qq HEARTFELT MOMENT: During a recent episode of Not Gonna Lie, Kylie Kelce shared an emotional message directed at Taylor Swift — even playfully referring to her as “Mrs. Travis Swift.”

In the world of elite sports, the image we often see is one of indestructible strength and effortless victory. But beneath the glittering gold medals and the national anthems lies a human reality that is far more complex, fragile, and ultimately, inspiring. World-renowned skier Mikaela Shiffrin recently sat down on the Not Gonna Lie podcast to pull back the curtain on her 12-year journey between slalom gold medals, offering a raw and unfiltered look at the mental and emotional toll of being an Olympic icon.

The Weight of the World: Facing the “Dark Side”

Shiffrin’s journey hasn’t been a linear path of constant success. While she burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old prodigy in Sochi, her subsequent Olympic experiences in South Korea and Beijing revealed a much harsher reality. Shiffrin spoke candidly about the “dark side” of the Olympics—a place where the public’s “medal or bust” mentality can lead to devastating cruelty.

Recalling her time in South Korea, she noted the “bittersweet” nature of winning gold in the Giant Slalom but failing to medal in her signature event, the Slalom. The reaction from some fans was nothing short of toxic. Shiffrin remembered seeing comments telling her “don’t come home” and that she was “not welcome in the US anymore.” This realization—that people often only tune in every four years to judge based on a single result—was a turning point in her understanding of the pressure she carried.

Sobriety, Anxiety, and the “Sour Candy Hack”

To reach her current peak, Shiffrin made radical changes to her lifestyle and mental health routine. She revealed that she hasn’t had a single sip of alcohol in two years. This wasn’t necessarily a traditional path to sobriety but a calculated athletic decision. She explained that every time she had a drink, she would get sick, and at her level of competition, she simply couldn’t afford the downtime. Her dedication to her craft meant trading champagne toasts for electrolytes to ensure her body was always ready for the mountain.

Beyond physical discipline, Shiffrin addressed the anxiety that often accompanies high-stakes competition. In a lighthearted but revealing moment, she discussed her “hack” for managing minor anxiety: sour gummy bears. The scientific theory suggests that the intense sourness provides a sensory shock that helps reset the nervous system, a tool she uses to ground herself before the world’s eyes turn her way.

The Beijing Catalyst: Turning Grief into Growth

Perhaps the most moving part of Shiffrin’s reflection was the role of the Beijing Olympics—an event many spectators considered a disappointment for her. However, Shiffrin views it differently. She believes her recent success would have been impossible without the growth she experienced during those games, which followed the tragic passing of her father.

The isolation of the COVID-era Olympics, combined with her personal grief, forced an “out-of-body experience” that led to immense personal evolution. She admitted that she doesn’t think her current success would have happened without the perspective she gained in Beijing. She spent years working with psychologists to “desensitize” herself to the word “Olympics” and the crushing expectations attached to it, even visiting host cities years in advance to visualize the environment and manage her stress response.

Happiness Beyond the Podium

One of the most profound takeaways from Shiffrin’s interview was her shift in perspective regarding what constitutes success. She echoed a sentiment shared among many athletes this cycle: the prioritization of happiness in life over silverware on the shelf. She shared a blunt but powerful message from fellow athlete Breezy Johnson: “If you aren’t happy without a medal, you won’t be happy with a medal.”

For Shiffrin, the gold medal is a symbol of the work, the communication with her team, and the personal growth she has achieved. But it isn’t the sole source of her worth. Whether she is accidentally dropping F-bombs on live television or sharing gummy bears on a podcast, Mikaela Shiffrin is showing the world that a champion is defined by their resilience, their humanity, and their ability to find joy even when the cameras aren’t rolling.

Her 12-year wait for slalom gold is finally over, but the woman who stood on the podium this time is vastly different from the teenager in Sochi. She is more seasoned, more self-aware, and most importantly, she is finding a way to be happy regardless of the color of the medal around her neck.