If your schedule is packed and you're always doing something, then for me at least, I don't have any time to be creative, to stop up and let the mind just do its thing.
And I think that's one of the biggest active decisions I'm making every day is to give myself space because that's when creativity comes.
Hey guys, how you doing?
I hope you're having a good week so far.
My name is Dr. Rongan Chatterjee and this is my podcast.
Feel better. Live more.
Today's conversation is a little bit different from normal.
As you may know, I like to speak to a variety of different guests on the show, from a variety of different backgrounds, and today's guest has a background and story unlike any guest I have previously spoken to.
Hedwick Vesel is a Norwegian professional skier.
She is an Olympic athlete and she is the current world champion of the freeride world tour.
Now, if you're not sure what freeride skiing is, it basically involves navigating the most challenging terrain in the mountains with jumps, tricks, and high speed skiing and it's a sport where one wrong move could prove fatal.
Now, I first became aware of Hedwick a couple of years back.
One of my own favorite clothing brands who I have no financial affiliation with is Peak Performance and because I follow this brand on Instagram, I would often see posts from Hedwick in my feed as she is one of their sponsored athletes.
One of the things I found most fascinating about Hedwick was her general outlook on life, the approach she takes to following her passion and living her truth.
Because of her chosen sport, Hedwick has to come face to face with danger and the real possibility that she could die on a regular basis, but despite that, or perhaps because of that, she has a really grounded and intentional approach to life.
In our conversation, we cover so many different topics that, although discussed in the context of being a world champion skier, I believe have huge relevance for each and every one of us.
We talk about conquering negative thoughts, how to manage anxiety, the importance of exploring our own personal limits, and how we can best overcome fear and turn our struggles into growth.
We talk about Hedwick's inspiring journey to becoming world champion, and how pursuing our own passions can lead to a more meaningful and purposeful life.
We also explore the rituals she uses to prepare for competition, the importance of trusting our instincts in critical moments, and how spending time in nature has shaped her own perspective on life and death.
She also shares why exactly she chooses to work with a Ayurvedic health coach, why she has decided to stop competing despite being the reigning world champion, and she also shares a powerful visualization exercise that she uses to make difficult decisions.
Hedwick has never done a long -form podcast interview before, and it really was an honour that she agreed to do one for the first time on my podcast.
This is a conversation that I assure you is relevant for everyone.
Whether you are someone who is a keen skier already, or someone who has no interest in the sport at all, nor any aspiration to take part in it, the themes we talk about are universal.
Yes, Hedwick has reached the pinnacle of her own chosen profession, but at the same time, she's also someone who is extremely grounded and has a deep understanding of who she is and why she lives life in the way that she does.
Now, before we get into the conversation, I wanted to let you know that peak performance have very kindly agreed to give my audience a special offer, which they very rarely do.
At this podcast recording, I spoke to a representative from peak performance who accompanied Hedwick to the studio, and I told them how much I loved their brands and that I personally had been wearing their clothes since 2005, and they kindly agreed to offer a discount code for my audience.
Now, please note they have not paid me or this podcast any money for this at all.
There is no commercial relationship here.
It is simply a generous offer that I wanted to share with you all because I like this brand so much.
Peak Performance are a Scandinavian mountain brand who, in my opinion, make a range of fantastic and long -lasting clothes.
For many years, my family and I have worn peak performance puffer jackets, winter coats, ski jackets, sportswear, and running wear.
The clothes are super high quality.
I am still wearing a hoodie that I bought from them over 10 years ago, so if you go to peakperformance .com and enter the code livemore, no space live more, you'll get 20 % off any full -price product on their website, and the discount code is available in all markets that Peak Performance sells its products
in, including the UK, US, Canada, and Ireland.
Now onto the full conversation.
For people who are listening, who maybe don't ski, who don't know what the Freeride World Tour is, can you explain what it is that you do when you're competing?
Yes. The Freeride World Tour is an event going around the world where we are skiing down a big mountain.
It's like a face where it's cliffs and it's steep, you know, steep lines you can do, and you basically try to ski as beautiful, strong, fast, and jump as many cliffs and do tricks as possible.
So when we get to a competition phase, we would look up at the mountain, and then I, there's the start and this is the finish, and then you can go pretty much everywhere within that range.
So I would look up at the mountain and see, oh that's a good cliff I want to hit, like I wonder how big is that cliff?
And then I would try to find a line that inspires me, you know, that I think I can do and that pushes me, but you've never skied it before, so you're only looking at it from below or from the side, sometimes pretty far away.
So it's hard to know exactly how big the cliffs are or how big the fields are in between the cliffs.
So we basically ski down this mountain for the first time, we try to go as fast as we can, jump the cliffs we want to hit and maybe do some tricks.
So it's like sometimes it's so steep that you're like, you can't even see what's coming, and then it's five to six events and whoever wins the overall is the world champion.
Now what's really interesting is, let's say someone's listening and they've never skied before, they may have an idea of what skiing is from magazines or in the UK there used to be a show, maybe there still is, called Ski Sunday, where they would typically show, you know, on -piste races like slalom,
giant slalom, maybe moguls, right?
But these are things that are done on controlled parts of the slope, right?
Which has been pasted already, it's been prepared.
I'm just trying to make sure people are following that where you're going, you're skiing off these huge mountain faces, no one's been down it to prepare the terrain for you, it's as nature left it.
When you're skiing it for the competition, you haven't already skied it, you've not done a preparation run.
No. Okay, right. So I want to talk about fear.
Yeah. Is it fair to say that at the top of that run for you and your fellow competitors, that there's a real risk of serious injury and or death?
Yeah, it is for sure.
If you make the long turn and, you know, jump over a hundred meter cliff, then it's not good.
So I think for me, some mountains scares me more than others.
If I'm like skiing above a no -fall zone, which is what we call it, like no -fall zone means if you fall there, you can die or get really injured.
So when I am skiing above those zones or I'm close to them, I'm like, okay, I really need to focus right now.
But a lot of the times I feel nervous because I just want to perform well and like try to find my line and ski it really beautifully.
So it's like it's combination of being scared, but more like being excited and nervous about performing well.
Because if I were thinking too much about all the dangerous things, I would not be able to ski my best because then you would ski and like look at the danger instead of just like going where you want to go.
But sometimes I have definitely felt more like actual scared and like fearing for my life.
And does that affect your skiing when you're feeling like that?
Well, normally I then wait to go if I can.
If I am able to stop up, if I'm filming, which is another part of free riding, then I'm like, okay, I need to take a moment to get back into my zone and to really feel my confidence and find out, okay, where am I going?
How am I doing this?
But for competitions, when I've been too nervous, it's taking over my body control and I've been skiing worse because of it.
So yeah, it does affect me.
Yeah, this is really interesting for me because although on the outside, you know, you're a world champion skier.
And so what you're doing, you could argue what relevance does that have to someone who doesn't ski?
But what you just said there is completely relevant because we all feel pressure in our own lives at various points.
Even if it's you working in an office and have to give a presentation to your colleagues, if you let nerves get the better off you, you won't be able to perform.
But a little bit of pressure probably helps you.
You're in your sweet spot.
You're in that zone where you can actually perform really well.
So do you feel that there are similarities for us who don't ski big mountains, that we can learn from how you tackle one of those big faces?
Well, definitely. I feel like it's kind of like your skill set compared to how big is the challenge and how prepared are you.
And this can be in any aspect of my life.
And I feel the same nervousness if I am going to have a presentation for a sponsor or doing this podcast.
You know what I mean?
There's different feeling of nervousness or excitement.
And I think what we are good at as athletes is first of all, we feel it very often.
So we train, we practice, of feeling the fear, of feeling nervous, and then dealing with it and being able to use that as something positive, as making us tackle the challenge even better.
And then so we associate it with like, okay, this is exciting.
This is something good.
This is making me more present, more on, instead of like, oh my God, this is scary.
I want to just push it away.
So yeah, a hundred percent.
And we learn techniques.
I've been working with the psychologists and mentors for so many years and practicing on specific strategies and tools to recognize when you're feeling out of balance or feeling nervous or scared and to recognize it and like, okay, this is what's happening right now.
And how can I get back to myself if it's through breathing or if it's through going through what am I actually doing and what in this thing that I'm doing is making me scared and how can I kind of make that not as scary.
For example, in a run, they say normally a run is two minutes long.
And a lot of the times it's one part of that run that really scares me.
If it's a big cliff, if it's a backflip, and that five percent of the run can take over the whole, like it will make me so nervous.
But if I think like, no, but this is only five percent of the run and the 95 percent of the run, I'm really, I feel really confident.
So let's focus on that.
And then when I get to that five percent, when I get to that cliff, that's how can I make that feel easier or less?
And I think that's similar as well.
If you have a presentation and you're if you know that, OK, how can I how can I be less nervous?
Like, how can I start my interview really on point and feeling confident?
Can that maybe make the rest of the interview go easier or whatever it is?
So I think it's about breaking it down and practicing on being nervous and being scared and understanding why and how your body is reacting.
And yeah, it's so, so interesting hearing this.
You mentioned athletes are regularly practicing feeling that fear.
Well, particularly in your sport, feeling that fear and doing it anyway.
Right. But there's a lot of research on exercise.
And when we talk about exercise, people often talk about the physical health benefits over the last few years.
They're talking about the mental health benefits.
But I still think that's something we don't appreciate enough about regular exercise, that there's really good evidence supporting this idea that when you regularly move your body, when you get your heart rate going up, you are practicing stress.
You know what stress feels like.
So you know, oh, this elevated heart rate is because I'm moving my body.
And you develop. I think a lot of athletes and people who move regularly develop a self -awareness of their body, which people who don't move their bodies regularly often don't have.
So an increased heart rate can make them feel that this is anxiety.
There's something wrong.
Whereas you're practicing that stress response regularly, which I find really, really interesting.
You mentioned breathing.
