129: Nastia Liukin on Gymnastics Mental Health, and Pressure

Welcome to Episode 126 of The Madhappy Podcast. This week, we are running one of our favorite episodes from the archive. We are thrilled to welcome Nastia Liukin onto the show to hear more about her experiences as a professional gymnast and how she worked to support her mental health throughout her athletic career and retirement.

We kick off the show as Nastia shares some of her childhood experiences and what led her to pursue the sport of gymnastics (1:06). Peiman and Mason ask Nastia about the pressures that came with training for the Olympic Games (12:26) before Nastia opens up about the emotions that came along with her journey to the top of the podium in the 2008 Olympic Games (26:15).

Nastia shares how she dealt with the fear of what's next after winning gold at such a young age (39:11). The group wraps up the conversation hearing what’s next for Nastia (47:03) and her hopes for the sport of Gymnastics and the athletic world as a whole as it relates to mental health conversation, available resources, and support (49:03).

We talk about some serious topics on this show. We are not professionals and are not giving advice. If you or someone you know needs help, please text start to 741741 and for additional resources please visit ⁠LocalOptimist.com/Get-Help⁠

The Madhappy Podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not a replacement for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

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