803 What It Takes To Be a Champion

YOUR SUCCESS IS IN YOUR OWN HANDS. What does it take to be a champion? You have to love what you do. You have to care about the little details that other people let slide. And you have to have deep, unshakable confidence. A lot of what separates a player from a champion is mental. We can’t ignore the importance of keeping our mind away from the negative and focused on the end goal. On today’s episode of The School of Greatness, I’m sharing the most inspirational clips of interviews with the world’s greatest female athletes: Maria Sharapova, Katrin Tanja Davíðsdóttir, Michelle Waterson, Sasha Digiulian, Brooke Ence, The Bella twins, Emily Skye, and Danica Patrick. Maria Sharapova is one of the world’s greatest tennis players, Katrin Tanja Davíðsdóttir is a two-time champion of the CrossFit Games, Michelle Waterson is a mixed martial artist who competes in the UFC, Sasha Digiulian is a world champion climber, Brooke Ence is an elite CrossFit Champion, The Bella Twins are former WWE Wrestlers, Emily Skye is a top fitness model, and Danica Patrick is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing. We can all get distracted by self-doubt, comparing ourselves to others, and focusing on the wrong things. But we can train ourselves to have the mindset of a champion. It feels good to be great at what you do. Get ready to learn step into your greatness on Episode 803. Some Questions I Ask: Why are you so driven to be the best? (7:00) What does it mean to be respectful of your opponent? (16:30) How do you stay focused when you’re scared? (18:57) What are some tools you use when you start comparing yourself? (30:00) In This Episode You Will Learn: The difference between “showing up” and “playing” (6:00) The reason you need to focus on the things you can control (12:00) Why not doing your best is doing a disservice to your opponent (18:00) How trust can heal anxiety (20:00) How to not let negative comments affect you (27:00) Follow me on: Instagram @LewisHowes Twitter @LewisHowes Facebook @LewisHowes Get more from Lewis! Get my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Get The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyText Lewis AIYouTubeInstagramWebsiteTiktokFacebookX

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  This is episode number 803 with what it takes to be a champion.

• 0:07Lewis Howes?

  Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin.

• 0:32Speaker 00

  Mia Hamm said, "True champions aren't always the ones that win, but those with the most guts." Today, we have an incredible episode with the greatest female athletes and champions to share their wisdom on how to be a champion in your life or anything that you're working towards. And you've heard of these women before, people like Maria Sharapova, who's a world-class tennis player, five-time Grand Slam champion. She's a medalist in women's singles at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, model, author, entrepreneur, and a powerhouse. We've got Katrin David's daughter,

• 1:16Speaker 00

  who's a legend in the fitness and CrossFit world, a CrossFit champion, the fittest woman on the earth in 2015 and 16, inspiration to so many people. Michelle Waterson, an MMA fighter in the UFC, ranks in the top of the UFC, anthem weight, and one of the best fighters in the world. Sasha Digiulian is a champion rock climber, who has won the world championships for female overall, placed silver in bouldering world championships, bronze in the duel, and is a three-time U.S. national champion. Such a powerhouse. We've got Brooke Enns, who's an elite. CrossFit athlete as well, entrepreneur, social media fitness icon.

• 2:01Speaker 00

  The Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie Bella. WWE superstars and former Diva Champions, having debuted as a wrestling tag team in 2007. Massive social media following, brand, reality show, and so much more. Emily Sky, who is a health and fitness expert with over 14 million women worldwide, having helped transform their lives with her signature workouts, meal plans, and 24/7 support. And Danica Patrick is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing. She's broken barriers and set records, and her victory in 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win ever by a woman in the IndyCar Series race.

• 2:46Speaker 00

  She's Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People list. She's got her own clothing line, entrepreneur, and inspiration. In this interview, we talk about the difference between being good enough and great enough. Powerful advice from all these superstar athletes and coaches. The lessons behind respecting your opponent and losing. Why negativity won't get you anywhere. Stepping into your greatness by being okay with being yourself. Why learning the hard way is sometimes the best way. I know that too much. Top tools on getting over insecurities, how to condition your mind against extreme pressure, and so much more. I am so excited about this, guys.

• 3:30Speaker 00

  Make sure to share this with your friends, tag me, tag the ladies in this episode as well, on your Instagram stories, or on Twitter, on social media. Text a friend, lewishouse.com/803, on what it takes to be a champion, and lessons from some of the world's greatest athletes. Without further ado, let's dive into this episode on what it takes to be a champion.