What kind of breathing techniques do you use to manage that?
Yeah. So I started yoga now, maybe 10 years ago.
Done it pretty much every morning since.
And then the last few years I've also done more breath work.
It can be to get my, if it's holotropic breath, breath work or the whim of breath work to just, you know, connecting more with that.
But then for calming, it can be just like recognizing that I am breathing and just breathing slow and feeling it down to my chest and my stomach and breathing out through my nose.
So it can be just slow, slow breathing and just stopping up and breathing.
It doesn't need to be more complicated than that.
And other times it can be like three breaths in and then six seconds out or stuff like that.
So you have a series of practices that you can go to if you're feeling the fear.
Yeah. And there was one video I watched on your YouTube channel last night.
And I think one of the runs afterwards, you were saying that you were maybe waiting up at the top for like an hour and a half.
It was cold. You were just, you were waiting for the right moments or you were waiting until you were cold.
If you're having to wait at the top of these faces, you know, for let's say 60, 90 minutes top of a mountain, you know, is it presumably the fear and the stress can start to mount up, especially the weather's not particularly good.
What do you do in those moments?
Do you use breathing there to help you?
I use breathing and music.
So I would, I remember also like from my first Olympics, that was when I started doing this.
And to just, you know, block out the noise and all the people and the cameras and everything.
So I would just put in my music, play happy music.
It's like my party go to beast mode playlist that I've made specifically for this.
And I would just like be happy and dancing and think about all the memories or a lot of the songs that I have has some kind of story to them.
If it's from a party years ago with my friends or from a trip on the, like another mountain we did.
And I just feel gratitude towards the people that have been skiing with or that I have in my life.
And I would just be, try to be happy and calm and use my breathing, just slowly breathing in and out to calm myself.
Because when I breathe like that, it directly translate to me being on the mat, on the yoga mat in the morning and being safe and being in a nice and calm, protected environment.
So music and breathing is super strong tools that I use every day.
Yeah. It's really interesting to me.
What came up there is, is there a conflict in some way?
So when you're paying attention to your breath, you're tuning into your body.
You're becoming present with who you are, what's going on.
Music, you could argue is a distraction.
It's taking you away from your body and taking you to another place.
So help me understand that.
Do you know what I mean?
It's interesting, isn't it?
Yeah, because I remember my mom is a psychologist.
I remember talking to her a bit years ago about this because it's like, when do you start, when you have a race, when do you start feeling nervous and for how long can you be nervous?
If you start getting nervous in the morning and then you keep being nervous through the breakfast and you keep being nervous on the way to the mountain, there's a lot of time in high stress.
So how can you be nervous just when you need to be?
How can we peak that nervousness or the fear or whatever we call the getting ready zone?
Because you don't want to be in that too long because it's exhausting.
So if you do need to wait for two hours on the top of a mountain or if your presentation is late or you're late or whatever it is, how can you then use tools to maybe distract you, but also feel some kind of grounding in that.
Because when you need to turn on, you know how to do that.
And for me that is then putting on another playlist of like, okay, it's time to go.
And then I could use other as well, other breathwork techniques to get my heart rate up.
Or if I do need to calm my down, then I'll do that as well.
Yeah, I love that. This kind of understanding of, this understanding that your nervous system can only be on for a certain amount of time.
Yeah. I think I learned that over the last few years with my own career.
I mean, even yesterday I'm going through a very busy travel month at the moment, which I don't normally have.
I know looking at your Instagram, you're traveling all the time, but I don't really travel that much anymore.
And I had to give a talk to a company yesterday and I was exhausted.
I was on the train.
I was in the car from the station to the venue.
I just put on music.
I was like, you know what?
I don't need to be on now.
I need to be on in 90 minutes.
I'll be on in 90 minutes, but now I don't need to burn up any nervous energy at all.
I just need to calm.
I got to the venue, went to my room, got ready.
I thought, right now I need to be on.
And I think that's a skill we learn over time, isn't it?
To know when you need that nervous system firing up and when you can actually down regulate it.
Oh, absolutely. And I actually talked to my, I got a voice note from my psychologist today because she knows that I'm in a busy time right now.
I'm trying to, I'm going to Australia in a week and I'm like, everything that I was supposed to do over two months is now into two weeks.
And she was just mentioning like, you know, in between your meetings or in between the training sessions or, you know, whatever it is that it is where you need to be on.
How can you use those moments to just tap in, if it's just in the car, if it's in the elevator or walking up the stairs, and then when it is so busy, it's extremely important to not use those in between moments on your phone, listening to a podcast, being productive, and like just over performing all
the time. Because it's like, we need to be on, but then how can we be fully present when we are on and not go into whatever it is drained.
And for me, those in between moments.
And for example, this morning I was like, Oh, I should probably sleep in, but no, I know I will feel better if I wake up an hour earlier and do my yoga.
You know what I mean?
So it's like, what, what do you need to feel grounded and to be on when you need to be?
And that's what I've noticed and experienced that it's really crucial for me.
It sounds like the sports and through your journey with skiing and competing and traveling and being in all these kind of scary situations that you've really had to develop this deep self -awareness of what's going on inside you, especially knowing that what you do can be potentially fatal, right?
If you're not on your game.
It reminds me a little bit, a few years ago I spoke to Kylian Jorne.
He's regarded as one of the best mountain runners of all time.
He ran up Mount Everest twice in one week.
He used to live in Chamonix and if you go on to Kylian's Instagram, he is literally on the top of cliff faces, maybe with a GoPro on, dancing around.
And if one slip, he's dead basically.
And I remember saying something to Kylian like, Hey, you know, what's your kind of attitude to risk, you know, now that you become a I think he was a new father at the time.
Has that changed your attitude to, you know, dancing at the top of cliff faces, basically.
And he said something which I've never forgotten, right?
He basically said, look, he said something like, look, I grew up in the mountains.
That is home for me.
I don't really see that as being that risky.
Put me in London in the middle of a busy street with people around and cars coming everywhere.
I feel really, really scared there.
Yeah. And I've never forgotten that because I thought risk, stress, it's all dependent on your own experience, your preparation, what you've done before, right?
Your perception of that.
Does that ring true to you?
Oh, for sure. Yeah.
It's like your skill level and your experience.
It's everything. So something that was like above my level and was really scary five years ago is something that I can do easily now.
So it's, it's all about experience.
After you became world champion.
Yes. You put out quite a few Instagram posts, which I've been looking at.
Okay. I know this is many months ago now, but I thought there was one post that was very emotional and I thought gave me a real window and insight into who you are and how that felt.
Now, one of the things you said on that post is that my hardest work has been outside the gym, the mental work.
Can you talk to us a little bit about that?
Yes, for sure. It's a bit emotional.
I don't remember how young I was when I said to myself, I want to be the world champion.
And I've been working towards that for so many years.
And as you said, like one thing is the physical training.
But the biggest one is the mental because pretty much everyone who is in the start gate can win.
They're good enough, but who has the mental strength and the trust in themselves to actually win.
And that's something I'm working with all the time, working to, to believe in myself when it really matters and trust that the work I've done over the years is making me confident and strong.
So I can trust my instinct because when you're skiing a big mountain, it happens so quickly and you don't have time to think it's your, it's your body that is just doing, you're in this, you know, you're in the zone.
So especially this year.
So to take you back a little bit, two years ago, I decided to take a break from competition.
I have been second overall three years in a row.
And so at that time you had been second for the last three years and then you decided to take a break.
Yeah. Okay. Cause I was drained.
Like I, the fun wasn't there anymore.
I, yeah, I think it was many reasons.
Like obviously feeling like I was failing or feeling that I wasn't able to put it all together for different reasons all the time.
It was so hard. It was mentally like taking the fun away from skiing.
And at the same time, the conditions were really bad.
So in free ride, most people would go out on a bluebird day when it's powder, because that's the most fun, right?
But for competition, we need to go when it's go time and we can't wait for powder.
So the last two years in 2021 and 2022, we had really bad conditions, not a lot of snow.
We were skiing on difficult, hard conditions.
So it means like when you come down from a competition run, you feel like this was not good.
It feels horrible. You were just holding on.
You were fighting. Yeah.
You're skiing in so difficult conditions and you're trying to make it look good, but it's, it feels so hard.
It feels not good. So for me, I just say for people who who've never skied before, you can see the same face and the condition of the snow can make it feel like a completely different face.
If it's nice, soft, fresh snow, you can get grip on your skis.
You can turn. If it's hard, icy, you know, you can be skidding and sliding and it could feel like a completely different slope.
I know that's obvious to you.
I'm just trying to make sure people who haven't skied before understand that you're skiing really gnarly, steep cliff faces in awful conditions.
Yeah. It's the worst feeling in the world.
Like you're trying to perform, do your best and then it's like the conditions and the environment is working against you.
So feeling that over time and like year after year, having really bad conditions.
So I skied to get a good feeling, right?
To feel that this run pushed me.
I was so present and I'm proud of what I just did.
So, and I know that if I get that feeling a lot, I will do really well and I will win.
But when you ski and you feel like over and over, it's not really fun anymore.
And then as well, coming second over and over and over also was straining.
And I was like, there's so much more to free ride.
So when it comes to free ride skiing compared to alpine racing, where it's like you can doing competition for racers are kind of like the field, but for free ride you can compete or you can go out in the back country ski powder and make ski films or be part of ski films like Warren Miller or match tics
production. So there's other ways to live off of free riding and where people want to see you.
So that's why I've been creating films throughout my whole career and been part of these film companies to show my skills in another field, not just competition.
And I've been also competing my whole life back to back from I was, you know, mogul skiing from 11 years old, but before that I did other sports as well.
And I felt like I've been competing my whole life back to back.
I haven't had any big injuries, been really lucky that way, but it's been a lot.
And I feel like I need a break because I don't feel motivated to go back.
And how can I perform if I'm not motivated to even do it?
