Continuing in our series of Embracing Change, Jen talks with an elite athlete who found their life caving in, leaving themselves with no other choice than to flow with the transitions. In this candid conversation, Jen and Olympic figure skater Gracie Gold delve into Gracie’s battles with mental health, disordered eating, and the intense pressures of elite athletics.
Gracie’s story speaks to immense strength – navigating the insidious grip of an eating disorder that spanned longer than many of her close relationships. Gracie recounts how the illusion of control through restrictive eating eventually triggered a “nuclear meltdown” forcing her to confront the compounding traumas.
Jen and Gracie explore:
- The toxic underbelly of perfectionism glorified in figure skating and its ties to disordered eating
- Society’s tendency to stigmatize mental illness that doesn’t fit a textbook definition
- The arduous, perpetual work of managing an eating disorder
- Reclaiming authenticity after realizing her projected “ice princess” persona was unsustainable
With refreshing candor, Gracie shares how curiosity and embracing life’s small joys enabled her to begin reconstructing an integrated identity beyond skating’s rigid
expectations. Her courage to openly discuss such profound struggles is a beacon of hope for anyone confronting their inner critic.