Tell us what you like or dislike about this episode!! Be honest, we don't bite!

Most people want “motivation.” Olympians build systems, and they learn how to perform when everything hurts, everything’s on the line, and you’ve got to go again in 20 minutes.

In this episode, Matt Haycox sits down with Sarah Lindsay, 3x Olympic short track speed skater, European gold medallist, and a decade-long British champion, now founder of ROAR (London + Dubai) and one of the UK’s most sought-after trainers. 

Sarah breaks down what elite sport really teaches you about resilience, pressure, and identity… then how she used those lessons to build a premium training brand, recover from major injury, navigate litigation, and scale a high-touch coaching operation that delivers results without the usual fitness industry chaos. 

You’ll hear Matt and Sarah talk about:

• How Sarah went from “hyperactive kid” to elite athlete, and why sport saved her focus.
• The reality of Olympic sport: funding, pressure, and why it’s not “rich athlete life”.
• The Olympian mentality: resilience, emotional control, and performing under pressure.
• The injury that nearly ended her career, and the brutal rehab mindset that brought her back.
• Transitioning from athlete to PT: what most athletes get wrong after retirement.
• Building ROAR: why premium results require structure, coaching, and standards (not chaos gyms).
• Litigation lessons: what happens when business gets messy, and what she’d do differently.
• ROAR’s operating model: team-based client care + coaching systems that scale. 
• Dubai, high-performance lifestyle, and training high-profile clients.

Timestamps:
0:00 – 3x Olympian + ROAR Founder: Sarah Lindsay 
1:33 – Coming Up: Injury, mindset, and building a premium brand 
5:50 – Early athletic beginnings: from “naughty kid” to elite focus 
13:40 – Olympic career + the truth about money/funding 
21:37 – Olympic mindset: resilience, pressure, emotional control 
26:48 – The injury: “you might never skate again” + recovery 
31:46 – Redemption, confidence, and retirement decisions 
42:00 – Athlete to PT: rebuilding identity after sport 
48:12 – Starting ROAR: premium training, standards, and experience 
57:07 – Lessons in litigation (business can get savage) 
01:05:19 – How ROAR operates: systems, coaches, client results 
01:09:43 – Dubai life + training high-profile clients 
01:17:33 – Industry views + advice for anyone starting fitness/business 
01:22:33 – Final thoughts 

Follow Sarah:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roarfitnessgirl/
Website: https://www.roar-fitness.com/
ROAR Ldn: https://www.instagram.com/roarfitnessldn/

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Stripping Off with Matt Haycox and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, it helps more people find the show.