Gold Medal Mindset | Richard Whitehead | The Sean Trace Show

In this episode, I sit down with Paralympic gold medalist, marathon world record holder, and disability advocate Richard Whitehead MBE for a powerful conversation about resilience, discipline, purpose, and what it really means to keep showing up. 

We talk about overcoming adversity, building confidence through small wins, raising kids to find their own path, and why success is not about following someone else’s story but creating your own. Richard shares lessons from sport, disability advocacy, leadership, mindset, and community, and this conversation is packed with inspiration for anyone chasing personal growth, mental toughness, and a more meaningful life. 

What is one area of your life where you need to keep showing up, even when it feels hard?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I think showing up is is such an important thing because sometimes people are present but then are not in the moment. And what I mean by that is they don't understand the opportunity in front of them, and then the opportunity passes them. And and for me, every time I have an opportunity or a platform like this, or whether it's uh on the field of play, whether it's marathon or track or whatever, I want to give my best in that moment. And sometimes you don't feel great, and you just think, well, I'm still gonna give my best. I'm still gonna give my hundred percent today. And it might be different than yesterday, but showing up and doing that means a lot because it shows that you actually care what you do.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Well, welcome everybody back to the Sean Trace Show. I have an awesome guest with me today. And would you like to tell people who you are and a little bit about what you do?

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Uh my name's Richard Whitehead. I'm uh a double leg amputee, uh Paralympic gold medalist, uh marathon world record holder. Um, in the UK, I've got my foundation, the Richard Whitehead Foundation. I do a lot of work for disability advocacy all over the world. Uh I'm an equality, diversity, and inclusion ambassador for different brands, such as BUPA and Nissan. I also have a vast amount of experience within coaching and teaching sport, and also I've been fortunate enough to travel all over the world with my marathon journey, and yeah, I utilize the power of sport to be able to enrich as many people as possible. And I always think that if you believe you can achieve anything in life. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

I love that because you know, I um I've seen it, I've seen it with so many people. And where I saw it was for many years I was a children's teacher. I taught kids in school. And, you know, it's interesting to see because we we think about these things with adults, but you see it with kids all the time where you have a task that seems absolutely insurmountable. But like kids, kids will go out and be like, Oh, if there's someone that's supportive there and like I believe you can do it, you can do it. And the kids are like, All right, and they try it. But when we become adults, we kind of kind of block ourselves out at times, you know? Yeah, and so for sure. It's in spirit. How do you think that we can tune back into that? So a little bit lag there.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Yeah, no, I think um I think for me it's um child children and young people of um with that vulnerability are always uh willing to go into that space and uh try and uh achieve new things and try new activities, and uh they're not really scared of that vulnerability or the fear factor. And I think as you get older, you put those barriers and obstacles in front of yourself. But also I think there's there's triggers that that kind of reignite that so you find a lot of adults or young people that go through trauma in their life, then re-associate their selves with that trauma and physical activity, and have a newfound love for uh extreme sports and kind of pushing the barriers and living life to the full. So there's definitely a lag between like young people and young people's learning and then becoming an adult and then having that kind of having the things that we assume are the givens like uh getting married and buying a house and getting a stable job and where life is is is about opportunity and not everybody is refined to go down the same path. I think it's really important that people are individual and uh be your own driver in life and not be a passenger in somebody else's. And I think that's the real problem with social media is it is it dictates a story or a narrative that people like to follow instead of develop their own narrative. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Be the you're the old driver in your life instead of a passenger in someone else's. That is probably one of the best things I've heard of late. And I love it because it illustrates so many things that I've seen in life. One of the things is my wife is a is a famous singer, and we live in Southeast Asia, and that's neither here nor there, but we have a daughter who's grown up in the spotlight, and she's got my height, and she is a tall girl. She is 10 years old and she is tall. And what's interesting, but she looks like her mom and she's beautiful, and everyone's like, She should be a model, she should be this. And I'm like, and I and she's like, Dad, should I do this or this? And I was like, what do you want to be? Figure out your path. Like, don't let anyone but you into a box or tell you you should be this or do this. Try as many things and figure out what you love. I I remember my mom, bless her heart, one summer was like desperate to find that something that I was good at sport wise. And so she signed us up for all of these sports. And I found out a couple things. One is there was a lot of sports I was not that were not things that I enjoyed. And like I was like, I'm I am not a tennis fan. I it, you know, golf, not my cup of tea, but martial arts, man, I love them. And like that was something that just clicked for me. And I think one of the things that was so special is I had to figure out what I loved and what I didn't, you know, and that was that was part of my journey.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

