3 lessons I learned from gymnastics that made me more confident:
1. Confidence is a skill – as is a triple twist dismount off of a four inch wide balance beam. To master any skill – whether on the beam or in life – you do so with training. Lots and lots of training.
2. Confidence is being the best version of YOURSELF – rather than constantly comparing yourself or trying to simply be better than someone else.
3. YOU define / control your own confidence. Being in a very subjective sport, there were times when no matter how well I performed that day, the scores didn’t reflect my work on the competition floor. I learned that you’re not always going to be liked by everyone. Don’t let a judge, a friend, a relationship, or a competitor determine or validate your confidence. You don’t have to be everyone’s cup of tea 🧚🏼
3 lessons I learned from gymnastics that made me more confident:
1. Confidence is a skill – as is a triple twist dismount off of a four inch wide balance beam. To master any skill – whether on the beam or in life – you do so with training. Lots and lots of training.
2. Confidence is being the best version of YOURSELF – rather than constantly comparing yourself or trying to simply be better than someone else.
3. YOU define / control your own confidence. Being in a very subjective sport, there were times when no matter how well I performed that day, the scores didn’t reflect my work on the competition floor. I learned that you’re not always going to be liked by everyone. Don’t let a judge, a friend, a relationship, or a competitor determine or validate your confidence. You don’t have to be everyone’s cup of tea 🧚🏼
3 lessons I learned from gymnastics that made me more confident:
1. Confidence is a skill – as is a triple twist dismount off of a four inch wide balance beam. To master any skill – whether on the beam or in life – you do so with training. Lots and lots of training.
2. Confidence is being the best version of YOURSELF – rather than constantly comparing yourself or trying to simply be better than someone else.
3. YOU define / control your own confidence. Being in a very subjective sport, there were times when no matter how well I performed that day, the scores didn’t reflect my work on the competition floor. I learned that you’re not always going to be liked by everyone. Don’t let a judge, a friend, a relationship, or a competitor determine or validate your confidence. You don’t have to be everyone’s cup of tea 🧚🏼
Had you told me 15 years ago the Nastia Liukin Cup would not only still be happening but also:
-would become an event that coaches, staff athletes would tell me it was more important to them to qualify to than their own national championships
-would turn on the tv one day and see an NCAA gymnastics competition on ESPN with the gymnasts name, age, hometown, along with “NASTIA CUP QUALIFIER” in bold letters
-would take place in venues across the country in some of the most iconic arenas in the world — hi @thegarden @attstadium
Hand on my heart, I really don’t think I would have believed any of these things. Yet this weekend I found myself in the midst of what I thought was, THE most special year, event, and group of all 15. While sharing so much of this event over the years has become something I truly enjoy doing, this year I became a bit overwhelmed with trying to capture all the content and decided I wanted to truly be a little more present – less focused on getting it all captured.
Bc be told – this was ALWAYS for about those girls on the floor. And not just the moments on the floor, but even more so the moments out of the arena. The moments that aren’t ever broadcasted. The moments that are not possible to capture even if you tried. The moments we get to share together that make this entire thing SPECIAL.
And that’s exactly what I did. As I gathered the girls one final time after the competition, I thanked them (and much more)— for the first time I got emotional thinking how special this all was. Before the competition I asked them to try to find a moment that day pause for a brief moment and be proud – of themselves for qualifying to what has become the most difficult JO competition to qualify to in USA. I continued to tell them that sure we all want to win- but results here wouldn’t matter as much as the journey experience would. Bc this was never about the final standings, the city and venue, or the design of the leotards that year.
Whether that was in arena or not and seen on social media or not – that was always my hope, dream and goal: creating a special experience – and making them all feel as special as they truly are. Xo NL 🩷
Had you told me 15 years ago the Nastia Liukin Cup would not only still be happening but also:
-would become an event that coaches, staff athletes would tell me it was more important to them to qualify to than their own national championships
-would turn on the tv one day and see an NCAA gymnastics competition on ESPN with the gymnasts name, age, hometown, along with “NASTIA CUP QUALIFIER” in bold letters
-would take place in venues across the country in some of the most iconic arenas in the world — hi @thegarden @attstadium
Hand on my heart, I really don’t think I would have believed any of these things. Yet this weekend I found myself in the midst of what I thought was, THE most special year, event, and group of all 15. While sharing so much of this event over the years has become something I truly enjoy doing, this year I became a bit overwhelmed with trying to capture all the content and decided I wanted to truly be a little more present – less focused on getting it all captured.
