Beyond the podium: what jessie diggins’ brave enough taught us about the UNGLAMOROUS side of sport

 

As American cross-country skier Jessie Diggins prepares to start the final race of her last Olympic Games tomorrow, our Girls Forward Youth Advisory Council reflected on her memoir, Brave Enough, which we had the opportunity to read this summer. The memoir chronicles her journey from a small town in Minnesota to winning Olympic gold, a first for the U.S. Cross Country Team, at the PyeongChang Winter Games.

When we chose Brave Enough as our YAC Book Club read, it was out of a desire to live vicariously through Jessie’s experience training and competing at the highest level. But Brave Enough is more than just the story of an Olympic champion. It’s also a story about resilience, self-acceptance, and the value of community. Jessie’s story is a powerful reminder that success in sport isn’t always about winning, but that it’s also about being present, resilient, and eager to learn. Beyond the glimpse into the journey of a world-class athlete, we loved this book because it echoes our own experiences in sport: that being “brave enough” is about showing up. That bravery is evident in Jessie’s willingness to highlight every facet of her life and athletic journey, including the difficult ones. As she reflects on her childhood, the relationships she has built with others, and the peaks and valleys of her professional career, Jessie feels less like the athlete on your TV screen, and more like a close friend candidly reliving the good, the bad, and the ugly. High level sports are often portrayed in the media and by other athletes as glamorous and effortless, with coverage focusing mainly on athlete success. We see an image of triumphant finishes and athletes draped in their country’s flag rather than the countless early mornings, injuries and mental battles that shape those victories. Jessie’s book is a powerful reminder that sports, especially those at a high level, are not always as glamorous as they may seem, reminding us that the beauty of sports lies not in perfection but in the perseverance that is required for success.

What makes Brave Enough so compelling is Jessie’s willingness to show vulnerability. Jessie doesn’t shy away from discussing the struggles that shaped her career. She discusses many of the struggles she faced throughout her journey and writes candidly about her mental health, the pressure to perform, the courage it takes to persevere when the world only wants to celebrate external “wins”, and the countless moments she has questioned whether she is “enough”. But what struck us the most was her effort to redefine what success actually means, beyond the podium and medals often broadcast to the world. Jessie consistently uses her book to push back against the narrow definition of success as podiums and medals, focusing her writing on the importance of internal wins. She emphasizes throughout the book that success in sport does not always include winning but rather being present, resilient and learning from experiences that do not go as planned. Rather than focusing on the successes that show up on the results sheet, Jessie focuses her discussion on quiet, personal victories like showing up on a hard day or choosing courage over comfort. These are the successes that shape an athlete more deeply than any medal ever could.

Throughout the book, Jessie makes a point of including many of the races she didn’t win to show readers her story isn’t built on perfection but on persistence. The choice to include these races is a powerful act of deglamourisation, reminding us that the media’s version of sport as polished and triumphant is only a fraction of the truth. For athletes, this portrayal of the many kinds of successes, as well as the difficulties and mental struggles that often arise when pursuing sports is an important reminder that setbacks are not failures, they are just part of the journey. Jessie’s story is an important reminder that success comes in many forms, and that the internal victories we experience are just as important as the ones the world chooses to focus on. As a council that works to empower young athletes, particularly young girls, we see immense value in Jessie’s message. Deglamourising sport doesn’t diminish the many successes portrayed; it simply makes the successes more real, more human and ultimately more inspiring. Our biggest takeaway from reading this book is that the true beauty of sport isn’t in the glamour, but instead in the silent commitment of every athlete to show up, try their best and learn from their mistakes every day. Next time we watch an athlete win, let’s remember the unseen hours, sacrifices, and resilience that made that moment possible. That’s the story worth celebrating. Although we found it an absolute joy to read about Jessie’s story we did notice that as our YAC members were reading there was a subtle pull to compare their training with Jessie’s. This began to make some of our members feel inadequate and as though they weren’t training enough or eating properly. This is clearly not Jessie’s intention for the book, eating and training is a difficult subject to address especially with having no control of others interpretations of your story. As you read, we would like to remind you that training and nutrition is deeply personal. It is dependent on many varying factors affecting the individual and one cannot compare their training and diet to another’s. You should do what is best for you, what feels right for your body at the moment because that will greatly change in your day to day training. Listen to your body, your mind and your gut. Do your sport because it is something you love, not to punish yourself, not to prove yourself to someone and not as a way to ‘change’ your body. Jessie does an amazing job at portraying this message and the overall theme of her book has been impactful and inspiring for many, encouraging young athletes to achieve their goals and be a team player! Thank you Jessie for your amazing words, as you start the historic 50km race at Milano Cortina, we, and the rest of the team at Girls Forward, are cheering for you!