Gracie Gold on Olympic Pressure, Body Image Struggles, and the Mental Health Crisis Behind Elite Athletes

About this episode

Gracie Gold discusses her experiences with Olympic pressure, body image struggles, and mental health challenges faced by elite athletes.

#382: Gracie Gold became a two-time U.S. national champion, a six-time Grand Prix medalist, and in 2014 she made history as the first American woman to win the NHK Trophy in the sport of figure skating. That same year, she stood on the 2014 Olympic podium in Sochi as part of Team USA in the team event and placed 4th in the individual event, close to a medal of her own. At her peak, she held the record for the highest short program score ever recorded by an American woman. But behind the sparkle and the scores, something was quietly unraveling. Gracie has been open about her struggles with anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder: battles that were happening largely out of public view, even as she was competing at the highest level in the world. In 2017, she stepped away from the sport entirely to get help, one of the bravest decisions an athlete can make. What followed was a long, honest road back — not just to skating, but to herself. She's since become a vocal advocate for athletes in the mental health space, and recently released a memoir called Outofshapeworthlessloser — a title that tells you everything about where she's been and how far she's come. Today, Gracie isn't…

People in this episode

Host: Emily Elizabeth Duong

Guest: Gracie Gold

Topics covered

• Olympic pressure
• body image struggles
• mental health
• elite athletes
• figure skating
• anxiety
• eating disorders

Keywords

• Gracie Gold
• Olympics
• mental health
• figure skating
• eating disorders
• anxiety
• body image
• athlete advocacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Team USA

Books & works: Outofshapeworthlessloser

Places: Sochi

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