The Rich Roll Podcast - Lindsey Vonn’s Got Grit: Lessons From The World’s Most Decorated Female Ski Racer

Episode Date: November 19, 2018

What's it like to be the very best in the world at something? Today I explore this question and so much more with a woman who truly needs no introduction. Not only is Lindsey Vonn the most decorated female skier in history, she's the most decorated skier period – man or woman – in US history. One of the few world-class, four-event ski racers, Lindsey is a 4-time Olympian, a 3-time Olympic medalist, the only American woman to win downhill gold, and the only American woman with 4 World Cup titles. All told, she has 82 World Cup wins in her career, the most of any female skier in history. Only 4 World Cup wins now separate Lindsey from the record set by Ingemar Stenmark in 1989. Eclipsing this once thought untouchable achievement is the final goal propelling Lindsey into her final professional season. Off the slopes, Lindsey is a media mogul. A regular on “Most Marketable” athlete lists, she has been profiled in every major media outlet across the globe and graced the cover of publications such as Fitness, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, TV Guide and many others. Not enough? Lindsey sank a hole-in-one during one of her very first full 18 holes of golf. So there's that. Lindsey's victories are self-evident. Less appreciated are the countless obstacles she has faced and overcome over the course of her legendary career. From potentially career-ending injuries to debilitating bouts with depression to weathering the haters and naysayers, Lindsey's trajectory skyward has been neither linear nor charmed. In point of fact, she has tenaciously fought for all everything she has achieved – falling and failing often. Her motto? When you fall, get right back up. And never, ever quit. It's Lindsay's fearlessness and relentless persistence that most impresses — qualities I explore as the focus of today's conversation. So what drives this champion? And what can we learn from her mindset, process and experience? Listen, learn and enjoy. Note: the podcast is now available on Spotify and our conversation is viewable in full YouTube at bit.ly/lindseyvonn405 Peace + Plants, Rich

It's hard to beat the person that never gives up, you know. Obviously you have to be willing to put the work in, but I think the will to be able to push yourself to overcome things is something that you can't teach. You know, you either have it or you don't, and you're either willing to sacrifice things and push yourself or you're not. I never liked working out, but until I accepted it and enjoyed it, now I feel like I need it.

It makes me feel better. I'm happier when I work out. And that's something that I want to share with people and help them find that as well and find just their own way to be happier. That's Lindsey Vonn, this week on The Rich Roll Podcast. The Rich Roll Podcast. Hey, everybody. What do you know? My name is Rich Roll.

I'm your host. Welcome or welcome back to the show where I do my best to have meaningful conversations that matter with the most incredible people I can find working to make the planet a better place for all of us. And every once in a while, that means that I get the rare opportunity to sit down with somebody who is the very best in the world in what they do. And today is one of those days. It's super exciting. very best in the world in what they do. And today is one of those days. It's super exciting. But it's also tricky from an interview perspective because these people, their talent, their accomplishments, it can all seem very unrelatable or inaccessible to the average person. But if you can somehow get past that veneer, often you can discover the principles, the habits, veneer, often you can discover the principles, the habits, the mindset, the nuggets of wisdom that contributed to their success, teachable elements we can learn from, accessible tools we

can leverage to improve our own lives. And that was my goal with this conversation. I hope I achieved it. It's up to you to decide. And it's with a woman who really needs no introduction because Lindsay Vaughn truly is the world's best at what she does. She is the most decorated female skier in history and the most decorated skier period man or woman in US history. One of the few world-class four event ski racers, Lindsay is a four-time Olympian. She is a three-time Olympic medalist, the only American woman to win downhill gold, and the only American woman with four World Cup titles. She has 82 World Cup wins total in her career, the most of any female skier in history. And now in her very last season, she's attempting to eclipse Ingemar Stenmark's record of 86 World Cup wins. But here's the thing. There is so much more to Lindsay's story than meets the eye. And I want to address that in a bit before

we get into the conversation. But first, we're brought to you today by recovery.com. I've been in recovery for a long time. It's not hyperbolic to say that I owe everything good in my life to sobriety. And it all began with treatment and experience that I had that quite literally saved my life. And in the many years since, I've in turn helped many suffering addicts and their loved ones find treatment. I've in turn helped many suffering addicts and their loved ones find treatment. And with that, I know all too well just how confusing and how overwhelming and how challenging it can be to find the right place and the right level of care. Especially because, unfortunately, not all treatment resources adhere to ethical practices. It's a real problem. A problem I'm now happy and proud to share has been solved by the people at recovery.com who created an online support portal designed to guide, to support, and empower you to find the ideal level of behavioral health disorders, including substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, gambling addictions, and more.

Navigating their site is simple. Search by insurance coverage, location, treatment type, you name it. Plus, you can read reviews from former patients to help you decide. Whether you're a busy exec, a parent of a struggling teen, or battling addiction yourself, I feel you. I empathize with you. I really do. And they have treatment options for you. Life in recovery is wonderful, and recovery.com is your partner in starting that journey. When you or a loved one need help, go to recovery.com and take the first step towards recovery. To find the best treatment option for you or a loved one, again, go to recovery.com. All right, Lindsey Vonn. So look, her victories, her accomplishments, all of that

is very self-evident. But the thing I think a lot of people may not realize about Lindsay, what isn't properly appreciated are the many obstacles that she has faced, the countless injuries she suffered, the depression that she's weathered. Lindsay's trajectory has hardly been linear or charmed. She has fought incredibly hard, tooth and nail, for every single one of her accomplishments with incredible tenacity, failing and falling often, but always, always picking herself back up. And I derive great inspiration from that.

