Latest / The Standard / From 11-Time All-American to Stanford Coach — Building Champions in Life and Sport | Ep. 55 Katie Robinson

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From 11-Time All-American to Stanford Coach — Building Champions in Life and Sport | Ep. 55 Katie Robinson · The Standard

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Cool, yo.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the standard podcast team where we raise the bar, rebuild the culture, and call out the lies or misconceptions that nobody else will.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't motivation, this is a movement.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Thomas Rowe and I'm sitting down with my host, Aaron Charles, and today we have Katie Robinson, former associate head coach of women's swimming and diving at Stanford University, bringing over 15 years of collegiate coaching experience and a proven track record of developing high-performing student athletes.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Katie's credentials, check this out.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Pretty amazing.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Speak to excellence at the levels of competitive swimming.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Selected to serve on Team USA's coaching staff twice.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: She has direct experience supporting athletes who have achieved world records and titles in international championships.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Prior to Stanford, she served as director of swimming and diving at Northwestern University, where she led both men and women's programs and helped produce school records of both national and international success.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: But here's what makes Katie's story powerful.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: She understands the student athlete journey from both sides.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: As a former 11-time All-American and teen captain at the University of Texas, Katie has lived the pressure, the dedication, and the challenges that come with competing at elite levels.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Her coach and philosophy emphasizes holistic development, building confidence, leadership, and resilience alongside elite performance.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Katie is a strong advocate of empowering athletes to succeed both in sports and beyond.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Understanding the true championship culture creates champions in life, not just in the pool.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: We're diving in, no pun intended there.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: We're diving into the truth behind what it really takes to build identity, discipline, and legacy in sports and in life.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Katie, thank you so much for joining us.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'm super excited about today's episode.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_02: That was very generous of an introduction.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you, Tom.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, you earned it.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: So as a former associate head coach at Stanford with over 15 years of collegiate coaching experience, and you've been selected twice for team USA's coaching staff, in addition to all your personal accolades as an athlete, what does raising the standard mean to you in developing high-performing student athletes?
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think when you talk about raising the standard, what can you control in that?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's you.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_02: You can't always control your competitors.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: So I think a lot of it has to do with showing up being the absolute best version that you have of yourself.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that stems from everything regarding like your values and having those aligned with driving action.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_02: And I think, you know, when when all of that lines up and our priorities are reflected in our action and what we're choosing to do and how hard we're pushing, I think that that shows up as like raising the standard because you're just showing up a little bit better, a little bit better, looking back, reflecting on where you've come and helping that be lessons towards where you're going.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Right on, right on.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: And what do you think is the biggest lie or misconception that the culture of swimming has sold athletes about what it takes to achieve elite performance and develop as both a competitor and as a student athlete?
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, this is an interesting question because I think what I've seen lately is that sometimes people wrap up their entire identity and it being so tied to who they are in their sport.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: And I have seen that really make an athlete kind of crumble when it comes to college and if they're not performing at a certain level that they had expected to.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: So I think actually being able to wrap your identity around all the pieces of you, not just your sport, I think that that allows for a really healthy environment where you can push really hard in your sport, knowing that like your value isn't related to your outcomes that you're producing in your sport.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I've seen it done really well with some of the literally the best, like Olympic gold medalists.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: I've seen them have an identity that's not just their sport.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_02: And now that doesn't mean that they're any less intense about like driving and pushing hard in their sport, but when they're away from their sport in their downtimes, they aren't just rehashing the practice over and over and over and getting a great value of themselves or getting a less value of themselves based on their performance in that practice.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: So, or in that meet or whatever it is.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: They get their value and their identification from other areas of their life, whether it be like art or music or who they are to the people that they love in their life.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_02: I think when you can understand that your identity and who you are is so much more than just what you do and what you've produced and what you've accomplished, it creates a really nice, healthy environment for being like awesome in sports and in other pieces of your life too.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's so true.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's so true.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: We Aaron and I deal with that a lot.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: And when we talk to athletes, especially at the pro and Olympic level, you know, one of one athlete shared with us, you know, swimming is what I what I do.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's not who I am, right?
