He was born with only one pectoral muscle, lacking the one in the right side of his chest. "It's a fairly major muscle in the chest. Everyone has their battles, it just happens that mine is quite visually obvious, so it’s talked about a little more. I don’t think of it as any more hindering than issues that other people in elite sport face though, whether that be mental or physical. We’re all fighting against something.” What a profound statement from one of today’s top athletes. It speaks to the heart of the man on the inside. Clay Mason Stephens, born in Australia, is up for an Olympic bid to represent his home country. For the past few years, Clay has been part of the NCAA Fighting Illini gymnastics squad. Always looking for growth environments, Clay chose Illinois because, "it has an exciting and enthusiastic gymnastics program with a great bunch of selfless athletes. Everyone in the program at Illinois has the goal of improving their gymnastics and supporting their teammates to do the same. Being in a healthy environment like that will help me to develop my gymnastics to the highest possible level and hopefully help the team achieve great things.” Join our conversation as we discuss the nature and appreciation of transformations, environments for growth, and the mindset to press on under the greatest resistance.
