Episode 530: Lindsey Vonn: Building Mental Toughness Through Injury, Pressure, and Setbacks

25:37So like, what did you figure out? Like, who are you? Like, what is your identity without having that? Well, you know, a lot of people said I need to slow down. You know, it's not good to lead such a fast paced life. And I realized, why is it bad? Why can't I work really hard and go after things that I want to achieve? And so I've really leaned into that. I felt like I was being pushed to stop doing things that I loved. And now I realize that, again, that's who I am. That's my personality. And I also, through therapy, I'm like, what is it about skiing? What is the feeling that I get from skiing that makes me so happy?

26:17And I came to realize that it's the feeling that anything is possible. so when I sit on the starting gate I look at it as this opportunity you know any I can do anything I set my mind to and you know when you work hard at something like you can do it and that's what I miss so I try to find that in things that I'm doing and it's not my identity but it's what drives me and I'm always the same person that I always have been like I'm just a girl from Minnesota who likes skiing fast you know like oh yeah and skiing is not my identity but it's also like part of me and I don't, I don't think that's a bad thing.

26:55You know, it's so interesting because like when people would talk about you to me, like Brad or whoever, everyone said the same thing. Like, she's so nice. She's so down to earth. She's a girl from Minnesota, like a normal person, you know? And like, I wonder like, how do you keep your feet like on the ground? So, and it's authentic and it's real. I can vouch for it. Right. Because when you've, when you've reached such highs like that and you've become like the best literally in the world at doing something and you don't know any different, right? Because like you said, since you were nine years old, you were like doing all of this.

27:26You've never had like a regular life like most people in the world, right? Like how were you able to kind of be that way? Is it just because you had great parents? I mean, it has to be more than that. I think, you know, it's my family. Like my siblings definitely are like, I don't care how many times you've won. Like I will always kick your ass, you know? Like it's that type of, you know, love that we have. And I think, you know, I go back to Wisconsin with my family and my cousins and, you know, my aunts and uncles. And it's just, it's all the same. Like we're all just, you know, roasting marshmallows on the fire pit and, you know, talking about life.

28:06And it's all the same. Nothing changes. Like I'm not any more special than anyone else just because I won a ski race. Like we're all the same. And, you know, again, I think skiing, I ski because I'm passionate about it, because I love it, not because I'm searching for fame or, you know, my priorities, I think, have always been in the right place. And so I've never deviated from, like, my morals and values and who I am. And, you know, I don't know. All those things, I think, together have helped just maintain who I am. Did you have to retire because of your injuries? Yeah. Because I would have kept going.

28:46Yeah. Like that was basically like you would have kept on going for sure. Right. Oh, yeah. The year I retired, I retired in February of 2019. And that was my last race to the world championships. I'd had three surgeries that summer and I crashed in November and I tore my LCL and I had three, three fractures in my syvea. So I was skiing on like nothing. and it took me a month just to like of rehab just to get back to where I could ski like moderately okay and then I had to train just to get back like that last race and so it was I was I felt like I was being held together by duct tape like I was you know yeah I was hanging on by a thread legit like literally literally so I I knew when I crashed that last time in November I was like I I can't do this anymore.

29:38And that was in my documentary. That was kind of that moment when I'm in the hospital crying. And I realized then, I'm like, this is it. I can't do this anymore. I mean, so Lindsay has this great documentary, by the way, on HBO. It's great. And your last book was called Rise. And the first book was called Strong as the Beautiful, which I think is hilarious. I just wanted to say that I guess like you can still technically you can still ski leisurely, right? Like you're able to do all that. But you talk a lot about your like mental health and depression and anxiety. And I would imagine skiing was a really amazing outlet for that.

30:18Yeah. Right? Because and also it's a great distraction. You have something to do. I'm great at distracting myself. Yeah. Well, yes. Well, I would imagine. What do you distract yourself with now then? Just fitness stuff because you're a hardcore fitness person now too, right? Mainly. I mean, I still work out as hard as I do because I need that kind of physical outlet. And, you know, again, like deep dive when I'm thinking about it. When you're racing, you're also very present. Like there's no room for social media or, you know, what people are saying about you or what I have to do tomorrow or like what business deal I have.

30:53You are so present. There is no room for anything else. Otherwise, you literally could die. So for me, you know, I miss that as well, just being able to block out all the noise. And when I'm in the gym, I have that same feeling. Like I am just focused on me working really hard. And it's nice to shut. It's like my meditation almost. You know, everyone likes to do that Zen stuff. And my Zen is like kicking my own ass. You know, that's, that's, and people, you know, again, it's like, I don't know, some people criticize me for it, but I really don't care. It's, this is what I need to do. I mean, to me, it's such nonsense.