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then who I am is this, this, and this.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: And and Aaron does a great job when she, you know, when she introduces herself, she says, first and foremost, I'm a mom.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's the hardest job I've ever loved, and she's accomplished so much.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's great to hear that, you know, the young athletes are now embracing who they are and not just their identity wrapped up in sports.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: You were an 11-time All-American and team captain at UT before becoming a coach.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: How did your experience as an elite student athlete shape your understanding of what athletes really need to succeed at the highest level?
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_02: Hmm.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_02: I became a coach because my coach had such an awesome impact on my life.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_02: And it had so much less to do with how fast I swam for them.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_02: And it had a lot more to do about how they helped me through challenges, how they helped me grow in my most like toughest moments.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, so I just wanted to grow up and be somebody that could do that for other people in their lives.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_02: And I think having had that experience as an athlete, having a coach that meant so much to me, and then wanting to be that coach that was able to provide that like safe space to like help an athlete grow or like navigate and journey through some really tough things, whether it had to do with that sport or had nothing to do with that sport.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: I think showing up for young people when they need it is like the most empowering and impactful career you could possibly have.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: And so, yeah, I think that framed my philosophy as a coach as well, and looking at each athlete on the team as a person and not just a swimming machine, and learning or using really sport as a platform to teach some amazing life lessons that will help them be successful.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_02: So much more beyond their sport, like after their sport, when they're done, when they've hung up their suit and who they are in a boardroom, or who they are when they show up for an interview, or who they are when somebody asks for their help.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I think that those are the the most the most impact I could possibly have on athletes' life.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: Before I turn it over to Aaron on segment two, one of the questions I really like to dig into with athletes who have achieved great success, like yourself, has the imposter syndrome ever made its way into your training?
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: Just tell us.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, this is maybe another lie that I would love to like make us here is that like everybody at every single level has doubts and has like little voices in their head that are like negative.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_02: And I it's not about not having it, it's about how you navigate and have a stronger voice that tells that small, weak voice to be like, be quiet.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_02: And like, I mean, I I worked at Stanford University most recently, and we had Katie Ledecki come back and talk to all of our athletes right before the Olympic trials in 2024.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_02: And she said that even she had doubts, and she is she will win by like half of a pool lane, half of an Olympic pool link.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: Right, right.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_02: And yet she gets nervous at trials because it's like it has to happen so that she can go on and perform at the Olympics, right?
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_02: You have to earn your spot, right?
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's just that like sport create this really tight pressure cooker.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_02: So it's not that there are like incredible people out there that just never feel that pressure or never feel the nerves.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_02: That's not the case.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_02: Everybody actually does feel the pressure and feel the nerves and feel that moment of doubt or those words of doubt in your head.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_02: I like to say that you can transition that by just saying, like, okay, how am I feeling?
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_02: I'm feeling a little nervous.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_02: That must mean I care.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_02: And that's the thing.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: And it doesn't mean you're not prepared.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_02: That's that was like our mind like just because you're nervous or just because you think you don't belong, it doesn't mean that you like this is your brain telling you lies, and you need to like cut that short circuit and fill it with some really positive self-talk.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_02: And I I love that part of coaching.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: That's like super fun.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I my dad, who is a great leader and mentor for me, said that imposter syndrome is a direct reflection of how unprepared you are to face the situation.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: He's like, son, you've done the work.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: You you know, you now let's get to work.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, okay, it's easier said than done, Dad.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: I gotta go compete.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean, I understood where it was coming from.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna turn it over segment two, which is identity and legacy.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron, take it away.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, Katie, thank you again for joining us.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: Super excited for this conversation today.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: So you're a former alt or 11-time all-American former associate head coach at Stanford and a twice selected for Team USA's coaching staff.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: But beyond all the credentials and achievement, who is Katie Robinson?
