Episode 21: Georgia Simmerling

Georgia Simmerling talks about being Canada’s only 3x multi-sport Olympian,

injuries, and COVID-19

Today, 3x Olympian Georgia Simmerling joins Opening the Podcast to discuss the thrill of being a three-sport athlete, the power of visualization, and the injuries that changed the course of her career.

Georgia grew up in a sports driven family from West Vancouver, where she began skiing at a young age. At just 21 years old, her skills in Alpine earned her a spot on Team Canada, where she competed in her own backyard at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. A year later, she made the switch over the ski-cross, making the national team roster. But it came at a price, as Georgia suffered numerous injuries throughout her ski-cross career, including a broken neck & back, broken wrist, and finally, two broken legs and multiple torn ligaments, injuries that ultimately forced her to retire from the sport.

Georgia says she learned a lot from those injuries, and implemented a new way of thinking to help her get through them. That included the power of visualization and learning the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, which she discusses today on the podcast.

Now, she’s fully focused on training for the Tokyo Games, competing once again in track cycling. I’ll be her fourth Olympics in ten years. In today’s episode, Georgia discusses the impact COVID-19 has had on her life and career, what she hopes to do after she’s done competing, and how she’d like to see sports be made more inclusive.

We talk about:

· Being Canada’s only 3x multi-sport Olympian

· Injuries

· Why she believes in the power of visualization

· Covid-19 & the Tokyo Games

Quote:

“Each and every one of my injuries have made me a mentally and physically stronger athlete, and human really. Like, I have come out of them stronger…I think mentally more so. These injuries put you through really, really challenging times, and they make you ask questions about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.”

-Georgia Simmerling

Resources:

Guest Info – Georgia Simmerling

Instagram: @gsimmerling

Host Info – Christina Heydanus

Instagram: @tinaheydanus

Twitter: @tinaheydanus

Show Info – Opening the Playbook

Website: openingtheplaybook.com

Instagram: @openingtheplaybook

Facebook: Opening the Playbook

YouTube: Opening the Playbook

Promotional Content:

If you love conversational podcasts, you should check out ‘Their Life Story’. Host Robin Lavigne dives into people’s lives from all backgrounds, athletes, entrepreneurs, and adventurers, to learn and be inspired. The conversations are relatable, entertaining, and thought provoking. Their Life Story is available on all podcast platforms.