What does it really take to go from a 7-year-old kid racing boys in Michigan to standing on the Olympic stage with a medal around your neck?
On this episode of the Intangible Podcast, we sit down with Olympic bronze medalist Taylor Manson to uncover the mindset, discipline, and faith that carried her from Lansing, Michigan to the world stage.
Taylor is an 11-time All-American at the University of Florida, a multiple-time SEC standout, and an Olympic medalist in the mixed 4x400 relay. But what makes her story powerful isn’t just the medals. It’s the mental battles, the anxiety before races, the imposter syndrome after the Olympics, the underdog fuel, and the faith that shaped her journey.
Taylor Mason (Tube)
In this conversation, Taylor opens up about experiencing race-day anxiety so intense it created “phantom pain,” learning to use journaling and therapy as performance tools, navigating the Olympic experience during COVID with no fans in the stadium, and transitioning from a fully supported college athlete to an unsponsored professional funding her own career.
For young athletes, parents, and coaches, this episode is a masterclass in the intangibles. We talk about how pressure changes from youth sports to the SEC to the Olympic stage. We talk about what people don’t see behind the scenes of elite performance. We talk about identity beyond medals and why your faith, your preparation, and your discipline are what sustain you when the spotlight fades.
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