Being an Olympian requires grit, drive, dedication, and the type of discipline most of us will never quite understand. The sacrifices these incredible athletes make daily are unimaginable as they hone and fine-tune their bodies for that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that comes every fourth year. Now, imagine you do this five times. That’s right. Training to be an Olympian for two decades seems unfathomable, but our guest did that today.

On today’s episode of HawkeTalk, we meet the incomparable Kikkan Randall. She’s a five-time Olympian and Breast Cancer survivor who knows a thing or two about how to survive the tough times and make it to the other side. Today, she’ll give us an inside look at the hard work it takes to be a world-class athlete and how she leveraged those experiences to become a Cancer survivor. If you’ve been looking for someone to inspire you to get off that couch and begin going for it and putting your best foot forward, look no further!

In this episode:

• (1:45) - Kikkan reveals that she began skiing at the age of 1.
• (5:21) – Kikkan reveals why she went back to being a cross-country skier.
• (10:00) – Making the Olympics as a youngster.
• (16:53) – Competitive life after the Olympics is discussed.
• (20:10) – The inspiration to build a women’s team emerges for Kikkan.
• (25:50) – The shocking performance of Kikkan and falling short of expectations.
• (29:52) – Kikkan develops a stress fracture in her foot and begins to worry.
• (35:38) – Her racing career officially comes to an end.
• (36:37) – The Breast Cancer diagnosis.
• (40:01) – Family becomes first, specifically her young son.
• (43:00) – Family and health are her top priorities.
• (44:50) – Closing advice for listeners.

Our Guest

Kikkan Randall is a 5-time Olympian, Breast Cancer survivor, public speaker, and mother. When it comes to skiing, she’s royalty, and for more than two decades, her name was synonymous with the sport. A native of Salt Lake City before moving to Alaska, she became an icon early on, qualifying for the Olympians while just a teen. From there, her life as an athlete ascended, and she became the American face of the sport. Her 2018 Olympic Gold Medal race is one of the most captivating moments in the sport's history and the signature moment of those games. After retiring, Kikkan has continued championing the sport while grooming the next generation of American skiing professionals.

Resources and Links

Hawke Media

• https://www.linkedin.com/company/hawkemedia/
• https://www.instagram.com/hawkemedia/?hl=en
• https://hawkemedia.com/
• https://twitter.com/hawkemedia
• https://www.facebook.com/hawkemedia/

Kikkan Randall

• https://www.kikkan.com/about/
• http://instagram.com/kikkanimal
• https://twitter.com/kikkanimal

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being an Olympian requires grit, drive, dedication, and the type of discipline most of us will never quite understand. The sacrifices these incredible athletes make daily are unimaginable as they hone and fine-tune their bodies for that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that comes every fourth year. Now, imagine you do this five times. That’s right. Training to be an Olympian for two decades seems unfathomable, but our guest did that today.

On today’s episode of HawkeTalk, we meet the incomparable Kikkan Randall. She’s a five-time Olympian and Breast Cancer survivor who knows a thing or two about how to survive the tough times and make it to the other side. Today, she’ll give us an inside look at the hard work it takes to be a world-class athlete and how she leveraged those experiences to become a Cancer survivor. If you’ve been looking for someone to inspire you to get off that couch and begin going for it and putting your best foot forward, look no further!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Child prodigy is a phrase that’s often overused. Some youngsters are indeed talented, but to classify them as prodigious is, in so many cases, a reach, to say the least. Prodigies are once-in-a-lifetime talents who grow their gift in unimaginable and seemingly unreasonable ways. And while they can’t always be defined or understood, when the world sits back and marvels at the blossoming of their gifts, it is truly something to behold. What’s even more incredible is how they apply themselves and their special talents to change those around them and, to a larger degree, the entire world for the better.

You may characterize a prodigy by my guest today. Vercel founder Guillermo Rauch is a digital genius who started entrepreneurship as a preteen. His contributions to tech are legendary, and he continues to support innovation and pioneer new solutions, ideologies, and application theories. He joins us today to share his fantastic journey, looking back and forward and revealing the amazing job he and his organization are doing. You must listen to this discussion if you've decided to make your mark.

In this episode:

• (1:12) – Guillermo discusses how his journey began.
• (8:24) – The sky is the limit with Open Source.
• (9:40) – At age 11, he becomes obsessed with becoming a hacker.
• (19:52) – Working on React with social media leader Facebook.
• (26:02) – The birth of Vercel.
• (34:33) – Vercel and AI.
• (36:04) – There is no shortcut to success.

Our Guest

Guillermo Rauch is a Software Engineer and CEO of Vercel. A native of Lanus, Buenos Aires, Argentina, he made his name and career via the web and Open Source. His early teens were spent advocating for and teaching others how to use solutions like Linux before later working with JavaScript and other web development. Guillermo later joined MooTools core team and got his first full-time job at the age of 18 after relocating to the United States. A serial entrepreneur, his first company was Cloudup, which was later acquired by Automattic, which powers WordPress. After several high-profile opportunities, he founded Vercel, where he currently guides their corporate vision servicing companies like The Washington Post, Porsche, Under Armour, and Nintendo.

Resources and Links

Hawke Media

• https://www.linkedin.com/company/hawkemedia/
• https://www.instagram.com/hawkemedia/?hl=en
• https://hawkemedia.com/
• https://twitter.com/hawkemedia
• https://www.facebook.com/hawkemedia/

Guillermo Rauch

• https://vercel.com/
• https://rauchg.com/about
• https://twitter.com/rauchg
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/rauchg
• https://www.instagram.com/guillermorauch/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.