Laura Wilkinson: The Role of Mental Health in Performance and Overcoming Injury

In this episode of the Brawn Body Health and Fitness
Podcast, Dan is joined by Olympic Gold medalist Laura Wilkinson
to discuss how mental training helped her overcome injuries and
the role mental health plays in performance.


Beating what many said were impossible odds in one of the biggest
upsets in Olympic history, Laura, starting in eighth place and
with a broken foot, came from behind to win the 2000 Olympic
platform gold medal. Laura has also won the 2004 World Cup and
the 2005 World Championships, becoming the first woman in history
to win all three coveted world titles in platform diving. Along
the way, she has won 19 US National Titles, been voted by the
American public the 2000 US Olympic Spirit Award winner and was
nominated for an ESPY award. Laura has also been inducted into
five different Halls of Fame including the International Swimming
Hall of Fame. People always notice something that sets Laura
apart from her competitors, her smile. She smiles during the most
pressure packed and fierce competitions, almost like she’s
removed from the situation, acknowledging her family and
teammates in the stands. Laura explains, “I smile because I love
what I do. I make a commitment before the competition to enjoy
the experience however it turns out.” Laura attended the 2012 and
2016 Olympic Games as a reporter and analyst for NBC. In 2017,
following a nine year retirement, Laura returned to competition.
After a successful return placing second at US Nationals, Laura
underwent a two level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion
(ACDF). After a year, Laura again returned to competition just in
time for the 2020 Olympics to be postponed a year. She continued
training and with only three months of access to platform
facilities, at 43 years old and with all four of her kids
watching, she was a finalist at the 2021 Olympic Trials. Laura
has her own podcast The Pursuit of Gold. Her show seeks to equip
athletes with the most effective tools that will help them reach
their biggest goals in sport through conversations with elite and
Olympic athletes, sports professionals, coaches, and experts. In
these conversations, Laura and her guests unlock the physical,
mental, emotional, and spiritual tools that shape the whole
athlete and generate peak performance. She is also an author and
mindset coach. Laura wrote a book titled Life at 0 Meters,
Lessons from an Olympic Champion, and she recently released The
Confidence Journal to help athletes create and maintain a
resilient mindset. In addition, Laura created an online course
called Confident Competitor to help eliminate performance anxiety
and help athletes approach competitions with confidence. Laura is
also wife to Eriek Hulseman and mommy to four amazing children by
birth and adoption. For more on Laura check out @lala_the_diver


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