How To Do Hard Things

The Science of Happiness

PRX and Greater Good Science Center

Science, Social Sciences

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What happens when the world sees you as a hero, but you feel lost inside? Abby Wambach, a trailblazer in women’s soccer, shares how facing life’s challenges after retirement helped her discover truth, healing, and self-love.

Summary: Abby Wambach spent years chasing excellence as a world-class athlete, only to find that winning gold didn’t bring the inner fulfillment she craved. In this powerful conversation, she reflects on addiction, shame, identity, and the hard-earned lessons of self-love. Her honesty reveals a new kind of strength. One rooted in vulnerability and the courage to be fully seen.

This episode was supported by a grant from The John Templeton Foundation on Spreading Love Through The media.

How To Do This Practice:

Acknowledge the belief that achievement or perfection will make you feel whole.
Notice when success doesn’t bring lasting happiness, and let yourself feel that disappointment.
Share your struggles honestly, even the ones you're ashamed of.
Choose to live openly instead of hiding parts of yourself to fit others’ expectations.
Ask yourself where your beliefs about worthiness and shame come from.
Keep coming back to love and accept yourself, especially the parts you were taught to hide.

Scroll down for a transcription of this episode.

Today’s Guests:

ABBY WAMBACH is a two time World Olympic gold medalist, FIFA world champion, and bestselling author. She is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and a six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award.

Follow Abby on Instagram here: @abbywambach

Order her book We Can Do Hard Things here: https://treatmedia.com/

Listen to Abby’s podcast here: https://wecandohardthingspodcast.com/

Related The Science of Happiness episodes:

Why Going Offline Might Save Us: https://tinyurl.com/e7rhsakj

The Contagious Power of Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/3x7w2s5s

How Awe Helps You Navigate Life’s Challenges: https://tinyurl.com/2466rnm4

Related Happiness Breaks:

Take a Break With Our Loving-Kindness Meditation: https://tinyurl.com/2kr4fjz5

Making Space For You: https://tinyurl.com/yk6nfnfv

A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout: https://tinyurl.com/485y3b4y

Message us or leave a comment on Instagram @scienceofhappinesspod. E-mail us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcription: https://tinyurl.com/25p25ctd

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation on spreading love through the media.
0:08.7	I played for the national team for 15 years, and I loved playing for this country.
0:17.1	I loved that suiting up in and of itself was a protest and a disruption of the way that we normally experience sport, right?
0:27.6	And every single time I would be getting a gold medal around my neck and the anthem would play.
0:33.6	And I would have this couple of minutes of just sheer joy, and I would step off the podium,
0:39.9	I would look to my teammate, to my right or left, and I'd say, I want to do that again.
0:44.6	In the pursuit of excellence, in the pursuit of winning, in the pursuit of gold medals and
0:49.4	championships, that was always my North Star, this idea of extraordinary existence.
0:57.0	And after many championships and after literally winning the FIFA World's Best Player of the Year Award in the whole world,
1:07.0	I thought that this was going to be the thing that brought me nirvana or
1:13.1	enlightenment. And I go back into my hotel room that night. I'm looking in the
1:20.2	mirror hoping to find something different, hoping to find something worthy, hoping to
1:26.3	feel more lovable or beloved in some way.
1:32.1	And I just felt the same. And I was just really afraid that the life that I had spent my
1:39.2	whole life up until this point doing and exploring wasn't going to give me the thing that I kind of anticipated.
1:47.0	It wasn't going to give me the truth of myself and the truth of what I think life is about.
1:59.0	Welcome to the Science of Happiness. I'm Dr. Keltner.
2:01.6	Today it's an honor to be joined by two-time World Olympic gold medalist FIFA World Champion,
2:06.6	and if that's not enough, best-selling author, Abby Wambach.
2:10.6	Abby joins us today to share how they've turned struggle into triumph
2:15.6	and how honesty and self-love are
2:18.9	anecdotes to all the shame so many of us carry.
	...

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