Motherhood fuelled her Olympic Dream.

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Hey, how's it going?
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I'm gonna assume you mean, like,
the acronym.

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Freaked out, insecure,
neurotic and emotional.

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Have you heard of the term life
quake?

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Well, in this podcast,
we talk about life quakes,

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those unpredictable seismic
shifts that, in time, lead to

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profound growth and empowerment.
You can expect heartfelt stories

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throughout the season that
reveal the joy and the

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discomfort of unexpected change.
And I think you're going to like

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it here.
My name is Shawn,

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and this is something shifted.
Today's story belongs to Vicky.

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For me, the dream was always to
compete at the Olympics.

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And I got really close twice before.
But life happens.

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I just felt like it's now or
never and didn't want to have a

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great one day. That's next.

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I lead a demanding lifestyle and I'm
very guilty of wanting more for less,

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especially when it comes to food.
I want to feel like I'm eating

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restaurant food, but I don't want to
leave my house and I really don't

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want to organize a babysitter.
I want to try new flavors,

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but I also don't want to spend
money on ingredients that I

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might never use again.
And let's be honest, I don't want to

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eat the same thing over and over,
but I really don't have time to

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think about what we're going to
eat for dinner every night.

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You know what I mean?
Well,

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you cook changed all of that for us.
We choose what we want to eat.

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And you cook delivers all of the
ingredients,

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perfectly portioned right to my door.
No more standing in queues to

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weigh my fresh produce.
No more impulse buys sneaking

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their way into my trolley.
You cook is always adding new recipes

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to choose from, and I've even
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those easy to follow recipe cards.
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exactly what you need for each
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You cook has been an absolute
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everything is just so simple.
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I love the variety and the
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meals for one week.
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For most.
Becoming a parent is a seismic shift,

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a life quake that transforms
everything we thought we knew

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about ourselves.
It's a journey that challenges

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us to reevaluate our priorities
and make some tough decisions,

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like how to balance our own
dreams with the responsibilities

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of raising our children.
On one hand, we want to pursue

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our passions and achieve personal
goals not just for ourselves,

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but also to inspire our kids.
On the other hand,

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there's the question of sacrifice.
How much should we give up to

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ensure that our kids have every
opportunity to thrive?

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And then there's our health and
well-being.

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How do we carve out the time for
self-care without compromising

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those precious moments spent
nurturing our children's world?

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Ultimately,
we find ourselves grappling with

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two powerful questions.
Am I giving enough and am I enough?

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When I was pregnant with Adrian,
I just wanted to soak it in and

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I had no idea what type of
mother I would be.

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Um, I'm my mom's only child,
and she was with me.

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You know,
she was also a very ambitious woman,

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and she did really well in a career.
And she worked up until I was born.

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And the day I was born, she was like,
this is it. Like, so she.

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Until today, she's like that type
of mom that's like fully invested

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and really owns that role,
which obviously I have a lot of

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respect for and I'm thankful for.
So when I was pregnant with Adrian,

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I really had no idea what type
of mom I would be.

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And for me,
there is no right or wrong.

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Being a full time mom doesn't
make you a better mom than being

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a working mom, so I didn't know
what I was going to be.

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I remember grappling with
similar questions in the weeks

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before Zoey was born.
How will I be as a dad, you know?

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Who will I be as a dad?
But unlike Vicky,

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I was asking those questions
from the comfort of my couch.

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I just continued working and
training while I was pregnant

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for as long as my body allowed.
Still did a triathlon at three weeks,

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I beat you. That's.
Vicky's husband was. My big girl.

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Vicky's being modest about her goals.
Although beating your partner in a

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triathlon while you are pregnant will
give you lifelong bragging rights.

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She has many goals up her sleeves.
I think I just love training and

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it makes me feel better.
And it's so good for my mind.

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And you know, because I trained
a lot before I was pregnant.

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The general rule is listen to your
body, but you can continue training.

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So I maybe took that a little
bit too far, to be honest.

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But, um,
it wasn't it wasn't intentional.

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It was just because I was not
even because I loved it.

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Vicky started competing in
triathlons.

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That's a combination of swimming,
cycling and running.

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When she was 15 years old.
After she matriculated,

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she moved to Australia to train under
an Olympic coach, Stephen Moss.

