Unlocking Peak Potential: Wisdom from Annika Sorenstam

0:01Mick:You're listening to Mick Unplugged, hosted by the one and only Mick Hunt. This is where purpose meets power and stories spark transformation. Mick takes you beyond the motivation and into meaning, helping you discover your because and becoming unstoppable. I'm Rudy Rush, and trust me, you're in the right place. Let's get unplugged.

0:27Mick:Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting episode of Mick Unplugged. And today I am with my goat of all goats. A lot of you don't know this about me, but I picked up golf several years ago. I'm not great by any stretch of imagination. Most people say I'm not good by any stretch of imagination. But today's guest is the reason that I picked up a golf club to begin with. watching her dominate, watching her competitive spirit, watching the consistency. Taught me a lot about what I should be doing both on the golf course and in life. So I'm honored to present to you the legendary, the iconic, the brilliant, the unparalleled, Mrs.

1:03Mick:Annika Sorensen. Annika, how are you doing today, dear?

1:06Annika Sorenstam:Well, thank you so much for that introduction. Great to be with you.

1:09Mick:I am the honored one. This is truly a bucket list. you know, when he talked to my kids and they saw that I started playing golf many, many years ago. And again, I'm not good by any stretch of imagination, but I got into golf because of you. The domination that you had and the fearlessness that you had was so unparalleled. So again, I'm honored to be here with you. Well, thank you.

1:31Annika Sorenstam:I'm glad you picked up the sport. As you know, it's a fun sport you can do with everybody all your life. So good for you.

1:37Mick:And you can't blame anyone else either. You can only blame yourself, right? That's why I love golf. That's true.

1:41Annika Sorenstam:I know sometimes you wish you could, but in the end, it all comes back to you.

1:46Mick:Absolutely. Anika, the first question I love asking all of my guests is what is your because? Right. Like if I were to ask you what's your why, you're going to tell me, you know, my kids, my family, my community, my foundation. But when I say why, why is that important? That sentence usually begins with, well, because. And I care about your because. And your because changes over time. So if I were to say today, Annika Sorensen, what is your because? Why do you do the things that you do?

2:16Annika Sorenstam:That's kind of a fun way to ask that question because I think that hits the spot more directly. Because I think, I mean, it makes me feel good. I want to make a difference. I want to inspire the next generation. And because I feel very lucky, to be honest. I feel very lucky in the sense that, you know, I start playing golf as a hobby. Of course, it was fun. And then I took it to a different level. It became kind of my work, or if you want to put it there, it was kind of great work. And then, you know, be able to step away and continue to follow that passion. And so I think that is my because.

2:55Mick:I love that. I love everything about it because that truly defines who you are. And I think who you always have been. You know, one of the things that I learned from you, and again, this isn't golf, this is just in life, is the dedication to your craft, always being prepared. You know, I've heard you say this. I've heard Michael Jordan say this same thing, and it's something that I live by. You know, like Michael Jordan said he never took a shot. He never practiced, right? Like he was always prepared for moments. And I've heard you say, you know, you were always prepared to do what you needed to do.

3:29Mick:Talk to us about just the preparation. Again, I get it in sports, but also in life. I think you are one of, if not the most prepared posting for moments that I've ever seen.

3:40Annika Sorenstam:Well, thank you. For me, you know, I just want to be ready. I'm going to step in in any arena. I want to be ready to go. It doesn't mean that I, you know, of course, I understand that sometimes you have to pivot and especially golf. I mean, things don't really turn out the way you think it is. It might start raining on the third hole or you get bad bounces, you think, or whatever the circumstance, you'd have to learn how to pivot. But I do feel like to do something well and, you know, feel comfortable in something to me. I'm just very shy by nature. So for me, preparation was a way to, you know, handle a situation.

4:15Annika Sorenstam:Knowing I'm ready, I can do that. Then that shyness and that nervousness didn't really appear so much. So I think for me, it was just, it's almost like living and doing something before you do it made me feel very comfortable. And I think I can relate that to many things in my life where I feel in my mind I've done it and then I go and try and do it. You know, for me to go into a situation where totally, you know, out of the blue or totally cold, it would make me really, you know, uncomfortable. And that's where I think preparation gives me confidence. And I like to do things well. I mean, I like to represent personally myself, my partners, my family.

4:51Annika Sorenstam:And to do that, to be, you know, you want to make sure that you do what you can. And that's giving me confidence, I think, coming in and being aware of a situation or have done the research, knowing what I'm talking about. It just helps to feel good about something.

5:05Mick:Absolutely. Absolutely. And I just learned something. I did not know that you were shy by nature. I would not have known that with how you interact and all the things that you do and the lives that you touch. But speaking of the lives that you touch, again, I think you single-handedly had the greatest impacts on the game of golf at an international and global level. And I give Tiger a ton of credit for that as well, too. But I think you kind of had that first because, again, for someone like me, it was watching you. It was watching you play. And it was watching, again, the domination that you had, but the preparation that you had.