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: Who are you?
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_02: I am a small town girl.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_02: I grew up loving to combat assumptions.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_02: So if somebody looked at me, I'm only I'm like 5'4 in heels.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_02: So if somebody looks me up and down, they could easily count me out.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: And that was like my fire.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_02: That was the like, I love to prove people wrong.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_02: And so if you think one thing about me, I'm gonna work really hard to try and prove you wrong.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm like an athlete, but I also am smart.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_02: Like I graduated with a 3-9 GPA at the University of Texas.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a woman, but I also beat most of my boys, like my fellow peers who are boys in high school with pull-up challenges.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I think, you know, I'm really strong, but I have an incredible compassionate side and I cry probably more often than I'd like to admit.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_02: And I I love to lead and like be strong in that way, but I also love to take workout classes and have somebody yell and tell me what to do.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_02: So like I have these like just like things within me that I'm like, don't get too confident in thinking you know me because I'll I'll shift and try and like prove you wrong in other ways.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_02: So I don't know what that says about me, but it says that I love I'm a fighter, perhaps.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I think I think that that I grew up with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder trying to prove people wrong around me.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, that's a little bit about who I am.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a fellow small town girl.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_01: How small of a town did you grow up in?
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it was called Dillsboro, Indiana.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, hey, and yay, I think we had more cows than people in our town, and I think our number was around like 1,000 people that lived in my town.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: I've you're we're pretty close.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: I grew up in Wyoming.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: I think we had 250 people in the town, and certainly we're outnumbered with lots more cows than people.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I think sometimes when you grow up in that environment too, I mean, you really have to be very, I don't even know the words I would use, but it it really does form you like into who you are, because I have that kind of same spy fire.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: So as you were talking, I was like, I love it because it's like there's this innate desire of like, I want to prove everybody because everybody kind of knows you and has their opinion of you, I think in a small town wrong.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's like, yeah, you think you know me?
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: You really don't know me.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I love it.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: So your coaching philosophy emphasizes holistic development, building confidence, leadership, and resiliency alongside elite performance.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: What does legacy beyond championships and records mean to you, especially someone developing the next generation of swimmers?
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I there's a saying, I think it's like people don't remember what you say or what you do, but they do remember how you make them feel.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_02: And that to me, that's that's like my truth.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I try my best to coach in that way.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_02: Now, when I was a younger coach, I don't know that I fully understood that.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I had some ups and downs of that I had to navigate and like redefine for myself how I want to be as a as a coach.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: And and a lot of it is like who you think society is trying to tell you what you should be like as a coach or as a person or whatever it is, right?
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_02: And I was trying to follow that track a little bit too closely.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I think like you know, following the beat of your own drum is really important and it helps set you up for success of like who you really want to be, and that remembering that, like, yeah, care for the people.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: Like coaching, it's been said that coaching is a business of caring for people.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_02: And I I fully believe that because again, the sport will come and go, they will at some point retire or like leave the sport in some other way, and you want to help have made an impact that lasts way beyond the pool deck, the basketball court, the field, whatever it is.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: That's so true.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_01: So you've coached athletes to world records and international title titles, and you've helped produce school records at multiple programs.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: What separates athletes who achieve elite from performance from those who develop into leaders and champions in life?
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how do you tell when you know just somebody's gonna succeed?