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Since then, she's raced in more than
40 countries and competed worldwide.

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Oh,
and she completed an LLB law degree.

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So yeah, Vicky has always had goals.
I've been like that since a child.

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Like I've I've always had this
mindset that I don't think I'm

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born to be average.
I want to be the best version of

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myself.
And I hope to inspire through my

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coaching and so others to also
be that.

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Also, in this chapter of my life,
I wanted to be the best athlete

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and mom that I could be, and that
was for me to go to the Olympics

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and be the best I can on the day.
Vicky and I go way, way back.

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I've known Vicky since her pre-teens,
when she was part of the swimming

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club that I coached for,
and I've seen with my own two

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eyes how committed Vicky is to
achieving her goals.

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I mean, I was a very sporty kid and,
you know,

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like quite talented at provincial
colours in nine different sport.

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So sport was always my thing and
I think naturally then for me the

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dream was always to compete in at
the Olympics and I got really close

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twice before. Uh, but things happen.
Life happens, injuries, surgeries,

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health, water, various things.
Now this gets me every time the

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various things.
But and honestly, it's what

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fascinates me about Vicky's story.
When I was 15, 16 years old, I wanted

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to compete at the Olympic Games too.
But despite training up to six

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days a week, sometimes for four
hours or more a day,

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I just didn't get stronger or faster.
So it's quite possible that my

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mind wasn't convinced that my body
could get me to the games on time,

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and various things got in my way.
In all honesty,

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the various things is a bit of an
excuse that I still use when I

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don't give my goals a serious shot.
But at the age of 33, when Vicky gave

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birth to her son Adrian, something
shifted and things got very real.

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When he was born,
took a little bit. Well, not long.

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About two weeks to figure out,
like what did I want?

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And, um, I soon realised for me
to be the best mum for him,

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I need time away from him and I
need to do things for myself.

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Um, and that's where I sat down
with him and I was like, listen,

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Olympics is just over two years
to go. And he was like, cool.

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But then we're all in.
You have to have your support system.

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You have to have people on the
people closest to you on board.

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Um, that will go like, flat out.
You give 100%.

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And if I don't make it,
then no regrets.

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And so, with the birth of her son,
Vicky's internal Olympic flame

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was reignited. When he was born.
I was like, well, um,

00:09:02.910 --> 00:09:06.030
it's something that I've always
wanted to achieve. It's two years.

00:09:06.570 --> 00:09:10.470
Two years ago, I just felt like
it's now or never, and I know what

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didn't want to have a great one day.
And I wanted to also set a good

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example for him.
Vicky is the founder of a triathlon

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squad in Stellenbosch, also known as
the Stellenbosch Triathlon Squad.

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She's the head coach and works
closely with the team of coaches

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and triathletes,
coaching them to be their best.

00:09:27.780 --> 00:09:30.900
So while Vicky had been training
and racing locally because she

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loves being part of the sport,
she hadn't raced internationally

00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:38.850
for years. Seven years to be exact.
Now, most high performance

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athletes will tell you that
preparation for big sports

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events start long in advance,
and two years is not enough time

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to get you ready for the Olympics.
But remember,

00:09:48.470 --> 00:09:53.150
Vicki decided that various things
will not hold her back anymore.

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Yeah, so I'm a little bit African.
So it says that if people tell

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me like don't do something,
I'll be like, oh, well.

00:10:00.020 --> 00:10:04.400
You need a particular kind of
haircut height to make it as a

00:10:04.400 --> 00:10:07.160
South African athlete.
Most South African triathletes,

00:10:07.160 --> 00:10:11.600
like Vicky, need to earn a living
off the track and out of the pool,

00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:14.690
but then still carve out time to
go and train.

