Interview with Katie Hoff

Athlete, 3x Olympic Medalist, Speaker, Best Selling Author

How did you mentally handle the pressure of competing on the world’s biggest stage at such a young age?

My confidence all came from my practices. I had to draw confidence from the times I went in practice and reflecting back on doing all the little things right. Another piece was just creating competing at the highest stage as my "new normal". It didn't feel out of this world because everyone else around me had similar goals.

Looking back, is there a moment in your swimming career that you’re most proud of?

Breaking my first world record at 17 years of age.

What was the transition like from being an elite athlete to life after competitive sports?

Really really really difficult. You can't skip steps so you have to go through the pain, the rejection, the self doubt, the depression, the trying new things. All of it. The key is to surround yourself with those who love you no matter what and to just keep moving.

What advice would you give to young athletes who face setbacks or disappointments?

This feeling is not forever. Setbacks and pain are necessary to be successful so embrace it, learn from it and keep fighting.

You’ve become a motivational speaker and author—what inspired that path?

I wanted to put voice to the lessons I've learned across a long, successful roller coaster of a career! It fires me up to share my story and potentially inspire the next generation to crush and conquer their own goals.

Who has inspired you the most—athlete or not?

So many mentors across all aspects of my life. Tracy Caulkins, Summer Sanders and Kerri Walsh Jennings are huge role models in swimming/sport. Jesse Itzler and Sara Blakely in business and in life.

Spotlights by Melissa Westphal 4/28