Amy Van Dyken is a six-time Olympic gold-medalist swimmer and the first American female athlete to win four gold medals in a single Games. In June of 2014, Amy’s life was turned upside down. She severed her spinal cord in an ATV accident, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Instead of being defeated, Amy attacked her rehab with relentless optimism and has become a champion for the disabilities community. In our conversation today, we talk about how to stay positive in the face of adversity, persevere against all odds, and go for it!
Follow Amy: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Show Notes
- Her expectations going into the 1996 Olympic Games (1:43)
- The mental preparation and visualization techniques Amy used to compete at the highest level (4:01)
- You learn more from disappointment and losses than from accolades and wins (6:17)
- The difference between her first and second Olympics; and returning from shoulder surgery to win two more gold medals in 2000 (7:37)
- What it’s like to represent your country on the world’s biggest stage (10:58)
- How narrowly missing out on the 1992 Olympics motivated her for 1996 (14:29)
- Why she started swimming and overcoming asthma to compete (16:29)
- How the death of her younger brother impacted her (19:47)
- The ATV accident that paralyzed her from the waist down (21:42)
- Re-learning to live after the accident (27:38)
- What built her resilience (29:59)
- How she overcomes negative thinking (31:17)
- Embracing a new challenge competing in adaptive Crossfit (33:03)
- Using her platform as a voice for the disability community (35:48)
Resources / People Mentioned
- 1996 Summer Olympics (Atlanta)
- 2000 Summer Olympics (Sydney)
- AP Female Athlete of the Year
- Amy Van Dyken severs spine in ATV accident
- Janet Evans, swimmer
- Tom Rouen, NFL
- Denver Broncos, NFL
- Rob Dibble, MLB
- Kevin Ogar, Crossfit
- Katie Ledecky, Olympic swimmer
Recommended For You
Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:
- Inky Johnson on Overcoming Adversity
- Carli Lloyd on Outworking the Competition
- Jon Dorenbos on Life Is Magic- A Story of Resilience, Faith, and Forgiveness
Thanks for checking out Game Changers with Molly Fletcher. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app and leave a rating or review!