• 3:56Speaker 02

  It's funny, a lot of people ask me where, because one of my greatest strengths is that I I come on the court and I feel that I have a mental edge against my opponents and

• 4:06Lewis Howes?

  You do?

• 4:07Speaker 02

  I do, yeah.

• 4:09Lewis Howes?

  Why do you think that?

• 4:10Speaker 02

  I just do.

• 4:11Lewis Howes?

  And what does the mental edge mean? That you're mentally tougher, smarter, more determined?

• 4:16Speaker 02

  Um, I don't want to use the word smarter. I think there are a lot of, in order to be a professional athlete and to be at the top of a game, you have to be pretty smart. You have to be, you have to be talented, you have to be a hard worker. Everyone is.

• 4:30Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 4:31Speaker 02

  Everyone is all those things. There's no one that doesn't work hard or

• 4:34Lewis Howes?

  Of course, they want to be there, yeah. What's the edge then?

• 4:36Speaker 02

  I just really want it. I really, I think I, I

• 4:40Lewis Howes?

  You want to win?

• 4:41Speaker 02

  I want to win and, and I hate to lose and I, I, I don't like giving up.

• 4:46Lewis Howes?

  But so do a lot of them. The top 10 people are probably all

• 4:49Speaker 02

  Well, I think there's, I'm not sure.

• 4:53Lewis Howes?

  You just think you want it more?

• 4:54Speaker 02

  I think there's, there's a difference between showing up and playing, you know, to, because we have, you have a lot of different tournaments. You have Grand Slams, which is obviously the biggest tournament. And then you have tournaments that are somewhere in Europe or in the middle of Asia that are smaller tournaments. But you still, you can't just show up. You have to show up and compete. I don't, I don't believe, you know, a lot of people say that just by showing up, that's something. I'm not quite sure that's, that, that mantra has never worked for me. I'd rather not show up. It would almost be a waste of time in many ways.

• 5:30Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, absolutely.

• 5:31Speaker 02

  Especially in my profession, just by showing up doesn't get me anything.

• 5:33Lewis Howes?

  I mean, how are you so driven and why to win and strive to be the best still? Like, why?

• 5:40Speaker 02

  Because I love, I love the sport. I love the sport, I love the feeling. I think also selfishly, as a woman, it's just, it's a really good feeling to feel good at what you do.

• 5:54Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 5:55Speaker 02

  To feel strong and powerful and, and just good at it. And, and, and know that there's, by working on it, that you can be better. That's just, there's nothing else that, where I feel that.

• 6:08Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 6:09Speaker 02

  You know, I'd love doing other things, but I, when I'm on the court and I, even when I'm rusty or even when I don't get to a ball, which is a lot of times.

• 6:19Speaker 02

  It's like, oh, that chocolate I ate last night.

• 6:22Lewis Howes?

  Thanks, Chica Poba.

• 6:23Speaker 02

  Exactly. Um, you know, I eat a lot, so.

• 6:27Lewis Howes?

  So do I.

• 6:29Speaker 02

  I eat a lot. So, yeah, I just, I love the feeling of getting better. I love that challenge and there's nothing winning. I mean, winning is, in tennis, is a spur of the moment. It's not, it's like that final point and that emotion that you don't get with anything else. It's not like.

• 6:50Lewis Howes?

  I get it.

• 6:51Speaker 02

  I guess your success is in your own hands. It's not in the hands of anyone else.

• 6:56Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 6:56Speaker 02

  You know, like you have a team that, that you build and that helps you get to, to get you to walk to center court and then you walk out there and, but then it's you. So. And if you lose, you know, or you win.

• 7:09Lewis Howes?

  It's on you.

• 7:10Speaker 02

  Yeah. And that's, I love that. I love that pressure.

• 7:14Lewis Howes?

  Hmm. Yeah, you can't get it anywhere else.

• 7:16Speaker 02

  No, not, I haven't found it yet.

• 7:18Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 7:19Speaker 02

  So.

• 7:20Lewis Howes?

  I hear you. Do you have any regrets for your career of like, starting too soon or not going to school or relationships or anything like that? Is there any regrets along the way?

• 7:33Speaker 02

  Um, I don't want to use the word regrets. It's a pretty strong word. The one thing I, I, one thing I do regret is not learning more languages when I was young.

• 7:41Lewis Howes?

  How many do you know now?