So I just felt it was so clear to me that I need a break.
And I actually said to myself, I'm done.
I'm done competing.
And it is okay. I'm not going to reach my dream.
I'm not going to be the best in the world.
And that is okay. Because I know that I'm still a good skier.
I have my partners.
I have my friends and family.
I know what I'm good at, but I will accept that that dream was not for me.
And it was really hard, obviously, to just accept that.
And I didn't sleep for months.
It kept me up at night.
But I had decided that I'm not happy in this place if I just stay.
So I need a break. I need a breather.
So I decided to take a year where I didn't compete and where I could focus on filming and go into, I was craving good conditions and I was craving adventures and fun.
Yeah. I needed to, why I started skiing in the first place, but the fun and the people.
And I wanted to go out freeriding with the people I loved and the people I trusted.
So I had a year where I went to Japan, to Canada, to Haines, Alaska, to ski the most beautiful and most scary intimidating mountains in my life.
But I felt happy. And I felt like, this is why I'm doing this.
And it felt rewarding.
So after that year, I felt, I know, I want to do that again.
Like, that feels good.
But then my manager actually said to me, so this time, exactly one year ago, he said, I think you should go back to the Freeride Wall Tour.
And I'm like, no, no, no, no.
What do you mean? Go back.
The Pod is a high -tech mattress cover that transforms your existing bed into a sleep optimisation powerhouse.
And clinical studies have demonstrated that the Pod can increase quality sleep duration by up to one hour per night.
It offers a temperature range from 55 degrees Fahrenheit all the way up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
And this is particularly important because it allows for the manipulation of our core body temperature, which plays a crucial role in our sleep quality.
It also incorporates sensors that monitor several key physiological parameters, including our sleep stages, heart rate variability and respiratory rates.
And many athletes, business leaders and friends of mine have found it to be absolutely transformative.
The Pod can be especially helpful if you share a bed with a partner, as it enables both sides of the beds to have a different temperature.
So if you're ready to take your sleep and recovery to the next level, head over to 8sleep .com forward slash live more and use the code LIVEMORE to get up to $600 off your Pod 4 Ultra purchase when bundled.
This offer ends soon, so don't miss out on the Pod currently ships to the US, Canada, the UK, Europe and Australia.
This episode is brought to you by Airbnb.
Now my family and I have had some fantastic trips over the years using Airbnb for pleasure and for work.
In fact, a few years ago when my family and I were traveling around America, we stayed in a wonderful Airbnb with some friends in Boulder and the views were absolutely fantastic.
I remember that it was also really easy to walk into the center of Boulder.
Now on that trip to America, we were away for almost an entire month and looking back, we actually could have hosted our own home on Airbnb whilst we were away.
Have you ever thought about hosting your home or flat on Airbnb?
It could be as simple as starting with a spare room or even your whole place next time you go away.
And if you have thought about hosting on Airbnb before but have been worried about fitting it into your schedule, well now it's easier than ever.
With the new co -host network on Airbnb, a co -host can help take care of things for you.
From setting up your listing, to messaging guests whilst you're away, or even help with a little extra styling, it's handled for you all whilst you're earning a little extra income.
So whether you need help getting set up or are looking for someone to handle the day -to -day, find a co -host at airbnb .co .uk forward slash host.
And he's like, yeah, you should.
You have the skills and it's such a shame if you don't give it another chance.
And I was like, do you have any idea how heavy just like accepting that I'm second had been to me?
What if I fail again?
And I was so scared and I remember calling my mom and like from us, you know, being a psychologist and I'm like, can it actually, you know, be damaging for me long -term if I go back to the tour and I don't win if I'm not reaching my dream and I again, not succeeding.
And because I was like, I'm scared.
I'm scared to feel like that again.
And she said, you know how it is to be second and, but you also have the opportunity to change it.
And I don't think you will make you not come back to yourself.
Like you have the experience and the knowledge.
And I think this break was good for you because now you're coming in with different eyes.
And I was like, okay, okay, I need more time to think about it.
But then after, you know, talking to my boyfriend, my brother, who's also an athlete and some important people around me, I felt that, okay, no, I actually don't want to look back in 10 years and regret that I didn't try when I had the skills when I, cause I know that I am peaking right now.
I'm at my very best.
And I would hate for me to look back and feel that I took the easy way out cause I was scared of failing.
So I decided to go back, which was very heavy, but it felt also something inside me felt that you need to, it is the right thing, but it's going to be hard.
So actually one technique that I used that I worked with my psychologist on was, cause I was doubting every month.
I was like, it was just crying.
I was losing. No, I don't want to do it.
I don't want to do it.
I'm scared. I feel I'm scared of failing.
This was in the season before I had decided, but I regretted it many times before the first competition.
And then actually, yeah.
So that fall was just so hectic.
I'm just I was, it was just so much.
And I was exhausted.
I was so tired. I was trying to do everything the best I could be with my partners and show up, show up for my own film that I was directing and creating.
And I, my skin started breaking out, which I've, you know, never really happened before.
And I think if I would have had a normal job, I would have, you know, they would have said you had grown out.
You need to take a break, but I kept pushing.
So I think that compared to that stress of going back and having to perform and with the competition you have, whether if you're at Walter, you have one shot, there's no second chance.
What do you mean you have one shot?
You have one run at each competition.
So there were six events during the season in different locations.
Yeah. You have to go when they say it's time to go.
You don't get to do it beforehand and you get to do one run.
Yeah. So it's all on that one run.
So you basically get six runs a year.
Yeah. So you need to be on it.
And I just felt that I I'm not ready to perform like I am in this horrible state of mind.
I don't want to go up.
I'm not motivated. I'm not happy.
I'm not confident. I feel like what I want to do is to go to a beach where no one can see me.
No one will take photos.
I don't need to show up.
I don't need to perform.
I just want to get as far as I can away from this showing up and performing place.
But there's still something inside me which said, you know, this means so much to you.
And you do love skiing.
You do love competition.
One month before the first competition, I called my psychologist and crying and saying, I don't want to do it.
I'm not ready. She's like, okay, let's go through this properly.
So we put out two pieces of paper on the floor.
One saying I'm pulling out of the Freight World Tour.
And the other one saying I am competing on the Freight World Tour.
And I remember looking at the paper, I'm like, oh my god, this is awful.
And then I remember, so she was on the phone with me and she's like, okay, start stepping on.
I'm pulling out of the Freight World Tour and really feel how that's feeling.
Embrace it fully. Imagine how it will feel.
And I stepped on it and I just felt this shame, this darkness, this heaviness, this doubt.
And I was just starting to cry and I felt so, I felt like a wreck.
This is not me. I commit to things and I do them.
And I do it 110%. So it felt, standing on that paper was just this awful place.
But it also felt some kind of restness, it also felt like, okay, but at least I can rest.
But it was heavy. And then I stepped onto the other paper saying I am competing on the Freight World Tour.
So before that, I was shaking loose and I was like, okay, whoa, doing all these things changed the state of mind because I was crying heavy and in this dark place.
And I stepped onto, I am competing on the Freight World Tour.
And I suddenly just stood straighter.
I felt proud. I felt excitement, but nervousness.
And I felt self -trust and power and all these things that I want to feel more of and all the things that I love with freeriding and skiing and competing.
And then with her on the phone, I explained what I was feeling.
And then I went off the paper after a few minutes and she's like, well, what do you think?
What do you want to do?
And I was like, just crying.
I'm going back to the tour.
So that was my way of deciding.
And even though after that moment, it was still so heavy.
And just waking up in the morning and doing my routines and going training, it was difficult.
So difficult. That's trusting yourself, isn't it?
Yeah. But that's honestly a thing that I tell myself.
And I put a hand to my chest and I say, I can trust myself.
I can trust myself.
And I say that multiple times a day and I use it as a tool.
And even when I'm on the mountain, I say it right before I compete or just when I'm cruising down the slope, I can trust myself.
And it's been a huge resource for me, even in those difficult moments and going through this winter of it should have been like looking from the outside, it was like my perfect competition year.
I was fourth and third and second and second, and I won and then I won the whole thing.
Like what an amazing comeback.
But I've been struggling like never before.
I've had no motivation.
I've been isolating myself.
I haven't been because I had no energy left outside of just skiing and traveling.
So like I had dinner in my hotel room.
I did my own thing.
I couldn't use any more energy on anything else that I absolutely needed.
My only focus was to win the tour and I had to let everything else go.
Wow. Powerful story.
I mean that exercise.
I love it. And I can just see so much applicability for all of us.
If we're struggling to make a decision on our own life, we could try that ourselves.
You know, put it on two pieces of paper, stand on them.
How does your body feel?
Really tune in as you say, trust yourself.
Just before we started, you're asking me about my next book, which is coming out.
Guess what chapter one is called in that book?
Trust. Trust yourself.
Trust yourself. Yeah.
Yeah. I think it's one of the most important skills that we have as individuals and one that I feel we're losing more and more as we outsource our inner expertise to external experts and we're consuming information from the world around and say, oh, this is the best way.
This is the best way.
This is what I need to do.
Useful up to a point, but we have to get back in tune with our own wisdom, our intuition.
In fact, intuition and gut feeling is a word or a phrase that I feel I've heard you talk about a lot.
I think there was, there's some footage when you've finished a run, maybe in hard packed conditions.
You weren't happy. I think you came off and you were saying something like, I want it to do a backflip, but I just couldn't.
It just didn't feel right.
And going back to how we started this conversation, that's really interesting to me, where you've already said how competitive you are, that you want it to be the best in the world since you're a young kid.
You're on the free ride world tour.
You know that you're amazing at backflips, right?
You want to deliver so you can win the event, but you also have to trust yourself when the conditions are wrong, you can't just do it because you said you're going to do it at the top.
You have to change, right?
You have to trust yourself in that moment.
Yeah. And I think me being able to trust my instinct in the moment have made me safe and injury free for so long.