Bc be told – this was ALWAYS for about those girls on the floor. And not just the moments on the floor, but even more so the moments out of the arena. The moments that aren’t ever broadcasted. The moments that are not possible to capture even if you tried. The moments we get to share together that make this entire thing SPECIAL.
And that’s exactly what I did. As I gathered the girls one final time after the competition, I thanked them (and much more)— for the first time I got emotional thinking how special this all was. Before the competition I asked them to try to find a moment that day pause for a brief moment and be proud – of themselves for qualifying to what has become the most difficult JO competition to qualify to in USA. I continued to tell them that sure we all want to win- but results here wouldn’t matter as much as the journey experience would. Bc this was never about the final standings, the city and venue, or the design of the leotards that year.
Whether that was in arena or not and seen on social media or not – that was always my hope, dream and goal: creating a special experience – and making them all feel as special as they truly are. Xo NL 🩷
Had you told me 15 years ago the Nastia Liukin Cup would not only still be happening but also:
-would become an event that coaches, staff athletes would tell me it was more important to them to qualify to than their own national championships
-would turn on the tv one day and see an NCAA gymnastics competition on ESPN with the gymnasts name, age, hometown, along with “NASTIA CUP QUALIFIER” in bold letters
-would take place in venues across the country in some of the most iconic arenas in the world — hi @thegarden @attstadium
Hand on my heart, I really don’t think I would have believed any of these things. Yet this weekend I found myself in the midst of what I thought was, THE most special year, event, and group of all 15. While sharing so much of this event over the years has become something I truly enjoy doing, this year I became a bit overwhelmed with trying to capture all the content and decided I wanted to truly be a little more present – less focused on getting it all captured.
Bc be told – this was ALWAYS for about those girls on the floor. And not just the moments on the floor, but even more so the moments out of the arena. The moments that aren’t ever broadcasted. The moments that are not possible to capture even if you tried. The moments we get to share together that make this entire thing SPECIAL.
And that’s exactly what I did. As I gathered the girls one final time after the competition, I thanked them (and much more)— for the first time I got emotional thinking how special this all was. Before the competition I asked them to try to find a moment that day pause for a brief moment and be proud – of themselves for qualifying to what has become the most difficult JO competition to qualify to in USA. I continued to tell them that sure we all want to win- but results here wouldn’t matter as much as the journey experience would. Bc this was never about the final standings, the city and venue, or the design of the leotards that year.
Whether that was in arena or not and seen on social media or not – that was always my hope, dream and goal: creating a special experience – and making them all feel as special as they truly are. Xo NL 🩷
Howdy from Harley 🤠 (and some of our little
things moments of gratitude we wanted to share)
We live in a world that at times can feel overwhelming to just simply “keep up” – keeping up the trends, keeping up with the content, keeping up with your workouts, etc.
If you currently feel that way or have felt that way, you’re not alone! But I’m here to tell you to take a moment, pause, and be grateful for where you are, rather than feel behind or stuck in your constant efforts to simply “keep up”. Gratitude can sometimes be an afterthought – or perhaps even something that you think should only be felt or justified based upon something tangible – a new goal achieved, a deal received, an award won.
But what if it wasn’t measured or felt by any of those things.
What if instead, gratitude was actually felt around you every single day. What if it was as simple as being grateful for the things – little or big – that you might look past every single day?
Howdy from Harley 🤠 (and some of our little
things moments of gratitude we wanted to share)
We live in a world that at times can feel overwhelming to just simply “keep up” – keeping up the trends, keeping up with the content, keeping up with your workouts, etc.
If you currently feel that way or have felt that way, you’re not alone! But I’m here to tell you to take a moment, pause, and be grateful for where you are, rather than feel behind or stuck in your constant efforts to simply “keep up”. Gratitude can sometimes be an afterthought – or perhaps even something that you think should only be felt or justified based upon something tangible – a new goal achieved, a deal received, an award won.
But what if it wasn’t measured or felt by any of those things.
What if instead, gratitude was actually felt around you every single day. What if it was as simple as being grateful for the things – little or big – that you might look past every single day?
Howdy from Harley 🤠 (and some of our little
things moments of gratitude we wanted to share)
We live in a world that at times can feel overwhelming to just simply “keep up” – keeping up the trends, keeping up with the content, keeping up with your workouts, etc.
If you currently feel that way or have felt that way, you’re not alone! But I’m here to tell you to take a moment, pause, and be grateful for where you are, rather than feel behind or stuck in your constant efforts to simply “keep up”. Gratitude can sometimes be an afterthought – or perhaps even something that you think should only be felt or justified based upon something tangible – a new goal achieved, a deal received, an award won.
But what if it wasn’t measured or felt by any of those things.