So this is about where that drive comes from. What is that about? What can we learn from her experience about work ethic and process and focus and determination and fearlessness? Final note, this episode, as are almost all of my episodes these days, is viewable on YouTube at youtube.com forward slash richroll. And again, the podcast is also now available on Spotify. So without further ado, please enjoy my conversation with the great Lindsay Vaughn. You ready to rock? I am ready. Thank you so much for coming out here. I'm delighted to meet you. I'm so excited to talk to you. Thank you. Welcome to our little slice of heaven out here.

This is the veil of Los Angeles. If that's a thing. Can that be a thing? It can be a thing. We'll make it a thing. And we have a special guest here with Lucy, right? This is Lucy. She broke her arm, hit by a car.

Well, her cast is very cute. Thanks. How did she get hit by a car, so. Well, her cast is very cute. Thanks. How did she get hit by a car? Yeah, she was chasing after an animal and chased right after the wheel of the car. Poor girl. Yeah. Well, as I said, all dogs welcome here.

Thank you. So, cool. Well, I think the best way to kind of dig into this is I'm interested in what you're doing right now. Like you have a house in Los Angeles, right? Yeah. So do you spend some of your time living out here? Yeah. I spend part-time here and part-time in Colorado and really most of my time on the road for racing.

But I love it. You know, it's difficult. I've always been chasing winter. So it's nice to have a place that's warm that I can come back to and my dogs love it here, so. Cool, yeah, so typically you would be going to South America during the warmer months here, right? So you're just chasing snow year round.

Yep, so I went to Chile a few weeks ago and normally we go to New Zealand, but I didn't go this year right? So you're just chasing snow year round. Yep. So I went to Chile a few weeks ago. Um, and normally we go to New Zealand, but I didn't go this year. Um, and yeah, we're just constantly chasing, chasing the snow. And, um, you know, usually October is when we go to Europe and then November we're starting training again in Colorado. So it's kind of nonstop. Yeah. We just have a few months off in the summer where we're working out in the gym. What are you training for right now? I mean, this is going to be my last season on the World Cup. Is that official?

I've kind of said it a couple of times, but no one really seems to believe me. So I'm just going to repeat myself that I'm retiring. And, you know, so I'm just, I'm really going to look to enjoy this last season. And, um, I I'm hoping to break the world cup win record, which is 86. And I have 82 right now. Right. Yeah. So that's my big goal. There's also world championships in Sweden in February. Um, but I really just want to enjoy this last season and have fun with it. And if I break it, great. If not, I've had a great career and I'm just ready to do something different.

Well, that's a healthy perspective. Yeah. I mean, it didn't start off that way, but it has now gotten to the healthy part. Well, it's got to be interesting how it's all evolved for you because as a young person, interesting how it's all evolved for you because as a young person, you can just train and nap and life is very contained and simple and you live a very large life right now. You've got a ton of competing interests and all different kinds of things that you could be doing. I would imagine you have to say no to a lot of stuff and fun opportunities. But based on like looking at your Instagram, which is a terrible barometer. That's not real life. Oh, training really hard and then like having fun and then like lots of dog stuff.

Basically, yes. I mean, most of my life right now still revolves around, you know, preparing for the ski season and being in the gym. And I've tried around, you know, preparing for the ski season and being in the gym. And I've tried to, you know, have more fun with it and do interesting things, do like contests and a bunch of balance stuff, make it more fun. But yeah, there are definitely a lot of opportunities that are coming my way and it's hard to kind of decide what to do. And, you know, it's definitely a pivot point in my life and transition period. And I can't say that I know exactly, you know, the main focus of what I'll be doing next,

but I have a lot of really interesting and cool opportunities. So I'm excited about the future. It's really weird to still think about life without ski racing. Yeah. But, you know, I know physically I just can't do it anymore. And the grind mentally of grinding physically takes its toll. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, there's that rumor circling around that The Rock is going to show you around Hollywood.

Yeah. Your fellow under, under armor athlete teammate. Well, he's, um. Has that happened yet? Yeah. I mean, I've definitely kind of leaned on him as a kind of a mentor and, um, his road to success is pretty incredible. I mean, he's the world's greatest mentor. Yeah. If you could have him as a mentor. I mean, we would all be so lucky, right? Yeah, right? So I'm just like, you know, anytime I have a question, I just ask him.

And, you know, I went on set with him on Ballers. And in between takes, I was just, you know, hammering him with questions. And then he'd go and do his line super easy and then take a break and I'd continue hammering him. But I think that it's definitely something that I would be interested in doing. I'm not sure if I'd be great at it, but he seems to think that I will be.

Because we have the same mentality of just hard work and I think that if I have that opportunity, I'd work really hard to be good at it. So. Well, you're both grinders. Yeah, definitely. Definitely grinders. And I don't know where that guy's source of energy comes from. I don't know either. That's what I said. I'm like, I need at least like eight or nine hours of sleep. You know, I don't know how you survive on this grind that you have going. And he's like, no, I get six or seven hours. I'm like, you wake up at 3 a.m. every day. I don't know what math you're doing, but- It's like crazy inspirational that he'll fly all the way to Europe

from LA and then arrive at like three in the morning and immediately go work out. It's crazy. It's cool. Yeah. I love it. But before that, you're still training right now. Yeah. And you're trying to balance all of that with all the fancy stuff that you get to do. What does that training look like? And how do you, you know,

maintain that level of intensity and focus? Like, I know you're a grinder. It's like your disposition. It's probably not hard for you. But at the same time, it is different than when you were 18, 19 years old. Yeah, it's a your disposition. It's probably not hard for you. But at the same time, it is different than when you were 18, 19 years old. Yeah, it's a lot different. I mean, just based on my injuries, it makes things so much harder.