• 7:42Speaker 02

  Two, Russian and English. But I wish that I would have learned more languages. You picked them up so well when you're, when you're young. Um, and I think especially in today's growing, just growing society and, and world, um, it would be really great to know more languages.

• 7:59Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 8:00Speaker 02

  That's one thing. Um, as far as other things in my career, um, I don't know, or relationships. I think, I think when you talk about career and relationships and regret, I think, you know, people, you talk about balance a lot, like that kind of strive for balance.

• 8:17Lewis Howes?

  How do you do that? Cause you.

• 8:18Speaker 02

  I don't, cause I don't, I don't, there's no balance.

• 8:21Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 8:21Speaker 02

  I don't.

• 8:22Lewis Howes?

  It's full on for your.

• 8:23Speaker 02

  Well, I don't think there's, I don't think balance exists. I don't think there's ever 50/50.

• 8:28Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 8:29Speaker 02

  I think if you're, if you're 50/50, then you're just 50% at one thing and 50% at another thing. And is that good enough? I don't think so. No, it's not in my, not in my opinion.

• 8:41Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 8:42Speaker 02

  It can be good enough.

• 8:43Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 8:44Speaker 02

  Which is, I know a lot of people that do it and, and that's, that's their good enough. That's their great.

• 8:50Lewis Howes?

  That's, yeah, it's what they want.

• 8:51Speaker 02

  It's what they want and that's what, and it just has never worked for me. I don't feel fulfilled. I don't feel that I'm getting the most out of myself when I'm just fifty fifty.

• 9:01Lewis Howes?

  What do you think it takes to be the best in the world?

• 9:04Speaker 03

  Everything you got. If you're not giving it everything that you have, I always think this. I remember, everyone likes balance, like talking about balance. So you need this, you need that, and you have this in your life. And I always felt very conflicted because that's not what I wanted. And I remember Ben was having a presentation once and it's the first time I ever heard anyone say champions don't have balance. And I was like, he's right. If...

• 9:35Speaker 03

  It's not right or wrong. For most people, it's probably the right thing to have balance.

• 9:40Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 9:41Speaker 03

  But if you want to be the best in the world at something, you just can't. Because if you're spending, you know, if you're spending your time on something other than your craft or something that other than, something that's not going to make you better, someone else is spending their time on getting better.

• 9:57Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 9:58Speaker 03

  And I always think that someone else is going to be spending their time, so I better be doing it too.

• 10:02Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 10:03Speaker 03

  And there is a time and place for everything, like hanging out with your friends and getting your nails done. But that, that has to be the right time and when you've already put in, when you've slept enough and you, when you've eaten the right things and when you've done your training. And then sometimes it's good to get that little bit of break, but... That has to be the right time.

• 10:22Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, I hear you.

• 10:23Speaker 03

  So, yeah, it takes everything you've got and a lot of hard work.

• 10:26Lewis Howes?

  The top three things.

• 10:27Speaker 03

  The top three.

• 10:28Lewis Howes?

  To coach someone.

• 10:29Speaker 03

  It's focusing on the right things. You know, it's the, it's probably the... You can't control others or the outcome, but you can control your sleep. Make sure you get enough, that's like my number one recovery thing, sleep. If for nothing else, just like get your eight, hopefully ten hours of sleep every night. Wow. And it's your diet, it's, it's the effort that you put into what you're doing, whatever your craft is. It's focusing on the right things and I feel like when you do that and you focus on the things that you actually can control. I feel like your mind is like, it's like, it's like a windshield wiper. You just see things clear and you're not constantly like fussing about little things or getting aggravated like.

• 11:13Speaker 03

  If you can change it, just change it and if you can't, then, and move on, you know, and you're not. I don't know, it, it at least gets my mind so much clearer. I think number two is probably focusing on details. I think there are so many little things that you think are little things, you know, like that little accessory thing at the end of your day. Like you could just skip or, you know, just having that one cookie, you can just have that one cookie or, you know, watching one more. Yeah, don't we all? And then, you know, watching one extra episode at night. Cause it's like, it's only, only one more, but you're losing that hour, yeah. You're losing that hour of sleep. It's washing your hands, you know, so that you don't get sick.

• 11:56Speaker 03

  Cause a sick day, you know, can set you back a couple of days. It's, it's taking care of all the little details that seem so little in a time and they're like, oh, it's just one percent or one percent. But they're really quick, one percent add up really fast to something that's really big. Yeah. And the third thing is relationships. It's developing great relationships around you and I see that with the way that he treats his family and his friends and, and, and who he coaches. It's like you create a great life with the relationships that you create around you.

