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Chelsea Sodaro’s Biggest Victory Isn’t Kona—It’s Her Well-Being

The Rich Roll Podcast

Thu Dec 14 2023



Chelsea's Transition to Triathlon:

  • Chelsea transitioned into triathlon after facing setbacks in her professional running career, including injuries and an unsuccessful Olympic Trials.
  • Her husband encouraged her to explore triathlons due to her cross-training experience in swimming and biking.

Shift from ITU Racing to Long-Distance Triathlon:

  • After struggling with the nomadic lifestyle and lack of enjoyment in ITU racing, Chelsea shifted towards long-distance triathlons.
  • She had a breakthrough season in 2019, winning several 70.3 races and placing fourth at the World Championships.

Pregnancy Challenges and Return to Training:

  • Chelsea started working with coach Dan Plews while six weeks pregnant, establishing a strong level of trust despite facing morning sickness for 35 weeks during pregnancy.
  • Despite initially underestimating the physical challenges of pregnancy, she found it difficult to check out from her sport as her body underwent significant changes.

Postpartum Training and Recovery:

  • Each woman's pregnancy and post-pregnancy experience is unique, requiring personalized approaches to training and recovery.
  • The healthcare system lacks sufficient support for female athletes during the postpartum period, particularly in terms of mental health care.

Challenges of Motherhood:

  • Postpartum difficulties encompass challenges with breastfeeding, anxiety, and stress related to parenting responsibilities.
  • Mental health struggles during the postpartum period can significantly impact daily life, leading to feelings of inadequacy and distress.

Seeking Mental Health Support:

  • Accessing mental health support can be challenging due to a lack of availability and affordability within the healthcare system.
  • Stigma surrounding mental health issues can hinder individuals from seeking help, emphasizing the need for more open conversations about these topics.

Impact on Athletic Performance:

  • Struggling with mental health while striving for athletic success creates internal dissonance that can detract from fully enjoying achievements.
  • Athletes may feel pressured to perform despite facing personal challenges, highlighting the importance of holistic well-being in sports culture.

Advocacy for Mental Health Awareness:

  • Sharing personal struggles with mental health publicly serves as a means of empowerment and reducing stigma around seeking help.
  • Transparency about mental health experiences aims to inspire others to reach out for assistance and fosters a sense of community support.

Chelsea Sodaro's Triumph in Triathlon:

  • Chelsea Sodaro achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first American woman to win the Ironman World Championship and the first Kona-crowned rookie since 2007, just 18 months after giving birth.
  • Her journey serves as an inspiration for women and young mothers, highlighting the importance of sharing personal struggles alongside athletic accomplishments.

Struggles with Mental Health and Seeking Help:

  • Chelsea faced an acute anxiety disorder that severely impacted her daily life, making it challenging to leave the house, train, and leading to suicidal ideation.
  • After seeking help from a psychiatrist, she was diagnosed with OCD and underwent treatment involving strategies and low-dose anti-anxiety medication. This decision marked a turning point in her well-being.

Impact of Treatment on Well-being:

  • Following the initiation of medication, Chelsea experienced significant improvement, pinpointing the day when she felt its effects as a transformative moment enabling her to resume training.
  • Despite ongoing struggles and moments of ebbs and flows, acknowledging that seeking help was essential for herself and her daughter's well-being remains paramount.

Promoting Mental Health Awareness:

  • Utilizing her platform, Chelsea aims to destigmatize mental health discussions by openly sharing experiences with anxiety disorder and its treatment.
  • Leveraging partnerships with organizations like Anne Mother to promote fair maternity policies for female athletes while raising awareness about mental health challenges faced by athletes is part of her advocacy efforts.

Gender Equity in Sports:

  • Advocating for gender equity in triathlons involves addressing barriers such as unequal race participation numbers between men and women.
  • Highlighting the need for lactation stations and childcare at races underscores creating an inclusive environment supporting mothers' participation in sports.

Gender Equity in Triathlon:

  • Chelsea Sodaro advocates for the separation of men and women's race days and locations, emphasizing the need for female athletes to have their stage at the highest level of racing.
  • She highlights the importance of this separation to ensure proper attention, officiating, media coverage, and professionalization of the sport.

Support for Female Athletes:

  • Chelsea emphasizes essential changes needed in triathlon, including standard maternity policies across industries, fair race deferral options for pregnant athletes, lactation stations, and childcare facilities to better support female athletes.
  • She expresses a desire for an egg freezing program to provide flexibility for choosing motherhood during or after an athletic career.

Mental Health Struggles and Seeking Help:

  • Chelsea candidly shares her experience with mental health struggles, emphasizing the importance of seeking help rather than relying solely on a champion mindset.
  • She encourages open discourse around mental health issues and provides resources for those struggling while sharing her story openly.

Training Mindset and Practices:

  • Chelsea discusses specific performance-based practices such as diaphragmatic breathing meditation and reflects on potential missteps in adopting a performance-oriented approach to meditation.
  • She reveals using mantras like "make the most important thing, the most important thing" as reminders of her values amidst competing priorities in life.

Balancing Career & Family:

  • Chelsea opens up about navigating career obligations alongside parenting responsibilities, expressing awareness of balancing time between her career pursuits and spending precious moments with her child.
  • She acknowledges feeling torn between career ambitions and motherhood but underscores the importance of sticking to personal values amid societal expectations.

Navigating Change & Aspirations:

  • Emphasizing a proactive approach to change without being driven by fear, Chelsea stresses making choices based on joy, love, optimism, possibility instead.

Chelsea Sodaro's Mental Health Struggles:

  • Chelsea faced an acute anxiety disorder, leading to difficulty leaving the house, inability to train, and suicidal ideation.
  • She recognized that her champion mindset alone couldn't solve her mental health struggles and sought help for them.

Impact of Sharing Personal Experience:

  • Chelsea's openness and vulnerability in sharing her mental health journey publicly have been integral to her recovery process.
  • The hope is that by sharing her story, it will serve to further normalize discourse around mental health, providing support and understanding for others facing similar challenges.

Triathlon Journey and Gender Equity in Sports:

  • Chelsea discusses her journey into triathlon and sheds light on the current state of gender equity in the sport.
  • There is a conversation about better supporting female athletes and making sports more accessible to all, emphasizing inclusivity and equal opportunities.

Mindset for Success:

  • Chelsea shares the mindset that has propelled her success, emphasizing decisions based on love, joy, and possibility rather than fear. This positive approach has been instrumental in overcoming obstacles.

Support Resources for Mental Health:

  • Support resources such as SAMHSA’s National Helpline and Suicide Prevention Hotline are mentioned for individuals struggling with mental health issues or experiencing suicidal ideation. These resources aim to provide immediate assistance and support during challenging times.