Yeah, and I think uh for young people as well, it's more about trying to connect with the creative side of young people and not necessarily going straight down the you need to do this or there's a sport for you, or let's try all these different things. It's about kind of really tapping into that creative side of life and whether that's entertainment, sport, whether that's the arts, whether that's music. There's lots of opportunities of enrichment, and it's about kind of honing into those little things and igniting a passion in certain areas, and it might start when you're young as being like creative in things like ballet or gymnastics or swimming or athletics, and then that that might develop into a real love for creative arts or or or something else, and um I think that's that's something where a young person will generally grow with obviously people around them. But I think as parents it's about creating those opportunities where young people can gravitate towards those positive parts of society instead of those self-gratifying, consuming things that really take a lot of time. Because I I speak to some of my friends uh that have children, and they're they're standing at the s the pool side or they're standing at the pitch side watching their kids partake in sport. And what I say is, why don't you actually take part in sport with your children? Yeah, because that's what kids want. They want you to be part of that journey, and you don't want to be living your life in your children, you want to be supporting that and also enriching that through positive behaviors.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

My daughter and I, uh my daughter does Muay Thai, and I do it, we do it in the same class. We don't study in the same, same like, you know, like we're not like sparring each other, but we're we study at the gym at the same time, you know? And it it's super, it's super awesome because I was sitting there just watching her do it, and then one day I was like, man, why why not join in? Because it's like it's good for me, it's good for her. But like that was one of the things because I I had read your story and like absolutely inspiring. People hear your story and immediately call it inspiring, but like just like showing up to the gym in Muay Thai, like you see highlight reels of people in the UFC and things like that, but the the average hard day, it doesn't look like that, you know? People don't see that you know, but it for you, what does an average hard day actually look like for you now? Not not the highlight reel, but the real work.

SPEAKER_00 8:17

Yeah, no, it's it's 365 days a year, and people see the the event, they see the gold medals, they see the finishes, they see me showing up and giving 110%, but they don't see the tireless nights of training, they don't see the extra things that I have to put in place, the the things that I have to sacrifice and give up for those opportunities. And my my work of tra my sorry, my training week and my work that I put into my training is really a progress towards those moments. So, like I say, I work 365 days a year, and whether that's on my own personal brand and self-development, or whether that's my sport, or whether it's those one percenters, and I'm always looking to add value in different areas, and whether that's wisdom, or whether that's energy, whether that's fit fitness, whether that's mental health, and I think that's what separates a high performing person than somebody that's looking to aspire to be that. And I'd never say that high-performing athletes or people are any better or any special than the average person in the street that aspires to be that. I think it's about connecting to some of those triggers, connecting to some of those people that uh enrich you and unlock your own potential. And that's what's really important. Everybody has a gift, and it's about unlocking that gift. And when you have somebody that you can trust that creates those safe spaces for you, that unlocks those uh opportunities, then that that makes you feel very special, that also gives you that ownership of an opportunity, but also you feel at home within that place, and sometimes that happens when you're 10, sometimes it happens when you're 30, sometimes when it happens when you're a lot older. And it's about being ready for those moments to shine. And as a high-level performer, high-level athlete like myself, I'm always looking to improve. I'm 49 years old now, and I'm still looking to break my marathon world record. I'm still looking to how I can be on that start line better than I was the last time, and always like looking for like other wisdom of other people or other positive behaviours, or looking at my own performance and saying, actually, that was fantastic or that was great, but how can I be better? And I would say my my um my tools that I've developed, I can open that box and take those tools out and use those tools at any moment. But then I always go, well, actually, how do I refine those little tools and those moments? How do I be more resilient? How do I work harder at my training? How do I invest more time in my nutrition? And that's what sets uh gold medalists uh apart from people that don't achieve their gold medal. But it's about having gold medal moments, and we can all have those.