My workouts are all kind of modified to just do what I can do, basically. I can't jump. I can't run. You can't jump? No. You can't run you know i can't jump no you can't run come on i i was i was able to jump until recently and now it's just i'm i'm bone on bone in my knee so i just it's it's it's had enough i need to stop doing that and running i've never been good at running so like let's let's be honest but you're on the bike a lot, right? You're on the bike all the time. Yeah. Every day. Yeah. Well, I mean.

You ride outdoors too, or just all indoors? I do when I'm home in Colorado. I can't say that Los Angeles is the best place for road biking. If you come up here, it's pretty good. But it's hot. It's not that hot. It's like 125 degrees. No, not right now. Well, it's October and it's almost ski season.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But yeah, I love biking outside, you know, in the mountains. It's pretty incredible in Colorado, but it can get really monotonous, you know. And then, you know, before I ski, I have to warm up my knee and work out for like 45 minutes. You know, it's just a process. It's not even remotely close to what I did when I was, you know, 18, 19 years old. I used to just get up and go and you get on the hill and you just bomb down the mountain and, you know, that's it.

And now it's like this whole long process because I'm old and worn down. You're talking to somebody who's 52. Like, I get it. I know, but you're like, you love pain. You used to do triathlons and down. You're talking to somebody who's 52. Like, I get it. I know, but you're like, you love pain. You do like, you used to do triathlons and stuff. You're crazy. I'm a grinder, but I'm like, you know, my level of grind isn't anything like yours. You know, and I think, and certainly, you know, I haven't had, I haven't sustained the kind of injuries that you've had.

I mean, it's impossible to even keep track of all the things that you've had to weather through. Like, I mean, how many pins and screws do you have in your body? I mean, you got scars all over you. I mean, this is like, you know, the laundry list of injuries that you've had would have just ended the career of most people or at least sidelined them for much longer than you.

But you've had this ability to always come back, always come back, always come back, like always overcome the obstacle and like continue to show up, show up, show up. Well, I mean, I think, you know, it's hard to beat the person that never gives up. You know, it's just, I have a passion for what I do and, you know, everyone has their ups and downs. Everyone has their obstacles they have to face. Maybe mine are worse than most, but not the worst that others have had. So, you know, I always try to keep things in perspective and understand that I am still really lucky to be able to do what I do. And I just work as hard as I can. And if I'm successful

after injury, then great. If not, I'm still doing what I love. So if I'm successful after injury, then great. If not, I'm still doing what I love. So, you know, to me, there is no downside in trying your best. Was there ever a moment after sustaining one of these injuries where you just thought, like, that's it, I'm done? My arm injury was pretty bad because I couldn't use my hand. That was in 16, right? Yeah. Yeah. So you lost the feeling. That was in 16, right? Yeah. Yeah.

So you lost the feeling in your hand for quite a while. Yeah. For about two months, I couldn't move my hand. And I thought, you know, not only am I not skiing again, but I'm not going to be able to eat food or sign my name. I couldn't sign my name. I couldn't write the alphabet. I could barely hold a pencil. So how long did it take before the feeling came back?

I started to be able to move my hand, like move the fingers after about a month. And then I, again, like full strength, it probably took like four or five months. But it was really scary because your knee, it's, you know, it's, it's your knee. You're going to get better. You just have to be patient, do the work and it'll turn around but with my hand you know they didn't they couldn't really give me a an estimate they're like we don't know could get better could not get better you could have no function on your hand ever again you know and that was a pretty scary because those nerves have to regenerate right and grow and they grow very, very slowly. Very slowly, yeah. So did you continue to train throughout that? Yeah, I had to.

You like taped your hand to the ski poles, right? Well, I was skiing and when my hand got cold, I lost a bit of feeling and I just dropped my pole a couple of times. And so to me, it's not worth, you know, losing a race because I simply dropped my pole. So I just duct taped it to my hand and moved on. Well, I think that, that, um, you know, what really, I mean, certainly you're unbelievably talented and you've been at the top of your game for, for so long. Uh, but I think people who,

who don't really understand or know that much about you just think, oh, well, she's the greatest skier of all time. Like she's out there, she just wins everything constantly. But when you really drill down into your career, it's like, you know, it's like high highs and low lows consistently throughout, right? It's just, it's marked with a million setbacks, way more than, you know, somebody more than somebody, I followed your career and then I started to like really read more, dive into the details of it. And I was like, oh my God, like you've really had to sink,

you've sank low and you've constantly come back and come back and come back. So I'm interested in like the mindset required to do something like that. Cause if I had to, if somebody asked me like, what distinguishes Lindsey Vonn from everybody else? I think it's what's between your ears as much as anything else. Yeah. I mean, obviously you have to be willing to put the work in, but I think the will to be able to push yourself to overcome things is something that you can't

teach. You know, you either have it or you don't, and you're either willing to sacrifice things and push yourself or you're not. And what is it? Like, how do you define that? I don't know. I mean, I think there's, it's, you know, it's an element of grit that, you know,

and I've talked with several people about this. It's hard to really say, you know, what is grit and how do you get it? Is it something that you learn? Can you teach it? I don't think you can. I think, I mean, I think I learned definitely from my grandfather and my father on, you know, what work is and, you know, you just shut up and do the job. You know, there's, there's no complaining. There's, there's no reason to, you know, you could have life a lot worse than what you do. So, um, you know, you're given a task and you just have to accomplish it no matter what. So I think there's an element of that that's ingrained in me from, from those two figures in my life. But, um, I think it's also that I'm just passionate about ski racing. You know, I think if you're passionate about something and you're willing to, you know, push yourself that hard, you're willing to go the

