61: Kikkan Randall on Big Battles: Olympic Gold and Breast Cancer

Kikkan Randall is an Olympic champion cross-country skier. She has won 17 U.S. National titles, taken home 17 U.S. Championships, made 16 podiums in the Stage World Cup, made five trips to the Winter Olympic Games and had the highest finish by an individual U.S. woman at the World Championships (2nd in the Sprint FS at Liberec, CZE in 2009). She was the first American female cross-country skier to take a top ten finish in World Cup competition, to win a World Cup race and to win a World Cup discipline title.[2] She won the silver medal in the individual sprint at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, becoming the first American woman to win a medal in cross country skiing at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and in 2013 teamed up with Jessica Diggins to win the first ever American FIS Nordic World Ski Championships gold medal in the team sprint. She and Diggins won the United States' first ever cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympics in women's team sprint at Pyeongchang in 2018.   If you have not seen that race, I encourage you to go check it out before you listen. It is off the hook dramatic and awesome! Kikkan has had quite a year. Shortly after winning Olympic Gold, at the peak of her career, she learned she will have to wage a new battle: breast cancer.   We cover a lot in this conversation. I was curious to know how she handles big performance days. What is it like the morning before an Olympic Gold medal win, ya know? I get butterflies just heading out to our local trail race. She walks us through her training program at a high level. We talk about her battle with breast cancer, her pledge to stay active, focused and positive through it. Lastly, I asked Kikkan about her community engagement. So many athletes inspired her as a kid. She pays it forward now.   With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next!   Resources mentioned and where to find Kikkan.  NBC coverage of Kikkan and Jessie bringing home the Gold for the U.S. Kikkan’s video blog Fast and female Website   About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.   She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.   When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem solving.   To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.