SPEAKER_01 11:35

Yes. I love that. Gold medal medal moments are uh uh uh uh something that those little wins are so powerful.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

Yeah, and so celebrate them as well. It's so important to celebrate those wins.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

I love that. Yesterday I was talking to my daughter, we were driving, and we see this one guy every day as we drive her to school. He just is he's jogging and he's he's the smiling guy. I don't know his name, but he sees us and he smiled. And I was like, and my daughter loves games, and she was like, That guy, we see him all the time, but we've never really talked to him. And I said, Yeah, I think he's like a super happy NPC. Like, you know, if we're in a video game, she's like, oh, and she's like, and I was like, we were talking about like, and I was like, Well, you know what? I kind of think we're in like a video game. And she's like, wow, I'd love that idea. And I said, Well, what if if we are in a giant video game, what could you learn from that? And she's like, Well, in a video game, you're always trying to do quests, you're always doing challenges, you're always trying to level up. And I said, So let's think about that in your everyday life. What could you be doing? She's like, Well, if I'm, you know, in a video game, I'm gonna try to do everything the best I can. And I was like, Great. So, like tonight we have a gym night. What do we want to do? Well, I want to have some fun. Gotta fun's a great goal. And I want to get out there and train well and and and and have have this this this little like level of winning, you know. And I was like, Well, she's like, What does that look like? I asked her what it looks like, and I she was like, and I was told her, and she's like, Well, maybe I do this and this. I said, Maybe just showing up is the win.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

And she's like, you know, maybe getting in here is the win, you know? Yeah, for sure. And for some people, that is that's that's really tough, just actually committing to to that opportunity. And I think showing up for for some people is just turn up and be part of a community that is growing. And then for other people, it's about how you show up as well. So do when you show up, do you are you committed to the process? When you turn up, do you have the right behaviours? When you show up, do you embrace the community? When you show up, do you improve every time? And I think showing up is is such an important thing because sometimes people are present but then are not in the moment. And what I mean by that is they don't understand the opportunity in front of them, and then the opportunity passes them. And and for me, every time I have an opportunity or a platform like this, or whether it's uh on the field of play, whether it's marathon or track or whatever, I want to give my best in that moment. And sometimes you don't feel great, and you just think, well, I'm still gonna give my best. I'm still gonna give my hundred percent today. And it might be different than yesterday, but showing up and doing that means a lot because it shows that you actually care what you do.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

I love it. You know, and that care is so important. And I wanted to ask you this question because you know, you you dealt with a lot of challenges. And you know, an adversity was something that happened, wasn't something that happened later, but how did dealing with this adversity and and the mix in with helping you learn how to show up every day?

