🎯 Expect to learn how an Olympic pole vaulter turns pain into purpose, builds an unshakable mindset with her Acknowledge–Identify–Decide–Act framework, and engineers comebacks that defy “average Olympian” labels. You’ll hear how she handles injury, fear, federation rejection, and looming retirement, all while staying grounded in authentic self-belief instead of external validation. This conversation is a masterclass in chasing “higher bars” in sport, career, and life without letting what you do become who you are.

Follow Anicka: https://www.instagram.com/flygirl93/

Pole vault phenom and three‑time Olympian Anika Newell sits down to unpack what it really takes to chase “higher bars” in sport and in life. From loving the pain of elite training to rebuilding her technique a decade into her pro career, she breaks down how she keeps improving while most people are looking for the off-ramp.

Anika shares the moment Athletics Canada dropped her and called her an “average Olympian,” how that nearly broke her, and why she chose to turn it into fuel instead of a finish line. She explains her simple but brutal resilience system: Acknowledge, Identify, Decide, Act, and how the same framework carried her through a nasty ankle injury that she rehabbed back to vaulting in just 15 days.

You’ll also hear how she separates who she is from what she does, why 2025 is her full‑send “leave it all on the track” year, and how she’s thinking about identity, relationships, and life after the runway. From documenting the ugly parts of recovery to navigating modern dating as a world‑class athlete, this is a raw, funny, and deeply practical look at a high‑performance mindset you can actually apply to your own life.

 ✅ If This Conversation Resonates With You: 

Subscribe for more conversations on discipline, protection, and building a life that actually works.

🔗 Connect with Spencer Coursen 

📧 Mailbag: [email protected] 

🌐 Website: https://www.SpencerCoursen.com 

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s.coursen/?

🎙️Podcast Guest Submission Form: https://www.spencercoursen.com/guest-submission-form-podcast 

📰 Newsletter: https://spencer-coursen.beehiiv.com/

📖 "The Safety Trap" by Spencer Coursen: https://a.co/d/3KXG4y2 

👨‍⚖️ Hire Spencer Coursen as your next keynote speaker: https://www.spencercoursen.com/public-speaking  

Special Thanks To:

⌨️ Podcast Recorded Studio: Record ATX:  https://www.recordatx.com/  

🎶 Theme Song: "Underground Moments" by Cushy: https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/bd4f94e1-a84b-4859-8eaf-09bab32426f0/ 

🎬 Ronin6 Media:  https://www.Ronin6.com