• 12:35Speaker 04

  I think you have to have a really strong, genuine, deep confidence. Like, it has to be like, deep in your core. It has to be unshakable.

• 12:49Lewis Howes?

  So you can't doubt yourself at all?

• 12:50Speaker 04

  You can't doubt yourself at all, and you have to... You have to be two steps ahead of everybody else, and...

• 12:57Lewis Howes?

  What does that mean?

• 12:58Speaker 04

  Because there's so many, like, different things that go into fighting. You know, it's not just physical. Of course it is, obviously, you have to be physically ready. But, once you surpass that, once you guys are all on the same level physically, then it becomes a mental game. Are you mentally sharp? Can you deal with the media? Can you deal with all the outside noise? Can you deal with all the inside noise in your head? Can you deal with all of the other circumstances surrounding you as you are training for this fight? There's just so many different elements that go into it, and everything has to fall into place

• 13:36Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 13:37Speaker 04

  for you to win that one night.

• 13:39Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, one moment.

• 13:40Speaker 04

  One moment.

• 13:41Lewis Howes?

  Change everything. What do you do to silence the conversation that holds you back?

• 13:48Speaker 04

  I...

• 13:49Lewis Howes?

  When it comes up?

• 13:51Speaker 04

  I take a deep breath, and I tell myself, "confidence."

• 13:59Speaker 04

  And, um, it just calms me. I feel like we all have that voice in our head, that, like, inner critic, that, well, in my mind, it's my mom, like, "What you doing?", you know? My mom is just, like, super, like, critical, and, like... Has always... But I think it's just culturally, like, that's how they raise their kids. It's kind of like a... That negative motivation, "Put the chip on your shoulder", you know? But, I've been working a lot with a sports psychologist, and he explains it to me.

• 14:34Speaker 04

  In a way that, like, the same emotions you get when you're fearful are the same emotions you get when you're excited. We just perceive them differently. So anytime I do get nervous, um, or afraid, or anxious, I just take a deep breath and I tell myself confidence. And it reminds me to use that energy, that nervous energy and transform it into good energy, energy that's going to feel me, energy that's going to build confidence within me and energy that's going to allow me to use it for towards my benefit.

• 15:13Lewis Howes?

  In your opinion, what does it mean to respect your opponent? And how can you be respectful to your opponent when you're fighting them and pounding their face in the ground?

• 15:22Speaker 04

  That's a hard one. That is a hard one because I, like I said, like I'm a people pleaser. I like to, I'm not trash talker. I'm not good at, it's a fine line. And I think it depends on the person, really. There have been fights where I have given my opponent too much respect. And maybe subconsciously felt like they deserved the win over me.

• 15:45Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 15:45Speaker 04

  Yeah.

• 15:45Lewis Howes?

  Why?

• 15:47Speaker 04

  Because of their status, because of their rankings, because I knew them personally.

• 15:55Speaker 04

  And that's hard. You have to shelf that. You have to shelf that. You have to say, I respect you. But at the end of the day, you and I are both getting in here to take each other's heads off. And if I don't get into the cage to do that, then I'm doing you a disservice.

• 16:11Lewis Howes?

  You're doing her a disservice.

• 16:12Speaker 04

  Yeah, because I'm not giving her my hundred percent. You know, I'm not giving her my, my true warriors.

• 16:18Lewis Howes?

  I'll take it easy on you today.

• 16:19Speaker 04

  Yeah, like when you're like playing with your little sister, little brother, and they tell you no punching. So you, you know, you just, you kind of like scale it back, like. You're doing your opponent disservice when you, when you do that. And that's how I've had to look at it. I've had to look at it. I've had to take my opponent out of the equation, like.

• 16:37Lewis Howes?

  Your feelings for them, your care for them, your.

• 16:40Speaker 04

  Mm-hmm. I had to go into the octagon and tell myself that I deserve to win. Because I've put in all the time, I've put in all the work. You know? And whatever happens after that happened.

• 17:00Lewis Howes?

  How do you stay focused when it's like, okay, I'm about to climb this next step, but it's a scary moment?

• 17:11Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 17:12Lewis Howes?

  Like this, I don't know, there's uneven footing or...

• 17:15Speaker 05

  Yeah, I know, that's a good question.