SPEAKER_00 14:52

Yeah, well, I think obviously my disability, I've had that from birth, and uh my disability has has created some real obstacles and challenges, really for the out outside world, and maybe myself dealing with the the impact of the response from the the public is has been something that I've learned to use as a as a real resource moving forwards. And I think being different and and different in lots there's doc there's lots of different differences, and whether that's language, whether that's ability, disability, race, colour, gender, whatever. And uh I think it's about using that as a as as your superpower and your resource that brings people together. And obviously, it's it's not all we've been easy, uh, far from it, and the the tangible things that that you you find are are in front of you, like ramps, steps, and things like that, are things that you can kind of actually we can we can find solutions for those, but those things that aren't those people those people's behaviours are really hard to change, and those have taken years and years of of showing up, of of showcasing what is actually possible, but also getting people to understand that everybody should um contribute to an inclusive society and it's not just one or two people's responsibilities. And whether you're in the UK, in the US, or in the Middle East, we all have uh families, we all have life and life and opportunities, but there is still people that don't don't respect and understand that everybody has the same kind of opportunities within life. It's about really embracing those. And economic-wise, it it's causing problems. Uh ability, disability, uh again, it's causing some real problems and problems and challenges. And I think the real problem for people with disabilities is not only perception but also the the actual financial cost for somebody with a disability to have access to society. So for instance, for myself, I have to wear prosthetics, and prosthetics are a cost. Without those prosthetics, I can't walk. Where an able-bodied person would go to a a shop or a precinct, buy some shoes or some trainers or some sneakers, and then you'd be able to take part in physical activity. That that process could happen within minutes. Where for an amputee, it happens over months because those prosthetics have to be bought, they have to be made, they have to be fitted, and then you have to learn how to to access it. So the process is a lot different, and that's why when COVID hit and a lot of people felt the real restriction of COVID, people with disabilities were actually going, well, actually, we feel this anyway, 24-7. Now, COVID is obviously tightening that grip on society, but we're already, we already have the tools to be able to get through such a tough time like COVID. And um I think the wider society needs to look at disability and go, actually, these individuals not only are are equipped equipping the the net the next generation full of uh opportunity around enrichment, but also uh the disabled community are breaking down a lot of these stereotypes that that separate society.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Yeah. I love that as well, because the the idea of people helping break down those barriers, because at the end of the day, I live in Vietnam right now, but I'm from California and I've lived around the world. And one of the things that I see from living in Vietnam for so long is we are so much more similar than people realize. You know, everyone wants to live, we want to love, we want to have a feeling of meaning, and you know, and I think that there are some real, I'll say the nice word, jerks out there that would love to tell people that the opposite is true. But it's not. I mean, people really want to find a way to come together, but like we have to be speaking up, and we need people that are just because you have not had the experience of some other person, doesn't mean that their experience is not valid. It doesn't mean that your experience is not valid, but you gotta have space to be willing to slow down and ask what it's like for them to put yourself in their shoes at times.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Yeah, for sure, and also an opportunity of growth as well in self-growth. I think there's um there's lots of opportunities uh within society to immerse yourself in new communities and and also there's lots of opportunities within education, employment, and participation to grow. And it's about those those opportunities being more receptive to to new people. And again, with the disability community, there's there is opportunities there, but sometimes they're limited because of people's perceptions around uh the accommodation that's gonna have to happen for people with disabilities, whether it's uh uh sensory, learning or physical disability. And what I'm what I'm kind of actively saying is you should you should kind of switch that around and actually say having people with disabilities, accessing your physical activity uh opportunities really does enrich the community and gives the the the club or or the sport environment an opportunity to grow. And it's it's evident the areas that I've seen that um has all that has taken equality, diversity, and inclusion to its heart and really, really actually grown and then actually found the leaders of tomorrow um are more well are more equipped for society because they've developed these skills of being more inclusive. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

It makes the world a much um richer place too, you know. And it's interesting because I I wanted to ask you about this because you know your experience is so interesting to me, and I I want to learn because man, I um I'm gonna be a little embarrassed by this. I was doing like I was trying to get back into sh I do Muay Thai with my daughter, but I moved wrong the other day, and something spasmed my back, and I've been moving around like like just like oh for the last two days. And here I was reading, I was prepping and reading about your bio, and it was like you've run over a hundred marathons and you're like extreme challenges, like forty marathons in forty days, and I'm just like Ah, I'm a back, you know. But how you know, and it's like the other day, getting my daughter to school was it was painful, you know? And but like that, I had to I had to step up. There was no, you know, my daughter needed to get to school. There was no one else to take her that morning, and you just have to to my body's screaming at me, and I'm like, not right now. But you know, when when your body is screaming at you to stop, what is the conversation happening in your head like at those moments? Because I can't imagine like marathon number 39 or something in 39 days. What's going through your head at that moment, man?

