36-Christine Sinclair- On how to be a leader and her recovery from perfectionism

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In today’s episode, I interview the captain of the women’s Canadian national soccer team and Portland Thorns FC striker Christine Sinclair. Christine is a Legend with a capital L. She attended University of Portland (Go Pilots!) While there she was a Mac Hermann trophy recipient and a  2x NCAA champion.  She has received countless other accolades throughout her career including being the a 12x recipient of Canada’s Soccer Player of the Year, 2x bronze Olympic medalist, she’s been short listed for fifa player of the year 7 times, and is the second leading goal scorer in the world, just behind Abby Wambach.But even more admirable than her accolades, is who Christine is as a human. Despite being one of the top players in the world, she is incredibly down to earth. Christine despises being in the spotlight and is a private person in general, but in our discussion she opens up and explains in her own words, she’s actually not a “hermit.”  You’ll see that she’s a little bit weird and quite funny.In our conversation we talk about 

  • How everyone can be a leader, and what it takes to become one

what it was like surpassing her idol Mia Hamm in all-time goals-scored-The impromptu speech she gave in the locker room to her distraught teammates during the Olympics-How the loss of multiple family members completely change her perspective on soccer, and allowed her to take her game to the next level-Why she slurps mustard before and during the half-time of games with Emily Menges  (Emily also makes a guest appearance!)-The method she uses to become a world-class finisher-Why she named her achilles tendon “Clarence” I’d love to hear what you learned from this episode. Please leave a message in the comments! Show Notes:57 Who is Christine Sinclair?3:45 Charlie, the love of her life!5:15 How did Christine choose University of Portland9:00 How was winning the NCAA women’s soccer championships?10:05 What is Sinc’s top moment in her career?11:15 Other sports played by Christine11:45 When did she know soccer was her main sport?13:25 Was she always a standout player?14:04 Did she have goals from the beginning of her career?14:35 What players did she idolize?15:32 When did she know she would play in a world cup?15:44 What did it feel like to surpass Mia Hamm’s goal scoring record?18:02 Why is Christine so well liked by teammates?19:45 Does Sinc like being a leader?21:05 Can everyone be a leader?22:32 What is Christine’s memories of the 2012 London Olympics26:57 Why doesn’t Christine like being in the spotlight?28:15   Her perspective on social media30:28 How does she deal with her competitiveness?31:40 The importance of team bonding36:29 Her battle with being a recovering perfectionist37:55 How has Sinc learned to play more freely?40:10 What would she tell her 18 year old self?42:14 Sinc’s favorite coffee shop43:42 Favorite restaurant44:38 How has she dealt with body pain?50:40 Christine’s stats & records55:03 What does Sinc like about Portland, Oregon56:31 Her morning routine58:34 What is the biggest misconception about Christine?59:31 What one belief does Christine have that others think is crazy?1:00:20 Favorite failure1:02:21 Greatest accomplishment1:04:32 How has she developed her amazing finishing skills?1:06:00 What is Sinc’s one simple tip for female athletes1:07:30 Favorite downtime activity1:08:15 What does Christine enjoy most about scoring goals1:08:45 pregame rituals & superstitions1:09:57 What 3 Thorns players would she choose to be with on a deserted island?1:10:24 Has there ever been a moment when she wanted to quit soccer? Share the loveIf you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

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  4. Click “write a review” and show me love <3

ResourcesClick HERE to become a part of Friday FeelzClick HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.Click HERE  to be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other exclusive content  

Why Mana Shim cops people’s digits while pursuing her dreams

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Today is the Hawaiian hibiscus’, sunflower soul Melana Shim’s  birthday. Awhile back, we ventured out to the Oregon Coast to surf. Mana’s a ripper, and I’m a Grade A wannabe, novice. But I was stoked because Mana told me she’d give me some pointers once we got out in the water. We paddled together past the break, and less than a minute later,  Mana rode a wave into the shore like a princess galloping off into the distance. We never reunited in the water again, as Mana was fully engulfed in catching the biggest breaks, and I couldn’t keep up with Mana’s ravenous paddling. No hard feelings though, I became best buds with the whitewash.Three and a half hours later, Mana came running out of the water, with a jack-o-lantern sized smile on her face. She apologized for losing track of time and said she invited some new friends over for a bonfire. I asked how they were going to come over. She pointed to her red board. The person’s phone number was etched into the front of it with wax.[embed]http://youtu.be/r0bx-XqiJWI[/embed]Classic Mana, always living for connection. The people came over, and we indeed had wonderful conversation amongst a bonfire. This type of scenario is standard protocol for Mana, who claims she can tell from the first few minutes of interaction if she’ll vibe with the person. Playing sports competitively, it’s so easy to get caught up in grinding and doing whatever it takes to reach our dreams. But, once our body breaks down or we decide we want to pursue other passions, we will only be left with the memories. And the ones we tend to remember, are the ones with strong emotional ties. Mostly involving other humans. And sometimes teammate’s dogs (shoutout to Christine’s Sinclairs dog, Charlie. Such a stud). A few weeks ago, Mana made the choice to leave Thorns FC to pursue a opportunity to play in Sweden. This decision is difficult for any player, but especially for someone who cherishes relationships as much as Mana. But sometimes you gotta do the scary thing and take a leap of faith. In conjunction with chasing our dreams, we always have the choice to slow down and take in the in the sunflowers, the waves, the people. For more Mana Shim: Click HERE for an exclusive podcast interview.Click HERE for an exclusive written interview.Share the loveIf you haven’t already, I would be so very grateful if you rated and left me a review of the podcast. It takes two minutes! Here’s what to do.

  1. Click HERE
  2. Click “view in itunes”
  3. Click the “ratings and reviews” tab
  4. Click “write a review” and show me love <3

ResourcesClick HERE to become a part of Friday FeelzClick HERE for a list of the 10 books I believe ever female athlete MUST read.Click HERE  to be the first to know when a new podcast or article drops, and receive other exclusive content