• 17:16Lewis Howes?

  Have there ever been a place where you're a thousand feet up and there's nowhere to grab?

• 17:20Speaker 05

  Yeah, I mean, sometimes you encounter parts of a climb that you don't think are physically possible for you. And a lot goes into like, kind of whittling down all the little pieces and trying out different ways that you can find a solution.

• 17:36Lewis Howes?

  Because you'll try it and you'll fall a bunch.

• 17:37Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 17:38Lewis Howes?

  A few feet or whatever.

• 17:39Speaker 05

  Yeah, exactly, and you keep like pulling back on.

• 17:41Lewis Howes?

  No way.

• 17:42Speaker 05

  Trying something else, fall, pull back on, try and find like a little credit card size, like protrusion in the rock to like dangle off of. And then if that doesn't work, then you either like just keep banging your head on it or like train harder and return.

• 17:59Lewis Howes?

  What happens if it doesn't work? Do you just go back down?

• 18:02Speaker 05

  Yeah, sometimes.

• 18:02Lewis Howes?

  Shut up. It's gonna be a thousand feet in the air.

• 18:05Speaker 05

  Yeah, you can be like, I can't do this right now.

• 18:07Lewis Howes?

  And there's 50 feet to go.

• 18:08Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 18:09Lewis Howes?

  If that ever happens to you.

• 18:10Speaker 05

  You can literally be stopped if you're like on like a 3,000 foot climb, you can be stopped by six feet. Because like if something doesn't go, if you can't physically do it, a move, then that can be like the end all. But I think a lot of what climbing taught me is like there's often a solution. You just have to kind of like open your mind up to different possibilities. And a lot of climbing, what's so intriguing about the sport physically to me is that it can be the smallest difference in body positioning that makes all the difference. So it's like a very upper body, hand strength oriented sport, but you're really using your entire body, like your core, your hips, normally the driving force. You're ideally like using your footwork really well

• 18:52Speaker 05

  because you have to balance on like tiny little nubbins and shift your weight and allocate so that you can exert enough force to move up the wall. I really do believe in listening to the universe. And I think that if you open yourself up to what the universe is trying to say to you, then there's this timing and process to life that makes sense. If you let it, it makes sense. So, everything in my life, I mean, I feel like when I look back, I'm like, oh, that makes sense. The timing or the situation that that negative experience led me to a positive experience. It's kind of interesting.

• 19:35Speaker 05

  Like, I think that makes me less anxious if I just trust the process. Even right now, I have this air boot on because I have a fractured fibula. And it's like, when I did that, it was after, I mean, I was training for the New York City Marathon, and I was on a climbing trip through Europe, and then Jordan, and then back to Europe. And so I had this pain in my leg, and I was like, I don't know why my leg is so painful, but I'm just gonna keep charging on. And I was like hiking with a heavy pack and climbing and...

• 20:06Speaker 06

  And running, training for running?

• 20:07Speaker 05

  Yeah, training for the marathon. Like, not listening to my body. But then I got to Germany, and I got an MRI, and I learned that I had a stress fracture. So I was like, oh, good thing that my pain tolerance isn't negligible, at least.

• 20:21Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 20:21Speaker 05

  But then with, I was given this air boot, and I arrived to this series of like, conference in Miami with the International Women's Forum. And I had all of these kind of like blossoming business ideas that I needed to be in one place to actually like, take advantage of and organize, I think, just like, give my life a little room to breathe and be home and get grounded again.

• 20:45Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 20:45Speaker 05

  So I saw this air boot as like, life's way of saying, slow down and listen to your body and just be still. And I think now I'm in a much healthier mindset than I was when I was like, not stopping traveling. Because I was like, on the road for like about four months straight. Um, up to this point of like, okay, now you're gonna like...

• 21:09Speaker 06

  Chill.

• 21:10Speaker 05

  Yeah, like...

• 21:10Speaker 06

  One place.

• 21:11Speaker 05

  Come inward and get your life, just like, let it chill a little, be home.

• 21:22Speaker 07

  I was at a place where I needed to, if I wanted to be better, if I wanted to be better than I ever could have been, I needed to work through this stuff. Like, I needed to tear the walls down. I think to a certain point, the walls I had built or the things I had, the lies I had told myself so I could like get through a day without thinking negative thoughts about myself, probably really helped me get to a certain point. But to become anything more or better or bigger than that, I had to deal with them and that's kind of what happened.

