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The Stories You Skate With: Rewriting What Holds You Back · The Nadia Chapman Show

• 0:06
  Hi, everyone. Welcome to the Nadia Chapman Show, the figure skaters edition.
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  The first episode I record for figure skaters in 2026.
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  And as always, I brainstorm what can be life changing for these guys.
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  And today I decided to talk about a very important topic, the stories that we
• 0:25
  keep reliving, the stories that we identify as true, the stories that you skate with.
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  So I want to talk about something that every single skater brings onto the ice with them.
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  Everybody does it, even off the ice. We do it as human. We bring a story.
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  You bring it to practice. You bring your story to lessons.
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  You bring your story to competitions. And even into the way you think about
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  yourself when you step off the ice.
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  And they aren't something that mean that you are weak or you're doing something
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  wrong. They're simply the explanations your brain creates based on your past
• 1:01
  experiences, feedback, emotions, and the moment that matters the most to you.
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  So if you've ever caught yourself thinking, oh, I always miss this jump when
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  I'm in competition or, oh, I'm behind everyone else.
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  Well, then you already know what I mean by story.
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  Even if you've never called it that before. And these thoughts that you attach
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  yourself to don't usually show up dramatically, you know, in a big statement.
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  They show up quietly in the background of your mind, shaping how you show up,
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  how your confidence feel, how much risk you're willing to take and how much
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  pressure you put on yourself.
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  And the tricky part is that the longer a story repeats in your mind,
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  the more it starts to feel like it's a fact, like it's true.
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  Even when it's just really an old explanation that never got updated.
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  So today, it's an invitation for you to see things differently and help you
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  understand what stories actually are, how they form in your mind,
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  and why they have so much power over your skating.
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  Not so you can go ahead and judge yourself for having them
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  but so you can learn how to notice them
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  when they show up question them and eventually choose
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  better ones better stories that support your growth
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  instead of limiting it and before we dive in a little further i want to go over
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  better explanation of what stories are because i know some of you listening
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  are younger skaters so i want you to have a clear understanding of what we're
• 2:30
  talking about when i talk about stories i'm not talking about something that
• 2:34
  you make up on purpose in your mind or something that isn't real.
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  A story is simply the way that your brain explains what happened so it can feel
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  safe and prepare for next time. So for example...
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  If you fall on a jump during competition or during a test, your brain wants
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  to protect you from feeling disappointing again. So it creates a story like
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  this jump isn't reliable or I can't land this jump under pressure.
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  And at the time, the story feels really helpful because your brain thinks,
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  oh, it's keeping me safe. But the problem is that the brain doesn't check later
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  on to see if the story is true.
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  It just keeps you playing it again and again. So even when your skating improves.
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  Even when your technique gets stronger, even when you landed the jump many times
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  in practice, the old story can still show up and influence how you skate.
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  So you might hesitate, you might rush, and you might feel this tense,
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  you know, tighten up in your body, or you might hold back and pop the jump.
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  Not because you're not capable of doing it, but because your brain is acting
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  based on an outdated explanation. So if you're a younger skater or you have
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  younger skaters at home or you are a coach with younger skater,
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  this is really important to know.
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  Every human, every human brain creates stories and athletes tend to create them
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  faster because there's so much feedback and emotions and pressure involved in it.
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  So stories are not necessarily facts.
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  They are habits, habits of thoughts and habits can change once you become aware
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  of it. So today is your invitation to be hyper aware about the stories you're
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  telling yourself and how to break free from them.
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  And a helpful way to think about this is, for example, if you look at a fact,
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  a fact is something like I fell on this jump last competition.
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  A story is I always fall on this jump in competition. So one is something that
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  happened once or twice, and the other is just a conclusion in your brain.
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  And it's not necessarily true. So learning to separate facts from stories is
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  one of the most powerful mindset skill a skater can develop.
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  The goal here is to notice when an old story is running the show,
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  when an old story is running your skate, and then ask whether it's still helping
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  you or simply keeping you stuck in a version of yourself that no longer fits you.
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  So as you grow, your skating changes, your body changes, your mindset changes,
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  and your stories need to evolve with that too.
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  So the skaters who build confidence over time aren't the ones who never struggle.
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  Of course not. They're the ones who learn how to update their stories instead
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  of letting the moment define them forever.
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  All right. Every practice out there, every competition, every season gives you
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  new information about who you are as a skater.
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  And of course, you are allowed to rewrite the meaning that you attach to those experiences.
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  All right. So the next time that you step onto the ice, I want you to pay attention,
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  not just to what you're doing physically on the ice, but what you're telling
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  yourself quietly in the background.
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  So ask yourself whether the story you're skating with is one that helps you
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  trust, commit, and grow, or one that's simply trying to protect you from discomfort
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  at the cost of your potential.
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  Because the story that you tell yourself doesn't just describe your skating, it shapes your skating.
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  And once you learn that, you gain the power to choose a story that supports
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  who you're becoming, not who you used to be.
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  So as you move away from this episode, I want you to remember that noticing
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  your story is already a very good skill. So you don't have to fix anything right
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  away and you don't need to judge yourself for whatever comes up in your head.
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  Awareness alone creates space and that space is where change begins.
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  So every skater has stories, but the skaters who grow the most are the ones
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  who learn how to pause for a second and gently question themselves instead of
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  automatically believing them.
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  So next time that you're on the ice or even, you know, right after practice,
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  I want you to take a moment to check in with yourself.
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  I want you to ask you this question. What story am I telling myself about my skating right now?
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  Okay. Not what happened, but the meaning you're giving it to it, okay?
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  Then ask yourself whether that story is helping your skating,
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  if it's helping you trust and commit, or if it's holding you back.
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  Another powerful question to explore, if you're willing, is where did this story come from?
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  Did it start from one fall that embarrassed you, one competition or one comment,
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  or one tough, you know, session or practice with your coach?
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  And just as importantly, you can ask, is this story still true today?
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  Or am I skating with an old version of myself?
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  And another powerful question, this one is one of my favorite,
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  you can ask yourself, if I didn't believe this story, how would I skate differently today?
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  Would you take more risk? Would you commit more fully? Would you trust your
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  training a little bit more?
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  This question really helps you separate your ability from the fear that's been
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  riding along with it this whole time.
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  So remember, your story isn't a life sentence. It's just a habit.
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  And habits can be changed with awareness, patient, and practice.
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  So each time you question a limiting story, you create a little bit more freedom in your skating.
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  And over time, those small moments, small moments of awareness add up and you'll
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  feel your confidence come back. you'll build more resilience and you'll grow more as a skater.
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  The story you skate with matters, guys, because it shapes how you show up long
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  before the music starts.
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  All right. So choose stories that support you, support who you are becoming,
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  and trust within your heart that you are always allowed to rewrite stories as you grow.
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  You've got this. Thanks for listening.