extra mile that maybe others wouldn't. And it's not just about skiing. It's really about anything. You know, most of the people that are highly successful are not the best at what they do or the most talented at what they do, but they're willing to work harder than everybody else. Yeah. And how do you maintain that level of passion over the years and years and years? It has to like wax and wane, right? There's got to be moments where you're like, I'm not feeling so passionate right now. I mean, there are definitely times when you wake up, you know, at four or five in the morning and it's, you know, it's not fun to do that. But whenever I'm on the

mountain, I really enjoy it. And there's, I think it's also at this point, a way of therapy for me, you know, with everything that goes on in my life, I think that ski racing is my outlet. You know, it's the one place where, you know, I can control everything and, and, um, I have the freedom to do what I want. And, um, it's, uh, it's a weird image to think about life without that therapy. You know, I don't really know. That's a, that's probably not a good thing, but you're so involved in so many other things already. I mean, I'm not worried about that necessarily. It's just, you know, that's where I think the passion comes from is because that ski racing is like my place. You know, it's where I'm the happiest. And that's why it's easy for me to keep pushing to get back to it because it just makes me happy. It just makes me happy. What do you think it is that distinguishes a good ski racer from a great ski racer? What is the one attribute of that specific discipline that is crucial to reach the highest level of the sport that might be different from playing

basketball or, you know, any other given discipline? I think there's an element of fear that you just can't have if you want to be highly successful at ski racing. You know, you have to be willing to crash and crash hard and get back up and keep doing it. You know, it's not like basketball where, you know, okay, you're running into some guy, you get an elbow to the face. That's not the same as, you know, crashing at 85 miles an hour. And I just think that it's, again,

it's something that you either have or you don't. And I think I've always been the person that's really crazy, and I've never had that fear. And even since I was nine years old, I was skiing downhill, and everyone thought I was nuts. Right. For me, it was fun. You were like a kamikaze from day one. Just crazy, yeah. I mean, I think it is true.

Like you either have that or you don't, but if you have it, you can still lose it. And as somebody who's suffered these crazy injuries and horrible crashes, a normal person would probably have, even if it's just the slightest bit of hesitation, right? That's the difference between podium and, you know, 50th place in a sport where, you know, it's measured in, you know, hundreds of a second. So even that, like, almost instinctual, impulsive, like, you know, reaction that makes you hold back just a little bit

because your leg bent the wrong way the last time you made that move, you know? little bit because your leg bent the wrong way the last time you made that move, you know? How do you override that and still get into that zone where that is not a factor in how you're making those tiny little decisions? I don't know. I mean, I think most people that have been injured and say they do have that hesitation and it takes a while to get over it. I, for some reason, don't have that, which is maybe why I crash so often. But I just... Right, like she never learns. Yeah. It's like, what's wrong with me? I just don't, I don't know, I don't see the point in being afraid because if you're afraid and you have that hesitation, then you're not going to win races anyway. So I try to look at it from like a

logical perspective, but I mean- It's not logical though. It's completely a function of your unconscious mind, I think. I think it's weird. It's awkward to even ask these questions because this is just who you are, right? And you're being asked to explain it. Yeah, but it's actually a question I get asked a lot. And it's always a difficult one for me to answer because I don't really know why I am the way I am. Right. But that is what I am.

You've always been this. You don't know what it's like to be anyone. I've always had a couple of screws loose. Right. Yeah. It's, it's interesting. I mean, cause when I think about downhill ski racing, which is a discipline so different than, than anything that, you know, I ski, but that, you know, that I specialize in, it's, you're moving so quickly and you're making these decisions that are so tiny, but you have to be forecasting down the mountain and making decisions that are impacting

what you're gonna do three seconds later when you get down there. The level of like, it's all happening so quickly and every little thing is so tiny, right? Yeah, I mean, it's very similar to car racing, but you don't have the protection of a car. You know, I think it's also too, once you're adapted to going that fast, things tend to slow down. You know, you're able to see things more clearly because that seems to

be a normal speed. You know, it's, and I think there's a lot with me that's very instinctual. Um, you know, my reactions are as planned as possible, but at the same time, when you're going that fast, you are relying on your instincts. And thankfully, I think for the most part, I have pretty good ones, but you know, when I'm trying to win, uh, sometimes I make the wrong ones and then I crash. Well, you know, if you're going for it, you know, it's going to happen, right? That's the thing. I mean, I'd rather, you know, I'd rather go down trying to win than, you know, get safely the finish line in last place.

You know, I just want to push myself and see what the finish line and last place. I just wanna push myself and see what I'm capable of. Yeah, so how many races are you doing this season? Like you gotta get, you're at 82, you wanna get to 86. You need four more wins. How many chances at that? I think I have, it's gotta be 20 something. Oh, wow, okay. Yeah, downhill and Super- super g races there's um

or maybe 18 something like that there's like nine or ten of each discipline um last year i got five wins which was a not i mean it was pretty good but it wasn't like a crazy good year for me so um but i think you know the more i just focus on enjoying my last season and just kind of going out with a bang and not really focusing on that record, I think the better off I'll be. Yeah. So you're trying not to think too much about that. Overthinking is a really bad thing. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, speaking of that, I mean, how do you kind of mentally prepare and visualize a race? Like when you're in the gate, like, are you at a blank? Do you do formal practices where you visualize every aspect of going down that mountain so that when you show up, it's just, you're, you're kind of like just presence or how does that work for you? Yeah. So we have in downhill, we usually have one or two training runs where we get to run the course. And normally I'll have a pretty good idea of, you know, what I want to do. I'll know the line. I'll be able to visualize it, you know, at least 100 times leading up to the race.