SPEAKER_00 22:37

It's uh yeah, it's just a I think yeah, Marathon's 26 miles, and and when you when you've done so many of them, it's that you're normalising the actual physical activity that you're going through, even now. So last year I did 20, uh, and 14 of them were under three hours, and obviously running at a high level, I feel that it's a marathon, something that I'm very competent at doing. Um I won't say normalising it because it's it's still it's uh 26 miles to run, it's still a long way to run for for anybody. Um yeah, going back to your question, it's about having those things that are are very kind of unique and um important to you, and then when those moments come around, you kind of really zone in on them. Like you're saying, the importance of getting your daughter to to school or what whatever, and nobody else can do that, and that kind of really does power you towards doing that. I think that's that's that's fantastic that you're able to kind of commit to that responsibility, and a lot of people that'll be listening or watching will have those similar responsibilities. But what the the the main thing I I always talk to people is is about when you get to those moments, it's it's it's good that you've got that resilience to be able to kind of really dial in and kind of go, actually, I need to do this at the moment, it's gonna be painful, it's gonna be it's gonna be kind of time consuming or whatever, it's not it's gonna be uncomfortable. But if you put the pillars uh in place to be more resilient, then when those moments come around of vulnerabil vulnerability, then you're able to cope with them, so you have more coping mechanisms. So those those pillars might be I'm gonna put myself in resilient have resilient moments through the year that really test my ability to push forwards, or it might be um other areas of of your life that you just really work on, and then when these moments come around, it doesn't feel as tough. It might it would still feel uncomfortable, but it works it'd be more this is my responsibility instead of oh this is really tough. And yeah, physically um I can train really hard, I can put myself in those uncomfortable positions two and 26 miles, but then every 26 miles is different. It might be hilly, it might be wet, it might, it might be an early race, I might not feel very well, I might be carrying an injury, etc. So all these kind of moments uh throw a curveball. So when you go into the start of your challenge or your moment where you have to step up, it's important that you don't take it for granted. And again, every challenge that I go into, I make sure I warm up properly, I make sure I have those moments of reflection, but also make sure I try and dot the I's and cross the T's around the important things like equipment and nutrition, etc. Because um they really do count. And if you uh normalise a challenge too much and then negate neg negate, do like really important things like sh like you say, showing up or or or telling the person that you're supporting, I'm here for you, it really does kind of bite you in the ass um in return. And I remember like moments, especially in my marathon journey, where I was just really tired and I didn't really want to run anymore. And and then how do I get over those? It's more about thinking about the people that mean a lot to you, whether it's family and friends. Uh one of my friends Simon, who died of cancer in 2005, was a real driving force for me when I started running, and he's something that really drives me continually. He had a young family when he died, and kind of he his his real um energy and enthusiasm for life uh is something that I've continued. And uh I think again, when you get those moments, always think there's always worse worse people than yourself that would love to have moments of vulnerability and being uncomfortable and just keep fighting on and keep powering through it because you can always find that energy, can't you? You can always find the energy, and don't don't don't give yourself an excuse to quit, but find the energy to continue.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

I once read this quote that within each of us there is an was it um an a never-ending well of energy that you simply have to find and tap into. But the real quest is figuring out how to tap into it, how to find it, and how to cultivate it, you know, because it's something that needs to be cultivated as well, whether that means rest, whether that means having your balance that that comes into all your things. But you know, when you are able to tap into that, that source, that well of energy that bubbles up in all of us, like that's the place that to me I think that anything is possible. There is within within each of us, like with kids, I'd see it as a teacher. Within each of those children, there's a future Bach or Doctor or Mozart or whatever it might be. It is simply about finding how to tap into that anything as possible energy. And like you've tested the phrase anything is possible in the most literal way, you know?

SPEAKER_00 28:32

You have to continually do. And and I think Yeah, and I think what when when you've when you're younger, you've got all the energy and you've got no mechanism to be able to um control that, it's kind of a very much uh energy in lots of different areas, and then you kind of when you're young, you expend all that energy and then you fall asleep because you're that exhausted. Well, when you're younger, you kind of go, Well, oh, it's an excuse. Well, I've I've got to use this energy in this area and this area because I've only got so much, and I'm like, I've got to make sure that not only do I do this, but also do that as well. And I think that carefree um enthusiasm that young people have is something that as adults we can really tap back into, and that's the reason why running is is is such a great platform for people because it's a it's a showcase, it's a real opportunity for people to raise their hands and and and and say, look, I've I've trained hard and I've worked hard for this moment, support me, and it's um it's the most inclusive event that that I've been involved with. I feel totally at home on the road because of how I've been treated, and I think there's still areas to improve, uh there's still barriers to be uh broken down and walls to be climbed, but I think we're going in the right direction. But we need to tap into that believe that anything's possible and stop putting restrictions on young people because young people are the leaders of tomorrow, and these these leaders need supporting, mentoring, but also really kind of pushing so that they can be the astronauts, the philosophers of the future, and be as creative as they want to be in the areas that they feel uh they can be.

