Can you imagine being 14 and not only leading a national swimming team but also dealing with abuse and death threats as you worked to fill an Olympia dream?
I really enjoyed meeting my latest podcast guest, Australian Olympian, media personality and author, the amazing Lisa Forrest. Lisa and I swum deeply into her young life as an inspiring captain of the Australian swimming team to the 1980 Moscow Olympics – one of a small band of high profile athletes that led the campaign to defy Malcolm Fraser's Federal Government in its attempt to support the US-led boycott of those Games, maintaining that the Olympics was about peace, not politics and chose to follow their dream.
During this time she was subject to cruel and savage backlash from the public. It’s an amazing story that was told in her book Boycott. Her stoicism and courage to deal with a very ‘adult’ situation at a very young age is so admirable and no doubt many do not even realise what she went through as it happened such a long time ago now, in the 1970’s.
Since then Lisa has walked an interesting and intriguing career path with so many highlights - she pioneered a path for sportswomen into broadcasting in Australia and at the age of 22, became the first woman to anchor a national sports program in 1986. She has hosted both radio and television programs on a range of topics well beyond sport and even spent some time as an actor. Always up for a change and a challenge.
After experiencing burn-out more than once, Lisa struggled with a feeling that she was ‘Miss Never-enough’. In order to assess her life she took some time to sort out ‘the trouble with her thinking’ and assess how that ‘trouble’ was getting in the way of the joy in her life. The result of her reflection is her her wonderful book ‘Glide’. I know you will enjoy this conversation as we talk about not only Lisa’s brilliant career but also the importance of self-compassion and mindfulness.
Some of the highlights of the podcast you may enjoy:
· Lisa’s childhood and her Olympic career and the story of BOYCOTT
· 00.50.00 How Lisa went on a discovery to face her conflicting voices and understand ‘the trouble with her thinking’ and how it got in the way of her ‘joy’
· 00.54.00 The language of scarcity
· 00.58.00 Learning to meditate and being mindful, being ok to just ‘sit with the breath’
· 1.04.00 Turning our fear into curiosity the need to be in the moment, in the pause between stimulus and response.
· 1.25.00 Helicopter and Lawnmower parenting
Settle in and listen to this wonderful, thought provoking conversation that I know you will find connection with.