31:29Because I always say also, my meditation is like running because it zens me out and I get my best ideas and I think really well. A lot of people say that. Right? And they're like, no, you have to sit there on a pillow and do this whole. Everyone's different. Everyone's different. I think it's so ridiculous to think that that should be working for everyone across the board. Correct. Are you able to run with the knees that you have? Absolutely not. No, you can't run. I haven't run. I've run once since 2013 and it was a horrible, horrible idea. Oh, I can only imagine. I like made it eight minutes and then I was like dragging my leg behind me.

32:03I can't even imagine. So what do you do for cardio then now? Biking, elliptical. And how much would you do a day? I mean, I minimum do 30 minutes biking, elliptical minimum 20. And then I'll usually go an hour if I have the time. But I would rather do like 30 minutes and then do like a hot cold contrast than like an hour and no contrast. I think for me and like the inflammation that I get in my knees and my body, it's important for me to do that. So it's a time management. Like I do as much as I can with the time I have. I was going to say, so like how much time are you dedicating to, I want to know all of that stuff.

32:42I want to know like exactly how your workouts, because this is like now this is what I like to do, right? So do you, like how much you're working out of, like what is your daily regimen now? And then, but before you tell me your daily regimen now, I want to work chronologically. You said what you were doing when you were 12, okay? Then when you were like hardcore, like in the midst of like really in it, what was the day in the life? Like how much were you training? What were you doing? Were you working on balance? Were you working on like hand-eye coordination? Like I love all this. Have you watched Formula One, the, you know, these?

33:12I know those guys so well. I don't want to watch. It's like going to ruin me. Yeah. I'm like, I'm the only person in the United States that's like watched Formula One since forever. But I, you know, I've watched like what's good for people to understand the drivers and like why it's so difficult. Yes. You know, the complexities with the team and it's, it's very, it's very interesting. But yeah, if you're talking about like me in my prime, I was doing three workout sessions a day. I would work out before breakfast. Which is what time? I need the details. Okay, details. So I would work out usually eight to nine cardio, and then I would have breakfast.

33:51What kind of cardio at that would you do? Usually biking, usually interval biking so that I could get my metabolism going. It was more of like a hit workout. Hit training for an hour? Yeah. Okay. But all of my cardio workouts were very controlled by heart rates. So I did steady states. So you're going five minute intervals at 150 to 155 beats per minute. Or, you know, I was doing threshold workouts where it's a shorter time, like two to three minutes at, you know, 170 to 180. You know, it was very, very specific and very specific reasons. You know, in ski racing, you're only actually skiing for about two minutes.

34:28But you have to also sustain that type of endurance for the whole winter. So we obviously, you know, you train for three to four minutes, you know, at that same pace. So you can maintain that endurance throughout the season. So yeah, cardio in the morning for an hour, usually breakfast, you know. What would you eat for breakfast? Usually eggs, some sort of, you know, vegetable, omelet, whatever, and fat, like almond butter and a banana as well, something like that. Now I do a lot of protein shakes after my workout. I still love working out in the morning, but protein shake right after. Then I would take a little break.

35:06I would do weightlifting, usually two hours of weightlifting at least, or else athletic training. So I'd be on the track doing agilities, sprints, hill sprints, sled pushes, like kind of all that. Like functional stuff. Yeah, all that functional fitness. So again, it would rotate between strength and functional fitness. And then I would have another snack break, a nap, and then I would do another afternoon cardio session. And then after dinner, either I have a protein shake and massage or I would have dinner and then a massage. And what would you have for dinner? Protein. I try not to have carbs at night.

35:47So I would always have carbs in the afternoon. In the morning, sometimes I had oatmeal as well. Wow. Okay. So how about fruit? Were you a fruit person though? Not really. That was never your thing? I know. I like the bananas and almond butter thing, but it's not really my thing. so then how would you like fruits and vegetables i know well now do you eat the but you look i mean listen you're still like in amazing shape i mean it's like you're probably not doing the three i'm definitely not as regimented i mean why would you be right but but wait a second so i'm like so fascinated with this so then you do these three like three workouts a day then you're eating very precisely so that even then like you can't go out for dinners you can't do anything because I do sometimes, but only on the weekends.

36:29So like, yeah, but okay, seven days, there's seven days a week, obviously. So I would do those three sessions probably Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, half day, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, half day, Sunday off. Did you ever get tired? Like, was your body tired? No, I had built up, like, you work out your whole life and you build into that. Like, you don't just wake up one day and say, I'm going to do three sessions today. No, of course not. But like you get that there's a physical, you know, endurance level. You're able to sustain that type of, you know, working out. I think there was a point in which I was working out too much.

