Nov 28, 2018
“As athletes in general we are not very good at asking for help. We’ve had a coach who has always stepped in to see when we needed help if we had an injury etc… but other than that it’s not in our nature. We fight, and even if we keep banging our head on the same wall or knocking on the same door, at the core we know to fight, go for it and push. Asking for help is not one of our strengths.”
Yes, there are lots of Olympians out there, those who have competed in a variety of games and sports, many we can speak about. But I had the specific privilege of speaking with Anja Bolbjerg, who as today’s #Make Your Mark podcast guest, did not necessarily dominate the medal stand at the Olympics, but more importantly, has impacted former athletes and executives in how to find the right physical and mental balance to truly make an impact going forward.
“They asked what size I was in case I qualified for the Olympics. I said, “What, I can qualify for the Olympics?”. That really ignited something in me! Even though I didn’t qualify for the Olympics in ‘94, I wasn’t at the level yet - it set me off saying “ok” in ‘98, I’m going to be at the Olympics and I’m going to be competing. I took a step back and started competing in a lower level in the Euro Cup, and I rented books in the library on sports psychology, and tried to do it the real way. I have this mantra I said all the time- “I will, I can, I dare.” and I started to win some competitions. That’s when I knew that even though I didn’t have as many kilometres in my legs as my competitors, I had something else to my advantage.”
Anja is such a fine example of the competitive spirit that burns inside of all Olympians. Imagine the pressure of performing at your all time best in that one-minute time span at the Olympics after four grueling years of training. Every Olympian faces that, and with Anja, she has leveraged that competitive spirit to her new endeavor, reaching out to other Olympians and other elite athletes in Europe and elsewhere to get their minds and bodies in the right place to be elite performers once again!
“I felt like i was going uphill trying to push and push. Putting in so many hours and it wasn’t getting me where I wanted to be. I started to look back and reevaluate where is it that people come to me for advice, and that I am the most useful and helpful. That’s how this whole “Athlete Story” was born! I knew I had a lot to offer a lot of value.”
Anja and I cover so much ground in our episode, including the importance of being prepared for the transition between an Olympian and a career after your sport, how random and luck played a big part in becoming an Olympian, and how pivoting at a later age can be instrumental in your career success. Anja is such a wonderful person to speak with, and for those of you who deal with her directly, lucky you, as she is inspiring and supportive at the same time. Happy listening!
Some Topics we talk about in this episode:
- Introduction - 0:00
- The start of Anja’s skiing passion- 3:05
- Moguls- All in for the challenge -7:28
- A whole lot of squatting- Training time- 9:48
- A pivotal moment, igniting Anja’s career -10:45
- 1998- 13:20
- Qualifications- 14:00
- Olympics- Going for the gold despite a setback -16:00
- Competing for your country- 19:20
- A competitive college educated skier -20:03
- The transition into a business career- 22:30
- Return to Anjas first passion- 23:44
- I am a conditioning coach- Athletic training & Fitness- 26:00
- The Athlete’s Story -28:00
- You change and you adapt to get where you want to go- 30:51
- The realization of your value - 32:00
- You need something to fall back on -34:00
- Where do you find guidance? -36:40
- Applying an athlete’s skills -39:34
- Hit Your Mark 42:00
How to get involved
- Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.
- If you’re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I’ll get you going right away.
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