SPEAKER_01 30:35

I had my um my daughter, we have a YouTube channel we do together and we do all of these fun adventures. Like we do imagine that we're traveling to space and stuff like that. And we um I had this guy named Kevin J. De Bruin on, and he was a engineer, former rocket scientist for NASA. Then after my daughter met him and he talked to us about what it takes to make your own rocket, she looked at me and she says, He's like us. I said, Yeah, he's normal. He's a normal human person, you know, like being who achieved something great because he worked hard. He put in the energy in he and he sat there and said, I have this goal and I want to achieve that. And she looked at me and she's like, Could I be a rocket scientist? I was like, sure. Could I be an astronaut? Why not? Yeah, but it takes that ability to sometimes we have this, you know. I have a dream that I I still am trying to figure out how to work. And you're gonna tell me once I say this, like, you're gonna be like, just do it, man. Just get out there and train. But I I would love to run a triathlon, to do a triathlon someday. I love swimming, I love running, I love biking. But putting the pieces together, I've always been intimidated, you know, and it's like, but yeah, you just gotta start somewhere, you gotta show up, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:46

And the first step's always the hardest. Um the fur I think the first steps are always the hardest in lots of different ways because the expectation is that you just jump in a pool and swim, or you just sit on a bike and pedal, or you just put on your trainers and run, and and it's not as easy as that. The motivation needs to be cultivated in in the extent that it gives you a reason, and that's why goal setting's so important. So if you set yourself those goals and targets, it it breaks down the challenge. So, for instance, if you you're first starting to think, actually, um I I've not looked after myself physically and mentally, and I'd like to do some physical activity, so I'd like to run. Now, if if you are out with friends and family or you were surfing the internet and saw the word run or marathon, they're quite big, strong words, intimidating words that won't necessarily support that first step, and that's why it's really important that on that that journey to to running or to to that self-progression or that marathon or whatever you're looking for, or that triathlon, it you need to have those small achievable goals, and I call it my ladder of success. So you have a ladder in front of you, and on those ladder, uh on that ladder, you've got runs of that ladder. And every run of that ladder needs to be a small achievable goal, like even going to purchase your first pair of trainers, going to seek running advice, or getting out the door, walking for five minutes, or jogging for a mile, or doing an eight-minute mile, or whatever it is, and then when you achieve that first run on that ladder, then you set your next small achievable goal. So it's it needs to be achievable every time, but it also needs to develop so that at the top of that ladder is your goal and aspiration. So reaching for the stars sometimes is too high, but let's reach for the end of this ladder. And then at the top of this ladder, it'll be run a marathon or run 5K or run or do your triathlon. And maybe you get to run number five on your ladder, and then you don't really achieve that. So then what you do is you you set a parallel ladder that's that's then again starts a fresh start. So you're not taking a step backwards, you're starting your new ladder that then still is is moving you forwards to your end goal and always thinking about these small achievable things. And I do this now, I still do that, even though my goals and aspirations are massive, winning gold medals, breaking world records. I still in the morning would wake wake up and go, today I want to work on being more relaxed in my running, or today I want to make sure that my first rep of my session is strong. Or do you know it's and and those little small accountable goals work towards your end goal, and it definitely helps. Like, I I could think maybe two years ago when I was just before I started my 20 marathon challenge all over the world, I was I was going, how am I going to do one of these marathons? Never mind 20. And it it then took me back to my first marathon and first couple of marathons when I was going, I did it by just one step in front of the other and embracing the challenge. And as long as I'm putting one foot in front of the other, I'm moving towards my target and my destination of finishing in this challenge, and it's about normalizing the challenge, but also relating the challenge to reality because reality isn't step one, I want to be fit and healthy. Step two, running a marathon. That isn't sustainable, and the idea for health, well-being, and fitness is life-changing. So if you want to change your life, it needs to be sustainable. So you need to be able to get up in the morning and go, actually, I want to feel good today, I want to do some health and fitness, I want to enjoy this, I want to see pro progress, and I want to achieve my goals. And that happens over time, but it all s starts with one foot in front of the other.

