This is NPR's Life Kit. I'm Ari Shapiro. Alexi Papis wears a lot of hats. She's an Olympic

runner who ran the 10,000 meters for the Greek national team in Rio. She's a filmmaker and actor.

Her latest indie rom-com Olympic dreams was filmed during the 2018 Winter Games.

And now she's also a memoirist. Her new book is called Bravee.

Bravee is a word that came about from a poem I wrote, which was run like a Bravee, sleep like a baby,

dream like a crazy, replace, can't with maybe. After she tweeted that poem, the word Bravee took

on a life of its own as a battle cry for Papis and the young runners who idolize her.

Growing up, I often chased outward facing words and labels like strong fears fast, funny, and I realized

that they describe an energy you project in the world. But this word Bravee felt different. It felt

like a choice about the relationship you have with yourself. It's a fitting title for her memoir.

I think of Alexi Papis as someone fiercely focused on hugely ambitious external goals.

But in this book, she turns that focus inward to examine her childhood, her family, and her own mind.

This episode of LifeKit, Alexi Papis, on asking for help, understanding the real meaning of success,

and what it means to be a Bravee.

This

before we jump back into this episode, we want to say welcome to any new LifeKit listeners.

We're glad you're here. You can expect each episode to have helpful takeaways to get

you started on whatever life project you're looking to tackle. There are episodes on money,

physical, and mental health, parenting, and much more. So take a look around, we're sure there's

an episode that answers a question you've been asking yourself. Okay, back to the episode.

Papis starts the introduction of her memoir with why she started running. And I asked her to

read the first paragraph. My earliest memory of running was in the first grade when a boy in my

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