There's a lot of people who want to prove themselves when they're out training or skiing with their friends, and they just push themselves without actually thinking or knowing if it's safe enough, right?
And I think over the years I have, I understand like, no, this is actually a moment where I step back and it's okay to turn around, right?
Like even though you're like, Oh, I'm going to go to this peak and I'm going to ski this mountain.
And then I get there and like, Oh, actually it doesn't feel right.
Then allowing yourself to turn around, I think is such an important skill.
And I do that over and over in skiing and training.
And it also allows me to see when that's happening in my life of like, you can commit to something maybe one, two, three months ago.
And then you get there and you're like, no, it doesn't feel right right now.
And understanding why I think it's important instead of just like, Oh, no, I don't want to do it.
But like, okay, why is it not right now?
And that, you know, those papers and taking those decisions, I still use them.
If it's about going to London for a weekend, or if it's about the most important, you know, whatever it is, it's so useful.
Mason Yeah, it's interesting, isn't it?
Because you could, one might say, look, if you commit to something three months in advance, you should stick to it because you said you were going to do it.
But I don't think it quite works like that.
There's a balance because if something feels wrong, just because you said it three months ago, you should still be able to pull out.
Obviously, there are massive consequences when you're on a cliff face of getting that wrong, right?
Let's say you commit to a weekend and you end up going, you didn't want to go, okay, you're tied, you're burned out, you sort of feel that you shouldn't have gone, you regret it afterwards, but you are at the extreme of when that skill is necessary just because you said you're going to do two backflips
off those two cliffs that you saw on the binoculars.
Well, it doesn't feel right.
It doesn't feel right.
You're going to do serious damage.
So that's a really important skill.
Where does this desire to be the best in the world come from?
Kavita That's a good question.
I think it's just deep inside me.
Honestly, growing up, I always wanted to be the best at anything I did.
I have two brothers and a half sister.
Growing up with my brothers, I wanted to do what they did, but better and faster and stronger.
They definitely pushed me to take steps quick.
But in any sport, and even at school, I wanted to have the best grades at school.
I wanted to run the fastest of the girls and even faster than the guys.
Also, I think growing up with brothers, it's like if the boys can do it, I can do it.
It's never been about that.
And I've been pushed by the guys many times and I haven't seen that as a barrier, just more of a good tool to take steps towards where I want to go.
But I think I just love feeling that I'm moving forward and that I'm having that goal.
I don't know, because it's not about the fame or that I want to be different.
It's just that feeling of being really good at something is sick.
It's a good feeling.
Lae You know, you took the break after what, three years of competing?
Kavita Four. Lae So it is a fairy tale, right?
Kavita Yeah, you can say that.
Lae Imagine we were sitting and having this conversation.
Everything was the same, except last year you came second again and not first.
Having made the decision after a year off, after having made peace or tried to make peace with the fact that that was a dream you weren't going to reach, how do you think it would feel for you now if we were having this conversation and you came second again?
Kavita I think I would have seen it as another lesson, because that's how I accepted it last time.
I'm just learning and I want to use it as a challenge to become even better or just to learn how to deal with difficult situations.
I don't know if I would have been motivated to go back and do it again, but that's why I kind of tried in every aspect of life.
I'm like, okay, things are happening for a reason.
Life is trying to teach me something and how can I use something that's difficult or negative to something positive?
How can I learn from it?
And it's kind of like, again, that's why sport is such a good way of learning a lot of life skills.
When I do a run, I look at what was good and what can be better.
And that's the mindset I have in it.
It's not what was bad and what am I ashamed of?
You know what I mean?
So in any aspect of life, you can have those glasses on of what was good and what can be better.
What did I learn from this?
That's a choice. I honestly believe that is one of the most important choices any human being can make.
How are you going to look at situations in life that ultimately are neutral?
All situations pretty much are neutral.
It's the perspective we take on them that determines their outcome on us and their influence on us.
And if you look at that run with guilt and shame and you beat yourself up, well, your mindset, your demeanor, your mood, your life is going to go one way, but if you look at it, okay, that went well.
I can improve that.
That's a very empowering narrative to take, which we can all apply, I think.
And I think that is a choice we can make, I don't think I had that mindset many years ago.
I think I've actively cultivated that mindset over the last few years and it's transformative because then you see everything in life is happening for a reason.
Okay. What's the learning here?
I think it's very powerful about it.
Oh, I agree. It can be difficult for sure, but I think as you say, you can practice it.
And as athletes, we are lucky to need to practice it every day.
And I think, again, when we're training, let's say that you're training, we're jumping on the trampoline and you're doing 20 backflips and all of those 20 will not be good.
If you focus on the bad things, it's going to take you down.
I think as athletes, we go through these situations where we need to evaluate, how am I feeling?
What am I doing over and over and over?
And having a positive outcome will make you reach your dreams and goals faster and also in a more comfortable way.
But I think some of the things that I do, for example, that is not just about performance and training, but in the morning writing what I'm grateful for, what I'm excited for and just having some questions that I answer every day or things that I write down every day.
So my formations that reminds me of the positive things that I have in life, even though it is a shitty day.
And I think that's also so powerful to use that as a tool and it's like, it can take five minutes.
Everyone has five minutes in the morning.
If it's for me, it's like the formations I have right now, it's like I'm creative, I'm happy, I'm powerful, I'm strong, I'm vibrant.
These are the things that I want to feel and I want to show.
And just saying them makes it real.
You're talking my language.
I love that stuff. I also believe that you can do a lot in just five minutes.
It's a commitment to yourself each day.
One of the funnest things for me in just hearing that and also, you know, in that, again, I come back to that Instagram post you made after you won.
There was so much in that.
The last 12 months have been the most challenging and mentally exhausting of my life.
There had been times of extreme stress and at times, no motivation.
But you also say, what's really helped you through is knowing your compass and your why.
What is your compass?
I mean, honestly, the feeling, the feeling of being on the top of mountain, being present in those environments, and also the feeling of coming down after a run and the powerful excitement of it.
It's just, when you're so present and you're doing something that's 110%, it's like your body and your mind is so focused.
You're in the zone and you're in the flow.
And I think just that feeling is just incredible.
So I think, I mean, just the feeling of skiing, the feeling of being in the mountains makes me feel good and it makes me feel better and happier and, you know, a better person.
So if it's about how it makes you feel internally, right?
So you feel I was present, I was at one with the mountain, like I did what I'm capable of.
Why is it also important to win?
Because the two things don't always match, right?
And whether you win or not is also out of your control.
Because you could, correct me if I'm wrong here, you could execute the perfect run for you.
Like the conditions you have, you say, I'm going to do this and you execute your full capability.
But is it fair to say that someone could be competing half an hour later, the conditions could be a bit better.
They might also execute to their capability.
Maybe they get a bit of luck that you didn't get.
I'm sure there's an element of luck I would imagine in these kind of, you know, exposed high mountain conditions.
I've thought a lot about competitiveness, I've thought a lot about the relationship because I've struggled with that myself.
But I guess what I'm getting at is, what defines success for you when you're at the top of the mountain you do a run.
Is it your own internal validation of that run?
Or is it the external validation that comes from being world champion?
The result, it's 100 % the feeling.
I have won competitions and not been feeling good.
I've been third or fourth and I've been feeling really good.
So for me, it's all about the feeling.
And if I am proud of what I did.
So I think why winning the overall after such a difficult year and working towards that for so many years made that moment so special because it was all the people that have been with me throughout these years, all the training, all the commitments, all the sacrifices that I've done since I was 11 years
old came to this moment.
And I felt like I'm not standing on top here alone.
I'm standing on top with the whole crew that I could never had done this without them.
And it was so powerful to see like when I came down and everyone was just crying because they were so happy for me.
Like they knew how hard I had worked for years.
Even my competitor, the other girls were crying like crying because they were happy for me that I won because they really thought that I earned it.
And that kind of like support.
It's hard to put words on how incredible and how powerful that felt.
And I'm happy that I went through all those difficult years to feel that because I don't think I would have felt that if I would have won the second year or the first year.
You got there, you went there, you probably would have taken it for granted.
Yeah. So like for me to go through it at hardship, years after years after years and having a goal and trying to do everything I can every day to be a better athlete and a good friend and all of that to win after so many years, it was just like, oh my God.
Like it was worth it.
And the relief and the joy and the togetherhood, like the feeling of support from everyone around me was nice level.
And I can see that and that emotion certainly came out in the things that you shared online after that.
And it really was lovely to see and the support from the people around you.
I guess what I think a lot about with being competitive is I feel very much that it's not the behavior, it's the energy behind the behavior that's important.
So if competitiveness comes from a place of lack, that I'm not enough and that being the best will fill something inside of me and make me something, I think being competitive can be a very dark place.
Yeah, for sure. I think it has to come from the inside.
You know, it has to come from a place of love and a passion, like a true wish to be where you are and do what you're doing.
Because it's a lot of people who reach their dream and then that it just goes downhill because like what's now, what's next.
And I feel for me, it's been really important to know who I am besides competing.
Who am I when I'm not performing, when I'm not on the screen or whatever it is.
Who am I? Like who am I as a friend, as a person?
And I feel like yoga and breathwork and journaling and all these things, having healthy relationship with my friends and family has been like so important to me because I know who I am.
It doesn't define me if I'm first or second.
Yeah, you have an identity outside skiing.
Yeah. Yeah. Which is wonderful.
Yeah. Yeah. And I feel like the mountains is also making me more present in my daily life.
How? That's interesting for me because I get...
I was going to ask you about this presence, right?
Many people struggle to be present.
Yes, if you're in a situation where you're really nervous, where you know that if I fall, I could have a serious injury, you're naturally going to be present.
I think at least. But a lot of people will find in other parts of their life, their mind wonders, they can't ground.
They can't be present.
So how do you think your mountain life has helped you be present in your non -mountain life?