37:06Yeah. But I was just winning all the time. So I was like, why am I changing my routine if it's working? But then, you know, obviously I got injured then and I had to change everything I did. So when you get injured, are you not able, like when you broke your ankle, like, I mean, that's a massive injury. Like how long does that take you out for? Like months, right? It was like six weeks. That's it? I mean, I'm in a ski boot, so it's kind of like a cast. It's kind of. Yeah, you're right. So you can get away with it a little bit more. I like to push limits. It's always negotiation. This is amazing.

37:35This is the part that I find fascinating. I go into a doctor's office and I'm like, okay, you tell me eight weeks, I tell you six weeks. We go back and forth and every doctor knows that I'm going to push the limits. But I always know, I know my body well enough and I also know medicine well enough. I can read. If you ever get hurt, I'll read your MRI. Really? I know what I'm talking about. Like, I don't just, you know, blindly say, you know, I don't care what you say. I'm going to come back faster. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know exactly what I'm doing. And I will read the MRIs and I'll know. I've made mistakes in my life and I will not make that mistake again.

38:11Because you know what's interesting? Like, God, like, you know, you're very lucky because you did, as much as you've gotten hurt, nothing that was catastrophic. like going that fast. Yeah. I mean, people have been paralyzed. People have lost their legs. I've seen it many times. And like nothing like that, thankfully, has ever happened to you. That's my perspective. It could always be worse. That's a great mindset. No matter how bad of a day you're having, it can always be worse. That's a great mindset to have. And you really think this way all the time? Yeah. I mean, I got that perspective from my mother.

38:43She had a stroke when she gave birth to me and she was disabled with her ankle. So she couldn't, her balance was really bad. So she couldn't run. She never skied with me. Like she, she really struggled physically and, you know, she was brilliant. She's a lawyer, but you know, because she couldn't do those physical things with us, you know, that didn't stop her from trying. And it also didn't stop her from being positive. She was always positive. And so, you know, when I get injured, I'm like, well if I have surgery if I work hard I can come back my mom doesn't have that luxury so I owe my mother and myself to push myself to get back see I I love that I love your attitude and your mindset and what it's also like it's because it's real right like this is like no you're you're like a proof of it like you actually live it you're not just saying these words like a lot of people like motivational people like oh yeah just a lot they've never done a damn thing in their life right But you actually have.

39:38I mean, where did the depression and anxiety kind of start coming in? At what age? And it doesn't sound to me, I mean, I don't know you that well, but it sounds like you already have trained your brain to be very positive and to look at the glass half full. Yeah. So like what was kind of happening that that was? It was when I was a teenager. You know, I was living in Park City by myself when I was 16 years old. And, you know, it was really hard. I had no support really. And I was really depressed and I was just pretty lost. And, you know, my depression like ebbed and flowed in my career. There are times when no matter how successful I was, I felt extremely alone.

40:23And, you know, also after so many injuries, you know, sitting at home in your bed by yourself in pain, it's not a great place to be. Right. So I think I've, again, learned different coping mechanisms. And when I skied, skiing was an outlet for me. Like I find so much joy in skiing also because eventually when I was older, I used it as a crutch. You know, that was like my, that was me dealing with everything that I had going on. Like any personal, the reason why I always still was successful despite all the shit that was happening around me is because I internalized it. I used it as fuel. And then when I skied, I let it all out.

41:05Right. So that was my therapy. Totally. And then what is, and now is the therapy, then do you feel like the anxiety has subsided because it sounds more circumstantial based on where you were in your life? I think it was pretty circumstantial. Yeah. Um, but again, like it ebbs and flows and I think it's always, for me, I try to just have a balance. Yeah. You know, I, I've been, I've journaled since I was nine and it's just a wave. I didn't have anyone really, you know, especially when I was on the road. So yeah, it's like, that was how I balanced everything and I still do it. And so I think it's, everyone finds their, you know, their way of managing themselves.

41:48and so I've had different escapes in my life, but now I feel like I'm in a good place where I really, I'm very, I'm pretty balanced, you know, even though, like if I, if my mother had died and I wasn't in the place that I was, I don't know if I'd be functioning. Right. You know, so I'm happy with, you know, what I've learned in my life to get me to this place where I'm okay. And what, like, what is, like, where are you now? Like, I mean, I don't mean, I don't mean physically, But I mean, you write the books, you start a production company, you invest in businesses, you're very entrepreneurial with the goggles.