• 21:52Lewis Howes?

  How'd you deal with them?

• 21:53Speaker 07

  Well, I read a book, one, talking to people that I really trusted. The thoughts that I have, instead of just keeping them inside because I'm embarrassed about them, saying them out loud to someone that I trusted so they could, one, when you tell them to a friend and they look at you like, you know how ridiculous that sounds, right? But then also, two, sometimes you say them out loud to yourself and you're like, oh, that sounds way dumb. So a lot more of that. And then I read a book from Brene Brown, Daring Greatly.

• 22:19Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 22:19Speaker 07

  Literally promote that book to like everyone.

• 22:21Lewis Howes?

  She's amazing.

• 22:21Speaker 07

  Yeah. And that was probably the book that really helped me decide how I could start sort of mending things moving forward and realizing that we have like all of these moments that you can always just make a change. Like, I'm feeling all these things and I've been affected by what people have said about me. And I knew that I wanted to feel better and change and and move on and move forward and grow from the experience. But for some reason, it was almost like I was waiting for this moment where it was like, well, now you can.

• 23:00Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 23:01Speaker 07

  But in reality, it's like, you have a million moments.

• 23:06Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. Every moment we get to decide.

• 23:08Speaker 07

  And you just get to make a choice.

• 23:10Lewis Howes?

  And that's the challenge. I meet with a lot of people who don't believe in themselves. Or they don't think they're ready, or they don't think they should be in the position they're at, or they have this imposter syndrome. And every moment, like you said, we have a, we have an opportunity to decide if we want to continue to tell ourselves negative things or say something positive that we do belong or we are good enough or we're here exactly where we need to be at the right time. And a lot of people, I think, struggle with accepting their greatness or accepting the success they're getting.

• 23:41Lewis Howes?

  And it always frustrates me why we struggle with that because we should be stepping into it more and more to inspire other people. And when we constantly say negative things to ourselves, it just holds us back and holds other people back. But like you said, when we start to talk about it with friends, that's when we realize how stupid or ridiculous it may be. And so sharing these things more with people and not just holding it in is what's gonna help us move forward. So I'm glad you started doing that.

• 24:05Speaker 07

  Yeah, I mean, it really started to make a difference in, one, it's like in relationships, in my training. And it really was just me realizing that the only person that was holding me back was myself. And it really helped me realize that like, I don't have to give power. Not only I do not have to give power to my negative thoughts, I don't have to give power to strangers' thoughts. Like, people say dumb stuff all the time. And if you don't like the way I look, or you don't like the way I dress, it still doesn't affect the fact that I'm still gonna go and be successful. And I'm still gonna go and be the person that I'm supposed to be,

• 24:49Speaker 07

  even if you don't like me.

• 24:55Speaker 08

  No matter what it is you do, people are gonna love you and people are gonna hate you.

• 24:59Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 24:59Speaker 08

  And like, you have to be okay with that.

• 25:02Lewis Howes?

  And they're gonna spin things the way they want it to be for good TV.

• 25:04Speaker 08

  Right. And how the world will perceive you. Like, I don't like how she lives, or I don't like how she talks, or I don't like how she walks, or how she dresses, or I don't like how she eats her food, or I don't like how her and her sister are, or you have the opposite. I love how they are. Oh my gosh, I could relate to them. And so you just know that no matter, I could act like Mother Teresa all I want.

• 25:23Lewis Howes?

  Doesn't matter.

• 25:24Speaker 08

  It doesn't matter.

• 25:25Lewis Howes?

  You could save every tree in the world.

• 25:26Speaker 08

  Yes.

• 25:27Lewis Howes?

  Like, Bree and it doesn't matter, right?

• 25:28Speaker 08

  And they're like, she's so annoying. Like, she saves so many trees.

• 25:30Lewis Howes?

  Right?

• 25:31Speaker 08

  But you know, so that was, I think, the scariest part was just the feeling of like, okay, I'm going to be judged constantly.

• 25:39Lewis Howes?

  How have you guys handled that?

• 25:41Speaker 09

  In the beginning, it kind of rocks your world a little bit. You're just kind of like-

• 25:45Speaker 08

  Because social media, you could see everything.

• 25:47Lewis Howes?

  Every tweet, everything.

• 25:48Speaker 09

  Yeah, and you think to yourself like, "Don't take it personal," but it's hard not to.

• 25:53Lewis Howes?