5:41Mick:And you did everything with grace. And that's what I love. You're ultra-competitive. And I know that because I'm ultra competitive, too. But you still handle things with grace. And I think a lot of people that are ultra competitive don't necessarily do that. Right. It's easy to win with grace, but it's not easy to not win. I'm not going to say lose, but it's not easy to not win with grace. When did you realize the global impact that you were having on lives?

6:06Annika Sorenstam:Yeah, I mean, I think just, you know, growing up in Sweden and, you know, Sweden is, you know, quite a small country that, you know, early on, I was exposed to traveling around the world to compete. I mean, it started obviously, you know, in Scandinavia and then it was Europe and then it was, you know, a little bit more globally after. And I just, you know, you get to experience different cultures and different people and understanding what a little bit more about the world. So I learned pretty early what, you know, the big picture. And so I think for me, it was, you know, early on, it's like, well, I represent myself.

6:40Annika Sorenstam:I also represent Sweden and women's golf. And yes, I am extremely competitive. And I think I'm one of those players that, you know, I work very hard behind the scenes, you know, very disciplined. And then the curtain will open and here I come and I do my thing. And then I kind of go. I've always wanted to take the trophy and run. I was never really somebody who wanted to be seen and be heard and, you know, kind of be on stage and have that limelight. That was just, that's not really what I was that's ever really been important to me I think what's been important to me is obviously the sport playing well becoming a good golfer and fine-tuning my game and and like my dad always said you know Annika let the clubs do the talking and and that's really I you know I would say that's kind of my core how I am and what I stood for and it made me comfortable you know I was never you know drama and theater and singing that was just never my thing but sports were.

7:36Annika Sorenstam:And this was my way of performing, but also doing it in a way that, you know, I enjoyed grinding. I mean, I love hitting balls on the range. I love working on my stroke. You know, I went out there and there was the gym or the mental aspect, just, you know, dissecting my game in pieces and really trying to make every piece the very best that I could. And I figured, you know, if I was the best player in every category, you know, I would be hard to beat. And that was really how, what drove me. That was my motivation. And that's what, you know, And that was my goal through the years.

8:07Mick:And you did it better than anyone else has ever done. So congratulations and kudos to you. But I know as proud as you are of what you did, you know, in the game of golf and what you're continuing to do in the game of golf, you also, and these are my words and my words only, but you're more proud, I think, of the lives that you're touching with the foundation that you have. And I'd love to talk about the Annika Foundation a little bit because I'm proud of the work that you're doing. And I want to give you the floor to talk about, you know, the mission behind the foundation.

8:39Annika Sorenstam:Yeah, well, thank you for bringing that up. You know, when I stepped away, I knew that I wanted to do something to give back. And maybe this ties in with the first question is because. But I knew that, you know, I just, you know, I'm not finished. I just finished competing myself. But I wanted to continue my legacy and be able to inspire the next generation of, you know, because I remember when, again, when I was a young girl, a shy young girl, and what was important and, you know, who I was looking up to and what were the possibilities. And, you know, when I stepped away in 2008, I mean, I felt like the possibilities of being a female golfer is a lot bigger today than it was, you know, when I, you know, when I started.

9:24Annika Sorenstam:And I obviously now, 20 years later, there's even more opportunities for these young women. And to me, that is just, I don't know, it makes you feel good and makes you proud that you're part of a sport where, you know, opportunities exist for young players, you know, to work hard and be able to travel around the world and, you know, make a living on a sport that they love. And so, you know, I really get a lot of joy out of spending time with young, you know, young, don't have to be professionals, but, you know, as you know, these amateurs nowadays, they act like professionals. They're so mature already, but just to be able to talk to them, inspire them, motivate them and guide them by sharing stories or mistakes that I made and then to see them go on and do very well.

10:10Annika Sorenstam:I mean, it's like you cheer for them and you become part of their journey. And I really get a lot of joy out of that. And I feel like with my knowledge I have or the expertise and kind of the resources, you know, the foundation, we've been able to provide these opportunities to empower and advance young women through the sport. So, yeah, it's competitions, but it's also mentoring. We do sponsor some players. We sponsor a tour. We recognize successes for these young women. And it's just, I don't know, it's just open doors for them. And it's been fun to see the growth of women's sport on different levels.

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12:52Mick:Whether it's enriching leads, coaching your sales team, resolving tickets, or streamlining marketing, Zapier makes it simple. Join the 3.4 million companies already automating with Zapier and transform how you work with Zapier and AI. Get started for free by visiting Zapier dot com slash Mick. That's Z-A-P-I-E-R dot com slash Mick. Yeah, I love it. I appreciate it. And I actually learned from you through the foundation as well, too. And I've had this question for you that I've been waiting to sit on because I need help. Hoping that Anika can help me here. How do you help these young people in such a distracted time that we have now, right?

13:35Mick:Like when I was growing up, I'm sure when you were growing up, there were no cell phones. There were not distractions in your face. And I'm not saying that these are bad things. So don't think I'm being the old guy in the room, right? That's not what I'm doing. How do you help people focus in a distraction-heavy world that we're in now? And this is me learning from you right now. So you're coaching me.

