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This week\u2019s episode is a little different, because today is Laura\u2019s birthday! And to celebrate, she has a very special guest who will be asking the questions \u2013 her oldest daughter, Arella. Many of the questions that Arella will be asking Laura have been submitted by listeners, and she has also added a few of her own. Towards the end of the podcast, Laura turns the tables and asks Arella a couple questions as well. You will quickly discover that Arella is an excellent interviewer who might just be ready to host her own podcast someday, and you\u2019ll also learn a lot more about Laura, her sport, her faith, her physical and mental training, and, of course, her Olympic experiences. Today\u2019s episode is an excellent opportunity to learn so much about the life of an Olympian and her family, and if there is more you would like to know, be sure to send in your questions to Laura and they might just be answered on a future episode!

Episode Highlights:\n\xa0\nQuestions for Laura:\n\xa0

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• How do you set your goals when everything is changing?
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• Since you compete all over the world, and you have met lots of different people, has it ever given you the opportunity to share your faith with a fellow athlete?
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• Why do you love \u2018Learning to Fly\u2019, the song by Petty so much? Is it inspirational or is it just because you think it\u2019s a cool song?
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• Coaching mental and physical abuse \u2013 how can we combat this as athletes?
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• Recovering from intense diving practices
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• How do you overcome the feelings of personal failure?
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• Why do some divers wear swim caps now?
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• What Gym did you go to gymnastics at before you did diving?
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• Who are some of your mindset coaches or influencers at this point in your life?
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• What dive has caused you to have the largest mental block, and how do you overcome it?
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• What made you want to go to the Olympics?
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• What are your chances of qualifying for Tokyo?
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• How did you get into diving?
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• How many medals do you really have?
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• How many sports did you do before you did diving?
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• How many times have you gone to the Olympics?
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• What is your hardest dive ever?
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• What\u2019s your easiest dive?
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Questions for Arella:\n\xa0

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• What was the first sport that you did?
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• What did you do after gymnastics?
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• How do you get bored in gymnastics?
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• Why do you enjoy Ninja Warrior so much now?
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• Do you have any big goals for Ninja Warrior?
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• Are there any lessons that you learn while you\u2019re training for Ninja Warrior that help you in your everyday life?
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• What is your new dream that you just came up with that you want to be when you grow up and why?
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• Do you want to talk about the workout that you created during homeschool after you watched the Navy Seals?
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• How has homeschooling been going?
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Quotes:\n\xa0\n\u201cYour ultimate goals don\u2019t need to change\u2026what changes is your path to get there.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cResearch what other athletes in your sport are doing out there right now, like, stalk Instagram or Facebook or YouTube.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cObviously, the biggest part of being able to share your faith is starting relationships with people. That has to come first.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cThat\u2019s really when you get a chance to show people what your faith is, what it means to you, and begin to have those discussions if they\u2019re open to that.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201c\u2019I\u2019m going to free fall out into nothing. I\u2019m going to leave this world for a while\u2019, and to me, that just encapsulates what it feels like when I\u2019m diving 10 meter, and I\u2019m just in my happy place, and I\u2019m in my zone, and it kind of feels like a place of worship for me because I\u2019m using the gifts that God has given me.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cEpisode 11 with Kaillee Humphries, she talks about mental and verbal abuse\u2026from one of her coaches\u2026and also in Episode 20, with Tracy Hanson, there was kind of a very long term abuse going on there.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like a small car accident every time.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cSometimes it\u2019s not your body that\u2019s wearing out, it\u2019s your mind\u2026if that\u2019s the case, go play.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cIf you\u2019re not failing, you\u2019re not going to succeed.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cIt\u2019s to keep the chlorine from absorbing into their hair.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cMostly, \u2018Flips\u2019 was my home gym.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cThe Bible has just been, kind of, my firm foundation since I gave my life to Christ.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cIf you\u2019re ever going through a really hard time, Psalms is a wonderful place to go.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cIt really broke a barrier for me to all of a sudden, I could do anything.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI tried a bunch of sports until I finally found diving.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cMy biggest challenge is really getting my body back to the point where I can get my entries clean again.\u201d\n\u201cI didn\u2019t give up just because I had a bad dive\u2026I came back and I won the competition.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cIn 2000, it was in Sydney, Australia. In 2004, it was in Athens, Greece. And in 2008, it was in Beijing, China.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cThe back 3\xbd somersault pike just felt really, really, really hard.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cSometimes, the simple ones are the hardest.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cMy easiest dive is probably just, like, jumping in the water\u2026a pencil dive.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cMy first sport was gymnastics.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI did soccer and now I\u2019m a Ninja Warrior\u2026I did diving\u2026before soccer.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cThe trapeze bar is probably my favorite.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI keep trying over and over again until I finish the route.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI want to be\u2026the first woman to be a Navy SEAL.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI like hard and challenging things.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI started working out while I was doing my Math.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI really like homeschooling \u2013 it\u2019s really fun!\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI think we should make another episode.\u201d\n\xa0

Links:\nThe Pursuit of Gold homepage: \xa0 http://thepursuitofgold.com/\xa0\nMental Training: \xa0 https://www.laurawilkinson.com/learn\xa0

Laura\u2019s Social Media:\nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lala_the_diver\xa0\xa0\nFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLauraWilkinson