreal to me how different I feel like we view age now than we did way back when. I feel like the Olympics are going to start seeing older and older people competing. Like if you look at gymnastics, you used to like retire at the age of 12. You know what I mean? That's so true. It's honestly kind of crazy how ageist gymnastics was.

like you could never do it past a certain age. Yeah. And now I just feel like that doors are opening to things. Like people like Lindsay are showing the world that you can just, you can still carry on. Your world doesn't have to end just because you're kind of a quote unquote expired in some regard. I think also the training systems have probably improved a lot. Oh, yeah. Like the technology.

Longevity, health. Well, I think, not longevity, just a buzzword. I'm saying like the training. Why, people are living so much longer now. Yeah. But my point to what I'm talking about training this way, I think that there's their mechanisms. Trariot. No, no, no, I'm saying the training mechanisms, how to how to perform at your peak, there's so many new technologies out there that probably can help you speed up.

Expand the longevity of your athletic career. Yes, but that's not what I'm talking about right now. Not expanding that I'm talking about that can help you heal from an injury quicker is what I'm talking about. Yeah, and also train better and train for longer period and to be able to sustain an actual athletic career. Like, you used to literally get so injured, you would have nothing to be able to do because the training was shit. They didn't have the same expertise. The recovery was shit. They didn't have the same expertise.

And now there's like a million things on either end of that spectrum to help with both of them. I'm also, maybe we know more about like nutrition, the body mechanics, all these things. Anyway, I just thought that like if you really want a story or if you really want a story or if you really want a, you know, something, a story, or something that can help really motivate you or kind of teach you about resilience, I really was just really touched and in awe shock about what I saw. So that's really all I wanted to add. I'm all about finding sustainable ways to optimize performance, the kind of work that actually moves the needle on how you feel and function. And that's why I really need to tell you about Prolon's five-day program. Most of us are

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and use Jennifer Cohen to claim your discount and bonus. That's prolonlife.com slash Jennifer Cohen and use code Jennifer Cohen. Wait, we have to end this off because you are Canadian, so I have a question for you. Yes. What is your favorite winter Olympic sport? There is a right answer. I do like skiing.

Oh, okay, fine. That's fair. But what I always, you know, I'm going to tell you what I've always loved at a little girl, ice skating. Oh, I love ice skating. Yeah, that's such a great answer. I mean, like, I just think that. Aren't you a pretty good skater as well? No.

Oh. But I would say that I think that, no, I'm not. But I do think that I think, I don't know, I don't, I don't. I think every girl loves ice skating, right? It is just such a great. It's so visually entertaining and feminine and fun. It's beautiful. It looks like you're just gliding.

What other ones do you like? Curling. Oh my God, it's the best winter sport. Are you joking? Unbelievable. I know it's like all trendy right now and stuff, but when I was younger. Are you joking right now? I was like 10 years old sitting in Montreal in the freezing winter watching the Olympics.

Who watches curling? My grandma's little TV. I would always watch the. curling because I thought it was so funny and they'd be like, oh, oh, oh, do do do do do, do, like they're so crazy. I can't tell if you're joking or not. No, I'm not joking. It's just not just an interesting watching. First of all, a lot of people watch curling. It's very trendy in the last few years. People are way more into curling now than they ever have been. Are you kidding me? Yeah, I've been waiting for this day. It's like almost going to become mainstream soon.

I don't know one person who watches curling. See, our algorithms are so different. Like, I know a lot of curling fans. I don't even know if you're joking or not. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. know one person and I'm Canadian that watches curling. No, I don't know one human being. You know how fun curling is? People see curling on the TV and they keep on, they keep on, they keep on. It's a scroll stopper. Are you? Are you? Nobody watches curling. In fact, that's like the biggest joke of them all. People are like, what is this? It's like, it's like, it's like watching curling. Like when they talk about how boring something is. No. No. Yes. Maybe they're not looking at the right things. It's like watching paint dry.

Maybe they're not looking at the right things. You should be watching the face. expressions. You should be looking at the mannerisms. You should be looking at the cheering. The noises coming out of these people. Maybe they're just not experiencing it right. It's so entertaining. Are you joking? Have you ever seen Olympic curling? Okay. Anybody listening to this podcast? Absolutely no way. Tell me if who's crazy, me or her. I've never heard anybody watch curling. In fact, actually, you know what I'm going to have to do right now? I'm going to chat GPT this because this doesn't even make sense to me. Hold on. Yes. What is the least

Sweeping the ice. The least popular winter Olympic sport to watch. Guys, curling is so fun. Why? Okay. Maybe you just need to open your eyes more. You know, a lot of people didn't have hot honey on their pizza until recent years, and yet now all of a sudden it's everywhere.

Okay. Tienwa wasn't even an existence. I can't even find it. Hold on. Now it's all over the place. I saw answering the question. Open your eyes. I'm going to ask, is curling popular or not popular as something?

to be viewed in the Olympics. Okay, hold on. Yes, curling is a popular sport. It says Google. So let's see what your AI says. Hold on. Battle of the AIs, who's going to get more validation? It says during the Olympics, it's quasi popular.

Outside the Olympics, not popular at all. I said Olympic curling. Why curling works at the Olympic. I specify. There's a clear objective, low barrier to entry, strategy, drama, on personality show. Drama, personality. You hear the athletes talk, yell, and sweet.

Yes. No, you don't understand. It's like the novella of Olympic sports. It's so much fun to watch. It's like the pay drama. Wait, why people think it's unpopular? It doesn't feel extreme or athletic to most people. It's very athletic.

And the sweeping confuses people at first. Because they're just not smart enough to get the sport. But if you watch it for two seconds, you get some context. Okay, it says you're playing. truth. Curling is the most accidentally popular Olympic sport because people mock it, then sit down,

then don't change the channel because they're too lazy. And then they fall in love with it because they're like, oh my God, what is this incredible thing? Do you imagine the injury? What would the injuries be compared to other dangerous sports? Oh my God. Listen, there's some injuries. Okay, you ever watch Dodgeball with Ben Stiller? Yes, of course.

I love that movie. Imagine that, but with curling. But that's actually what the sport is like. It's the best thing ever you've got to watch it. I'm sorry, but you have to. And also you're Canadian. It's kind of like weird that you don't. No, it's kind of weird that you do, actually.

It's a weird that you don't. No, because I know a lot of Canadians and nobody watches curling. I mean, I don't like to shame people. And the fact that you're American and you watch it, okay, listen, Tweedia's own, tomato tomato. If you want to watch paint dry, go ahead. I mean, it's up to you. Curling potato, you know what I mean? I mean, do you watch, do you watch?

Do you watch? Baseball? No. Horrible. Very boring. Okay. But curling isn't? Yeah.

Okay. Listen, this is what makes the world go around, okay? You have an opinion. I have an opinion. I'll continue watching ice skating and you can watch curling. How does that sound? I think that sounds really great. And together we will definitely still watch Lindsay.

Yes, exactly. All right, guys. Have a good one. And join the book club if you haven't already. Bye-bye.