I love the freedom that I feel in my mind and in my body, and that's because of the people I have

around me. And I just wish I could go back and tell my teenage self, like, stop trying so hard

for other people.

What's going on everybody? Emily Abadi here. You are listening to episode 266 of Hurtle. A wellness

focus podcast where I connect with everyone from your favorite athletes to top experts in industry

CEOs about their highest highs, toughest moments and everything in between. We all go through

hurdles in life and my goal through these discussions is to empower you to better navigate yours

and move with intention so that you can stride towards your own big potential. And of course,

have some fun along the way. There's something that makes me so giddy about September and fall

and I just feel like we are in the groove. I'm excited right now. Life feels exciting right now

and I could not be more camped on today's guest. It's Sean Johnson East. You know her as an

Olympic gymnast. She's also a wife, a mom, a New York Times best selling author. And oh my gosh,

I have been looking forward to recording this episode literally since the moment I started Hurtle.

Sean and I first connected a few years back for an event that I hosted on behalf of Cliff Bar.

I was able to interview her as part of a panel discussion and this has been a conversation

for the show that's been in the making gosh since then probably at least four years.

In today's episode, we talked about it all. We talked about what it was like for her to excel at

her sport at such a young age. Sean was in the Olympics at age 16 where she earned herself

four medals, including one gold and three silver. We have a really interesting conversation about

those silver medals and what they meant to her at that time. Plus, how it felt for her when she

did walk away from gymnastics after a brief attempt at comeback, navigating so many difficult

hurdles around self-worth and a whole lot of unknown. On that note, Sean opens up to me about

...