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: And you see that translate both in the pool and out of the pool.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_02: This is great because I oh my gosh, I've coached up some pretty high-level institutions from an academic standpoint with Northwestern and Stanford, even Tulane.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_02: And and I've seen some incredibly high-functioning individuals.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_02: And how it's like that executive function piece.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_02: It's their, it's how they show up with being organized, being on time, speaking eloquently.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of that is, I don't know how they got that way.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_02: I think a lot of it has to do with their their upbringing, with their parents, and also I think swimming, or I think in a lot of ways, sport helps provide again a platform, whether they take advantage of that or not, stands to you know be tested at times.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_02: But I think, yeah, it's it's this executive functioning piece where they are just organized, they take initiative, they're not, they're like fearless in a lot of ways, where they approach people to introduce themselves.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: And that's not always easy and scary at times.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_02: But that just in and of itself, like having the confidence to go up and introduce yourself to somebody, that will get you 50% through life.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_02: I'm convinced.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think, yeah, I think those are the kinds of people that I see like that go on and become CEOs or, you know, they're president of their board and they're just like functioning at a very high level.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't mean that they don't have challenges, or again, that imposter syndrome that we spoke about, or the doubt.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_02: It just means that they have found a way to kind of push through that and get to the other side where they know that they're worth it, or whatever it is that is their kind of mantra that they can like take and run with.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I would I would say that.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_02: And then, you know, resilience that's such a hot word these days, or at least it is for me.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_02: I think learning to like I was listening to somebody who's in a startup and they got told 29 times like no from they were trying to get funding for their startup.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_02: But on the last time they finally got a well, obviously it's the last time they got a yes, and then they have been like one of the top, you know, startups that's not not even a startup now.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: But I think learning to handle no and being told no, and letting it teach you something and not just blaming them that they don't understand or you know, coming up with some other excuse as to why they said no, like actually digging in and reflecting and trying to learn from a no or a negative, whatever it was, maybe it's a negative feedback that you got, like, okay, what can I learn from that?
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: And then you take it and you apply it and you make yourself better for the next day.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: I do love that word resiliency, kind of stick to this and that ability to push through to your point that adversity.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, if you really believe in yourself, your idea with your business example, no is not an option, taking that feedback to go, okay, why are these people saying no?
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: And what do I have to do differently?
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: I think is the golden nugget.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: And that's where I think we can dig in and learn more.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: I think we have such an opportunity to to expand into that versus feeling like somebody's against us.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_01: And so with that, because I think that's a huge opportunity for this next generation.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: And as a mom of two student athletes, I think it's really, you know, I think that's where a lot of young athletes get stuck is that negative, you know, that constructive.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_01: I don't like calling it negative, it's constructive coaching.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_02: I would love to change the language with you.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_02: No, I totally agree.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: I know exactly what you, but that's the most value, those are the golden nuggets that are going to make you excel and become at that next level is all those minor details that somebody's telling you because they want you to win, they want you to succeed.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: They're not telling you that because they want you to fail.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: They want you to be the winner, you know.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so, with that, what's one truth you wish every young swimmer or athlete, parent, and coach understood about developing elite performers while building character that that lasts well beyond the sport?
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_02: I, you know, I was actually talking with a good friend of mine who was a swimmer at Stanford a while ago.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_02: And we were talking about what it is that, like, how did we, in a way, like from an outside standpoint, outside looking in, like, we look like we've performed super well for ourselves, and we're we feel very grateful for those opportunities, but we're kind of like, what was it about it ourselves that made us the love and time all American stat, you know?