00:10:15.080 --> 00:10:18.890
Unlike professional athletes in,
let's say, the USA,

00:10:18.890 --> 00:10:22.040
where it's commonplace for athletes
to be supported through endorsement

00:10:22.040 --> 00:10:25.520
deals and speaking engagements,
effectively allowing the athlete

00:10:25.520 --> 00:10:28.670
to forget about their finances
and focus on training their

00:10:28.670 --> 00:10:31.670
bodies and their minds.
I've got great sponsors,

00:10:31.670 --> 00:10:35.330
but yeah, with South Africa,
just like we're not in a position

00:10:35.330 --> 00:10:38.750
to support our athletes like that.
So that in that sense, it makes it

00:10:38.750 --> 00:10:43.330
a little bit harder because I had
to work around my business, um,

00:10:43.330 --> 00:10:48.220
and be an elite athlete and be a mom.
I just plan my days basically to

00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:52.330
the minute and being super
intentional with everything you do.

00:10:52.330 --> 00:10:56.260
So after Adrien was born,
I was more focused than ever

00:10:56.260 --> 00:11:00.460
before because I knew, like in
this hour and a half or whatever

00:11:00.460 --> 00:11:03.220
it is that I'm going to swim now,
like I need to make it count so

00:11:03.220 --> 00:11:05.380
I can't be messing around,
I can't be chatting.

00:11:05.380 --> 00:11:09.700
I need to execute the session.
Every session that I do has a goal

00:11:09.700 --> 00:11:13.900
and need to be executed correctly.
I wouldn't waste any time.

00:11:13.900 --> 00:11:15.520
So whatever I did,
I did it intentionally.

00:11:15.520 --> 00:11:19.510
Whether it's training or being with
my family, spending time with Adrian.

00:11:19.510 --> 00:11:24.160
And that really for me is like key.
And he is also really good with it.

00:11:24.160 --> 00:11:27.550
But you can be with your kid the
whole day and spend no quality

00:11:27.550 --> 00:11:30.520
time with him because you're on
your phone or you're preoccupied

00:11:30.520 --> 00:11:34.540
or you stressed, or you can have
an hour with him or and have like

00:11:34.540 --> 00:11:38.970
quality time and really bond.
With laser point focus,

00:11:38.970 --> 00:11:44.850
Vicki made every minute count.
In order to qualify for the 2024

00:11:44.850 --> 00:11:48.090
Paris Olympics.
Vicky had to rack up points by

00:11:48.090 --> 00:11:50.250
competing on the international
circuit.

00:11:50.250 --> 00:11:54.330
And since Vicky had taken several
years off competing on said circuit,

00:11:54.330 --> 00:11:58.800
she had some major catching up to do.
And even after she scored enough

00:11:58.800 --> 00:12:02.370
international circuit points,
Sascoc, that's the South African

00:12:02.370 --> 00:12:06.270
Sports Confederation and Olympic
Committee still has the final

00:12:06.270 --> 00:12:10.080
say in terms of which athletes
will participate in the games.

00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:15.060
So Vicky committed to all of this
training and all of this competing,

00:12:15.060 --> 00:12:18.660
all of the travel without any
guarantee that she'll even get

00:12:18.660 --> 00:12:21.780
to go to the Olympics.
Even if she scored enough points,

00:12:21.780 --> 00:12:25.230
she would have to wait for the
official Olympic team announcement.

00:12:25.560 --> 00:12:28.890
Mental imagery is big in sport.
I think we all know that,

00:12:28.890 --> 00:12:32.250
and I personally use it from
about a year out of the Olympics.

00:12:32.250 --> 00:12:34.740
I was talking as if I'm going to
Olympic Games,

00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:38.060
talking as if I'm going to.
You know when I say chimps when

00:12:38.060 --> 00:12:42.170
African champs achieve my goals.
So I believe in like speaking

00:12:42.170 --> 00:12:44.870
things into life also.
Yeah, obviously there's a little

00:12:44.870 --> 00:12:47.120
bit of mind games I guess with
the other athletes.

00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:51.770
Um, you like, you step into another
version of yourself so you can

00:12:51.770 --> 00:12:56.990
be like super nice and quiet and
whatever, um, reserved as a person,

00:12:56.990 --> 00:12:58.580
just a normal person.
And then when you like,

00:12:58.580 --> 00:13:02.510
step into the athlete version of
yourself, the racing version,

00:13:02.510 --> 00:13:05.900
then you need to step into,
you know, being more confident,

00:13:06.140 --> 00:13:08.510
acting differently.
It's it's like a,

00:13:08.510 --> 00:13:12.440
it's a other persona.
That mindset is is crucial. Yeah.

00:13:12.440 --> 00:13:16.790
I think we limit ourselves a lot.
So if you can like think it and stay

00:13:16.790 --> 00:13:19.850
and believe it and step into it,
then it just becomes more real.

00:13:20.630 --> 00:13:26.180
It was early in 2024 and Vicky's
mental focus just had to stay strong.

00:13:26.210 --> 00:13:29.840
Sacrificing time with her family
and no guarantee that she'd be

00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:33.590
selected for the South African team.
She just kept her head down and

00:13:33.590 --> 00:13:36.560
kept training.
By now she was checking off

00:13:36.560 --> 00:13:40.130
selection requirements as if there
were items on a grocery list.

00:13:40.160 --> 00:13:47.180
Points for winning a race check.
Sascoc finally announced the South

00:13:47.180 --> 00:13:50.540
African Olympic squad a month
before the games were due to start.

00:13:51.050 --> 00:13:55.280
Not only did Vicky make the cut,
but she would be the only woman from

00:13:55.280 --> 00:13:59.870
Africa to compete in the triathlon
event at the 2024 Olympic Games.

00:13:59.900 --> 00:14:04.490
She was going to Paris to compete but
there was still work to be done.

00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:13.850
Just remember to give this show
a five star rating on Apple

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Podcasts or Spotify.
Plus, if you leave a review,

00:14:16.790 --> 00:14:19.820
I might just read it on the podcast,
like this one from Bowe.

00:14:19.850 --> 00:14:24.890
It goes three, two one. Impact.
What started as a leisure listen

00:14:24.890 --> 00:14:28.580
turned into hyper focused attention.
Definitely looking forward to

00:14:28.580 --> 00:14:31.100
the season.
Thanks so much for leaving that

00:14:31.100 --> 00:14:34.390
comment on Spotify and if you
leave a comment or a review,

00:14:34.390 --> 00:14:37.780
I could be reading yours in the
next episode of Something Shifted.

00:14:37.990 --> 00:14:43.390
You know what to do.
So where were we? Oh, yes.

00:14:43.420 --> 00:14:46.810
Vicky had less than a month to
go before she competed at the

00:14:46.810 --> 00:14:49.810
Paris Olympic Games.
While most of her peers had made

00:14:49.810 --> 00:14:53.230
their way to Europe already a
chance to acclimatise and train

00:14:53.230 --> 00:14:57.460
in more appropriate conditions.
Vicky was in Cape Town doing

00:14:57.460 --> 00:15:03.250
laps in miserable June weather.
It was called Cape Town Winter.

00:15:03.250 --> 00:15:06.190
It was so few athletes that flew from
South Africa because everyone was

00:15:06.190 --> 00:15:09.100
already in Europe training there,
so I felt very sorry for myself.

00:15:10.360 --> 00:15:13.960
Um, but yeah, I couldn't do that,
obviously because of my family

00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:17.410
and so forth. Ah yes.
The choices we need to make as

00:15:17.410 --> 00:15:20.620
parents, right?
When you have a two year old at home,

00:15:20.620 --> 00:15:24.850
you can't just stop being a mum.
Jet off to Europe and focus

00:15:24.850 --> 00:15:28.300
solely on your dream.
For the two years leading up to the

00:15:28.300 --> 00:15:32.610
Olympics, since Adrian was born,
every step towards Vicky's dream

00:15:32.610 --> 00:15:35.730
was weighed against her
commitment as a mother.

00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:40.470
No, mom, guilt is a real thing.
Um, I think, yo,

00:15:40.470 --> 00:15:42.870
it was very difficult.
It was actually easier for me

00:15:42.870 --> 00:15:45.930
when Adrian was really small.
So the first time I left him,

00:15:45.930 --> 00:15:50.370
I think it was 4 or 5 months old,
and I did African Champs in Morocco.

00:15:50.370 --> 00:15:54.150
And I was so emotional, was so hard
for me because, yeah, I was like,

00:15:54.150 --> 00:15:58.140
still breastfeeding and it's so
small, like this little thing.

00:15:58.140 --> 00:16:00.690
And I just told you, like,
I don't know if I can do this.

00:16:00.690 --> 00:16:02.520
Like,
my heart's not going to make it.