Today's show is sponsored by Bon Charge.
Something I often cover on this podcast is the importance of sleep and how beneficial better sleep can be for many different aspects of our health and wellbeing.
And Bon Charge are a wellness brand who have an ever increasing range of products to help you sleep better, feel better, and live better.
Now, some of my own favorite products from Bon Charge include their infrared sauna blanket, their blue light glasses, which I've been using for years, and their bedside lighting range.
They also have a range of really popular products like their red light face masks, other red light therapy devices, infrared PEMF mats, cold and heat therapy massage guns, and much, much more.
And at the moment, Bon Charge have a fantastic Black Friday sale going on until the 4th of December.
That's B -O -N -C -H -A -R -G -E .com and automatically save 25%.
The sale ends on the 4th of December, so don't wait too long.
This episode is sponsored by Thriver, the app that helps you listen to your blood and get personalized guidance on how to optimize your health and fitness.
Now, I think regular blood tests can be a really valuable tool that can help tell us which lifestyle changes are working and where we might need to make changes.
And Thriver is the perfect tool to help us do that because they make it really simple.
You just take a blood test at home, which is really easy, send it off, and then you get all of your results in a matter of days in an easy to understand app.
And all of your results come with personalized, actionable lifestyle advice from doctors.
You can then test again in a few months time and learn what's working well and where you might need to make some changes.
For example, your average blood sugar known as your HBA1C I think is a really important marker that gives you information on the state of your metabolic health.
And I personally like to check it every 3 to 6 months to make sure it's staying in its optimal range.
The Thriver app is what I use to help me do this and it offers many different options.
You can do general non -specific blood testing or get more focused on things like hormonal health, heart health, sports performance, and nutrient levels.
For listeners of my show, Thriver are offering an exclusive offer of 20 % off your first Thriver cycle when you enter the promo code LIVEMORE at checkout.
Just visit Thriver .co to get started today.
That's T -H -R -I -V -A .C -O.
Thriver, listen to your blood.
Yeah. In many ways, I think first of all, experiencing being true present over and over.
Makes me want more of that.
When I'm in the mountains, for example, now we're in summer, I'm not skiing.
I miss the feeling of that true present moment and I can get that if I'm truly present in a conversation or when I'm doing yoga.
So doing yoga and breath work and or journaling or putting off my phone when I'm on my computer or if I'm working and just forcing myself sometimes to do one thing at a time because I know how it feels, how good it feels to be in the flow zone.
And my flow zone is not just in skiing.
It's also when I'm painting or when I'm doing something creative, like I love that and I can be so like in it for hours.
And it's the same kind of feeling that I have when I'm skiing, even though when I'm skiing, it's my body doing the movements.
So it's almost like it's giving me something that I want more of.
And then I have the tools to do it in a more normal life, but it's still hard sometimes.
Sometimes you are distracted and you think like being on Instagram or following this and when you're walking to something, checking the weather or checking the news or emails and answering and just being efficient all the time.
And I've been like that for many years, just maximizing every minute of the day, but then I actually feel like when I do take those breaks in between actually makes me more present and more efficient when I'm doing what I'm doing that task.
It's a practice, right?
Isn't it like you're practicing on the mountain, you're practicing it in your yoga practice every day, you're practicing it in your breath work.
I feel it is a skill that we can all get better at if we work on it.
But if we practice distraction every day all day, we're going to get pretty good at distraction, aren't we?
Yeah, I think routines, honestly routines is key.
So, you know, if it's the morning yoga or like being mindful, you know, if you're mindful of every time I'm on the bus, I'm not going to be on my phone or when I'm driving, I'm not going to be on my phone.
Or in the, for example, my morning routine is that I would not turn on my phone until I've done yoga, breath work and journaling, and after my breakfast, and then we'll start my phone.
I don't want to see the world.
I don't want anyone to predict how my day starts.
I want to feel how I'm feeling and turn inward, and then I can let the world, you know, affect me.
I love hearing that because it's how I live as well.
And I don't, I honestly don't believe people realize how much they're being influenced by this constant bombardment of noise and often negativity.
And if you don't take control of those first moments of each day, you're fighting an uphill battle for the rest of the day.
I really believe that it's a powerful moment.
If you've only got five minutes, well, for five minutes, don't go on your phone and journal and think about who you want to be.
And this must be, I believe, one of the reasons why you do come across me as being so grounded is because you take that time.
You don't stumble into it by chance.
You've taken control of that first hour of your day and go, no, no, no, no, this is for me to tune inwards, to think about myself, who I am, what am I feeling?
Is that a fair comment, would you say?
Yeah, for sure. It's funny because growing up, everyone who knows me from being a child would say that I'm just, like, hectic, crazy, ADHD kid.
And I was, like, I was difficult, very difficult.
Like, my mom, who is a psychologist, put me to another psychologist when I was seven years old and, like, we don't know what to do with her.
And the psychologist said, like, you need to stimulate her.
Like, she has a lot of energy and you need to stimulate her both mentally and physically.
So, I had, like, three different sports a day and I did, like, more difficult math at school and, like, all of these things to just get me tired.
And then with time, I felt the feeling of accomplishing something made me feel really good, both with my body and also with my mind.
But I think that the big switch was when I started doing yoga.
And after I started doing yoga and the people I met after that time would look at me and say, you're really calm and you're really present, which is funny because now I do see myself that way.
But growing up, like, everyone's, I was talked, like, people talking to my face that I am that difficult child, right?
So, I became the difficult child.
I became the loud one.
And now it's a shift.
And I think sport, first of all, gave me that outlet of getting out my energy.
So, when I am sitting in a chair, I can actually relax and be present.
And yoga also calms my mind down every morning.
And I don't start in this hectic way because I can.
I can't wake up at 6 a .m.
and go straight and hammer on the computer or go for a workout because I'm ready for it.
But just slowing it down makes me also more calm throughout the whole day, I think.
You said you'd been doing yoga for 10 years.
Has your relationship with yoga changed over that decade?
It's just become a part of me, I think.
Like, in the beginning, I remember it was like, okay, it was a routine.
Like, I'm doing this because I know it will make me better at skiing because I will be more flexible.
So, the physical benefits were the initial drive.
It's going to make me more flexible.
I was like, yoga, I'm not a yogi.
I'm not spiritual. I'm not that, that's not me.
I'm the psych, you know, everything goes fast.
Like, I'm not stressed.
I'm just doing things fast.
That was like what I was thinking.
But then after experiencing that mental relief and the calmness of doing yoga made me understand why I loved yoga and why I needed it.
And that's also, a lot of my friends who I say, you should do yoga.
I was like, no, no, no, I can't sit still.
Like, that's why you need yoga.
And that's how I felt too.
Like, no, no, I'm not, I can't sit still.
I can't meditate. Like, I don't have the time for that.
But that's maybe exactly what you need.
So, I would say that yoga had made me more present, more calm.
It makes me take decisions in a better way because I'm able to stop up and use those tools and the breathing techniques that I learned through yoga in any aspect of life, in stressful situations as well.
And then it's also led me to, you know, other beautiful things as well.
And now I actually want to do, all right, I am going to do a yoga teacher training this fall.
Amazing. Yeah. 200 hour training, which, and it's just for myself.
It's not because I want to be a teacher.
It's because I want to learn more.
For that internal validation, for you.
Yeah. It's a gift, a time that I give into myself.
It's really interesting.
I grew up in the UK and I've trained at a Western medical school, University of Edinburgh.
But I grew up with parents who emigrated to the UK from India.
So, I was very much exposed to Western and Eastern influences growing up.
There's a couple of things which fascinate me about you.
Well, many things, but the yoga and also the fact that you have an Ayurvedic health coach, which is really interesting to me.
Yoga, and I'm not a yogi, but my understanding of yoga is that it is a practice for body, mind and soul.
Whereas in the West, many people, I think this is changing.
I hope it's changing.
Think of it as a practice for the body.
Well, I don't believe it is.
Maybe you start there, but like you, it becomes mind -soul.
So it's interesting to hear your relationship to yoga and how it has developed and changed over the years.
You also mentioned that I'm not spiritual or that kind of stuff.
I have a question here next to your name, nature, spiritual.
Right? Because I was thinking you spend a lot of time in the mountains.
You spend a lot of time in big mountains, where you get a perspective on the world and who you are compared to these big vast, raw mountains.
First of all, what do you think that's done to your perspective on life?
But also, if I was to say to you, are you spiritual?
And of course, everyone interprets that question and that phrase differently.
So when I think of someone who's spiritual, there's a connection to something beyond us as an individual, a connection to something greater, something wider.
That's how I think I mean it in this moment.
Yeah, then I do think I am spiritual.
I think I've grown to be through, like what you said, through yoga and through skiing and through feeling the connection to the earth and mother nature.
Right? Like I feel such a deep connection.
You need to move with nature, right?
You need to move with mother earth.
And if not, then it can be pretty uncomfortable and dangerous.
So, and I feel sometimes I do feel like some, that something is beyond here and death and something is, you know, things that we don't see but feel.
I believe in, yeah, just you can send stuff and I don't know how to explain it.
No, I get it. I get it.
Have you lost friends in the mountain?
Yeah. And that is obviously a real risk when you're going into these environments.
But how does it shape your perspective on what it means to be alive, but also death?
Yeah. I think a lot of the people or the friends that have lost in the mountains, we, the friends who are left living, we feel that they did what they loved.
And of course it's too early and it's horrible, but it's almost like we feel them continuing to live through us in a way and that they would not want us to stop skiing because they died.
Like they would want us to continue, feel, and be part of this amazing community and just being in the best.
And sometimes it feels egocentric of going out to these places when you know it's dangerous just because it's fun or to make a film or to promote the product.
It's like, who cares?
But it's how we live to our fullest potential and where we feel the most in line and in balance and we're pushing ourselves in this beautiful place and there's nothing else that matters.
