TEAM USA OLYMPIAN: How Chari Hawkins Trained Her Mind to Reach Paris After Years of Falling Short

Most people watch the Olympics and see the result. Chari Hawkins lived two and a half decades of work to get there, and almost didn't make it. I sit down with US Olympian and world-class heptathlete Chari Hawkins for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to build mental toughness from scratch, compete at the highest level with a broken heart, and figure out who you are when the sport is no longer the whole answer.This is not a highlight reel conversation. Chari is honest about the panic attacks, the identity crises, the years of therapy, the breakdowns under a tent at track meets, and the visualization breakthrough that got her to the 2024 Paris Olympics. She's also sharp, curious, and deeply thoughtful about what sport teaches you about life, not the other way around. If you've ever had to do hard things while scared, this one is for you.What we explore:Why tying your identity to a single role, athlete, title, achievement, sets you up for a crisis the moment it ends.How Chari used a three-word visualization framework to silence the fear before the race that got her to Paris.Why mental toughness is not a personality trait, and what the actual work of building it looks like under pressure.What not winning a World Championship medal gave her that a podium finish never could have.How competition-day nutrition, breathwork, and sleep tools function as a performance system, and what happens when you get them wrong.Chapter:00:00 Intro01:35 Why Competing Can Disconnect You From Yourself10:56 Why She Chose the Heptathlon16:49 How to Learn New Skills Faster Than Everyone Else21:31 Sports Psychology Tools That Actually Work36:28 How to Support Someone After Failure49:25 The “See, Feel, Trust” Performance Technique01:00:10 Parenting, Discipline, and Mental Strength01:12:41 Peak Performance and Age in the Olympics01:24:05 Bouncing Back After a Devastating Moment01:34:46 What Losing Teaches You That Winning Can’t01:36:54 What Athletes Eat on Competition Day01:47:08 Balancing Training, Recovery, and Performance01:51:05 A 30-Day Plan to Build Mental Strength02:00:22 Sprint Training Mindset and Workouts02:11:17 Overcoming Injury Fear and Recovery02:17:33 Sleep, Travel, and Mental Recovery Tools02:28:46 Future Goals and Final Lessons About Chari HawkinsChari Hawkins is a US Olympic heptathlete who competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics. One of the most mentally transparent athletes in track and field, she has spent over 20 years competing at the world-class level across seven events, from the 100 hurdles to the 800m, and has become as well known for her openness about the mental side of sport as she has for her performance. She is based in Utah and trains alongside her husband CJ, who serves as both her training partner and one of her closest sources of perspective.Connect with Chari HawkinsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/_charihawkins/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@_charihawkins TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_charihawkins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChariTrack X: https://x.com/_charihawkins Produced by Dear Media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.