13:58Annika Sorenstam:I don't know if I have the certificate to do that, but no, I know exactly what you mean, because I mean, I have two teenagers at home and, you know, personally also, you know, we have cell phones and it feels like we're so busy all the time and that, you know, my mom says it all the time, just, you know, you guys are running around all day. And, you know, of course, they're in the 80s, so they don't remember what they did when they were 40 or 50. And I'm sure they did similar. But I do feel like we, you know, by having access to whether it's information or to people or just to anything. It's like we are constantly at a demand.

14:33Annika Sorenstam:Either people want us or we need other people. And it just feels like it's at the fingertips. So it's, there is a lot of distractions and, you know, this human communication and going for a coffee break or, you know, those are just, they're very rare because, you know, the phone will ring or somebody texts you. And so that accessibility I think is good and bad, but also, you know, our patience level is so, it's not the way it used to be. It's like you text somebody, if you don't text in five minutes, you're like, well, what's wrong, right? So I think, so how do I manage that? How do I tackle that with our kids?

15:09Annika Sorenstam:And, you know, I think it's all about what's important. You know, you have to prioritize what's, you know, when it's you and you're doing something, achieving something and staying focused. And it's a constant battle. For me, it's having a little me time. And, you know, if I'm in the middle of something, then, you know, this is my time. And, you know, I don't want to have distractions or other people. I don't need more information. I don't need more reels and videos to, to just, you know, complicate the decisions that you make. So, you know, put the phones away, focus on the moment and achieving things.

15:42Annika Sorenstam:And that's what I think is one of the things so good about golf is, you know, on the range. I mean, there's a few things that you can do, you know, leave the, you know, the phone in the golf bag, leave the phone in the car, go hit some balls and putt, have a little competition and, you know, don't put in your back pocket so that you feel every buzz or whatever it is. And, you know, and just, so those are some of the things that we do. But then again, I mean, technology is a good thing. I mean, today you can film your swing, you can look at other people's swings and you can analyze and get all kinds of information.

16:13Annika Sorenstam:So it's finding that balance where you are, you know, still can be a human. because you know, I mean, people talk about this AI, and I don't know if this is even part of the conversation, but, you know, there's certain things you can replace. I don't think you can replace a golfer or an athlete, like in certain things, right? So you still have to do, you know, do it. And that's really the repetitive motion of hitting shots and shots. So I always tell our son, especially, you don't need your phone here. You know, we're working on our swing and it's you and I would have a discussion. So it's finding that balance where technology is helping, but then also it's almost like a curve, you know, it gets to the point where it's good and then too much is just kind of like that.

16:48Annika Sorenstam:So yeah, I think balance is the word that we all need to implement in our lives. And that balance level, of course, can be different for different people. Not sure I answer your question, but it's something that we constantly, I mean, from the day we wake up to the day we go to bed, it's, you know, there's distractions left and right.

17:05Mick:Yeah, no, you answered it perfectly. I needed that for me. Like you were coaching me because I work with youths and do a lot of my communities. And one of the things that I run into, It's like every teenager now was almost like their own publicist or their own journalist, right? Because they can go run their social media account and do whatever. And again, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. I just had to learn what you just told me. And that's what I'm going to use is the balance, the healthy balance of distractions or of technology or of AI. So thank you for that. I needed that. Lesson learned from Monica Sorkin.

17:41Mick:You know, one of the things that I've always praised you about and something I've learned, And I know you're helping your athletes and students with this, too, is just the mental fortitude that it takes not just to win, but to manage pressure. And I've always said this, you know, I work with entrepreneurs, I work with salespeople and I work with with young folks as well, too. Pressure is a real thing. But how you control it, how you manage it, how you prepare for it is what separates those that can handle it and those who can't. And I don't like when people say there's no such thing as pressure.

18:15Mick:I'm like, no, you've never been in those moments before. There are moments where pressure is definitely real. How do you work with your students on managing pressure?

18:24Annika Sorenstam:Yeah, no, I mean, there's no doubt that pressure exists. I think pressure comes in different forms for sure. I mean, I would say in my case, a lot of the pressure that I feel, it's coming from me personally. you know, expectation, um, certain things I want to achieve or people, you know, I think that they maybe expect me that I have to do a certain thing. So you put pressure on yourself and, you know, I think, again, it goes back to preparation. You know, if I'm not prepared, then I feel a lot more pressure because I, it's like, okay, what am I doing? How am I going to attack this? And what am I going to say?

18:58Annika Sorenstam:And so, but I think, you know, pressure kind of goes hand in hand with, with goals and what do you want to achieve and being realistic about it. And I, I think that if, you know, for me, pressure has always been a way for me to focus a little bit more, being more disciplined. Because I think pressure in a way is like, okay, well, it's time to do something. And I just stay more focused if I, rather than not having a goal or maybe not a deadline or maybe not a, whatever it could be. I think it's important to have, I mean, you can have a vision and then you have a goal and then somehow pressure comes in there.