It's not everyday that I sit down in my recording studio (bed) and ramble for 30 minutes about the amazing things ski racing has taught me over the years. I really wanted to emphasize how special ski racing is for teaching kids life lessons and how it shaped me into the person that I am today. I also think it's important to talk about how success at a young age can affect your later career especially when you aren't ready to handle the expectations and pressure that will come your way. Finally, teammates aren't just there to be the shoulder you cry on or competitors to check training times against, they can also be your biggest supporters if you're able to foster a healthy dynamic! I give you my insights into how to be a better support of your teammates as well as some of the benefits that go along with building your support system :) Enjoy!

In this episode I talk about what it's been like transitioning from NCAA to World Cup skiing, climbing out of my depression cave, learning to trust myself and I even read some of my favourite sections from the book "Bravey" by Maya Rudolph. It's hard to imagine that less than 12 months ago I was curled up in my college apartment wishing I was anywhere else in the world and now I'm sitting in my European hotel room in Switzerland counting my blessings for the opportunities I have. Life can be crazy sometimes but it's important to stay true to yourself and have faith that things will turn around if you pu your mind to it.

Ski racing is a sport where athletes compete individually but also travel, train and live as a team. This combination can be challenging because often times your biggest competitors and the other people vying for the same starts as you are also your teammates. Over the years I've seen countless coaches and ski federations pit teammates against each other in an effort to create "healthy" competition but it usually fails, resulting in bitter rivalries and toxic team dynamics. Recently, I've experienced first-hand what it can be like to have teammates who celebrate your successes just as much as their own, view competition as a way for everyone to improve and genuinely care about your well-being. Allie and Zoe are a perfect example of how deeply rooted friendship and camaraderie can result in success on the race hill and within the team.

After consistently getting my a** handed to me by Britt in GS, I decided to sit down with Britt and have a talk about how she got so good, so fast. Despite growing up with two parents who understood what it took to be a ski racer, Britt took her career into her own hands and pushed herself to be the best, no matter the circumstance. It was an absolute pleasure hearing what Britt had to say about her life in skiing and the way she spoke about her teammates and competitors is truly admirable. Britt Richardson is a name you're going to want to remember.

Throughout my years as a young athlete my coaches continually engrained in me that confidence and results should be synonymous. While this way of thinking helped pushed me to perform at a higher level, it also fostered a negative view of "poor performances". Recently I've worked incredibly hard to break my old habits and change my perspectives to view these "poor performances" as learning experiences rather than disappointments. In this episode I also reflect on some of the key moments in my athletic career that helped develop my work ethic and give some insight on how I stay motivated even when I'm not performing my best.

Brodie Seger, another Vancouver/ Whistler native who grew up skiing in Whistler has made some major jumps in ski racing over the past couple of years. His work ethic is something to be admired and his perseverance has made him a well-known name on the World Cup circuit. With the Olympics just around the corner I wanted to pick Brodies mind on how he managed to achieve one of his childhood dreams. You won't want to miss this episode as Brodie divulges some amazing insight and explains what helped him get to this point in his skiing career.

Growing up in Whistler I always knew that I wanted to be a professional athlete, it was simply a matter of picking the sport I loved the most and dedicating myself to it. I was a late bloomer when it comes to ski racers deciding they wanted to be olympians, but that hasn't held me back from chasing my dream and working my way onto the World Cup circuit. I have my fair share of haters but I'm very happy to say that the good friends and memories far outweigh the negatives in my career and I hope to keep that trend going for the next several years.

Madi Hoffman is an Australian racer who has taken her passion for ski racing to the next level. Her family has been residing in Utah for the past several years and have helped her navigate the ski racing world without the help of a National Team. The Hoffmans created Team X as a way help independent female skiers who were racing in the US while also providing teammates for Madi to train and compete with. After three years of the Team X legacy proving that independent teams may be the future for developing top tier skiers, Madi decided to adjust her path and start school for the University of Utah where she can also compete for their D1 NCAA Ski Team. By combining her NCAA team with her independent team Madi feels like she's found her happy medium and is ready to take on both the college circuit and World Cup circuit simultaneously.

Mac and Tristan are two athletes that understand what it takes to be the best in the world, but they also know that they couldn't do it alone. Join me in my conversation with these two wild guys as they bring me inside the dynamic of the Canadian Paralpine team and explain what it means to work together as a team while competing in an individual sport. They are looking to push the boundaries of what it means to be a Paralympic athlete and want to help change the conversation to help people understand that Para-athletes are so much more than their disability. Each athlete has overcome adversity in their own way and has fought hard to compete at the highest level so they should be properly acknowledged. While these topics may seem deep and hard hitting, Mac and Tristan approach them with sincerity and are always able to put a light hearted spin on it.

While my personal opinion about Katie may be biased because she's my sister, it's safe to say that almost every person that meets her feels the same way. She's a ray of sunshine who has defied the odds numerous times and refuses to let a bad situation get the best of her. From rehabbing 3 ACL reconstructions, surviving a traumatic brain injury and having multiple bones broken, to attending one of the top D1 NCAA ski schools in the US, she has proven that she knows how to work hard. One of the most unique characteristics about Katie though is that while she maintains a competitive mindset for sports, she is also able to free her mind to explore the beauty of nature and loves to produce unbelievable artwork in her free time. She's a jack of all trades who has used her setbacks in skiing to grow as a person and has embraced everything that life has to offer.