Like that's same with climbers and a lot of people that do sports, like they feel like this is their excellence and it's part of who they are.
So even though losing friends in the mountains is incredibly tough and sad, it's also make me appreciate it even more.
And want to go out to experience it, not for them, but with them.
And a lot of the times I've been standing on top of a mountain and there's one of my my role models growing up, Matilda Rappaport.
She was a huge inspiration to me and she passed away now a few years ago.
And first of all, at that time, I was like, no, no, no.
Like I know that that can happen, but not to people I know.
That was the first one I knew close.
And and then thought, oh my God, if it's happening to her, it can happen to me.
And it definitely made me understand like the the what we're dealing with here, you know, and also what kind of approach I want to have going into it.
Like, I don't want to die and I don't need to ski the most perfect powder day first line.
I want to be safe. That's the first thing I want to have fun and push myself and be with my friends.
But I don't, you know, that's my limit where other people might have other needs.
Does your mom worry about you?
Yes, I think both my mom, dad and family.
I think everyone worries about me and I would too, if I had a daughter that I was doing what I'm doing.
Because, you know, for example, in Alaska, I remember one of the runs I was standing on top and I was standing.
So I was dropped by the heli.
I was standing all by myself.
I didn't see anyone around me.
The filmer was way out of, like he was on the ground.
I didn't see him. The other riders were on other peaks.
And I was all alone.
Like it was on top of Alaska.
Like I was just looking around and there was mountains 360.
And like looking back, it was just like this huge, like thousand meter cliff.
And then I was going to go the other way.
And I remember just like, okay, why am I doing this?
This is kind of nuts.
And then like that fear, that one side of me, you know, just like, why are you doing this?
You're not prepared.
You're not strong enough.
You might fall. You're going over this no fall zone where you, if you do fall, you can die.
But then I, you know, I breathe, I stop up, I look around and like, I think I started crying actually, because I'm like, this is so beautiful and I'm all alone.
It's quiet. And then I asked myself, why am I doing this?
And you know, just feeling the presence of the mountains and so also like, okay.
Because I, you know, for me to be in one with nature and to ski a line that where I'm like totally present and it's pushing me just enough to, to feel on edge, but also that it feels really good and really fun.
But it's like, you need to, it's quick, it goes fast.
And that feeling of, of getting down and looking back, that feeling of, you know, accomplishing something.
And just reminding myself of, I've been working for this my whole life.
I know I'm strong enough.
I'm nowhere I'm going.
And that's what I'm going to focus on.
I'm not going to focus on what can happen, the danger of it, but trusting myself, trusting my instinct, trusting all the work I've done over these years.
And then yeah, and then I remember I needed a moment to like, okay, this is a, this is a big line.
This is a big line.
This is real deal. And then I remember when I was ready, I pushed out and just like, you know, ski down.
The snow was amazing.
And then it was just like flowing next to me.
And I was like, Oh, it's so steep.
And I went as fast as I could.
And I remember coming down for a run.
I was like, just shaking, just like, Oh my God, what did I just do?
And I just looked up at this huge mountain and I was, I was like, okay, wow, that was legit.
That was, that was definitely close to my limits.
What a feeling. It was incredible.
But I also was like, okay, I need it.
I need a minute to also just like land, you know?
When there must be that personal satisfaction that you train hard, you've been, you know, working on your skills since you were a lot of kids, right?
And you got to put it all together in this incredible situation.
But in terms of that spiritual question, it's, I imagine it must be hard not to feel spiritual when you're at the top of Alaska by yourself.
Like, I dunno, you must feel how small am I compared to the vastness of this world?
Do you ever wake up and just pinch yourself and go, how did I end up living this life?
Yes, I do. And that's why I love the gratitude practice.
And like every day I'd write three things I'm grateful for because I am so grateful for where I am and what I can do.
And like being able to, to live from skiing and travel the world, to go skiing and, and also the work I have with my partners and, you know, the opportunities like these talking to interesting people.
And like, I feel that I created the dream for myself.
And it was, it didn't just happen.
Like I've done the work three years and years and years.
And I even remember going from mogul skiing, you know, I was in a, in the Olympic center, uh, had coaches like this program next to me or with me, um, towards the two Olympics.
And then I, so why did I change sports, right?
From mogul skiing, a safe environment.
I knew that I could be really good.
I, you know, I was climbing, uh, but I felt like no free ride.
That's where my heart is.
Like, that's where I, that's where I want to go.
That's the way I need to break out from this system.
Cause I want to be out in the mountains because it makes me feel good.
Um, and it's also a place where I think I can be really good and, and become the best.
So I actively took a decision of breaking out of the Olympic center to go free riding.
And I remember in that transition, I had a mentor who was amazing and she's like, where do you want to be in 10 years?
Where do you want to be in 20 years in five years?
And she's like, you need to actively make, take decisions for you to get, to get there.
So when it comes to peak performance, for example, I remember I, um, it was this film, uh, film festival and it was in my local cinema.
They were showing a ski film of like what I wanted to do.
It was like my dream to be on that, um, in the film, right?
But I was still in mobile skier.
So I obviously wanted to see the film.
And then there was, it was this after party and I was like, oh, I really need to go home.
Like I have a workout at 7am.
But then I was like, no, I, I should go there and meet the people in the industry because that can make me closer to, to my dream that I want.
I want to take that step.
And I remember going there and had some amazing conversations.
Um, that was some of the writers who was the best in the world at that time.
And also I met one of the athlete managers for peak performance and we had a good chat.
I obviously wanted to work with them for way along and I was trying to hit them up and they were like, no, no, no, you're like, you're a mogul skier.
We don't want, we weren't, we'll work with that.
But then like I came to this art party and with the, the, the goal of talking to people and learning and just putting my name out there.
So actually two weeks later, the athletes manager from peak performance called me and I think he was because I have, you know, just reminded him of, I exist, right?
And of our meetings.
So I think throughout the years I've been, I've been confident enough to, to grab what I want and to learn from the best.
And I think that's something that I, I'm lucky to have that courage in myself.
And also I've been taught to, to reach out and.
You made stuff happen.
Yeah. Yeah. There's a real lesson for all of us, I think there, you know, where you, you know, you're an Olympian, right?
You were in the Olympic mogul team, but you thought your heart was in free ride, a different form of skiing, a different type of creative expression.
So you actually had to choose very much like the exercise before where you put the two sheets of paper down on the floor and compare you you're sort of tuning in.
No, my heart isn't here.
My heart is there. I think there's a lot of people taking this away from skiing for a moment who are in situations in life where they're not happy.
They feel that it's too late.
They've got to stay doing what they're doing.
They might do, but they might not.
It does take courage.
Sometimes you have to take a hard look and go, actually, these aren't the right decisions for me.
It's not where I'm meant to be.
I can choose something different.
I know the, the COVID pandemic did this for many people.
It forced them to confront many aspects of their lives.
So many people have quit jobs that weren't nourishing them.
I know several people who've taken pay cuts, but have moved to jobs with a better work -life balance, which they enjoy more.
I'm also conscious that not everyone has that luxury and that ability to do that.
But for people who do, I think what you said there really has a lot of take home value about actively choosing the life that you want.
And if you're not happy, well, can you make a different choice?
Can you take a different path?
But then it's like, I think some, I am lucky to know what, or like growing up, I knew what I wanted, right?
Or I think I knew what I wanted.
And I had this vision of like, I want to be the best skier in the world or I want to live this lifestyle.
But I think, or a question for you, then like, what about if you don't know, where are you going?
Like, how can you take those decisions if you don't know what you really want?
Yeah. I think it's impossible if you don't know what you want.
But the first step for me is always, you have to create solitude in your life.
That morning routine that you have, the morning routine that I have, if you don't spend any time stepping outside of your life to reflect on your life, I don't think you're ever going to know what you want.
So I think you need to take some time out.
You need to think about these things.
You can't always change those things.
I personally believe that if you don't know what your values are, you're going to really struggle in life.
But you have to know what you stand for and what feels aligned with the person who you are and the person you wish to be in the world.
And I've given this example before at some talks that I've given, but if you realize that one of your values is to be kind, right?
That's something that you think is important and you feel is important.
Well, even if you're in a job that you hate, let's say you're in a call center, you don't like the job, but you know it pays the bills at the moment.
Well, I would argue that if you can be kind on the phone to every client you speak to, you can be kind to the bus driver on the way to your office, if you can be kind to your colleagues and your manager, you are starting to live in alignment with one of your inner values.
And the more you do that, the more purpose starts to come.
I do believe that we, you know, living a life of purpose I think is important, but I think we think it's this grand thing that we have to find.
I've been put on this earth, you've been put on this earth to be a free ride skier.
Well, not everyone has that opportunity, you know, if you were born in India to a different set of parents, right?
But you could sell the same body.
You probably wouldn't be a free ride world champion now, right?
So our environment and the things we have opportunity and access to influence what we end up doing.
But I really have come to the belief that purpose is less about finding that thing that sets us alive.
I prefer it to be, how can we find purpose in everything that we do?
How can you make every moment in life?
How can you reframe it to be, yeah, this has meaning.
Like I really believe it's possible, but it's an active choice.
Did that make sense?
Yeah. For sure. And I, for me, what comes to mind for me is how do I want to feel?
How do I, if it's three things I want to feel more of or who I want to be.
And, you know, that can change.
That's something I worked with my psychologist is like, and it's different, can be different half every half a year, every year, every three months.
But like, for example, now I'm like, I'm in a place where I want to feel confident, I want to feel vibrant, and I want to feel happy, right?
Like, how can I feel these things and how can I spread those things?
And so it's not about, I want to do this.
I want to create that business plan, or I want to have that sponsor, or I want to be on stage on this thing is actually, how do I want to feel and which things in life can make me feel more of that or it can make me feel that way, which people, which friends makes me want to spark that energy.