00:16:02.670 --> 00:16:06.570
And, um, yo, you came with on that
one just because I don't think I

00:16:06.570 --> 00:16:09.870
would have coped on my own.
As hard as these choices are for us

00:16:09.870 --> 00:16:14.760
parents, sometimes we forget how
resilient our little people can be.

00:16:14.790 --> 00:16:18.900
I realised then it was hard for me,
but he was fine, you know,

00:16:18.900 --> 00:16:21.480
because he was with Granny and
Grandad, thankfully.

00:16:21.480 --> 00:16:24.210
And obviously then he was four
months old and now we had two

00:16:24.210 --> 00:16:27.300
more years of this.
So as he got older it progressively,

00:16:27.540 --> 00:16:33.290
um, got like towards the end,
it got tougher for me because he knew

00:16:33.380 --> 00:16:36.890
I was leaving so he would see an
airplane and be like, Mama Tata.

00:16:37.070 --> 00:16:39.290
And if I start packing my bags,
he would know.

00:16:39.290 --> 00:16:41.750
So then the mom guilt like
really started.

00:16:41.750 --> 00:16:45.200
But I think there's where you need
like your support structure with the

00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:48.380
people that made the decision with
you to like, keep you accountable.

00:16:48.380 --> 00:16:51.680
Because there was a few times I
wanted to give up and then he was

00:16:51.680 --> 00:16:54.380
like, no, like, you're not giving up.
Like you'll be fine.

00:16:54.380 --> 00:16:58.070
You do this for him.
And we like, just support you and

00:16:58.070 --> 00:17:02.390
like remind you how far you've
come and like, why are you doing

00:17:02.390 --> 00:17:05.720
it and the example you're setting.
So, um, yeah,

00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:09.860
I think it's just knowing you,
setting a good example to him.

00:17:09.980 --> 00:17:13.580
And for Vicky, a good example
meant keeping her head down and

00:17:13.580 --> 00:17:17.930
controlling the controllables.
So I just trained, I knew what I had

00:17:17.930 --> 00:17:22.670
to do, I just didn't think about it.
Um, you know, when it's raining

00:17:22.670 --> 00:17:26.000
or riding in the rain or swimming
in the cold water, we had load

00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:29.290
shedding and would eat issues.
I just got it done and I was

00:17:29.290 --> 00:17:32.020
super consistent training three
times a day.

00:17:32.530 --> 00:17:37.150
Vicki boarded a plane destined for
France on the 20th of July 2024.

00:17:37.180 --> 00:17:40.600
All the visualising she had done
for months was materializing in

00:17:40.600 --> 00:17:43.360
front of her.
She was finally on her way to compete

00:17:43.360 --> 00:17:47.800
in the women's individual triathlon
scheduled for Wednesday 31st July.

00:17:47.830 --> 00:17:52.930
In this event, Vicky would need to
complete a 1.5km swim, a 40 kilometer

00:17:52.930 --> 00:17:57.760
cycle and a ten kilometer run.
Now, if you followed any of the

00:17:57.760 --> 00:18:03.040
buildup to the Olympic Games in 2024,
you might remember the controversy

00:18:03.040 --> 00:18:08.260
around the Seine River being a
little. How do you say leap?

00:18:08.770 --> 00:18:12.070
Obviously you visualize different
situations, but to be honest,

00:18:12.070 --> 00:18:17.140
I think that specific race was
very unique because we couldn't

00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:20.200
have warm up days in the swim
because of the water quality.

00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:23.800
So I think South Africans
handled the uncertainty well

00:18:23.830 --> 00:18:27.450
because we used to it.
So the first time I swam in the

00:18:27.450 --> 00:18:31.860
Seine River was, um, on race day.
Okay, let me catch you up.