SPEAKER_01 36:15

You gotta show up and you gotta put the foot in front of the other man. I I dealt with a major challenge many years ago where I got really sick. Um, I I had a viral heart infection that set me way back. And when I recovered from it, um even walking across a room was hard. Yeah. Taking a step was hard. And I would set myself little goals. I I I'm gonna walk to the kitchen and back. I walked to the kitchen, I came back, and that was a win. I was happy about that win, man. And I then, you know, I I'm gonna make it, you know, twice to the kitchen today. I walked out to the post to the mailbox and came back, and I was winded. I walked up some steps, and I was really winded, but you know what? Kept showing up, kept doing it. And then the the mailbox was one day, the next day it was halfway up the block, and those little steps just kept getting further and further and further. And and that was that was where it was at, and it made the difference. And eventually I got back to a point where you know bigger goals were possible. And that's one of the reasons like you know, when I look at the the the triathlon goal I have, like I know I can achieve it. And here's why because I went from not being able to walk across a room to where I'm at now, training Muay Thai with my daughter three days a week. And if I can get here, getting from here to there is much less of a jump than getting to where I'm at right now, you know.

SPEAKER_00 37:44

For sure. For sure. And and I and I think one of the things that we we aren't great at as human beings is is celebrating those small wins, but also when when we paint a picture of ourselves, we sometimes paint that picture as like a dark, like meaningless picture instead of this opportunist opportunist picture with with the sky bright and the uh the fields vast, full of opportunities, and we need to have that. We need to have those opportunities for enrichment, but also for to show the next generation, our our children, etc., that that not only anything's possible, but that the opportunities are out there, and um when you have a traumatic time in your life like you've just discussed, then it's really important to to log your feelings and to show to show to the world who you are, and then for when these times of reflection come along, or these times when you say, Oh, I'm actually not sure if I can do that, then you can look back and say, Well, actually, when I was at my lowest, I was able to say, I can do this. And the only person with sport and guidance that could do that is yourself.

SPEAKER_01 39:09

And y you're right, and like you have to think, but there's some things that are really important, and I I I try to remember this because motivation and discipline, and you know, one of the things too, I was talking to my daughter about we have to have three things to accomplish anything. You have to have your goals, which are really important, and have your goals and dreams, you have to have your values, and values here I mean in like why you want to do something, why do you want to run that triathlon? Why do you want to do these things? And finally, you got to have your habits, you know. And I think the habits are so important because the dream can give you motivation, but the habits provide discipline. And I wanted to ask you about that. Like, how do you personally separate motivation from discipline? Because when motivation disappears, what keeps you showing up, you know?

SPEAKER_00 39:55

Yeah, I think yeah, definitely having a purpose is really important. Um and revisiting that on a daily basis basis is so important. Kind of why am I doing this? Um yeah, and you're gonna wake up, you're gonna feel tight, you're gonna feel sore, you're gonna feel demotivated. But again, it's about why are you doing this? And as a performance athlete, you kind of go, well, if I'm not training, then my competitors are training. Um but as somebody that's maybe not a a full-time athlete, how do you continue that journey when your competitors yourself? And I would say my my biggest critic is myself. I hold myself accountable, and if if I don't try my hardest or if I or if I skip a session, I hold myself to account. And I'm really disappointed for sure. But it's about having like four or five things that you do on a daily basis that really just keep you accountable. So maybe that's reading a chapter of a book, maybe that's meditation, maybe that's uh a couple of exercises that really just dial in your purpose. Um maybe it's uh watching uh a YouTube or a video that really does inspire you to continue with the positive habits and behaviours you have. But have things that you that you do on a regular basis basis, three, four, five things that maybe take minutes that then start off the day in a positive way. And commitment to those is so important because it's committing yourself to a positive future and then reinforcing those uh positive behaviours through doing these things every day really does help. And understanding that everybody has self-doubt, whether you're a Paralympic, Olympic gold medalist, whether you're uh an entrepreneur, whether you're a young person, whether you're a parent, whether you're an astronaut or whatever, we all have those self-doubt, and it's about how you get and navigate through some of those tough times, which is really important, and it just shows how resilient we are as a as as uh a set of humans. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 42:20

Uh if you could go back in time and give your younger self some advice, what advice would you give yourself? I think it would be to be perseverant.