So I think for me, it's all about it comes from the inside and then the inside will guide you to the things or the job or the people that can give you that feeling.
Yeah. You know, you mentioned sometimes when you're at the top of these big mountains, that sometimes you think this is a bit egocentric, you know, I'm doing all this stuff like to go up and just ski a beautiful ski run.
But I think these big sort of questions in life, like what is the point?
They're paradoxes because on one level you can argue, yeah, what is the point?
Like when people are starving and they're struggling to make ends meet and there's heartache and hunger and war.
You know, why does it matter whether Hedwig from Norway is skiing this beautiful line in Alaska?
But on the other hand, you can argue the other way and go, what greater expression of being alive is there than living your dream.
Like living your passion, you've been blessed with a certain level of opportunity, you've worked hard.
It doesn't invalidate anyone else's struggle.
So I don't think it is egocentric.
It's like we're all living our own lives.
We've all got access to different things.
Surely the goal is for all of us in whatever circumstance we're in, in whatever environment we've been racially, the point is to express our own creative potential, to live life to our full potential, whatever that potential is, yours happens to be different to mine, happens to be different to someone
who's listening. So yeah, you can argue it's egocentric, but on the other side, it's not.
It's one of the most selfless things in the world.
It's like you express what's inside of you.
That radiates to the people around you who are also going to then be inspired, I think, to express what's inside of them.
Yeah, I mean, that's how I got into skiing when I saw a film of Matilda and Henrik Winsteads on the cinema.
I watched them ski these beautiful lines and I was like, I want to do that.
I want to do that. How can I do that?
And then now looking at where I am and have reached my biggest dreams and have skied some of the biggest mountains in the world, I feel obviously so grateful and honored to be there, but also if I can make a difference for one girl who see that this is my dream too, or I have another dream, but Hedwig
inspired me to continue to push through when I thought I didn't have more to give.
That's what's rewarding me right now is how can I use my voice and my accomplishments or my story, my struggle to inspire others to find their purpose.
That's incredible to me.
Is being a female role model particularly important to you?
I think so. I think I feel like now more and more, I don't know, it's not that many female freeride skiers compared to men and showing that women can be badass and do these crazy things that's dangerous and whatever, how people would describe freeride, but I do love that fierce ness.
Yeah. What was it like when you were caught in another latch and had to pull your cord?
So I skied a line in Alaska where it was this kind of a cool war.
So it was rocks and walls on both sides, like very narrow and it was going more and more and more and more narrow, and then it was done.
So I knew that if something happens, all the snow is going to go where I am and there's really no way out.
So with freeride, if there's powder and it's steep, there will always be some slough or snow, we call it slough, that's the snow that's released from just you skiing, it will fall down, and I knew it will be some snow falling down, so I knew that I needed to go fast.
So it's this cool war, let's say, and I'm standing on top, it felt pretty safe because I've already skied a line just next to it, so I knew that the snow is actually really safe, it's fast, and I can ski fast here, I know I can go fast, and after the cool war it's open and I can just go out.
So I felt pretty confident actually, and then I started skiing, it felt good, went fast, and then suddenly I'd do a turn and then I feel some snow, some slough or like a small avalanche touching my skis, and I was like oh my god I need to go faster.
Were you scared? Yeah, I didn't really have time to be scared, I was just like okay why do I need to do, I need to go faster, that was the only thing I was thinking about.
So you're already skiing fast, you're down a cool war, and guys you haven't skied, I mean I've skied some cool wars but there won't be anything like this, this is steep stuff where most people can't even ski it but you're skiing it fast.
Yeah, so I try to go faster and faster.
Do you know what speed you're going?
Any idea? No, maybe 100, I don't know, something?
100 kilometers per hour, down a steep mountain face.
Okay, so you're going faster to try and get in front of the avalanche so it doesn't take you down?
Yes, I'm just trying to ski as fast as I can without losing control and then and then suddenly it just catches up with me and then as soon as I fall and I start tumbling down and I see like a glimpse of blue sky and I was like okay, do you know that you want to go above the snow, right?
You don't want to get caught under the snow.
So you train for this?
Yeah, you train for it mentally of knowing exactly what you need to do if something happens like that, you want to go up and after a few seconds where or maybe not even a second, I don't see blue sky anymore, I pull my airbag because it will make me float up.
What does it mean for someone who's never skied before?
I'm trying to help them picture what's going on so you're skiing fast down a mountain face, there's a mini avalanche that started that if you were to stop, it would cover you and you would tumble and you know you could get seriously hurt so your initial response is to ski faster so that you're faster
than the snow that's coming behind you and then go off to safety but you did do that but the snow still caught you up and then it takes you, right?
So you're now tumbling in the snow.
You said there that your initial instinct because you've been trained to do that is to go up.
How do you go up? So this is before you pull your airbag, how are you meant to go up?
You kind of just, it's like swimming.
You move your arms trying to push the snow behind you and you look for the blue sky but then when there's no blue sky, you don't know what's up and down.
So you lose perspective on and you're tumbling maybe your head down you know and then your skis get ripped off off, there's just more and more and more snow coming covering you more and more and more and then yeah and then I drag my airbag without even thinking and then continuing to swim, continue to
move my arms up to push snow down, kind of not knowing if I'm pushing the right way because I don't see the sun or the blue sky anymore.
Do you remember how you felt in that moment?
Scared. I felt like, you know, just like okay this is not good, this is not good, this is not good.
I need to go, I need to find the sky.
Did you think you were going to die?
I don't think I thought that long.
It was only a few seconds and I was still like battling the snow.
It was like snow everywhere and I was still tumbling.
So I think as I stopped then I'm like okay where like where am I?
How much snow do I have on top of me?
And I was able to just like brush the snow away because it was a mini avalanche.
I was not like completely covered, which was good.
What's it like now reflecting back on that experience?
Yeah, well first of all just having a lot of respect for the snow in the mountains and it can look really good and it can be so dangerous.
So I think I'm just even more careful of where I ski and also who I ski with because for example if I did, if more snow covered me and I didn't have a team around me that could find me and get me up.
I could have died from the cold or not being able to breathe from the snow.
If I started digging, if I were head down on the snow and I was trying to dig and I was digging down and up.
So it's like for me it's even more important to ski with people I trust.
People who have experience and knowledge and also that we are placed in the mountains so we know that we can help each other because if the filmer or the the guide is far away they don't have time to find me.
So it's like all of these things are so important when you are a crew in the mountains and in this situation we were a film crew, we were making a film for my documentary Headspace actually and we had one filmer, one photographer, one guide and then two other writers and also a helicopter who were staged
and just waiting if something happened and waiting for us to take to go to the next run.
So having those people around and the knowledge and also for me to know.
Be even more careful of picking a run.
Yeah, that's what I learned from that.
Do you remember your very first run after that experience?
Yes, same straight away.
Oh okay, so this is interesting.
So you've gone through this incredibly scary experience.
You're in an avalanche, you've had to pull your air back.
This is really interesting for me that you had that and you went straight back up.
Why did you do that?
Because I didn't want to make me scared and not wanting to do it again because I know I, this actually I learned from when I was young and I did gymnastics growing up and I remember I did a first time I did like a double backflip or whatever it was on trampoline and I fell straight on my neck and I
was super scared and I was in pain and the culture was like you need to do it again right now because if you don't you're never going to do it again.
So for me I learned that really quickly that if you are in a scary situation or if you're doing something in an extreme environment like this you need to go out and break that.
You need to feel that you can do it.
Get back on the horse.
We get back on the horse straight away but I definitely felt like I'm not going to ski that kind of line right now.
So you didn't do the same run?
No. But you're in the same kind of terrain that you have to, you know that sort of experience that's in terms of what we were chatting about earlier nervous energy.
Your nervous system would have been 5 out of 5, 6 out of 5 basically in terms of how much it's getting amped up which is very very draining as well for us.
Do you remember like first of all in those sort of environments there are no ski lifts right ski touring your way back up would probably take quite a while.
The day. The whole day.
The whole day, okay so first of all how did you get back up?
Do you have people taking you?
Is it helicopter took you back up?
Like how how did that happen?
And can you talk us through what what did it feel like at the top of your first run after that?
What were you feeling and how did you get through it?
Yeah I remember after my crash the team was like okay we can go home now.
We should go home. We're done enough like let's take a break and I was like no no I want it I want to ski more and I definitely I want you like my other friends to ski more.
I don't want them to cut the day short because of me.
So I was like we're going skiing so it's heli -skiing heli -skiing in Alaska.
We're filming we're creating a film and you don't have that many bluebird days.
You need to make the most out of it.
And a bluebird day if you don't know that term is a blue sky day.
Yes yes thank you. Yeah but I definitely felt I felt a bit scared but I also felt the urge of of just getting over that barrier because yeah I just I just knew that I I don't want this to affect me of not wanting to go back and push myself in this environment.
So we had a little break we had some food got some new poles because they were way lost in the in the snow.
And then I remember we took the helicopter up to a new mountain peak.
Are you nervous in that helicopter ride or is it is it still a bit surreal?
No I'm pretty calm.
Yeah I actually felt I felt fine.
Like I think because being in a helicopter and being with the crew all of these things are for me it's safe environment.
Right like being on top of a mountain is something I'm familiar with.
So being in an avalanche is out of control experience right like you don't really have control you can try to do the things that you've learned and that you need to know but everything else in that moment in time was it's safe environment for me.
Safe environment. Yeah safe environment meaning that this very uncomfortable experience feels less scary because I'm with all these people that I trust.
Yeah. And then when I get back to get back on the horse or I'm back on these big mountains I know that I can trust my skills.
I'm not injured. I have people around me that I trust and I know that experience I have in this training that I've done my whole life.
You know it's still there.
There's so many lessons there for me that's absolutely fascinating.
Firstly in terms of a take -home lesson for people is that if we fail at something or something doesn't go to plan as long as it's safe to do so like try and go again as soon as you can.
