Never Be Broken: Interview with Three-Time Paralympic Gold Medalist McKenzie Coan

I recently went one on one with McKenzie Coan. McKenzie is a three-time Paralympic Gold Medalist and current World Record Holder.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your story and your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. What is something about you that would surprise people?

McKenzie: The people I meet typically know I have a disability. They often don't know what it is and so I explain it. Though the thing about my disorder is that people hear the word fragile or breakable, and they assume that I'm unable or incapable of doing everyday things, but it's quite the opposite. I've learned how to adjust to my activities and atmospheres throughout my life, and while it hasn't always been easy, it has always been worth it. People sometimes question my abilities or purpose, but I always say, "I may break, but I will never be broken." I plan to take that same attitude with me throughout my life, in my professional swimming career, and into my future career as a lawyer, fighting for the rights of others with disabilities. I want to show others what is possible through hard work and dedication, even with my differences.

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

McKenzie: Every single setback, broken bone, surgery, and obstacle in my life has led me to my most successful moments - I believe that without a shadow of a doubt. The traumas I've experienced have only made me a stronger person that is grateful for every single opportunity I've been afforded. It's not easy to have a disorder that fills your life with such uncertainty or detours at times. It would be easy for me to sit around ad fret over the next time I will have a fracture or setback, but I refuse to live my life in such fear. I don't believe I would be a 17 American record holder, a 2-time world record holder, a 6-time world champion, or even a 3-time gold medalist if I had not been through the things I've faced throughout my life. As I was on the podium with a gold medal, I thought of all the things that have brought me there, and it was a culmination of the great moments and the significant challenges, and I am equally grateful for all of those experiences.

Adam: What are the best lessons you have learned through sports, swimming and competition?

McKenzie: I've learned so many valuable life lessons through swimming and competition. I have a unique situation competing as a professional athlete with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a connective tissue condition that causes me to break bones easily and often. Athletes rarely want to be out with an injury - so, navigating my disorder coupled with a demanding athletic career has been challenging at times. Through my struggles and setbacks with injuries and that interrupting my training time, I've learned that anything is possible, no matter how bad the situation might seem at the time. Anything is possible if you have a combination of a positive mindset and a killer work ethic. There were times that I would get back in the pool just a few days after breaking my femur or even after an operation - because I decided that I wasn't going to let my disease define me, I wasn't going to let my condition tell me how to live my life. I chose to fight back. The ability to say "yes, this is bad, but I'm not going to let it define me, and I will come back stronger from this" has made every difference for me. And though moments in this journey have undoubtedly tested me, I have learned from juggling my disorder and swimming that my condition didn't happen to me. It happened for me - it has made me a better and stronger human being. I believe my condition has given me every opportunity in the world - something that many who tell me I'm too fragile to pursue my dreams would probably be puzzled by or not understand.

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

McKenzie: Great leaders are great listeners; they are confident, empathetic to those around them, and are goal-oriented. Throughout my time with the National Team and especially as Team USA captain, I have learned that you must listen to those around you to be an effective leader. Leading Team USA through a long competition where people could have multiple events to swim per day over a several-day period is an important task, and it showed me that to give and get the best for my team, I had to listen to their needs. I had to listen to their wants and criticisms of whatever might've been going on to try and fix things and get the best out of them.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?

McKenzie: First and most importantly: Never be afraid to ask for a helping hand. There is nothing wrong with reaching out and having help from someone else. The strongest and most successful professionals I know are those who are not afraid or too prideful to look to their left or right and ask someone for help, or advice, or a listening ear, when needed. There is strength in numbers, and one can accomplish only so much without a helping hand now and then.

Secondly: Lean on your mentors. This tip could theoretically go hand in hand with my first tip, though it's so critical to me and my success that I cannot stress it enough.

Suppose you are lucky enough to have a great mentor who has taken the time to help mold you into the great professional you are. In that case, you thank them tremendously and take that advice or the connections they have access to and so graciously allow you to access. Mentors want to give a helping hand, and rejecting or placing that helping hand on the back burner would be a disservice to you and a slap in the face to them.

Thirdly: Never stop learning. There's never a point in time where I believe anyone should ever stop learning or seeking out new knowledge that could make them a better version of themselves. Knowledge is valuable and equates to growth both professionally and personally.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?

McKenzie: I think the essential thing in building a team, and something I've learned as a Team USA captain, is making sure that each team member feels valued and heard. When the team feels involved in the process - the camaraderie is typically much better and more pronounced. Using a team consensus to make decisions and knowing that everyone is on the same page, moving towards the same goal is of the utmost importance. Next, the leader must come in, and though it is important that they make everyone feel heard, it is also important that they can make a decision - one that is the best for the team moving forward. A great team needs a great leader who can make everyone feel valued but still make the last-minute or difficult final calls.

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

McKenzie: The single best piece of advice I've ever received is, "After every storm, there comes the sun again." This piece of advice has undoubtedly shaped my life in every way, from professional to personal. In every setback and broken bone I've ever faced, uttering this has reminded me that hard times will come, though they will not stay forever, and no amount of pain is permanent. It is a saying that I would repeat as I lay in a body casts for months on end or as I am rolled back into another surgery, and it has always given me the strength to push forward even through fear and pain. Just as it has in a personal way, it has also helped me professionally, in that it is a good reminder that every day in the pool may not be my best, but that is okay. I am a work in progress, always, and after some of my worst swims or races, I can say, "that is okay because I will go back, learn, and come back better and happier on the other side of this." This saying truly gives me strength and hope to carry forward in whatever I do.

Adam: What is one thing everyone should do to pay it forward?

McKenzie: No matter in any field of work or any sport, people have a responsibility to pay it forward to others. Everyone starts at the same starting place, and everyone at one point or another has had someone come and pay it forward for them. For me, that means doing whatever I can to educate the next generation of Paralympic athletes to go out and challenges the preconceived notions of what it means to be a person with a disability. It also means that I go out and educate others on the Paralympic movement as a proud Paralympian.

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

McKenzie: I always try to share with others that no one has the right to tell you what you're capable of pursuing or achieving. When I was born, doctors were terrified and told my Mom that I wouldn't live past infancy, and even in the slightest chance I did, I would never truly live a fulfilling life. My Mom chose not to listen to those doctors, and from there, we began forging a path and life for myself. Throughout this journey, much like those doctors, people have tried to dictate my capabilities, and I always remember that I know deep down what I'm capable of and if I had let those tell me I couldn't along the way, I genuinely don't know where I would be in my life.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also 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. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, 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. 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.

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