Be a Positive Example: Interview with Olympic Gold Medalist Jamie Anderson

Several years ago, I interviewed Olympic gold medalist Jamie Anderson in an interview originally published in Thrive Global. Here is an excerpt from our conversation:

Adam: What is something about you that would surprise people? And what is something that would surprise people about the life of an Olympian?

Jamie: I’m really into real estate and I don’t think people know I really love homes and property and investment property. I really want to continue to grow that part of my business life.

I actually have so much fun as an Olympian. A lot of Olympians are a little bit strict and are on a crazy routine while I feel like I have a pretty free-spirited approach to my sport and my path.

Adam: What are your hobbies and how have they shaped you?

Jamie: I have a lot of hobbies. Cooking is a big hobby of mine that has shaped me into the person I am today. I love health and nutrition and getting to be creative in the kitchen and learn different recipes is awesome and lots of fun. I also have loved getting into a challenging sport like surfing. It’s really hard and I thought I would be good because I’m a snowboarder, but it’s actually so freaking hard. It’s humbling to get out there and get smoked and keep paddling out and keep going to get better every time.

Adam: How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Jamie: I ask myself that question a lot. When it comes down to it, I think it’s having gone through a lot of trial and error and a lot of mountain tops and valleys that I’ve climbed and descended. It hasn’t always been easy, but I think when we have challenges and when we work through them and learn from the experience, it helps us evolve to a higher vibration and I think I’m constantly learning and growing.

Adam: What are the best lessons you learned from the achievement of becoming an Olympian and then a gold medalist?

Jamie: One of the biggest lessons has been learning to have humility and to know sometimes we have setbacks and things happen in our life that are out of our control. Being able to surrender to it, learn from it, and grow from it is what keeps us evolving.

I think mentors are essential to us evolving and getting us to be a better version of ourselves. I think [mentors and leaders] need to be a positive influence; they need to have their actions speak louder than their words and just be a positive example of what you want to be in this world.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Jamie: I think probably some words of wisdom from my mom: live in the moment and appreciate the good, the bad, the happy, and the sad.

Adam: How can anyone pay it forward?

Jamie: I think what all of us can do is give back and even in simple ways. Giving back with love, giving people compliments when you want to, or smiling to people when it looks like they’re having a hard time. I think every small act of kindness is a ripple effect and that good energy is going to get passed on to not just the person you compliment, but that’ll carry forward in infinite ways.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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