SPEAKER_00 42:29

Um and I have been asked that question quite a bit, and I I think we as like um 21st century humans expect things like now and expect to see see progress now, and when you invest in something you expect to see the benefits straight away, you expect to see you or you're seeking that gratification straight away, and that that doesn't happen, that's not reality, and that's why having a platform, social media platform, is is fantastic because it it enables you to reach a wider audience and connect and communicate with people that maybe struggle to communicate through face-to-face means, but it also there's some of the bad things around the expectation that you're the same as somebody else, or you need to be showing up like somebody else, where like I said previously, it's about having your own journey, painting your own legacy, and and also uh celebrating your own journey with with people is so much more important. And also don't feel that it's all about numbers, it's all about followers or uh uh influencing, it's not about that at all, it's about being A good person, being kind, working hard, trying my best, and making yourself proud of who you are is so important. And hopefully I've done that over the years. But I think when you get in your twenties and thirties, you're wanting things so much so badly. You're you kind of you you sometimes wishing away time. And as we know, the the most the the the biggest uh commodity that we can't control and the most precious commodity that we can't control is obviously time that we have not only for ourselves but also with our loved ones. And uh hold that precious.

SPEAKER_01 44:45

Yeah, definitely hold it precious. I uh I have a financial podcast, it's called the Growing Money with Sean Trace Podcast, and it's interesting. I speak with all these financial advisors, and every time they say they talk to their clients that are retiring and moving on, and people don't say, I wish I had saved this, I wish people say, I wish I had spent more time with the people I cared about. I wish I had focused on what was really important to me.

SPEAKER_00 45:09

And because I think you can you can always have so more you can always have more stuff, but you can't gain more time. And uh it's it's it's so important. And um I I I yeah, I I speak to people around kind of the the achievements that I've had and would I wish that I had them earlier in my career, because I obviously I paralympic gold medalists my first time when I was um obviously later in my career in my in my 30s. But I think up to that point I'd I'd gone through a a real kind of journey of self um kind of really finding who I was, so self and also reflecting on what it's like to be a person with my disability and uh from the community I'm from, and then having the opportunity to shine as well, and hopefully using that platform to engage with with people and showcase that these these opportunities can be for everybody, and um yeah, I'm I'm not I'm not somebody that looks back and says, I wish I'd done it earlier. I just I'm just making use of the opportunity that I've got now. And like I say, I'm in my 40s, and people have been saying, When are you gonna retire for the last 20 years? And I just say that um I never retire. I I love working hard. Um it's definitely not about monetarisation, it's about opportunity. Um I want to connect with more people all over the world that are like-minded, but then also unlock some of that potential for for people that aren't. And changing people's opinions around uh the importance of community, importance of um of uh the ability to communicate is so important, and I've I do that through my discipline sport, and sometimes I do it without even opening my mouth just by showing through running that that the power sport does bring people together, and and that's what is really important, the community aspects, and uh when you get to engrossed into financials and money, and I've got this and I've got 20 properties and blah blah blah blah, it's it's yeah, that's so those self-gratifying moments are really about you, and that definitely disappears really quickly when you're talking about community because it's about us and bringing bringing people together is so more so much more important than having all the riches of the world. Um and you get to know that. I think obviously you get to know that when you you become a family man, but also when you understand that time is so precious and it can be taken away from you. Yeah, so true. Where can people go to find out more about you and the work you do? Yeah, so I've got a foundation called the Richard Whitehead Foundation that's based in the UK, but also obviously myself, Richard Whitehead on um Instagram, uh, which is the best place to look. Obviously, my website, which is got loads of information about the kind of humanitarian work that I do all over the world, the races that I do, which again, uh Richard Whiteheadmbe.com. And it's about just kind of uh educating the wide world that together we are better. And I do like this we uh monthly newsletter, which I've really found enriching. One for myself because I'm able to put everything down on a monthly newsletter, but also then for other people to see the vast amount of work that is possible, uh, from community work to international work to running marathons to going to schools, and those kind of things are the the things that I like to give back as well. So if you register on my uh website, uh we can send you that every month. It's digital and it's it's free to access. And I think sometimes those things just spark off maybe a little bit of uh a bit of um hope in people's uh lives, and hopefully if if that does that, then uh I've done my job because um together we can we can really change the world for the better, especially with having positive habits and behaviours, and hopefully, by doing things like this newsletter and being approachable and amenable as a person, it really does help.