00:18:31.860 --> 00:18:35.820
If you missed the controversy,
heavy rainfall at any time could

00:18:35.820 --> 00:18:39.720
have caused levels of e-coli and
other bacteria in the same river

00:18:39.720 --> 00:18:42.810
to rise, and there was obviously
very little the city could do to

00:18:42.810 --> 00:18:45.780
stop it from raining.
This Saint River was to be the stage

00:18:45.780 --> 00:18:49.500
for the opening ceremony of the
games and all open water events

00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:53.010
at the Paris Olympics, including
the men's and women's triathlon,

00:18:53.100 --> 00:18:56.790
should too much rainfall.
That backup plan for the ten

00:18:56.790 --> 00:19:00.750
kilometres swimming event was to have
it as a rowing or canoeing venue,

00:19:00.750 --> 00:19:04.410
right? Just move the location.
But there was no backup venue

00:19:04.410 --> 00:19:07.500
for the triathlons.
Instead, the plan was to cancel

00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:11.460
the swim leg and turn the
triathlon into a Du athlon.

00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:15.570
Up until race day,
nobody was certain what would happen.

00:19:16.740 --> 00:19:21.270
It was in the early hours of 31st
July that test results showed the

00:19:21.270 --> 00:19:25.940
bacterial account in the Saint
River was at an acceptable level,

00:19:25.940 --> 00:19:31.250
and so the triathlon would go ahead.
But because more rain could fall

00:19:31.250 --> 00:19:35.210
and change the E.coli levels at
any point, the men and women

00:19:35.210 --> 00:19:39.860
would swim back to back.
This is not a scenario that many

00:19:39.860 --> 00:19:43.430
athletes would have visualized.
So that was strange.

00:19:43.430 --> 00:19:46.130
And it was in conditions that
very few athletes are used to.

00:19:46.160 --> 00:19:49.700
It's extremely strong current.
Um, yeah.

00:19:49.700 --> 00:19:52.940
Which is just not normal for a
triathlon swim or for the open

00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:54.710
water swims.
So as much as I visualized,

00:19:54.710 --> 00:19:58.190
I couldn't really visualize that,
like I just tried to stay present.

00:19:58.250 --> 00:20:01.970
It's 60 girls that need to get
past a buoy.

00:20:02.090 --> 00:20:04.940
And, um, it's Olympic,
so it is aggressive.

00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.470
Um, I've got some photos that
they took from the top. Um, yo.

00:20:09.470 --> 00:20:11.450
And it's like everyone's over
each other.

00:20:11.450 --> 00:20:14.870
Like I got dunked under a buoy.
Got out on the other side.

00:20:14.870 --> 00:20:17.480
I'd swim back there,
position people on the water

00:20:17.480 --> 00:20:21.130
with extra cameras to try and
penalize people who intentionally

00:20:21.130 --> 00:20:24.760
dunk you or too aggressive,
but it's very hard to say this

00:20:24.760 --> 00:20:27.850
person intentionally did this.
It's dark here,

00:20:27.850 --> 00:20:31.630
like in a river on the sea.
Um, so yeah, it was very aggressive,

00:20:31.630 --> 00:20:34.180
but I knew it beforehand.
Like, I knew this is going to be

00:20:34.180 --> 00:20:37.720
a fight. So, um.
And that was just the beginning.

00:20:37.930 --> 00:20:40.870
There's nothing quite like being
dunked in a dirty river in front

00:20:40.870 --> 00:20:44.380
of 300,000 spectators.
As you're fighting for a dream

00:20:44.380 --> 00:20:47.950
that you've worked so hard for
over the past two years and

00:20:47.950 --> 00:20:52.300
dreamt of your entire life.
But the swim is just one part of

00:20:52.300 --> 00:20:54.250
the race.
There's still a 40 kilometer

00:20:54.250 --> 00:20:59.890
cycle and a ten kilometer run.
Except Vicky's bike transition didn't

00:20:59.890 --> 00:21:03.790
go the way she planned either.
So when I got to my bike,

00:21:03.790 --> 00:21:08.590
I don't know what happened.
So my bike was on the floor and

00:21:08.590 --> 00:21:11.410
so I had no idea.
Like, did another athlete

00:21:11.410 --> 00:21:16.030
accidentally bump my bike?
Did did it somehow fall out of

00:21:16.030 --> 00:21:18.490
the the rack?
Far from perfect transition.

00:21:18.490 --> 00:21:21.210
I have no idea how that happened.
I mean, I definitely wrecked my

00:21:21.210 --> 00:21:23.340
bike correctly.
I've done it a million times.

00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:25.710
When it comes to high level
competition.

00:21:25.710 --> 00:21:29.970
The seconds it takes to change
gears for each event matters.