42:25And what else do you have? The goggles? I have my ski line. Your ski line. Yeah. I'm now an advisor to a sports fund, actually, with Avenue Capital. So there's a lot of things on the investment side of the day. Yeah, I'm really excited about it. Like Michael Strahan and Candice Parker and Steph Curry. That's great. That's great. Yeah, I'm really excited. Are you going to be doing like the sports vertical, I guess? We're solely sports. So Avenue is like, you know, such a successful group. And we're just specifically on this sports fund. Wow. So does that mean all investments that you do will go throughout Avenue?

42:58Well, at least for the sports side. Yeah, for the sports side. I still will have my individual, you know, investments. Like I invested in LAFC and Real Salt Lake. I saw that. That's so cool. I love that. I love investing in women. I love it. You're also a great, I mean, like legitimately a great role model for women, right? Because like I said, like there's so, especially like here with social media and there's so many people who are posers or like they say these, they talk a lot, they give a lot of advice, but they've never lived it, worked it, done it. I think it's hard for kids to also decipher, you know, what that means.

43:33And there's so much disinformation and Instagram is not reality. And And most people, even the last couple of days, I'm like, oh, you're everywhere. You're doing everything. You live such a great life. I'm like, I'm fucking tired. Yeah, exactly. I'm so tired. I've been traveling nonstop. And I love it. But it's also not glamorous. I'm trying to get from point A to point B as fast as I can to get to something else. And I love that. I love that hustle. But it is not glamorous. And Instagram is not real. And so I don't envy kids these days because it is a very hard world. It's terrible. And especially even just talk about mental health, right?

44:15Like the mental health has gone. It hurt me as an adult to like mentally be okay reading the comments that come on my feet. And especially for kids, those bullies are coming from their inner circle. I at least can pretend that it's some, you know, somebody living in their mother's basement, you know. 100%. You know, it's easy for me to pretend, but for kids, like, no, these are, that's actually my classmate that I thought I was friends with. A hundred percent. It's really, really awful. And it's horrible. I, I, do you spend, do you spend a lot of time on social media though, or not really? I try not to.

44:50I mean, I can't say that I'm immune to it. I definitely have a lot thicker skin that I used to. I have to, but you know, I, I try to use my platform in a positive way. You know, I try to show people like how hard I'm working and what you can do. And, you know, with my injuries, you know, there's I get so many messages from especially from teenagers who are in high school or college sports and they've blown their knee out and they're asking me for advice or help and even professional athletes that are asking me for help. And and that's what I love. I think social media can connect you in amazing ways.

45:25It's not all about, you know, people hating you, but sometimes those are the only comments that you see. Right. And it's hard to shut that out of your mind as well. I agree. Like it's always that way. Like you could have a million positive. You just see the one. You just see that one negative and that can just spiral you out of control. I try to, I have like a filter on like things that if people say, I don't see it. Could you, how do you filter out just negative comments? It's just keywords. You have like a keyword filter. Really? Yeah. I didn't know you were able to do that. Oh my gosh. Get into that.

45:57I know. I know. I had no idea. I should really kind of. Can you tell me afterwards how to do that? Show me. Yes, I will. I had no idea. Yeah. Because that would be so helpful. So people swear or they say, like, I hope you die. But also some of this is just nonsense. Like these are people most of the time. There's some pretty messed up people out there. It's actually dangerous more than anything. Like I find like you have to be super, super careful because now people are so much more, you're easier. Like it's easier to get. I have a defense dog. You what? I have a defense dog. You do? Yeah. I just, I feel safer.

46:35Because like with social media and like everyone knows where you are and like it's just, I feel safer. That's amazing. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. I didn't know this. So wait, so she's not here. I don't feel threatened. You don't feel? I'm glad. I don't, I don't, I don't think that, I think that you could probably. She'd probably puddle with you. Okay. I was going to say, but I feel like Faith that you could probably like, like demolish me yourself. Because like, I, but. But okay, but what's your routine now then? You said like you don't, you're not as obviously as vigorous as you were, but you work out every morning for how, what's your routine now?

47:08Not every morning, but I mean, it's like, it depends on travel. Like for example, this morning. How long are you away now this time? This, in this location, I'm here for two and a half days. Okay. I go to another location for two days, another location for two days, and then I'm home. God. Christmas, I'm so excited. Oh my gosh, that's a crazy schedule. Yeah. But it's good. I mean, like, I'm going to see my dad on the weekend. So it'll be nice. Or on Monday, forget what day of the week it is, get to see some kids. I'm going to stop by the ski school and say hi to some kids. It'll be good. But like, for example, this morning.

47:42So I woke up at 7.30. I was on the bike by 8. I did 40 minutes of cardio. I did 10 minutes of sauna. I jumped in the pool, which is not heated. It's really, really cold. Like a cold plunge then, basically. Basically. Yeah. And then I took a shower and I was on a board call at 9 o 'clock. I had hair and makeup come at 10.15. I was on the board call while I was finishing hair and makeup. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I left at 11 o 'clock, went to my first TV show, and then I had another podcast. And then I had you. What podcast did you do before me? Dwayne Wade. Oh, okay. Not like it makes a difference. I'm just wondering.

48:19I'm like, oh, okay.

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49:34do you do the red light you believe in the red light for like a like a what red light like in general like infrared like no just like red light therapy like would you ever you know i like i have a bad whatever like ultraviolet no just like a red light like and for i guess you would call it well i have like an infrared light set like sauna that those you know yeah that's infrared yeah but i'm talking about a red light for your face like do you ever do any red light for injuries for inflammation? Listen, I think there are some strong enough lasers or red lights, however you want to call them, that can stimulate healing.

50:05Yeah. Is it going to fix you? Absolutely not. No, they're not going to fix you. No. Is it going to make it feel slightly better? Maybe. Is it worth it? Probably not. Probably not, right? Normally, if you have a problem, if you have pain somewhere, it's usually coming from somewhere else. Normally, I would say most people can't figure out what, where that is, where it's coming from. So you need to go to, that's a hard thing. I can't even recommend somebody or something because most people won't be able to figure it out. But chiropractors are pretty good at figuring it out. Like when my rib goes out, it's because my right hip is too tight.

50:42It's pulling me. Yes. So, you know, but that to me, I agree with you, but you have to be, you have to go to someone who's really good and knowledgeable. And that's the really hard part. So sometimes I just say, manage it the best you can because your body will adapt. Unless you can really dig in and do the therapy to get it back, you're better off just kind of adapting to the way it is unless it's pain. It's super painful. But when my ribs go out, it's really painful. So I have to figure it out. That's really painful. Do you ever get sciatica? No. You ever get that? Do you prefer sauna or the cold plunge?

51:18What do you think is a better, like a more, like a better modality if you have to pick one or the other. Well, so you're not supposed to do cold plunges after you weightlift. Right. Right. Cause it, it doesn't, it doesn't, it stops. So when you, you're actually tearing your muscle. Yeah. I thought it helped. It also stops your bleeding. So it restricts your, your veins. So like, you're not, you're not able to recover. You're not able to repair. So it's like, you're not building anymore. It stops. Okay. Wait, wait, wait, say that again, because that's interesting. Cause I want to make that into a clip for people because I'm not a doctor.

51:51You're probably no more than most doctors, by the way. But say that again. So this is what my trainer told me, and I believe everything he says. But if you go into a cold plunge after you weightlift, when you weightlift, your muscles are being torn apart. You're actually tearing your muscle. And then it rebuilds on top of itself to make it even stronger. So if you jump into a cold plunge right after, you're stopping not only the tearing, it's bleeding, your muscles bleeding, it's not going to be able to repair itself. Like it's not going to be better than what it was. Right, right, right. Okay.

52:24It's going to stop the healing. So normally you should get in a cold plunge, you know, like after cardio. Cardio is fine. You're not building anything besides cardiovascular strength. Totally fine to jump in a cold plunge. The sauna is good, but sometimes like for me, if I jump into the sauna without the cold plunge, I'll get too inflamed. Really? Yeah. If you jump into the sauna without the cold plunge? Yeah. So I'm a little bit odd in that with all my surgeries, when I go into a hot tub, when I go into a sauna, my circulation gets going and then my knee starts to blow up. Wow. So I have to be like really conscious of how long I'm in there and make sure I get into the cold plunge after.

53:09And like my body is a constant, like it's a job. I have to work really hard just to maintain it. And part of the reason, not only for my mental standing, do I go into the gym, but I also have to, to not hurt. If I stop working out, I will literally fall apart. I mean, I totally understand what you're saying. I feel you on that. But at the same time, you have to be so careful with all that you got to work around so many of these injuries. I know how to do that. Right. So you've got to be super Yeah. So I know what I have to do. If something's hurting, where it's coming from. When I am not able to work out enough, my back starts to hurt because I'm not doing the posterior chain work.

53:53It's all correlated and every cause has an effect. And when you understand your body better and through working out, through therapy, you can self-heal yourself in a lot of ways. You can figure out how to make things better on your own without therapy. And I have to do that because I don't have access all the time to therapists anymore. But it's something that you learn. You know, it's not, I didn't just wake up and, you know, I'm a professional athlete, so I must know, you know, what I'm dealing with. A lot of professional athletes don't know. Right. They couldn't tell you why something hurts or, you know, I have back pain and they have no idea that it's coming from their hip flexors.