And when I get in the starting gate, then I don't really have to think about it because it's already ingrained in my mind. And a lot of the times with these tracks, too, is that it's the same course that it's been for the last 10 years, you know, 15 years. Right. You've been doing this your whole life. Yeah. So, you know, a lot of times I probably don't even need to look at the course to know exactly what I need to do. But, you know, like I said, it's, it's having that plan and being confident in what you're doing. But then at the end of the day, when you're in the course, you have to have those instincts to be able to react because you could hit a patch of icy snow or the light's flat and you can't see a bump and you go offline and then you're scrambling and you have to make those instantaneous decisions that will determine whether you win or lose the race. Yeah. How important are our mentors to you? I mean, your dad, your grandfather were obviously instrumental in you becoming a skier in the first place. And then you meet Peekaboo and that was a big moment for you. But where you're at right now, do you still have people in your life that you

look to for guidance in different areas? Like, how does that work and how do you think about that? Yeah, I definitely do. I mean, I think that, you know, from an athletic perspective, you know, there's obviously the people like Roger Federer and Serena. And, you know, I still look to people like people like peekaboo, you know, as, as my idol. But, um, I think more so it's like my friends and my family that keep me grounded. That's most important to me because at this point I know, you know, I know how to ski. I know that part of my life, but a lot of the time I just need people to be real with me and kind of keep me grounded.

And that's how I'm able to stay the same person. And I'm happy with who I am. I don't want to change who I am. So it's really important for me to be around those stable people that really can support me the way I need it. stable people that really can support me the way I need it. It would be so easy for you to surround yourself with a ton of people that just tell you how awesome you are all the time. Yeah, it's never a good idea. Especially in this town. Yeah, this town especially. And then fast forward one year from now. I would say this town is really good

unless you have the wrong friends. Yeah. Well, it's a big city. I mean, LA is a very easy target to make fun of, and there's certainly lots of things wrong with it, but there's all kinds of people here and there's amazing people doing incredible things that are influencing culture. And I think it's a really cool place to live. I think it just takes a little bit longer to find your tribe here than it would somewhere else. You know what I mean? Yeah, totally. So, I mean, that kind of naturally leads us into this, you know, conversation about you as a role model. I mean, clearly you're a role model to a lot of people, a lot of young women. Does that influence how you make decisions?

Like, how do you kind of shoulder that sense of responsibility? Yeah, definitely. I mean, I've kind of always felt that level of responsibility because I remember when I was looking up to Peekaboo and how much of an impact she had on me. And so, now the roles are reversed, I definitely have always felt that I need to conduct myself in a certain way that, you know, not only my family would approve of, but, you know, the young girls and kids that look up to me would approve of as well. So I started my foundation as well in 2015. And our mission is to empower and inspire young girls. I've got camps and scholarships and programs. And, you know, that's something that's really important to me, you know, being able to do something really important to me, you know,

being able to do something positive with the position that I'm in. You know, if I'm, I don't want to be just a ski racer, you know, I want to have a positive impact on the world and, you know, help these kids accomplish their dreams and help them, you know, try to be healthy and happy and positive, productive humans. Yeah, that's cool. So it's scholarships for young women to, for athletes only or all different kinds of girls? I mean, I, there are some scholarships we give, give out to athletes, but it's mostly educational based programs like STEM, like the STEM programs. There's a couple of random things, like a girl wanted to be a race car driver and she couldn't get in because she's a girl and, you know, she needed extra help.

There's, you know, a couple of really interesting stories in there, but, yeah, it's a very diverse group and I never want to close the door to, you know, anyone. So if I can help, I will. Yeah, it's cool. Well, it's such an amazing moment right now for women and female empowerment. And something I say on the podcast all the time is that there's no shortage of amazing women doing incredible things.

There's role models everywhere. We just don't do a very good job of shining a spotlight on them as well as we could and should. But I feel like recent events over the course of the past year have really shifted the ballast of that. And now we're seeing so much more attention and respect for incredible women who are, you know, putting their stamp on culture in positive ways, which is really cool. Yeah, I agree. But I think, you know, on that subject of responsibility, I mean, it's got to be difficult for you with the name that you have and the profile that you have, like, navigating the treacherous waters of social media and, like, all the, you know, nonsense that goes

on there. I mean, there's been, you know, well-documented dramas that you had to weather through all of that. Like, how do you, do you just compartmentalize that? Or do you like not read mentions or how do you like deal with the noise so that you can stay focused on what it is that you're trying to accomplish and like stay positive? It's hard. With all that nonsense out there. It's really hard. I think when I'm skiing, you know, in season, it's a little bit easier because I have that outlet of skiing and I don't really think twice about what people say. It's mostly in the summer that I have a harder time with it. You have more time on your hands and, you know, I'm on the bike for a few hours and I'm, you know, let's see what's

happening. Never a good idea. Such a bad idea. Um, and you know, before the Olympics, it was, you know, I, it was, there's a lot of death threats and it was just like pretty crazy, but you know, I try to remember, I try to think about like, to think about who these people are and that they're not important people in my life and they don't care about me. So why should I care about them? And that's a hard thing to keep in perspective because it does tear you down. It is a hard and harsh world to live in these days. So I just do the best I can. Some days it affects me more than others,

but I try really hard not to read things. It's so insane that you received death threats. I mean, it's so crazy. I hope you ski up a cliff and die. I hope you're in a wheelchair the rest of your life. It's just keyboard warriors. Every time I fell fell they're like there you go that's karma like you're a terrible person it's a crazy world that we live in my

family loves me it's all really matters it is true though i mean it is true it is true so what is tell me walk me through your training routine now because you you're a beast. Were you a golds this morning? I was a golds this morning. I saw that Instagram post. Yeah. I hate having to beat traffic. I have to wake up so early. Usually I go work out at the Red Bull gym, but yeah, normally in the mornings, it's like, you know, I've got my, my warmup, my mobility, my knee warmup, and then I do core, lifting, balance. Then the afternoon is biking. So two a day is like five days a week or something like that? You got the Peloton?

