In today’s episode I interview cat lover, sci-fi fantasy aficionado, 2x World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, Becky Sauerbrunn.
Y'all, no two ways about it, Becky is a baller. She is one of the most consistent players in the game of soccer. But, one of my favorite things about Becky is how she just straight up does her. She doesn’t change who she is to fit in. She speaks her opinion, about sometimes difficult topics, And she stands up for others. She is one of those leaders who leads by example and treats everyone with respect. I think that’s why she’s admired so much by all of her teammates.
Becky was born in St Louis Missouri. She played basketball and volleyball, but always knew soccer was her number one love.
Becky played at the University of Virginia, then went to the pro level and currently represents the USWNT.
She has played professionally for the Washington Freedom, magicJack, DC United, Utah Royals FC, Roa IL, FC Kansas City, where she won’t two NWSL championships. She is now a Portland Thorn, which is lovely because Portland is the place she calls home.
In the NWSL, she has earned the NWSL best 11 every single year and is a 4x defender of the year.
Becky is a regular call-up for the national team. Like I said, she is a 2x World Cup Champion and an Olympic gold medalist. She captained the team from 2016-2018 and is currently the president of USWNT Players Association. She is huge advocate for equal pay.
And I just want to reiterate she is a freakin’ good human being.
In today’s episode, Becky talks about
-how, as an introvert, she has trained her whole life for this quarantine
-what sets national team players apart from other players (hint: not a lot)
-dealing with having a huge dream, but so much of it being out of your control
-the story of a youth national team coach telling her she had no speed or presence, and how she turned those “weaknesses” into strengths
-why she named her cats Missy Elliott and Olive Oil
-owning her nerdiness
-what it was like when she opened a letter from her idol, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
-her belief in aliens
And more!
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Writing is my release. Whenever I need to vomit out of my thoughts, I place my phalanges (lol what a word) on my computer keys and let them type away. It’s not pretty. I typically swear a lot because that’s just how I am and I don’t give a fuck who’s going to read it. It’s for me and only me to process things.
In this week’s podcast episode and blog, I have released a completely unfiltered raw journal entry from 7 months into my concussion recovery, and first time I decided to let go of soccer, but the Universe wouldn’t let me.
That day was one of the most insane days of my entire life. And it was my first glimpse into the power of truly surrendering.
A single phone call caused a complete 180 degree shift in my perspective. Before the call, I was 100% convinced that I was going to do whatever it took to make a full comeback. After the call, I had this instant, unexpected realization that I didn’t care about coming back to play pro soccer, I was over feeling like shit every day, and just wanted to feel like myself again.
I truly, with every fiber in my being let go of coming back and rested in this knowing that I would be okay, even if I never played soccer ever again.
The sudden mindset change, itself was wild, but then, the next day, something Tiger-Level wild happened. Which led me to healing more in week than I had in the entire 7 months since my initial concussion. And I ended up not leaving soccer.
Surrendering is some powerful punch. yall. I encourage you to drink it.
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