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: And I think a couple things that we found to be true are that both of our parents didn't know anything about swimming, and they remained ignorant about swimming and allowed us to really build our own value system around how do we self-motivate and how do we push ourselves.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's that like intrinsic motivation.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_02: Like, and I think it's hard to say, like, because I don't think like just totally leaving a kid like totally unsupported in that way gets them there.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: But there, it's like allowing children to really grow that within themselves and nurture that with little touch points, I think is good.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_02: But I think like our parents didn't know anything.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: So they were only thing that my mom ever or my dad ever said was like, I'm proud of you.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_02: Good job.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_02: And it even if it was like the worst, and I'm crying, they're like hugging me, I'm really proud of you.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: Like, okay, that's a good dad.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I think just being an ignorant parent when it comes to the actual sport is good because already they're getting tons of feedback from their coaches, or at least hopefully they're getting some some feedback from their coaches.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_02: They don't need another voice in their ear trying to tell them what they think, even though that parent has maybe never done the sport, you know, like and maybe they're trying to read and like be helpful in that way.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_02: But I I don't think that's that that's actually helpful.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_02: I do think as a parent, the kid really wants you to show up as a parent, less like a coach.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_02: And that just means loving them unconditionally.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_02: And even in those moments when the kid is like, stop.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_02: It's just like this isn't, you know, like it doesn't matter.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't matter.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I think just showing up for that, for that child.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_02: And again, that helps that kid learn how to navigate those pitfalls and the you know, the ebb and flow that comes with being an athlete.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: And that is what builds resilience, and that what makes them like super successful again, within the sport, but also beyond.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, parents, ignorance is bliss.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: Don't learn anything about your sport, enough to cheer them on.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: But the best advice I've heard, but it's so true when you don't know what's going on as a parent, like.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: And you you've you didn't play the sport, you can just clap, be excited, have a general idea of what's going on.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_01: But it's like, yeah, it's very freeing, and it's freeing for the kid.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_01: That is that's awesome.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_01: Best thing I've heard in a long time.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna keep that one with me.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna turn it back over to Thomas for segment three.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Aaron.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: Katie, this is segment three advice across all stages.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: And it's this is one of my favorite ones.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you knew then what you know now type scenario, if you could sit down with yourself as a young swimmer at UT before you understood what coaching and developing others would really teach you, what advice would you give that version of Katie about competition, character, and preparation for life beyond swimming?
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I think I went through a lot of my college career being terrified of like pain and training, being wrong, and all of these, like I just was afraid, I think, in a lot of ways.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_02: And so I would the advice I would love to give little Katie at Texas would be like, you don't need to be like, don't waste so much energy, mental energy, and like thought energy around like just being scared of like being wrong or again the pain or even getting in trouble.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: Like I wish I could like pull and pull that away so that little Katie could just go on and do amazing things.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, that speaks to me because I was thinking back about my time right after college.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I went and I went right from swimming right into a coaching career and I spent a year coaching.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_02: And that year, um, it was about in March timeframe of 2008, the Olympic trials were coming up, and I still had like cuts for the meet, even though I'd been done swimming for like a year and I hadn't done anything in the water for sure for a year.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: I'd stayed in shape in other ways, right?
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, maybe I want to enter in the meet because I really want to go.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's such a cool experience.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_02: And I remember telling the coach, the head coach who I was working with that I might be interested in in a you know, putting my entry in for the Olympic trials.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_02: And he was like, don't just go, like, actually get in the water and train.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: Like, one, if you want to be in this profession, don't fool yourself in front of all your potential like employers, you know, from getting a job standpoint.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_02: So I trained for three months.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_02: And having coached for a year, my mindset going into each and every single one of those practices, and it was only three months' time, I like sought out the challenge.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_02: And I think, I mean, I went on to swim at Olympic trials and went a lifetime best time faster than I'd ever swam after just three months of training.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that like that has told me so clearly that wasting mental energy on being afraid is like not worth your time.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_02: And and I think like seeking out those challenges is like will in so many ways help you grow exponentially in those moments when you're challenged.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_02: And so that would be definitely something I would love to tell myself.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's always worse in our mind than it is in reality.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: You've worked at Northwestern and Stanford, developing both the men's and women's programs.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: What advice would you give to coaches about creating environments that build holistic excellence, not just fast swimmers, but strong leaders?
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, so much about leadership is there's a new phrase out there called situational leadership.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I think because people are so complex and so different, that treating each individual on your team as their own individual and learning what works for them and knowing that that's different than the person next to them, as much as it as much as you want to just have the easy leadership style where you just say the thing, you know, in front of the whole group and everybody walks away with knowing that one thing that's not the case.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_02: People hear it with different lenses.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think really taking the time to get to know your athletes is, I mean, I don't think I know that's impactful.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_02: And then learning how to like best communicate with each person to let them know one, that they matter, and two, that you're in it with them to help them achieve their goals.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_02: And three, that you just, you know, beyond caring for them and wanting them to be successful, you also see and value them like as a person outside of the school and sport kind of realm that we as coaches love to just kind of narrow into.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: Sure, sure.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now you touched on it earlier about you and your colleague or your one of your swimmates, your that your parents didn't know much.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: So ignorance is bliss.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: What about those parents who are uh live vicariously through their athletes?