54:31There's a lot of athletes that don't know. So it's something that you can learn. It's not just professional athletes. Everyone can learn more about their body and being more and more in tune with it and, and feel better because you understand it better. Is there anything that you can like tell us me that work that you found that works really well, that maybe is not so mainstream like a sauna or a cold plunge that it's a different modality that like another type of. Honestly, like, because when you sit all like I sit a lot, I'm in planes a lot. You know, most people sit a lot in the office. Any type of like chest stretching, like open your thoracic.

55:09Yeah. Is that changed my life? Because I'm always, I'm hunched. You know, my hip flexors. So if I can do like, you know, lunge stretching with like my, you know, my arms, like getting like my, my, I don't know. Lats? My lats, my lats, my chest. Like my stretching my chest helps me so much. Really? Which is, I honestly never would have thought of that. But I have this amazing therapist, Lorenzo, and he's like a chiropractor. He's a freaking magician. But anyways, most of my problems come because my chest and hip flexors are too tight. Are too tight. So like stretching, it's not like muscular stretching.

55:52It's like your - Mobility. Mobility. Yeah, it's mobility stretching. Do you believe in supplements? I do take anything like collagen or, you know, omega-3s. I feel like I'm so broken that, like, that's just not going to help me. You take the duct tape. I'd rather just, like, duct tape my knee together. Yeah. I mean, I do still take, like, collagen and protein powder. And I do B12 and, like, vitamin D3 just because in the winter I don't see the sun enough. But nothing, like, nothing more than that. I could get more into it. But I honestly, and a lot of people, a lot of studies, a lot of doctors tell me that it does help.

56:28But I honestly just don't think it does. Yeah. You know what's so interesting? I find, because I find the biohacking group of people, I speak to so many of these people. And they'll tell you 97 things that they do in their morning routine where it's such a long list. Where it's practically dinner time by the time they finish their morning routine. Most people don't have that kind of time. I mean, that's what I'm saying. And it's so unrealistic. Yeah. But the people who are actually like you, let's say, it's like they don't buy into this. They don't believe in that. Like a lot of it's like a moneymaker, really.

56:59You know what I mean? Like it's the basics that really work. Well, everyone wants to be young. Everyone wants to be young. Exactly. There's a lot of money to be made. You know, people want to profit. 100%. And, you know, use you for that. And honestly, it's like you got to live your life. 100%. There's a balance. You know, take care of yourself. Yes. Eat right. You know, do the things you can do. But also, like, have some ice cream. Do you eat ice cream? Yeah. You do? Yeah. Like how often are you eating ice cream? Like my friends for my birthday, they insta-carded me like eight cans, containers of Ben and Jerry's.

57:33Did you eat them all? Not all of them. But like I sit down, you know, and I'm like I have a really bad day and I'll watch Law and Order and I'll just like go to town. Yeah. It was something like my family always did together. It was like, both my parents were lawyers and the only thing we ever did was Law & Order, Saturday Night Live. And for some reason, like, it makes me feel better. Like, Olivia Benson, Mariska, now that we're friends, like, it literally makes me extremely happy. Wow. That, like, she makes me feel better. That is amazing. My family would watch Gold—me and my sister, my mom, my dad never watched it, but Golden Girls.

58:11And it's because of that, it's like, it's so nostalgic. Yeah, it is nostalgic. If I see it on TV now, I still like, it makes me feel. I know. So much better. Yes, exactly. Yeah. So you're not someone who's like, I'm a vegan. I won't eat this. I'm like an intermittent faster. It's like balance. You know, like. Are you an intermittent faster? No. Okay, good. No. Thank you. At least one person on this podcast isn't. The only thing I do, I would highly recommend. Like I did the glucose testing. I did a couple months of that just to like see, you know, what my body was reacting to. One thing that I recommend not doing is eating any food on a plane ever.

58:45Because of the high sodium? I don't know what they're putting in it, but it did not sit well with me. I could eat three gallons of ice cream and it wouldn't spike my insulin as much as anything I ate on an airplane. Really? Anything? I don't know what they're putting in it. I don't know. Any airline, I'm not naming any. It was anything that I touched. And I don't know. Some people say it's because it's high altitude, which I think is totally BS. I think it's mainly just there's preservatives and sugars because they want it to taste good. It's just all these extra things and my insulin just spiked so high.

59:20I do not eat on planes. I always pack my own food that I carry with me, even if it's a short flight. I also have some almonds, but I never eat on planes. That's a great tip, actually. That's a really great tip. Lots of water. Yeah. And also because you can feel it, right? Like you feel when you eat that food. Oh, I feel so bad. Like if I'm, if something happens and I don't have my food and I'm starving and I have to eat something, I feel horrible. Yeah. No, I totally agree. And it's like, you feel horrible for like days after too. Yeah. It's not just like for like an hour. And my knee, like my knee swells, you know.