  So hard.

• 25:53Speaker 09

  And like, it affects you, and you're like, "This... You can't let this affect you. The person might have had a really bad day."

• 25:58Lewis Howes?

  It's so hard to think that way.

• 25:59Speaker 09

  And, but now, it doesn't at all. Now, it's like, kind of, we let everything roll off us, but at the end of the day, we're like, "The whole world's not gonna love you." It's half of it's gonna hate you, half of it's gonna love you, and that's okay.

• 26:11Speaker 08

  And I think everyone goes through this, and I think, because of social media, and I think it's important to go through it, is you're gonna go through that tough time of like, it's okay to be upset about seeing hate about you, and stuff that you feel is like, not true. And I think I had to go through that period of time of where I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I'm totally getting bullied online. This is crazy." And having those feelings of being so down, because then it made me be like, "Wait, why am I letting these people affect me?" One, I don't even know these people, but why am I letting them affect me? Like, this is crazy. Like, I'm proud of who I am, and you know what? If these people don't like it, then bye.

• 26:47Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 26:48Speaker 08

  It's crazy how much I'm learning as a-

• 26:50Lewis Howes?

  Well, you weren't trained in the last 15 years or 20 years on how to do this.

• 26:54Speaker 08

  Right.

• 26:55Lewis Howes?

  So you have to learn on the job.

• 26:56Speaker 08

  Yes.

• 26:57Lewis Howes?

  Essentially.

• 26:58Speaker 08

  Oh, yeah. Oh-

• 26:59Lewis Howes?

  I've learned the hard way many times, because I wasn't trained this way either. You're just like, "I have this passion, this idea. I want to bring it to life."

• 27:03Speaker 08

  Right. But I sometimes feel like, I don't know if you feel this way, that it's sometimes good to learn the hard way.

• 27:10Lewis Howes?

  Absolutely.

• 27:11Speaker 08

  Because I feel like that gives you success over time. Like, that long-term success.

• 27:16Lewis Howes?

  If it works from the beginning, that's not good, I think.

• 27:18Speaker 08

  Right.

• 27:18Lewis Howes?

  I think you want to struggle a little bit.

• 27:20Speaker 08

  Yeah.

• 27:20Lewis Howes?

  Or at least have some adversity, so you say, "Oh, man, that's a good lesson." I don't want to do that again.

• 27:25Speaker 08

  Yeah.

• 27:26Lewis Howes?

  I think we need some of that.

• 27:26Speaker 08

  Totally. I mean, we've had,

• 27:28Speaker 09

  what, two to three times where we thought, maybe we shut down Birdy Bee?

• 27:31Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 27:31Speaker 08

  Yeah. Well, you know, what's funny-

• 27:34Lewis Howes?

  You've got to be fully invested.

• 27:35Speaker 08

  Yeah.

• 27:35Lewis Howes?

  You've got to be fully invested.

• 27:36Speaker 08

  You do.

• 27:37Speaker 09

  The last three years, because we've hit, we hit some rock bottom points, and Nicole and I looked at each other like, how do we, like, our first time. We were just kind of led the wrong way, and we put all our apples into one person, and all of a sudden, their vision was way different, and tried to execute it, and we were like, "No, no, no, no, no." And then all of a sudden, it was like, Birdy Bee went away.

• 28:05Speaker 10

  I knew that I'd do something good and I wanted to do something that would help other people. I didn't know what it was gonna be, but I knew that I would have some sort of following. I don't wanna say fame, but like some sort of people looking to me for something, which I thought was ironic because I was so insecure and so shy.

• 28:23Lewis Howes?

  But you knew that's something you wanted.

• 28:24Speaker 10

  I knew it. I knew that it was, yeah.

• 28:25Lewis Howes?

  Where it was gonna happen.

• 28:27Speaker 10

  And it was weird because over here, I've got this, like the ultimate of what I wanna be and what I wanna do. Didn't, wasn't sure that, what it was at that stage. And I'm down here and I thought, how can I be that though? I'm supposed to be there, but I'm here now. And it just, it was a weird feeling. And then I knew that I had to start working on myself. And I did reach a point where I did, it was probably early to mid twenties. So it was, I guess, fairly late. And I started working towards making myself the best I could be by getting healthy and fit and being more positive. And having some self-belief, surrounding myself with more positive people. And realizing what actually made me happy in life, which was fitness, obviously, and health and helping people. So that's when I started doing what I'm doing now and, and sort of building that.