00:21:30.210 --> 00:21:33.390
It's very easy to lose focus when
things are out of place, and Vicky

00:21:33.390 --> 00:21:38.820
had to keep her wits about her and
adhere to the rules and keep pushing.

00:21:38.850 --> 00:21:41.040
A lot of girls fell on the bike
because there was a lot of

00:21:41.040 --> 00:21:43.950
corners on the on the route,
and it rained that morning,

00:21:43.950 --> 00:21:47.250
so the route was very wet.
So there was quite a few crashes

00:21:47.250 --> 00:21:50.820
which made it interesting dynamic.
So yeah, I just wanted to stay

00:21:50.820 --> 00:21:54.030
safe on the bike.
So I went like a little bit more

00:21:54.030 --> 00:21:56.700
conservatively through the
corners and so forth.

00:21:56.700 --> 00:22:01.860
So happy to have stayed on my bike.
I just knew I just had to soak it

00:22:01.860 --> 00:22:05.730
in and yeah, all the support and
the course and just, um, you know,

00:22:05.730 --> 00:22:10.020
just soaking in like being part
of the biggest sporting event in

00:22:10.020 --> 00:22:14.940
the world is, was was great.
Top athletes astonish me.

00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:20.420
Their mental sharpness and constant
awareness. Managing emotions.

00:22:20.420 --> 00:22:23.720
Dealing with disappointment,
frustration and the unexpected

00:22:23.720 --> 00:22:28.940
while cycling at breakneck speeds.
Just one more leg to go at the

00:22:28.940 --> 00:22:33.110
biggest sporting event in the world.
I had a good transition and then run,

00:22:33.110 --> 00:22:37.670
so I ran the fastest in our group.
But by that time, you know,

00:22:37.670 --> 00:22:42.890
I wasn't where I wanted to be away.
Yeah, I mean it's yeah, it's a race,

00:22:42.890 --> 00:22:44.930
so anything can happen.
It's the Olympics.

00:22:44.930 --> 00:22:49.010
Um, because I knew I wasn't running
for, like, a medal or anything.

00:22:49.190 --> 00:22:53.510
I ran hot, but I definitely
soaked it in and just also tried

00:22:53.510 --> 00:22:56.720
to enjoy the whole experience.
As I crossed the finish line,

00:22:56.720 --> 00:23:02.300
I realised like so many girls
were crying and emotional and so

00:23:02.300 --> 00:23:05.180
much buildup for this one day.
And on this one day,

00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:08.360
anything can happen.
Like you can crash on the bike,

00:23:08.360 --> 00:23:11.960
you could have a terrible swim like I
did and you can cramp on the run,

00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:14.360
whatever.
So I just realised then that,

00:23:14.360 --> 00:23:17.170
you know, I didn't have the day
that I wanted, but I'm still

00:23:17.170 --> 00:23:20.740
like super proud of the journey.
And at the end of this journey,

00:23:20.770 --> 00:23:23.920
Vicki got to run into the arms
of the people who were there for

00:23:23.920 --> 00:23:28.030
her every step of the way.
There were so many South Africans,

00:23:28.030 --> 00:23:30.640
which was amazing,
so many African flags.

00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:35.890
And then I spotted a big crowd.
They were like 25 people and I

00:23:35.890 --> 00:23:38.560
thought it was them.
But what was cool about the Olympics

00:23:38.560 --> 00:23:42.040
as you cross the finish line,
there's like this company that

00:23:42.040 --> 00:23:45.970
phones your family.
So then I could on a massive screen

00:23:45.970 --> 00:23:49.750
like chat to all of them, even though
they're like just like 500m from me.

00:23:49.750 --> 00:23:53.440
As Vicky crossed the finish line
at the 2024 Olympic Games,

00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:57.490
she immediately snapped out of
her athlete persona and straight

00:23:57.490 --> 00:24:00.760
back into being Mama Bear.
Seeing her family on that big

00:24:00.760 --> 00:24:05.890
screen during her post-race call,
there was only one thing on her mind.

00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:09.670
The first thing I said, I was like,
put a hat on for Adrian because

00:24:09.670 --> 00:24:13.890
it's like it's like 40 degrees
outside and he's like, he's got

00:24:13.890 --> 00:24:17.250
so much hair and it's so hot and
it's such a long day in the sun.

