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Laura\u2019s longtime friend, Gabi Chereches, joins her for a very special episode this week. Currently a coach at The Woodlands Diving Academy, where he and Laura first met almost 30 years ago, Gabi\u2019s many diving accomplishments include 3 Olympic Games, and 9 NCAA All-American honors. As a coach, he has guided athletes to both Junior and Senior titles and at numerous World Championships, and he was named the 2014 USA Diving Developmental Coach of the Year. Gabi has led an incredible life and he shares his fascinating story with Laura and all of you here today.\n\xa0\nTheir conversation tracks Gabi\u2019s life and career from his days growing up in Romania through his remarkably successful diving career and up to the current day where he is proving equally successful as a diving coach. In the process, Gabi shares such details as what his life was like during Romania\u2019s revolution, experiencing great success at an early age, his life changing interview at the Barcelona Games, and his move to live in the USA. Learning to speak English, his differing Olympics experiences, his college years, and how he handles tough or disappointing moments in his life are also discussed. Gabi draws the episode to a close by describing the weirdest time in his life, his coaching career and coming full circle in his life, what success means to him now, and by offering some parting advice for athletes and coaches. Laura and Gabi\u2019s close friendship is fully evident in this heartfelt conversation today, as Gabi reviews his remarkable life, the lessons he has learned throughout, and the wisdom he has to offer us all regarding what is truly important in the arenas of both sports and life.

Episode Highlights:\n\xa0\n\xb7 \xa0 Gabi\u2019s start in diving\n\xb7 \xa0 Growing up in Romania during the revolution\n\xb7 \xa0 Enjoying so much success at such a young age\n\xb7 \xa0 The impact of his NBC interview at the Barcelona Olympics\n\xb7 \xa0 His move to the USA and his American family\n\xb7 \xa0 How Gabi learned to speak English\n\xb7 \xa0 His differing Olympic experiences\n\xb7 \xa0 His college experience\n\xb7 \xa0 Gabi\u2019s third Olympics Games\n\xb7 \xa0 Handling disappointment\n\xb7 \xa0 The weirdest time of his life\n\xb7 \xa0 His start and progression as a coach\n\xb7 \xa0 Coming full circle\n\xb7 \xa0 Gabi\u2019s current definition of success\n\xb7 \xa0 His parting words of wisdom

Quotes:\n\xa0\n\u201cI still remember my first jump off the 10 meter\u2026it was scary.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cDiving is a very scary sport sometimes\u2026if you have that \u2018no fear\u2019 it helps a lot.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI actually appreciate that I went through that because\u2026now that you reflect back, it makes you a better person.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cWhen you have a team like that, it becomes your family.\u201d\n\xa0\xa0\n\u201cIt was such a unique experience\u2026it was awesome\u2026I got spoiled pretty quickly.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI was watching \u2018Beavis and Butthead\u2019.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cAll you guys were pretty tough on me.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cWe\u2019ll call you out when you\u2019re being a punk, you know, but we\u2019re going to love you no matter what you do, for sure.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cGoing into Atlanta, it felt more like home.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cGoing to Tennessee, it was a no-brainer.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cUnfortunately, I just did not have a great performance in the 2000 Olympic Games.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cIt\u2019s not just one meet \u2013 it\u2019s the journey.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cWe\u2019re just going to keep pulling you back in, too.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cThis is how I\u2019m going to give back.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cIf you guide them through that process, then their journey becomes a little bit better, a little bit more family-type feeling for them.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cYou have to figure it out, how to make them feel ready and right in their mind to approach certain skills and certain dives.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cI\u2019m very lucky that I\u2019m able to experience this.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cIt\u2019s been a cool ride so far.\u201d\n\xa0\n\u201cLet\u2019s learn from each other.\u201d

Links:\nThe Pursuit of Gold homepage: \xa0\xa0http://thepursuitofgold.com/\xa0\n5 Smart Strategies to Confidence: \xa0\xa0https://www.laurawilkinson.com/learn\xa0\nLaura\u2019s Social Media:\nInstagram: \xa0\xa0https://www.instagram.com/lala_the_diver \xa0\nFacebook: \xa0\xa0https://www.facebook.com/TheLauraWilkinson\xa0\n\xa0\nLearn more about Gabi:\n\xa0\nGabi Chereches - TeamUSA\nWoodlands Diving Team: Woodlandsdiving.org