Yeah. I don't actually use the classes most of the time though, which is kind of counterintuitive. Well, they have those ones where you can ride like in through the city. Yeah. It's kind of cool. I like, I rode the Hawaii one and I was like, I've never been here, but this looks really nice. Yeah. I just, you know, my, my trainer has a program and, you know, like I said, it's difficult because I can't do a lot of things that I used to do and then I actually really need to do.

But we modify things to accommodate for my limitations with my knee. But like core strength, explosive power type exercises, free weights, like that's the focus of it, right? A lot of core, you know, rotational stability, a lot of glute work, you know, cleans cleans a lot of squats deadlifts yeah like kind of the basic you know core power exercises but then once you get to the mountain then it just does it just become a combination of skiing plus all of that yeah it's like a more toned down version of my workouts because most of my energy is going to my skiing. But it's hard on the road when you're traveling and racing because you don't

always have the energy to be able to do the lifting sessions, but you really need to do the lifting sessions. Like I have a problem during the season. I tend to get really skinny because I just can't maintain that same level of weightlifting and muscle mass. Well, you're just constantly traveling from one venue to the next, right? And also stressed. Yeah. Yeah. The very romantic.

Stress has a good way of making you lose weight. Paint me the picture of what that's actually like. There's probably a lot of people who think you're just cruising around in a private jet everywhere all the time. Oh, yeah. No, definitely not. But it's like But it's hard. No. I drive.

I mean, in Europe, you drive. You race Friday, Saturday, Sunday. You get in the car. You pack up Sunday night. You drive six hours. Is there like a bus or do you drive yourself? How does that work? Because you're a team, but you're not really a team.

Yeah, we're not really. Yeah, we're not. Almost all of us have our own cars we have toyotas and then we just i'm like i've got so much crap that i just fill mine to the top and then lucy's my passenger so she goes to europe with you oh yeah yeah she goes everywhere with me i mean it's difficult you know when when you're you know always by yourself you know you're in car by yourself, and then you get to the hotel. You always come home to an empty hotel room. It's pretty depressing.

So I got Lucy to help me with that. It's always nice to just have a friendly face. It doesn't matter if I crash or if I won. She's always happy to see me. Right. I wish I could travel with my two big dogs, but they're really big. Do they live here in L.A. or in Vail? They live in Colorado with my two big dogs, but they're really big. Do they live here in LA or in Vail? They live in Colorado with my brother.

Oh, okay. Yeah, he takes care of them when I'm not around. You got a bunch of brothers and sisters, right? Yeah, I have four, two brothers and two sisters. The lower three are triplets of the youngest three. Wow. So you grew up in Minnesota and then the whole family moved to Vail to support you, right? That's a lot of pressure on a little kid.

It was a lot, yeah. And I'm really thankful and lucky that I have such good siblings. None of them have resented me or have held it over me that we moved out there. I mean, they all lost their friends. How old were they? I was like 12, 13. So the triplets were six, seven. Oh, well they're so young.

I mean- And Karin was 10, 11. Hmm. They didn't really match in well with the kids there. Oh, really? So it was a pretty tough transition for them. Did you feel like you had to succeed to legitimize that for the family?

Yeah, of course. Yeah. And it was a weird thing. Like, you didn't realize you were moving until you had actually already moved or something. And your parents were like, okay, we're here. Yeah, they were going on vacation. And then we got there and it was like, surprise, we're never going home. And your grandfather was a ski jumper, right?

Yeah, ski jumper. And then your dad was a skier. Yeah, my dad was a racer. My dad was also, he also played football. My grandfather played offense and defense football. He was a boxer. He run track and field. He was like, yeah, definitely have good genetics in that sense.

But I can't say I'm like really as athletic as they are. I'm, I have a really good feel for the snow, but I'm not, you know, I can't play basketball. I can't run. Like I am, you know, any ball sports and I am have no chance. Yeah. But would you rather be pretty good at a whole bunch of sports? I'd rather, I'd much rather have what I have. I'm just like, I'm stating it. My siblings are, so my sister just ran in the, in Chicago marathon yesterday. Really proud of her. First killed out ever to run more than like two miles at one time. So it's like- You're like Norwegian though, right?

Yeah, but we don't run. You'd be like cross country skiers. No, no, we are like, you know, we're not racehorses. We are Clydesdales. We are built for slow and steady labor. You know, we're not- Says the woman who skis down a mountain at like 85 miles an hour.

I'm like a sturdy, strong, like train just barreling down the mountain, you know? It's like, we're not built for, you know, I am not built like you. I am not built for endurance. Yeah, but I mean, I can't do anything like you do. So it's all- It's all relative, but-

But your siblings are there. Well, so your sister ran the marathon. Did everybody ski growing up? Everyone skied growing up. Yeah. But my one brother, Reed, was really the only one that loved ski racing. The rest of them just could care less. My sister, Karin, marathoner, she only won races if we bribed her with hot chocolate at the finish.

Or like, we got a hot chocolate waiting for you with marshmallows. And she'd be like, ooh, yay. That was the only thing I could get her on.allows. And she'd be like, ooh, yay. And then she'd win. That was the only thing I could get her out of. Yeah. Or like she had to go to the bathroom. It was like, no, you got to hold it in. And then she's like, I really got to go.

And it sounds like your dad, I mean, it was pretty intense with your dad. Yeah. I mean, my dad seemed like my grandfather is like, you know, they demanded a certain level of dedication and, you know, intensity to whatever it is you're going to do. You have to have pride in what you do and do it to the best of your ability. So if you didn't live up to your own standard, then, you know, it was definitely not an easy household to live in. But I think that it was really good because it made us better people. I can't say at the time that I felt that way necessarily all the time, but. But those are important life lessons that serve you well later in life.

I mean, we all turned out really well. So, you know, I think that he did a good job. Yeah. And now we're, that pendulum has swung very far in the other direction where everybody gets a medal and we're all perfect snowflakes and all of that. Yeah. I did not agree with that. So, yeah, this is, we'll see what the Olympic team in 2032 looks like with that. Everyone gets a gold medal. I wouldn't be surprised, you know. I'm interested in how it works with all the crazy doping controls that are going on right now. Like, I had Ryan Fogle in here, the director of Icarus. Did you see that movie?

Unfortunately I did. You did. So what is your, what's your reaction to that? Like. It's crazy. I mean, I, you know, never, I had suspicions that, you know, some people in my sport, you know, may or may not have done something, but it's really scary to see that because it's been happening for clearly a very long period of time. And, you know, it's a systematic problem. And I don't think that they probably have fixed it, even with what they've done to reprimand Russia.

Yeah. have fixed it even with what they've done to reprimand Russia. But it's just scary to think of how, if you really want to get away with it, you can. And I'm sure people want to win badly enough to where, you know, they'll do something. But for me, like I'm scared to even, I don't even take, you know, vitamin C. Like I'm scared to take anything, like anything that I do take, like a protein powder, you know, has to be NSF certified. And so like, for me, it's been a really big problem over my career to trust anything that I'm taking. Like I have to send, like if I'm taking any sort of supplement, I have to send the whole batch out to get it tested and certified. And so it's pretty exciting for me now to be able to be at this point in my career where I'm kind of in the same direction that my book is, Strong is the New Beautiful.

And I think that's another part of my legacy that is really important to me, trying to allow people to understand what they're doing so that they can live healthier lives and be happier. I mean, I don't, I never liked working out, but until I accepted it and, and, you know, enjoyed it now, I feel like I need it. You know, it makes me feel better. I'm happier when I work out and, that's something that I wanna share with people and help them find that as well and find just their own way to be happier. It is so difficult for an athlete of your stature to navigate what's okay to eat and not eat.

I mean, every Olympic athlete that I know, like they just stay away from all supplements altogether because it's just too terrifying. And you are hearing about athletes that test dirty and it turns out like they had a tainted protein powder or something like that. Like you just can't trust anything. And I know a little bit about how those labs work where a lot of these companies are having their products manufactured and there's so much contamination and there's very little oversight and there's no regulation.

Like you have no idea what's going on there. Oh no, I mean, most of what's in there is not in there. You can't trust that what it says on the label is actually what's in there. And if you were to take it to a lab and test it, I can almost guarantee you that it will look very different than what that nutrition facts label says. Exactly. And yeah, like you said, I mean,

as an athlete, it's scary to even like, I don't even want to touch, I don't even look at it. You know, those, like anything you find in like a, you know, health food store, none of that stuff is most likely what it says it is, you know, and the percentage of vitamins and supplements that are tainted or, you know, have products in them or ingredients in them that aren't actually what says on the label is like so high. Because they're cross-producing. They're producing a multitude of lines in these facilities where all different kinds of products are getting made using the same equipment. Yeah. You know, I've been approached by a lot of different companies, you know, throughout my career. And I know there are some athletes, maybe not Olympic athletes,

but some athletes that have, you know, more lenient restrictions on their doping rules. You know, they've promoted other companies, but I just have never felt comfortable putting my name on a product. I don't want to tell the public to be taking something that I wouldn't even take, that I can't trust what's in it. And it's about leading a healthy lifestyle. Life is a workout. And, you know, like I said, I don't, I have never trusted taking anything. What do you think people most misunderstand about you? I mean, there's so much press out there. People have to be getting it wrong all the time. Yeah, I mean, I think just in general, you know, anyone in the spotlight has the spotlight has, there's this perception that's out there.

I think most people don't know that I have depression. And they're like, oh, you're successful and you're pretty and whatever. And it's like, why aren't you happy? And all those things don't equal happiness. Because I'm successful doesn't mean that I'm happy. equal happiness, you know, because I'm successful doesn't mean that I'm happy. Um, it's important for me to surround myself with, with, you know, the people that I love that make me happy. And that's, you know, that's something that keeps me grounded and keeps me going. But, um, I just, I hate the misconception that like, you know, my life's perfect and I'm happy and everything's

like Instagram. Right. It's all perfect and I'm happy and everything's like Instagram. Right. It's all perfect. Yeah. Well, if those people had just crashed one of the times that you could. Yeah. How does the depression work? How does that manifest? I don't know.

I mean, I've had it. I've been taking medicine for it since I was like 18 or 19. I've been taking medicine for it since I was like 18 or 19. But, you know, it definitely is more difficult when I'm injured. I just take medicine, you know, the whole every day because I, you know, it's not worth it. It's not like, you know, you're depressed, you're going to take an Advil. You know, it's like it's not, you have to be consistent about how you're, you're taking it. And, and I obviously see a therapist and, and that's important. It definitely helps me because it's difficult to talk about, you know, some of the things in my life because I don't feel like many people understand it. And I always feel like I'm complaining, but, you know. You're not allowed to complain. You know what I mean? You know, well, it's, I guess that's my family mentality. People are not going to give you permission to do that, you know, you're not allowed to complain. You know what I mean? You know, well, it's, I guess that's my family mentality to do that, you know, because you live this life,

you know, but what I'm saying is that that boxes you into like this prison where you feel like you just can't be who you, you can't be honest about your, your real life experience because people will judge you for that because you've, you know, been privileged to have experiences that most people will never get to have. Yeah. And that's, that's tough. And I, and I understand where they're coming from because, you know, I can see it from that side as well, but I do have my issues and, you know, it's definitely difficult sometimes and very, I'd say the hardest thing about what I do is just being lonely. I'm on the road a lot and in an empty hotel and in an empty house.