59:52My knee is like, it's kind of like a little like health meter. I was going to say, it must be, right? Like, that's crazy. I travel too much. Like any of the, any of the things, drink too much wine. And it's like – Do you drink alcohol often, not often? Only tequila. Lobos. Oh, yeah. Okay, right. Only tequila. That's right. What's it called? Lobos. Yeah, and I'm an investor. You are? Mm-hmm. Okay. Is it a premium tequila? It's premium. Yeah? Yeah. I mean, they have, you know, Mezcal and Añejo, Extra Añejo, Hoven, Reposado. See, I'm not a drinker, but if I do drink, that's the only thing I'll do.

1:00:31It doesn't make me swell. I check my insulin. Like it's the only thing that doesn't spike me. I used to be a really heavy gin and tonic or gin and ginger ale. And gin, I love gin, but it's a pretty big depressant. More than like vodka? Yeah. Really? Vodka is just alcohol and water. And so what is gin? Isn't that the same? I mean. I don't know. It's a longer fermentation and there's also more sugar in it. So that's why it becomes more of a depressant? I think so. I'm pretty sure. Really? To my knowledge. I didn't know that. How about whiskey? I know nothing about alcohol. Don't quote me on this podcast.

1:01:01I might have to quote me on this podcast. whiskey but i i'm 99 sure that's accurate really okay so you eat every meal so you eat your breakfast your lunch your dinner you eat meat you eat chicken you eat everything i eat vegan like i have beyond me i have just eggs i i have a balance like i'm not you're not crazy about the food no were you ever when you were in your prime prime training like did you ever get body issues or body image issues yeah i would feel like i i when i won the olympics i you know i was on i started to be on like red carpets for things. And I'm like, I look around me and like, I don't look like anyone else here.

1:01:35And, you know, I would go do fittings and they're like, yeah, this sample size doesn't fit you. And I'm like, okay, well, how do, what do I do? Can I wear something? Like, you know, it was definitely apparent that I wasn't the norm. And I definitely had some body images, body image issues after that but it was only like two-year stint and I just was like f it I'm good how did you get over it though that's like one thing that I would think I lost the world cup title by three points and I got over it real quick really yeah so do you think that was a do you think that affected your really I didn't eat as much as I should have and I just I was more conscious of the way I looked instead of just working as hard as I could and I definitely think it had an effect, especially on the beginning half of my season.

1:02:25And I lost by three points and and it was a tough pill to swallow, but I, I got over it pretty quick. And then ever since then, you're like, I'm not like, I'm not, I'm not, you know, my body has a purpose and I want to win. And, you know, if I don't look the same, that's fine. You know, it's so interesting to hear you say that because I remember like the, I think the things that, you know, you kind of hear in the back is like you were known to be like the hottest like girl athlete. You don't – you're looking at me like I'm crazy. You were like – don't you – you must have heard this. You were like Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.

1:03:00You did the Maxim stuff. Yeah, but like Maxim stuff. I'm also like – I don't know. I'm not – I don't have like a – You've never heard this before? This could be the first time you're hearing this. No, I don't view myself in that way. But I'm happy to be like – I'm happy that, you know, a strong athlete is in like swimsuit issue because I think that's important. A hundred percent agree with you. But I don't look at myself as like, ooh. But you don't remember like, maybe it just because in the zeitgeist, you know, you hear these things and it's because it's you, you don't realize it's you. You know what I mean?

1:03:35It's like that was you, that's, that's you. Yeah. But that's how, it's interesting when you hear girls like yourself who had a bot, like who had that body image or you had that like a little bit of that stint of insecurity with you, how you looked when you're obviously so beautiful. I mean, you really are. And that's... It's all in the eye of the beholder. It's not obvious. Yeah. But I'm telling you, like, that's like, that was like the, you were like the hot, like super hot girl athlete. You don't remember this? No, but like, am I, this is also the problem. Am I like, do you know me more for that?

1:04:11Or do know me for winning. I know. I, I personally, I remember, I remember you for being like the, like a badass. Like if there's going to be a real female badass, it would be you. Like, that's what I remember. Cause this girl was like fear. Like that's how I remember you. I can accept that. Fearless. I accept that. Resilient. Cause I remember you just kept on coming back for more, more, more, like you would get hurt. Like I thought, wow, this, talk about a role model for women and for girls and for young girls, this is like, there's no one better. Because like you would show like, you know, it doesn't matter.