You know don't let that fear set in and then it becomes this big thing that day by day gets bigger and bigger and before you know it it's something you used to do and something that has become this big thing in your head.
So I think that's a really great take -home.
The other one is about controlling the controllables right?
Although this seems mad and crazy to let's say me or you know I'm you know having spent a lot of time in Chamonix I'm somewhat familiar with big mountain environments.
Not the top of Alaska but somewhat familiar.
But for people who haven't it's it's again what I said about killing genre before risk is all about perception.
It's all dependent on your skill level.
You've spent your life in the mountains.
You know what it feels like to be at the top of a mountain.
In some ways you can take a lot of confidence from the fact that your training kicked in.
Right there is always an element of risk in those environments but I guess you accept that every time you go up.
So in some ways it doesn't surprise me now that I think about it that you felt calm.
It doesn't surprise me that that's your demeanor.
That's probably one of the reasons why you're able to perform and become world champion is because you have the skill level, you've got the experience and you've got the training.
So that is your back garden.
That's where you do your stuff right?
So it's it is really really fascinating.
You don't get flashbacks or anything like that.
You don't wake up at night or you're not scared of avalanches in the future.
Well I think I've learned from it.
I definitely feel like I'm even more careful of cool wars.
If I'm skiing a cool war I am even more careful of the conditions and just knowing that I really want the snow to be safe and stable.
So I think I've only just learned from it and I think in freeride and especially in Alaska like you learn the hard way.
You need to experience it and hopefully you get out safe and without injuries but it's hard to learn how to ski those mountains if not.
Yeah. I've once heard you say that your source of strength is freedom and creative expression.
What does that mean?
Yeah. I think freedom in the sense that I have a body that can move freely that I can use to the things that I want to use it for and like be able to ski these mountains to be strong and to have the freedom to travel and see the world and having the space to be creative.
To have that break in the day where because if your schedule is packed and you're always doing something then for me at least I don't have any time to be creative to stop up and let the mind just do its thing and I think that's one of the biggest active decisions I'm making every day is to give myself space
because that's when creativity comes and have to freedom to plan my own schedule to plan my travels and to ski and go and see these mountains and cultures.
I think I feel so lucky to be able to do that and I want more of that.
I love that. What did you learn from your Ayurvedic health coach?
Yeah oh so many things and especially this year when I've been going through some you know really tough times and I think the basic of Ayurveda is about being in balance and that everything we do sets us off or in balance.
So it's like your outputs need to be balanced with something else right so if you're giving and giving and giving you can manage that by taking control of other parts of your life.
So for example this year on the tour how I used Ayurveda was I'm competing I don't know there's so many unknown in competition right when it's gonna happen the conditions when I'm starting at what time what day so there's so much unknown so how can I plan for and feel balanced and at home in when I'm
in Georgia for example what can I prep to feel in balance so I for example I brought my own breakfast and my own rice cooker where I where I cooked my food I brought my yoga mat my candle my journal like all these things that makes me feel home and safe because there's so many loud you know all these
things that you don't have control over which will stress you out but you have that space for that stress to come in then you're in balance.
So I use food I use yoga actively so for example it depends when if I'm on my period or before or after if different times of the year I would eat you know in the summer that's when I eat more salads and stuff like that where in the winter I would have soups and stews and hot oatmeal and in harmony
with nature. Yes yeah so it's all about moving with nature with the seasons and understanding like how am I using my energy today and where can I balance it.
I love it and you must have that real awareness of nature because so much of what you do is in the mountains right so you understand the winter versus the summer you understand January skiing in Europe compared to April skiing in Europe and how different the snow conditions can be and I feel many of us
have lost our connection with nature and we try and do the same things all the year around without understanding well maybe your body needs something different when it's hot and warm in the summer compared to when it's cold and dark in the winter.
Just basic stuff that humans have always known I kind of feel that we've we've lost touch with all that kind of stuff.
I also love what you said about traveling with some of the things that give you that sense of control.
Maybe this is one of the reasons I wanted to speak to you so much so that I resonated so much with many elements of your story I do very similar things even if I'm you know I don't live in London but I stayed in a hotel last night I travel with my own coffee in my cafeteria and it means in a hotel room in the morning
I make my coffee just the way I like it I do my little workout and I've got my journal with me and it grounds me and I feel in a world that for many of us feels uncontrollable these small things and routines give us a sense of control which I think is really really important.
Oh yeah I couldn't agree more and I feel like this year I experienced that to the max like if I wouldn't have had my psychologist and my and my nutritionist creating that like safe space and creating all these routines that I knew that I could trust and those routines also made me trust myself and it
was I don't know I don't think I could have done this season without it and it's just now looking forward now it's I look at life differently and I plan my days and my weeks and the year different with this knowledge.
On the subjects of looking forwards you shared very openly your relationship with competition being the best in the world you left the tour you came back with huge amounts of stress but then you did become world champion we're recording this conversation in September the winter season in Europe is just
there on the horizon it's coming into visibility now what are your hopes for this coming winter?
So I am not competing on the tour this year I think I'm done competing actually for forever.
So you're not competing this year?
No, I've been competing my whole life back to back I've never been like seriously injured of competing every competition I've been signed up for since I was I don't know five I've been skiing World Cup for 13, 14 years back to back except that one year two years ago and I feel done with competing after I
won I mean I felt done already two years ago but especially after winning the title this year I felt this huge relief of first of all like everything I worked for my whole life came to something and it it mattered like I I reached my full potential I reached my dream and also the relief of like I don't
have that haunting me anymore because it's like it's a good thing it's a good motivation but it's also so restricting and hard and difficult and it's this it's restricting you like if you want to be the best at something it takes time of and it or so many other things that's also part of your life right
so it's like I was like oh I don't have that anymore like I want to be the world champion in my mind making me needing me to take these decisions every day because that's what I did every morning when I did my yoga I said to myself I want to be the world champion and this is why this is why it means
something to me and I reminded myself of that every day when I was walking working towards the Olympics it was that then then I said I want to be the Olympic champion in Pyeongchang February 2018 so I felt this huge relief of like I can let that go now it's been such a huge part of my life and it's
been directing me to take all these decisions and pushing my pushing myself massively and I felt that or I feel like I've done that now there's so much more that I want to do that is not just about competing and I don't want to be restricted to competition I love that and it really fits this message
throughout our conversations today has this idea that you've been very intentional about what you do and you are actively choosing how you want to live your life I think it would be very easy to go well I was world champion I just you know I'm familiar with that I know the the guys and the girls on the tour
we're gonna have fun I keep doing it but it feels like you have a very I don't like a healthy relationship with it you've you've ticked it off now you just don't need to go back it's as you say some of your strength comes from creative expression and in some ways now you can creatively express yourself
and make films without the pressure of competition right yeah no absolutely and I feel that there's so much more to see in you know in this world in skiing and there's so many opportunities with skiing that I want to take and if it's going to like one of my my goals for this winter is to go to India and New
Malaya or Kashmir we don't know where we're going or Iceland yeah and in Haines and like there's so many places I want to ski and see and meet the culture and feel the richness of of those places and I feel so grateful that I have the opportunity to do that and like I need to do that now like when I
can and when I can create films about those trips yeah that intentionality right constantly every morning you do this maybe every season you do this but deciding how you want your life to be not yeah not being a passive passenger to what the world around you is telling you your life should be that you're
sort of taking charge again oh I've done that now I'm moving on to something else it's it's very very inspiring I think I've I've absolutely I've absolutely loved our conversation today honestly it's been so fascinating to hear about your journey your story your emotions the drive behind your success
um for someone who's watching who feels a bit stuck in their life they feel a bit lost but they feel pretty inspired by hearing your story have you got any kind of final words of wisdom for them about perhaps making some changes and and following their dreams well that's a huge question but what always
comes to me is follow your heart like breathe deep listen to yourself like what does what do you really want to do what does your heart telling you to do what are you feeling what do you want to feel what do you want to feel more of and just like not you know if you can you know not getting advice from everyone
around you but feeling what do I want and how do I want to feel um and following your heart following your intentions and intuition um yeah yeah I love it wonderful advice hey Hedvig I wish you all the best for this winter I can't wait to see some of the films and content you create um and maybe one
day we'll get a ski together yes definitely I'd love that and uh yeah thank you for making times coming on the show I've really enjoyed it oh thank you so much really hope you enjoyed that conversation do think about one thing that you can take away and apply into your own life and also have a think
about one thing from this conversation that you can teach to somebody else remember when you teach someone it not only helps them it also helps you learn and retain the information don't forget to check out the discount code from peak performance if you go to peakperformance .com and enter the code live
more you will get 20 % off any full price product on their website and before you go just wanted to let you know about Friday 5 it's my free weekly email containing five simple ideas to improve your health and happiness in that email I share exclusive insights that I do not share anywhere else including
health advice how to manage your time better interesting articles or videos that I've been consuming and quotes that have caused me to stop and reflect and I have to say in a world of endless emails it really is delightful that many of you tell me it is one of the only weekly emails that you actively
look forward to receiving so if that sounds like something you would like to receive each and every Friday you can sign up for free at drchatterjee .com forward slash Friday 5.
Now if you are new to my podcast you may be interested to know that I have written five books that have been best sellers all over the world covering all kinds of different topics happiness food stress sleep behavior change and movement weight loss and so much more so please do take a moment to check
them out they are all available as paperbacks ebooks and as audio books which I am narrating.
If you enjoyed today's episode it is always appreciated if you can take a moment to share the podcast with your friends and family or leave a review on Apple podcasts thank you so much for listening have a wonderful week and please note that if you want to listen to this show without any adverts at all
that option is now available for a small monthly fee on Apple and on Android all you have to do is click the link in the episode notes in your podcast app and always remember you are the architect of your own health making lifestyle changes always worth it because when you feel better you live more