And I'm lucky that I have a really great boyfriend and I have three dogs and I have a great family and people that support me. But it doesn't take away from the fact that I am still alone. And I do feel that really deep loneliness that really affects me a lot of the time. And so, yeah, it's something that I am working on. And all of that, everything kind of rides on your shoulders, the foundation, these relationships with all of these sponsors. I mean, you're alone in a hotel room in some village in Europe, but there's a whole machine that's kind of depending upon you to continually produce, produce, produce. Yeah. That's the hard part is like, I just realized that when Lucy got

run over by a car, it was like, you know, I have all these things that I have to do. And, and if I can't do them, I don't know what happens. Like the, you know, the whole system implodes and, you know, I had to take a week off to, you know, take her to surgery and I had to cancel all these things. And, um, it was just kind of an interesting realization that, you know, I can't stop. And I'm used to grinding. So it's, you know, it's. I mean, you don't stop anyway, but still. But still, it was like, you know, there are a lot of things in motion that, you know, I have to keep in motion.

And I can't just stop doing them. Yeah. A lot of people rely on me. And there is a lot of feeling that I can't let anyone down, you know? Well, those are external pressures. I mean, what does it look like on the inside? Like, what is it, you know, behind all of this that's like driving you? Like, is it, I mean, and you can say, oh, you know, I just, I want to be the best version of myself or, you know, I like to win or whatever, but like but what's beneath that?

What is really the pilot light that is igniting this whole thing that keeps you on this constant grind forward to excel? I think it has to do with me not being, not ever being satisfied. I feel like I can do better. And it's also, I think, a feeling of not being good enough. You know, somehow, you know, one win isn't enough. I need to win two. And, you know, that I'm never complacent. You know, I'm never satisfied with what I have. You know, I just have the, always have that urge to keep going. You know, I want something more, do something that someone's never done before, you know, try something new, you know, start my own company, you know, work with people that no one else has worked with. It's like, you know, I just have this drive that makes me want to just be better. And it's not, it probably is for mixed reasons, you know, like from my, from, you know, family growing up and, you know, there's,

I'm sure there's a lot of psychological things that go into that. Yeah, there's dad and grandpa and there's insecurities and all of that, these things that we all share as human beings. I mean, you know, of course, that if you're somebody who, you know, this many wins is never enough. You know, when you get that 86 or 87 or 88, it's still not going to be enough, right? So how do you find peace, right? That's why I said.

Ultimately, you got to like, that's an inside job for you. Yeah, exactly. That's definitely an inside job. And it's something that I've had to kind of realize and work through. And that's why I've just said, it doesn't matter what the season holds, whether I win or I don't win or I break the record or I don't. This is just it. You know, I need to kind of, you know, really enjoy it and soak it all in for the last time. And then I need to just literally move forward and start something new.

That's when you call the rock. That's when I call Dwayne and I'm like, Dwayne, what do I do now? Where is my next job? I've got this script sitting right here, Lindsay. Come on over. I got this script sitting right here, Lindsay. Come on over. Yay. Cool. Well, we got to wrap this up.

I want to be conscious of your time. Thanks. I got one more workout today, so. Do you? What are you doing? I got to go home and ride the bike. Do you? Yeah. The Peloton?

The Peloton, yeah. Do you take my girl Robin Arzon's class? I don't take any classes. You should, Doug. I'm going to. Robin's the coolest. I'm definitely going to when I don't actually have to follow my stupid program Arzon's class. I don't take any classes. You should, Doug. I'm going to. Robin's the coolest. I'm definitely going to when I don't actually have to follow my stupid program. But now I'm just riding through Hawaii.

I'm just like, Hawaii, this is fun. I've got one right over there. You could use it if you want. Oh, thanks. Thanks. Delightful to talk to you. I wish you well. When do you leave for Europe?

I'm delightful to talk to you. I wish you well. When do you leave for Europe? We have a couple of races here in Canada first, and then I'll go over like the 3rd or 4th of December. And then you're there for how long? I'll come home for Christmas, thankfully. We have a nice little break, and then I'm gone for like January, February, March.

And then that's it. That's a wrap. And then it's done-zo. Then it's party time. Cool. Lindsay, it's a pleasure talking to you. Thank you. How do you feel?

I feel great. How do you feel? I feel good. I feel like I was at a therapy session and I don't need therapy this week. Thank you. Good. Well, I serve that role for you. I'm here anytime for you.

Thank you. You're easy to find on the internet. Just at Lindsay Vaughn everywhere. People are not already following you. Thank you. You're easy to find on the internet. Just at Lindsey Vonn everywhere. People are not already following you. They should. And come back and talk to me again sometime. I will. Cool.

Sounds good. Pleasure. Appreciate it. Peace. It's cool, right? I mean, that was amazing. How often do you get to sit down with a four-time Olympian? Somebody who is the very best ever in their sport. Super dope.

Hope you guys enjoyed that. Do me a favor, hit Lindsay up online and let her know how you felt about the conversation. She is at Lindsay Vaughn with two N's on both Twitter and Instagram. And as always, check out the show notes on the episode page at richroll.com to expand your experience of this conversation beyond the earbuds. And for those of you who just enjoyed the audio version of this, you can also watch our whole conversation on YouTube at youtube.com forward slash richroll. If you are looking for additional nutritional guidance, you're trying to get healthy for the new year, check out our plant power meal planner at meals.richroll.com. Thousands of plant-based recipes, totally customized based on your personal preferences

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Thanks a lot. Love you guys. See you back here soon with another amazing episode. Until then, may you find strength and courage in your daily experience and then share that with your community and loved ones. Peace. Namaste. Thank you.