00:24:17.250 --> 00:24:20.010
And my husband and I don't like
sunblock, and I.

00:24:20.100 --> 00:24:22.740
And I like what I like sunblock
on his face.

00:24:23.130 --> 00:24:26.760
So my mother mother instincts
immediately kicked in.

00:24:27.120 --> 00:24:32.220
Because ultimately, all the early
morning runs, the winter workouts,

00:24:32.220 --> 00:24:37.050
the international travel and even
that dirty river water swim,

00:24:37.410 --> 00:24:42.430
all of it was just for Adrian.
You and I am debated for about two

00:24:42.430 --> 00:24:45.870
seconds with our son should come to
Paris or not, and I won that one.

00:24:45.870 --> 00:24:49.260
And I'm so happy that he was
there because he was the reason

00:24:49.260 --> 00:24:52.860
and your he loved it. They.
I think a mom's happy if you

00:24:52.860 --> 00:24:56.280
know your child's happy.
But it's very special for me to

00:24:56.280 --> 00:25:00.750
see how he loves sport now.
So he is obsessed with bikes as

00:25:00.750 --> 00:25:03.330
little boys probably.
Oh, and then when he rides,

00:25:03.330 --> 00:25:05.820
he rides his bike until a point,
and then he goes and puts it down

00:25:05.820 --> 00:25:08.460
and puts it, takes his helmet off
and he goes, now I'm gonna run.

00:25:08.460 --> 00:25:11.000
And then he starts running and I'm
like, where are you running to.

00:25:11.030 --> 00:25:15.140
So he's got this triathlon mindset
already, which is super cute.

00:25:15.140 --> 00:25:18.740
And you know, he just loves
outdoors and being active.

00:25:18.770 --> 00:25:22.970
Um, so it's it's nice to see. Yeah.
I would just want for him to,

00:25:23.000 --> 00:25:27.170
to reach his potential in whatever
that is and be happy in the process.

00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:30.290
Vicky.
Berta is most certainly one to watch

00:25:30.290 --> 00:25:33.920
on the track and in the water,
and can be found on social media

00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:39.890
as Vicky Tamara Adrian has a mum
that has shown him how with the

00:25:39.890 --> 00:25:43.910
right people in your corner,
you can do hard things and

00:25:43.910 --> 00:25:47.600
continues to encourage him to
believe in possibility.

00:25:47.630 --> 00:25:50.570
If he speaks about me,
he goes mama, swim Fitzroy.

00:25:51.410 --> 00:25:55.430
It's very cute. I chase my goals.
Um, hopefully that's an example

00:25:55.430 --> 00:26:03.080
for him. Um, that's what he sees.
Thank you for listening to this

00:26:03.080 --> 00:26:06.320
episode of Something Shifted.
You can find me on Instagram at Sean

00:26:06.320 --> 00:26:09.880
Lewis and join my mailing list 321
shift, which gives you three things

00:26:09.880 --> 00:26:13.420
for your mind, two things for your
body and one thing for your soul.

00:26:13.450 --> 00:26:17.530
Plus a few little fun surprises
along the way every second Sunday.

00:26:17.890 --> 00:26:22.180
Oh, and don't forget to use my
code Hash shift 50 at checkout

00:26:22.180 --> 00:26:27.310
when you place your first order
on Ucas and you'll get 50% off.

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00:26:36.130 --> 00:26:38.830
You can also leave a comment,
which I might very well read in

00:26:38.830 --> 00:26:41.530
the next episode.
Don't forget to share this

00:26:41.530 --> 00:26:44.620
episode with your friends or
family right now.

00:26:44.710 --> 00:26:48.010
Oh, and all the links to the
things that I've mentioned are

00:26:48.010 --> 00:26:51.430
in the show notes.
Thanks as always to my executive

00:26:51.430 --> 00:26:54.610
producer, Rhonda Lewis,
and to you, of course,

00:26:54.610 --> 00:26:59.140
for believing in possibility.
My name is Shawn and this is

00:26:59.140 --> 00:27:03.070
something shifted.
I'll see you in two weeks. Bye.