89 - Deena Kastor Will Help You Think Your Way to Victory

Deena Kastor grew up a running phenom and a highly recruited student athlete. In college she struggled to maintain the momentum of her high school running career and seriously considered dropping out of the running world to pursue baking. Good thing she decided to give it one last go. Through hard work, an open mind and the right people in her life, Deena turned the corner and found the magic bullet that allowed her to fully tap into her potential – as an athlete and a person - the power of a positive mindset. Deena competed at the top tier of distance runners for over a decade, winning countless races from the 5k to marathon. She still holds the American records in the marathon, 10-mile, 15k and 8k. Deena ran all the way until she found out she was pregnant with her daughter Piper in 2010, and she’s running again, chasing masters records and crushing them. Be sure to cheer for her this weekend at the Boston marathon. I reconnected with Deena recently when I read her new book, "Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory," which launches today on many outlets – basically anywhere books are sold. It is a truly incredible, emotional, educational book about the power of positive thinking in sports. Of course I was drawn to how someone as seemingly as invincible as Deena has had to work hard to tap into the positive power inside of her, that at times, she strongly doubted. Some highlights from our conversation: Growing up a runner Skin cancer: Facing your own mortality Being a mom to Piper How your greatest gifts can often be your greatest disappointments Being "all in" in everything. The key? Turn off your phone! Aging as a runner: what to expect (or not expect!) Positivity: How do we create more positivity in our lives? Deena's new book "Let Your Mind Run" - available now! What I love about Deena is that she is wise and full of amazing advice that she’s learned the hard way, but she’s also real and human and approachable. She has a newfound perspective on what is truly important in life and I can literally feel it as I talked to her. I think that her final nugget “Pay attention to your thinking” is so compelling and can help all of us gain just a little bit of that perspective she’s worked hard to achieve. This episode is sponsored by Skirt Sports, the amazing company I started all the way back in 2004. We are giving you a 30% discount on all the new stuff! Use code DONTGIVEUP - not valid on sale items. This episode is also sponsored by innovative Health IQ - a life insurance agency that helps healthy people get better rates on life insurance. To see if you qualify, go to healthiq.com/rtw - tell them I sent you!