What if instead, gratitude was actually felt around you every single day. What if it was as simple as being grateful for the things – little or big – that you might look past every single day?
Howdy from Harley 🤠 (and some of our little
things moments of gratitude we wanted to share)
We live in a world that at times can feel overwhelming to just simply “keep up” – keeping up the trends, keeping up with the content, keeping up with your workouts, etc.
If you currently feel that way or have felt that way, you’re not alone! But I’m here to tell you to take a moment, pause, and be grateful for where you are, rather than feel behind or stuck in your constant efforts to simply “keep up”. Gratitude can sometimes be an afterthought – or perhaps even something that you think should only be felt or justified based upon something tangible – a new goal achieved, a deal received, an award won.
But what if it wasn’t measured or felt by any of those things.
What if instead, gratitude was actually felt around you every single day. What if it was as simple as being grateful for the things – little or big – that you might look past every single day?
Howdy from Harley 🤠 (and some of our little
things moments of gratitude we wanted to share)
We live in a world that at times can feel overwhelming to just simply “keep up” – keeping up the trends, keeping up with the content, keeping up with your workouts, etc.
If you currently feel that way or have felt that way, you’re not alone! But I’m here to tell you to take a moment, pause, and be grateful for where you are, rather than feel behind or stuck in your constant efforts to simply “keep up”. Gratitude can sometimes be an afterthought – or perhaps even something that you think should only be felt or justified based upon something tangible – a new goal achieved, a deal received, an award won.
But what if it wasn’t measured or felt by any of those things.
What if instead, gratitude was actually felt around you every single day. What if it was as simple as being grateful for the things – little or big – that you might look past every single day?
Howdy from Harley 🤠 (and some of our little
things moments of gratitude we wanted to share)
We live in a world that at times can feel overwhelming to just simply “keep up” – keeping up the trends, keeping up with the content, keeping up with your workouts, etc.
If you currently feel that way or have felt that way, you’re not alone! But I’m here to tell you to take a moment, pause, and be grateful for where you are, rather than feel behind or stuck in your constant efforts to simply “keep up”. Gratitude can sometimes be an afterthought – or perhaps even something that you think should only be felt or justified based upon something tangible – a new goal achieved, a deal received, an award won.
But what if it wasn’t measured or felt by any of those things.
What if instead, gratitude was actually felt around you every single day. What if it was as simple as being grateful for the things – little or big – that you might look past every single day?
Howdy from Harley 🤠 (and some of our little
things moments of gratitude we wanted to share)
We live in a world that at times can feel overwhelming to just simply “keep up” – keeping up the trends, keeping up with the content, keeping up with your workouts, etc.
If you currently feel that way or have felt that way, you’re not alone! But I’m here to tell you to take a moment, pause, and be grateful for where you are, rather than feel behind or stuck in your constant efforts to simply “keep up”. Gratitude can sometimes be an afterthought – or perhaps even something that you think should only be felt or justified based upon something tangible – a new goal achieved, a deal received, an award won.
But what if it wasn’t measured or felt by any of those things.
What if instead, gratitude was actually felt around you every single day. What if it was as simple as being grateful for the things – little or big – that you might look past every single day?
Six years ago today, Kobe won an Oscar. I remember seeing him the week before. We were standing backstage at an award show that we were both presenting at, catching up like we always did. But this time will always be etched in my memory.
He was telling me how crazy it was that he was nominated for an Oscar—because nobody believed it would ever be possible (except for him, of course). Everyone knew him and defined him as arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. But he knew he was more than just that.
As we spoke about the achievement, he paused. He looked at me and told me that I needed to stop putting myself in a box, too. The “gymnast in the pink leotard” box.
I remember thinking to myself, how the hell does he know that’s exactly what I’ve been doing? I’ve been living in that box my entire life. He just knew. He always knew the right thing to say. The hard truths that needed to be spoken. I looked at him and said, “You’re right, Kobe.” And he said, “I know I am,” smiling, never smug.
And then he said, “Do you know what else I know? I’m going to win that Oscar next week, watch me.”
And sure enough, a few days later, he won that Oscar.
So, for anyone who has or continues to put themself in a box, whatever that box may be, I encourage you to make today the day you remove yourself from it. Greatness may just be on the other side.
photo dump, nastia cup edition
1. love a good theme (tried to) understand the assignment
2. as if I created this pink coat for this occasion 🙃 unfortunately it’s completely sold out #nastialiukinxgiannibinni @dillards
3. just one of the many notes (and bracelets) from the girls – which are kept forever in my little box of special notes cards
4. game day look… instagram vs
5. reality – just a few hours apart 🤪 at the airport heading home a little delirious but so beyond fulfilled
6. so beyond fulfilled
7. fun fact: when we moved to the US, we landed in New Orleans and lived there for 9 months. My parents started coaching at a local gym – Elmwood Gymnastics- and it was there that my gymnastics career truly started 🙃 fast forward to sunday evening at the airport, and a group of girls ran up to me asking for a photo. My dad noticed right away, their gym shirts: “Elmwood Gymnastics”. We looked at each other and said no way…. What are the chances. The sweet girls has no idea, but I shared the little fun fact with them and they were so excited.