1:04:47Like if you this, if you had, if you got knocked down, you got injured, you got hurt, you got right back up. And not only did you get back up, you proved that you can still be, you can still win. You can still do all these things. Like to me, that's what makes you legendary in my mind, because no, it's the truth. And so like, I have a little girl and funnily enough, I think that you're on, there's this app called, actually you have to get involved in this app now. It's called Legends. And it's, oh my, you should be, I'm not even joking. You're perfect. The app is basically a confident app for kids.

1:05:24No way. Yeah. And you do five minutes of these, these, these very specific training sessions and it helps build children's confidence at a young age because it starts when you're young. Yeah, of course. And they have all the best, like the people from Scholastic and all these people who helped put it together. And they start them by giving people these like very powerful stories of people like role models. Like they did a Michael Jordan one. I really believe that you were one of them. Well, I honestly, I want to like get in touch with them. I have my foundation. Our purpose is to help underserved girls and empower them through scholarships and programs.

1:06:08So I've been trying to find a way to build a community of girls and empower them. And I want to get it. I want this app. I'm telling you, you would be a perfect person to be partnered with them because with your foundation, especially because you are like you are the legend that they are talking about. But I will tell you, because my little girl, she's eight years old, and it gives her, she wants to be a dancer. She's eight years old. And she hears these stories from women and girls who've gone after their dreams and actually accomplished them, and it changes their mindset. It changes their brains, and she believes now that she can be a dancer.

1:06:52Perspective. It's all perspective. I want to get you in touch with them. Okay, I really want to do that. No, I'm not to be on it, but like I want to give that to my girls. You should. How big? So can you just tell me? I know it's probably like I'm going to wrap this right after this, but I want to hear about your foundation because I think it's a really beautiful thing that you're doing. Thanks. Well, we have scholarships and empowerment programs for underserved girls, and we've given over a million dollars in scholarships. Wow. I'm at every camp, so we have these like weekend camps where we have a curriculum, our own curriculum.

1:07:21We just developed our own curriculum, And we just basically teach them about grit and like how to be confident and build good friendships. And we'll also talk a little bit about like financial literacy and cyberbullying, like just giving them the tools to be able to navigate life and tell them that they can. You wouldn't believe how many kids that I've spoken to where actually their parents told them they'll never be good at something. And they quit. you know, they'll quit soccer because one person told them an offhanded comment, like they're not good at it. Totally. You know, and they're so sensitive and especially in this world with social media, like one little comment and they're done.

1:08:03And so I'm trying to get them the tools to be able to reframe that negativity and, you know, allow themselves to believe in what they're doing and who they are. So I don't know, it's more than just scholarship. It's really about empowerment. What would be the one tip you would tell young girls, young people who have self-doubt, that they didn't have a dad like yours who said, you know what, let's do this. Let's write out a 10-year plan. Well, my dad wasn't always there. And there are a lot of people that told me that I couldn't do it. And if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will. So you have to believe in what you're doing.

1:08:38And it's easier said than done. But if you truly want something, then you have to believe in it and you have to go after it, which means working hard. A lot of kids, especially kids, expect that when they say they want to be something, it's going to be manifested and magically appear. Nothing in life is easy. We just have to work hard to get to where we want to go. And if we fall and we get back up, then that's it. I love that. Thank you. My God, Lindsay, I'm so happy that you came on this podcast. No, seriously. I'm so glad we got introduced to each other. I really am. I think you're so inspirational.

1:09:13Really, I really do. For old women, too. I think it's amazing because you're just such a great role model for someone who says they're going to do something, follows through, does it, shows people that they can. I really think you should be very proud of yourself. I'm serious. It's amazing. I'm thankful that I had a good family teaching me. Yeah, but you know what? Like, true. But you really, like, you really are super inspirational. And I've never really, I wouldn't say that if I didn't, I'm not just saying that because you're sitting on this podcast. I don't think you're the kind of person that would say that.

1:09:46I wouldn't. I wouldn't at all. At all. So I appreciate it. Thank you. No, it's amazing. Guys, you have to watch the HBO. I love all those kind of documentaries. But like, yours is really great. And her book is Rise. Of course, the other one, Strong is a New Beautiful. And the Strong is a New Skinny. We them in tandem. We should do like a buy them in bulk. We should do like, who's your publisher? HarperCollins. Okay, mine was Random House, but that is hilarious. It's really funny. And you know what I would always tell people? Oh, sorry. Okay, guys, so get her books and we'll check you out later.

1:10:16Oh, also on social media, what is your handle? It's just my name, Lindsey Vonn. There you go. Or Lindsey Vonn Foundation. Oh, yes, the foundation, which is amazing. Thank you. With an E. Oh, with E. That's true because I always would, I spelled it with an A and I couldn't, I got screwed up. It's a thing. It's with an E. It's an E, I know. And two N's, right? Yes, V-O-N-N. Good. Thank you. Thank you.