Breeja Larson has been sharing her champion mindset with others, helping them stay motivated to reach their goals.
Larson still has plenty of goals — in and out of the water — that are motivating her as well.
The 2012 Olympian had a resurgence that led to a national championship in 2019. Now, Larson is pushing toward 2021 with a hopeful move to train with Bob Bowman in Scottsdale, Arizona. The move is on hold until new athletes are allowed to join the training.
Larson was training with Dave Salo before the pandemic.
“I have moved back to Scottsdale. I (hopefully) am going to swim for Bob Bowman. But I am heading there as soon as pools open back up,” Breeja Larson told Swimming World. “I am very excited. I always thought it would be interesting to swim for him. I have had a great group of coaches over the years. Working with Steve Bultman for six years was fantastic, then swimming for Garrett McCaffrey and Doug Djang taught me independence and technique. Swimming for Dave Salo was great and was innovative, with a relaxed demeanor. It taught be more independence and accountability than I was even used to. I am excited to take on that challenge.”
Bob Boman; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Larson also has plenty of big challenges out of the water she is preparing for as well. She has been doing speaking engagements during the pandemic.
“I started doing a lot more virtual meetings. We couldn’t do swim clinics, so I am doing some virtual mindset clinics with club teams. I think that is helpful for people to express their emotions in things and what to do about it. It has been amazing. I love working with the groups.”
It hasn’t just been young swimmers, either. She has been working with Airbnb as a client.
“Olympians have their own section to do virtual experiences through Airbnb. I have been able to meet people from all over the world. It has been incredible teaching people from all over the world how to build a champion mindset.”
It is opening up a possible post-swimming career for Larson.
“I have been working on my speaking skills. I never really had to fight for my words because I had them all memorized. I had to try to mix it up because saying the same thing 40 times can be boring. It was kind of fun to mix it up that way.
“That has given me a lot of opportunities for people who saw me through Airbnb and wanted that for their own companies. Once the word got out things started happening.
“I really love mentoring younger kids, but I wanted to branch out, too. I have become a motivational consultant. It has been really challenging and really fun to see how the different skills I developed in athletics can be translated into the business world and help other people.”
Once swim clinics continue, Larson will get back to doing some of those as well. She wanted to keep one foot in the water and branch out with one as well.
Her experiences in the water, both positive and negative, help her identify with everyone.
“I really enjoy swim clinics a lot, but after a certain number of years, you just become less relevant. You have seen people keep their feet in multiple buckets and it is working for them,” she said. “I want to keep my feet in it because I love seeing the eyes of the kids, but I wanted to be able to find an identity outside of swimming. In the swimming world, it is so easy to try to compare yourself to others, which isn’t really fair. I can’t compare my story to others. Does not making the 2016 Olympics make me an ex-Olympian? No I am still an Olympian. People I speak to don’t ask about that. You are able to have a little more confidence.
“I have been listening to so many podcasts and speakers. If you can find some niches, you can keep going. When you can find that, it is the golden ticket.”
Breeja Larson; Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble
Larson is hoping for one more golden ticket in the water as well, which was part of the reason she decided to train with Bowman. It will start with her second International Swimming League (ISL) season.
“The ISL was fantastic. I really hope it continues to take off. I think if we can find more creative ways to get it out there, it will do really well,” she said.
Larson was planning to train through 2020 then possibly retire from swimming. Now, that plan has changed to 2021.
“I was ready to retire after the Olympics this summer. It was super exciting before the pandemic. Now everything is a little different. I haven’t found my fast muscles per se yet,” she said.
Having to wait an entire year for what she had trained for was difficult. As a veteran of the elite swimming world, Larson sees everything a little differently at age 28.
“It was pretty tough. It was not the physical or mental trials of it. I think I am going to swim forever, maybe not competitively, but it is wanting to move on to the next career. I would like to have a career for a while before I consider having kids. It is not something I considered so much at age 24, but now at 28 I am definitely thinking about it more,” she said. “I really enjoy helping people with the mental side of things. If I can build this year into that along with swimming, that really balances out your personal worth.”
Larson is using that mindset in her own career as well. It helped her win the U.S. national championship in the 100-meter
breaststroke last August in Palo Alto, finishing in 1:06.78.
Breeja Larson; Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble
She has become one of the strongest and chiseled swimmers in the country, but it is her mindset that sets her apart.
“I have been working on the mental part for a year and a half now. I have some exercises I go through every day. The more I swim, the more I realize how human everyone is. So much of the intimidation factor is in your own head. If you can get through that, it is amazing how much you can push yourself,” she said. “With the pandemic, I think I have lost about 10 pounds of muscle, but with the right training, I will probably gain it back in a month and a half.”
That will be plenty of time for her to be in racing shape before 2021, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
This time off has helped Larson figure out what she wants out of swimming and outside of swimming.
“I try to combine all of my goals together. I am assuming a lot of athletes see the Olympics as their ultimate goal. But think about how much you can gain from the journey. People care about the journey. Since I want to go into a speaking and mental coaching career, documenting this entire next year, is going to remain extremely lucrative no matter what happens,” she said. “One of my most significant stories is when I jumped early in the 2012 Olympics. That story has helped people become more vulnerable with me. It humanizes me more. With all of the failures that come with the successes, the failures will ultimately help me more. I am trying to be able to share the processes with different niches.”
Her goals will overlap, making this a huge year for Breeja Larson.
“That is a big push toward next year,” she said. “I am excited.”