346. The Greatness Equation: 4x Olympian Katie Ledecky Shares Her Recipe For Gold, Goal Setting Tactics & Feelings On Inspiring The Next Generation

Hurdle

Emily Abbate

Health & Fitness

5 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 March 2025

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Katie Ledecky, welcome to Hurdle. (That's a sentence I've wanted to write for 7+ years now.) To be able to have this conversation during Women’s History Month, coming out shortly after International Women's Day, is a dream come true. In today's episode, Ledecky brings us back: Talking about her first-ever goals in swimming and how she got into the sport in the first place. The 4-time Olympian shares her perspective on the work that’s been required of her to get to where she is today, spending 20+ hours in the water a week not to mention time out of the pool. Plus: Family impact, what it’s like to drop into a pool and swim during open swim for an Olympian, and what balance looks like. She also touches on what it means for her to be a role model, and how that got a lot more meaningful when she joined Athleta's Power of She collective.

IN THIS EPISODE

(6:42) How does Katie Ledecky befriend pain

(9:55) Katie talks about how she feels about what she’s achieved in her 22-year career in sport

(10:55) What is Katie Ledecky’s why in swimming

(22:50) How Katie Ledecky fuels to train and perform

(22:51) How much sleep does Katie Ledecky get and what she does when she doesn’t get as much as she’d like

(25:00) What it was like for Katie to follow in her brothers footsteps in the pool

(25:28) Katie Ledecky confesses she didn’t get her drivers license until college

(35:52) What Katie Ledecky’s relationship is with goal setting and how that has evolved since she started swimming

(37:00) What are Katie Ledecky’s current goals

(39:15) How does Katie Ledecky reframe negative self talk

(42:40) How Katie Ledecky shifted her mindset after she got to a point where she realized that she can’t break a world record every single race

(44:21) What does self talk look like for Katie Ledecky

(52:00) Katie talks about the most difficult hurdle of her professional career

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	when I was six, I just started for fun and had no aspirations or no belief that the Olympics
0:06.7	would be in my future.
0:38.9	Hey, everyone. Emily Abadi here. You are listening to Episode 246 of Hurtle, a wellness-focused podcast where I talk to inspirational people about everything from their highest highs and toughest moments to essential tips on how to live a healthier, happier,
0:45.0	more motivated life. We all go through our fair share of hurdles. My goal through these discussions is to empower you to better navigate yours and move with intention so that you can stride
0:50.3	toward your own big potential. And of course, have some fun along the way. I am smiling
0:58.4	ear to ear because of the sentence I'm about to say. This week, I am sitting down with Olympic
1:05.8	swimmer Katie Ledecki. Wow, I wanted to say that sentence for so long. I truly viewed this interview
1:14.5	opportunity as the utmost honor. Katie's been on the top of my dream guest list for years. So to be
1:21.7	able to have this conversation during Women's History Month, coming out shortly after International Women's Day,
1:29.3	felt special and purposeful and so, so valuable to me as a female entrepreneur.
1:37.4	We talk about so much today, what it was like for Katie when she first got in the pool
1:41.6	and how even the best to ever do it started somewhere,
1:45.8	her first goal simply to make it across the pool without holding on to the lane line.
1:51.5	Katie shares her perspective on the work that's been required of her to get to where she is today,
1:56.2	spending 20 plus hours in the water a week, not to mention time out of the pool. We also talk the impact
2:02.9	that her family has had on her for the better, what it's like to drop into a pool and swim
2:07.9	during open swim for someone like Katie Ledecki and what balance looks like. Plus, in line with
2:15.8	Women's History Month, naturally, Katie talks about what it means
2:19.2	for her to be a role model and how that got even more meaningful for her when she joined
2:24.6	Athleta's Power of She Collective. Again, such a special conversation. I am so grateful for this
2:33.4	opportunity and so excited to bring it to the feed this week.
2:40.0	Make sure you're following along with Hurtle over on social.
	...

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