• 29:08Lewis Howes?

  What are some of the tools that you use when you're looking to overcome that, you know, insecurity or fear or comparison? Cause I think this will be helpful for a lot of people who are constantly comparing.

• 29:18Speaker 10

  Yeah.

• 29:18Lewis Howes?

  To see someone like you with a massive audience, great body, great image, great everything on how you do that.

• 29:26Speaker 10

  I think you've got to work out what makes you happy in life and what's most important to you. Is it really trying to be perfect and worrying about what everyone else thinks of you? Especially on social media. If you put up a photo and people say, oh, you look great here. Does that really make you happy temporarily? Yeah, you feel good, your ego's getting fed, but long-term, I don't think it really does. And I think you need to get to a point where you do know what makes you happy and you're aware of that. And you, you don't rely on that to keep feeding that happiness. Yeah, but when I feel down, and I've talked about this before with my followers. But when I get in my sort of down moments, and I haven't had one for a while, which is a good thing.

• 30:05Lewis Howes?

  That's great.

• 30:05Speaker 10

  But um, last year I had a bit of a time. I think I'd been traveling a lot. I just got really run down and everything just went to shit, pretty much.

• 30:11Lewis Howes?

  It's hard to keep your body healthy and.

• 30:13Speaker 10

  And then your mind goes and, ugh. I was feeling crappy. I wasn't training, which is a big thing. Getting moving is incredible, does incredible things for you. The endorphins that you get from it are really, it's a real thing.

• 30:25Speaker 00

  It is a real thing.

• 30:26Speaker 10

  Yeah, I hadn't been doing it for a while and I just, I didn't want to, I wasn't motivated. And I thought, how can I get myself, yeah, how can I get myself back there? I know that that's what changed my life and yet here I am stuck feeling shitty again. I thought, okay, well, I don't want to go to the gym because I'm not motivated to do that. How can I get myself there? So I put music on and danced around the house and I started learning hip hop. I was putting tutorials on the big screen on YouTube and dancing around the lounge room like an idiot. I was no good at it, but it's not the point.

• 30:56Speaker 00

  That's right.

• 30:56Speaker 10

  I felt good, I felt happy and the music lifted my mood and I started getting outdoors, outside in the, in the sun and fresh air and just finding that balance again. And I guess grounding myself in a way so I could start to feel like, okay, what is it? What is it that it makes me happy again? What is it that gives me life that makes me jump out of bed every day? So I got back there and then I'm back on track again. So you've got to find what, what it is that does it for you. Maybe it's reading a book, maybe it's walking, I don't know, ice skating, rock climbing, whatever. Do something that makes you feel good again, but you've got to find you're creative. And my creative for me is training and getting outdoors and talking to people and helping people.

• 31:34Speaker 00

  Yeah, it's probably not sticking on your phone, looking on Instagram all day.

• 31:37Speaker 10

  No, that's, that can be quite poisonous.

• 31:40Speaker 00

  I know.

• 31:40Speaker 10

  Yeah, and you've got to set boundaries for yourself and restrictions.

• 31:50Speaker 00

  There you have it, my friends. I hope you enjoyed this interview series with some of the greatest athletes in the world on what it takes to be a champion. Again, a big thank you to all the ladies who have inspired so many people around the world and for sharing their wisdom on the School of Greatness. If you want to be a hero to someone today, you can do that by sharing this episode with them. Just copy the link and paste it over a text message, post it on Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, anywhere you want to share it. Be a hero to someone, spread the message of inspiration and greatness in their life today. All it takes is one share. Again, let me know what you think, at Lewis Howes over on Instagram. Tag the ladies who you enjoyed listening to this as well. They are so inspiring and I've learned so much from all of them.

• 32:35Speaker 00

  And no matter where you're at in your life, remember that true champions aren't always the ones that win, but those with the most guts. That was Mia Hamm that said that. And you may not have the most talents in the world right now, you may not have the skills or the resources or the opportunities that other people have. Life isn't fair that way. But the equalizer of all of this is effort, is guts, is how much you're willing to go after what you want. Every time I step on the court or watch a game, I'm more inspired by the person with the most guts than the person with the most talent. Make sure you go out there and share yourself. Allow yourself to be vulnerable.

• 33:19Speaker 00

  Put everything on the line for what you want. That, my friend, is a true champion. I love you all so very much, and you know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something great.