Rejection, resilience, and unexpected glory: a tale that proves it’s never too late to rewrite your story.
On Day 9 of The Game Inside The Games, Nastia Liukin and Dr. Michael Gervais sit down with Alev Kelter, a remarkable athlete who has represented the U.S. in three different sports: soccer, ice hockey, and rugby.
Alev shares her journey from facing the heartbreak of being cut from the U.S. Ice Hockey team to discovering a new passion in rugby, competing in three consecutive Olympic games, and ultimately winning The United States’ first ever women’s rugby medal, in one of the most electric finishes in Paris so far.
In this conversation, you’ll hear a behind-the-scenes perspective on pivotal moments, the power of a culture built by its players, and a play-by-play the stunning finish in the weening seconds of the bronze medal match.
Alev is a treasure trove of insights – she beautifully highlights the resilience required to overcome setbacks, the courage to pursue new opportunities in the face of adversity, and the ability to use sport as a canvas for self-expression.
Episode Insights By Microsoft Copilot:
- Mental Resilience: Alev’s story of being released from the U.S. Ice Hockey team and finding a new path in rugby underscores her ability to rise from moments of shame and depression to embrace new opportunities is a testament to her strength, determination, and working from purpose.
- Team Culture and Values: The episode highlights the significance of team culture and core values. Alev’s rugby team embraced values that played a crucial role in their success and camaraderie.
- Embracing Opportunities and Risks: Alev’s advice to parents about letting their children explore life’s many opportunities and not being afraid of risks is a powerful message. Every obstacle can lead to a new opportunity, and embracing challenges is essential for growth and success.
- Sport as a Form of Self-Expression: Alev views sport as a performance art, a beautiful canvas for self-expression. This perspective emphasizes that sports can be both analytical and expressive, allowing athletes to showcase their unique talents and creativity.
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This episode is brought to you by Accenture, Avanade, and Microsoft.
Copilot for Microsoft 365 is revolutionizing how we work. At Accenture and Avanade, we amplify the power of your workplace. We are pioneers in generative AI and early adopters of Microsoft Copilot. We’ve been at the forefront of exploring the power of AI to enhance productivity, creativity, and innovation for our clients and ourselves. We offer end-to-end services from security and data protection to skills and governance, ensuring you can integrate Copilot in a safe, secure, and responsible way to create a workplace where technology enhances human potential.
“For me, sport is a performance art… sport creates a beautiful canvas for everybody to find their medium, to express themselves, and I think that’s what artists do.”
Finding Your Best
If you want to dive deeper into the mental skills we discuss on these episodes, be sure to check out our Finding Your Best course where we teach the same 16 high-performance principles, mindset skills, and wellbeing practices that Dr. Mike has used to train 30+ gold medalists, Fortune 50 CEOs and more.