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: What should they know about supporting their athletes' development in ways that build character and prepare them for success beyond the sport?
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_02: Well, the the reality is when you're when you're over, you know, that what are the phrases?
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_02: Helicopter parent and all this, when you're over involved, it doesn't allow that athlete to grow their own engagement.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think because then they it's almost like enabling inaction on the athlete's part.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_02: So instead, it doesn't allow for that athlete to take initiative, to have good communication lines between them and the coach directly.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't allow them to like also just be a team player because sometimes that means not that in some ways that means, hmm, you know, you take a sidestep so that your team can do really well, you know, because maybe you're not the best person for that relay.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_02: And maybe somebody else actually deserves that spot more than you.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_02: And learning how to like take that in and let it like, you know, fuel the fire for your own motivation to get better instead of like trying to pick a fight with the coach of like why that person was chosen, you know, and and I think that there's so many, so many life lessons that can be learned.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_02: But if a parent is over involved, it doesn't allow that child to learn.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that that would be a tragedy when it comes because sport can teach so much.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, I think it's almost like it's enabling poor behavior for that child.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_02: And so learning how to take a step back and encourage that, like whatever it is, the growth mindset, like helping them seek out the challenges as a good thing versus just trying to like show that they're the best.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_02: I think little things like that can start to make a change for the better.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: With that, we're gonna turn it over to Aaron for segment four, which is the rapid fire round.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron, it's all yours.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you, Katie.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_01: So this is gonna be I start the sentence and you're just gonna finish what I what I ask.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_02: Oh boy, this is dangerous territory, Aaron.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_01: This is so fun because you'll have people that like really expound and think about it, or other people like one word.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: So whatever floats your mouth.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_01: All right, we'll see.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: So discipline equals commitment, legacy equals lasting impact.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: Leadership equals faith equals inner strength.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: What's one thing that you would never compromise on?
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: Getting sleep.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: Rest up.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: I would yeah, kind of easy if I don't sleep well.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_01: And if you could put a message on the billboard for young athletes about whatever they need to hear in today's day and age, what would your message be to them?
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_02: I I think there's a lot of anxiety and worry out there.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_02: And so I heard this phrase recently and I love it.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's peace is joy at rest.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_02: And I would put that on every billboard.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_02: Nice.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I'm gonna kick it back over to Thomas for segment five.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, we're gonna get into the closing segment.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: I just got a few more questions for you and let you get on with your day and your weekend.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I at this point, I'd like to turn it over to our desk, and it's kind of an open floor.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_00: And before we wrap up, is there something we didn't touch on today that you feel swimmers, coaches, or parents need to hear about developing elite performance while building character and preparing for life beyond the pool?
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think the one thing, and we've hit on it in some various kind of peripheral ways, but I do I do think it's worth saying that not every, you know, environment is the perfect environment for your child.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_02: And maybe that's your that athlete is getting coached by, you know, the math teacher at that school.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_02: And that's what they have, you know.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_02: And I will, I would love to speak on this because again, I'm a small-town girl.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_02: I was taught by an English teacher at my high school, and I was still able to succeed and you know, find a path forward.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think that trying to optimize everything around your athlete, your student, your uh child is it's almost that is telling the athlete that like everything has to be perfect for you to then succeed.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that that is a lie that is not helping our youth today.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_02: I think that helping them navigate and challenge themselves in you know, not perfect situations is the start of like helping them build that character that will help them succeed later on.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think trying to, yeah, I think just lessening up the whole like trying to optimize everything for the athlete.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that that's worth something.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_00: Got it.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a little bit older than you, and when I grew up, I had posters on my wall, and I always wanted to play in the NFL, but I had Bruce Jenner on my wall.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_00: Growing up, who was your idol, your sports idol that you wanted to emulate?
