High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 733: What Lindsey Vonn Teaches Us About Adversity

Episode Date: February 23, 2026

"You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life." — Lindsey Vonn   After a devastating Olympic crash and yet another surgery, Lindsey Vonn didn't ask, "Why me?" She reminded the world this isn't the end of her story. That response is what separates elite performers.   In this episode, we explore why adversity isn't proof you're failing — it's proof you're competing. Our grit research with professional athletes shows that every top performer faces setbacks. What sets them apart is how they respond.   We discuss: Why high performers believe adversity is happening for them, not to them How doubt and other people's opinions (OPP) erode confidence The powerful question that fuels growth: "What is this teaching me?" Adversity isn't a detour. It's the path.   Power Phrase: I embrace adversity. It's shaping me into who I'm meant to become.    To download our full study report, visit: confidencestudy.com To Request a Free Breakthrough Call with a Mentally Strong Coach, visit: http://www.freementalbreakthroughcall.com/ To learn more about the Mentally Strong Institute, visit: https://mentallystronginstitute.com/ To learn about Dr. Cindra Kamphoff's speaking and coaching, visit: https://cindrakamphoff.com/ To follow Dr. Cindra on Instagram, visit: Cindra Kamphoff, PhD (@cindrakamphoff) • Instagram photos and videos

Hi, Dr. Cinder Campoff here. Myself and my team just conducted this national research study on confidence that you have to check out. The report which you can download at Confidencestudy.com shows research-backed ways you can grow your confidence, what leaders do to both kill and grow confidence, and how confidence is not just a personal issue, but an organizational issue. I'm telling you, you've got to check this out. It's a game changer. You can find our full report at Confidencestudy.com. It's time to check in with Cinder Campoff, and we just wrapped up the Winter Olympics for this year.

And we're going to talk a little bit about what Lindsay Vaughn teaches us about adversity, even though she wasn't able to complete her dream. Sandra, start us off with a quote. I'm going to give you a Lindsay Vaughn quote. She said you have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life. All right. So what inspired the topic today for you? Well, I was thinking a lot about Lindsay Vaughn,

and UFC recently had her third surgery after crashing as the Olympics. And you just imagine that the biggest stage in the world, years of preparation, and then you have a devastating crash. But Lisa, what didn't stick with me was like her injury. It was how she responded to it and what she posted on social media afterwards. And she wrote about how this isn't the end of her story. She said she'd been knocked down multiple times before and she'll fight her way back again. She talked really about resilience about,

not letting for this moment define her and that mindset is really what separates the best in the world. So what stands out to you about her response to all of that? What stands out to me is that she didn't play Vista and she didn't say like, why me, right? She's basically saying this is part of my story. And elite performers understand something really powerful. That adversity is not, you know, proof that your family is proof that you're competing. In fact, our great research we conducted a few years ago, we surveyed current and former professional athletes. And one thing that they said was that, you know, that the adversity that every single one of them had overcome significant adversity.

If it was like injuries or personal loss or illness or setbacks or one person had cancer, right? And so what separated them was that they weren't trying to avoid adversity, but it was really about how they responded to it. And so how does that connect to the rest of your work when you work with high performers? I would think that the best in the world would believe that adversity is happening for them, not to them. And I think that's the shift. And so when Lindsay Vaughn crashed, right, or when any lead athlete faces the seizing ending injury, they just don't see it as the end of their story. They see it as part of who they're becoming and who they're meant to be.

And so, you know, even interestingly, when adults are asked what's the most important day of their life, when they look back, it's often a day that they overcame something really hard. And so not the easy win, but the breakthrough through difficulty. And so it really helps us grow into the person who are capable of becoming to reach our big goal. So what gets in the way for most of us? I'd say what gets in the way of most of us is that we start doubting ourselves. You know, we think, you know, maybe I'm not strong enough or not talented or enough or maybe this is proof that I can't do it.

Second, I think we also listen to what other people think. Like, you know, there's an acronym OPP stands for other people's opinions, and we tend to internalize criticism and we let that impact our confidence. And so, but I'd say, you know, the best athletes in the world, they don't let other people's opinions define them. They care more about their belief in themselves than the outside noise. And if people really learn to filter other people's opinions more, right, and strengthen their own internal voice more,

we see more people going after their big dreams. So what can we learn? How do the best handle this adversity that we're talking about? They embrace it, right? They understand that everything magnificent they've ever reached, you know, required struggle and grit and persistent. And so they don't love pain, but they love the growth. And they ask, you know, what is this teaching me instead of why is this happening to me?

And that really, that shift changes everything. And can you summarize today for us? You bet, Lisa. I'd say that Lindsay Vaughan reminds us that setbacks don't define us. Our response does. And adversity is not a detour from the path and is really the path. And when we see difficulty as something that strengthens us rather than something that stopped us, we step into our own potential because everything meaningful, you know, likely a complex,

demanded some kind of struggle. And so instead of resisting adversity, we can embrace it as a time to learn and grow. All right. Sandra, what is this week's power phrase? I embrace adversity, escaping me into few I am meant to become. Now, if people are interested in reading more about this or following along with your work, is there a best place to go? Absolutely. You can head over to Dr. Cyndra.com to learn about my speaking and our coaching and my books over there. Way to go for finishing another episode of the high performance mindset. I'm giving you a virtual fist pump. Holy cow, did that go by way too fast for anyone else?

If you want more, remember to subscribe. And you can head over to Dr. Sindra for show notes and enjoy my exclusive community for high performers, where you get access to videos about mindset each week. So again, you can add over to Dr. Cyndra. That's d R-C-I-N-D-R-A.com. See you next week.