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_02: Oh man.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I grew up with Jenny Thompson having signed poster in my in my room.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_02: And so I always yeah, love to look up to like some really fast, strong swimmers, female swimmers too.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_02: Like it was important for me to like have somebody to look up to, to aspire to be.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_02: And so yeah, I would say Jenny Thompson.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's awesome.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: So it was a swimmer.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's so interesting when I asked like football players and they were like, oh, I had Muhammad Ali.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, okay, or somebody, you know, a basketball player would say that, you know, they had Jim Brown or something.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_00: It just, you know, it's just really interesting that how some people have it outside their sport and you have it in your sport.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: Katie, where can people connect with you or follow your work, whether that's a website, an email, or your social media handles?
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I have, oh my gosh, I yeah, I would love to for anybody to reach out.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_02: Email's the easy way, but also I'm on LinkedIn and I'm pretty active on that these days.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_02: And then I also use social media, I use Instagram as my main social media just for fun.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_02: Like I you'll see me posting hikes and I love rock climbing and my dog.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_02: So you'll see some fun, a fun side of me on the Instagram handle.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_02: Is there a way that I can share that?
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_02: Do I just verbalize it now or should I?
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you can tell us.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna drop in the notes anyway.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, uh if somebody's listening right now and they want to just jot it down, go ahead.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so on Instagram, I'm coach.k.robinson.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, you can follow me there.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_02: LinkedIn, it's just my name, Katie Robinson.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know how, because there's a lot of Katie Robinsons out there.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know how to do it.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_01: She's got a great hiking picture, if I remember your profile on LinkedIn correctly.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I just recently changed it.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_02: I finally got it was a great hiking shot.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's like I think that was in Utah.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I uh now it's just a a very, I would call it beige.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, but you know, it's professional, I guess.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, so LinkedIn and then the email is k a nr84 at gmail.com.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_00: Katie, I have uh an interesting quirky question.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_00: I had a buddy of mine that played water polo at at Brown, and he said every time he got near a pool and he would smell the chlorine, he'd start to get like it's almost Pavlovian.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: Does that still happen to you?
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh, yes.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_02: It is like a call, it's like a magnet.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_02: It just like calls you.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_02: You're like, oh, I need to go in that direction.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you start like sweating a little bit.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's exactly what he said.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_00: Because like we were this was in Santa Monica, where you know, we would go to Santa Monica pool and he we would get in there and he'd be like, dude, he's in his, he's like, feel my hands, they're sweating.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, dude, we're just gonna swim laps.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: And he's like, You don't get it.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, Lady, thank you so much for showing us what holistic development and championship coaching really looks like.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: And team, if this conversation hits you, we need you to do two things.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_00: One, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_00: The young swimmer developing their character and performance, a coach building a championship culture, or a parent supporting their athletes' holistic growth.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_00: And two, follow Katie on Instagram at coach.k.robinson if you want to understand what it means to build confidence, leadership, and resilience alongside elite performance.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: Katie brings a Stanford in the team USA experience with focus on developing complete champions on and off the field or out of the pool.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're an athlete parent or coach ready to raise the standard, reach out and find Aaron and I on blueprintbluechip.com.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_00: We help athletes build identity, discipline, and legacy that goes far beyond the game.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode has resonated with you, please leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_00: It helps us reach more athletes, parents, and leaders who need to hear Katie's message.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_00: This is the standard podcast, and this movement only grows when we raise a standard together.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: Talent fades, but truth endures.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: Let's raise the bar, rebuild the culture, and become the standard.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: Katie, Aaron, you guys have a great rest of your day, great weekend.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: We'll see you next time.