8. The final look for dinner at the derby
9. The shenanigans it takes to get there (and plenty more) on my tiktok
10. That’s all, bye for now!
photo dump, nastia cup edition
1. love a good theme (tried to) understand the assignment
2. as if I created this pink coat for this occasion 🙃 unfortunately it’s completely sold out #nastialiukinxgiannibinni @dillards
3. just one of the many notes (and bracelets) from the girls – which are kept forever in my little box of special notes cards
4. game day look… instagram vs
5. reality – just a few hours apart 🤪 at the airport heading home a little delirious but so beyond fulfilled
6. so beyond fulfilled
7. fun fact: when we moved to the US, we landed in New Orleans and lived there for 9 months. My parents started coaching at a local gym – Elmwood Gymnastics- and it was there that my gymnastics career truly started 🙃 fast forward to sunday evening at the airport, and a group of girls ran up to me asking for a photo. My dad noticed right away, their gym shirts: “Elmwood Gymnastics”. We looked at each other and said no way…. What are the chances. The sweet girls has no idea, but I shared the little fun fact with them and they were so excited.
8. The final look for dinner at the derby
9. The shenanigans it takes to get there (and plenty more) on my tiktok
10. That’s all, bye for now!
photo dump, nastia cup edition
1. love a good theme (tried to) understand the assignment
2. as if I created this pink coat for this occasion 🙃 unfortunately it’s completely sold out #nastialiukinxgiannibinni @dillards
3. just one of the many notes (and bracelets) from the girls – which are kept forever in my little box of special notes cards
4. game day look… instagram vs
5. reality – just a few hours apart 🤪 at the airport heading home a little delirious but so beyond fulfilled
6. so beyond fulfilled
7. fun fact: when we moved to the US, we landed in New Orleans and lived there for 9 months. My parents started coaching at a local gym – Elmwood Gymnastics- and it was there that my gymnastics career truly started 🙃 fast forward to sunday evening at the airport, and a group of girls ran up to me asking for a photo. My dad noticed right away, their gym shirts: “Elmwood Gymnastics”. We looked at each other and said no way…. What are the chances. The sweet girls has no idea, but I shared the little fun fact with them and they were so excited.
8. The final look for dinner at the derby
9. The shenanigans it takes to get there (and plenty more) on my tiktok
10. That’s all, bye for now!
photo dump, nastia cup edition
1. love a good theme (tried to) understand the assignment
2. as if I created this pink coat for this occasion 🙃 unfortunately it’s completely sold out #nastialiukinxgiannibinni @dillards
3. just one of the many notes (and bracelets) from the girls – which are kept forever in my little box of special notes cards
4. game day look… instagram vs
5. reality – just a few hours apart 🤪 at the airport heading home a little delirious but so beyond fulfilled
6. so beyond fulfilled
7. fun fact: when we moved to the US, we landed in New Orleans and lived there for 9 months. My parents started coaching at a local gym – Elmwood Gymnastics- and it was there that my gymnastics career truly started 🙃 fast forward to sunday evening at the airport, and a group of girls ran up to me asking for a photo. My dad noticed right away, their gym shirts: “Elmwood Gymnastics”. We looked at each other and said no way…. What are the chances. The sweet girls has no idea, but I shared the little fun fact with them and they were so excited.
8. The final look for dinner at the derby
9. The shenanigans it takes to get there (and plenty more) on my tiktok
10. That’s all, bye for now!
photo dump, nastia cup edition
1. love a good theme (tried to) understand the assignment
2. as if I created this pink coat for this occasion 🙃 unfortunately it’s completely sold out #nastialiukinxgiannibinni @dillards
3. just one of the many notes (and bracelets) from the girls – which are kept forever in my little box of special notes cards
4. game day look… instagram vs
5. reality – just a few hours apart 🤪 at the airport heading home a little delirious but so beyond fulfilled
6. so beyond fulfilled
7. fun fact: when we moved to the US, we landed in New Orleans and lived there for 9 months. My parents started coaching at a local gym – Elmwood Gymnastics- and it was there that my gymnastics career truly started 🙃 fast forward to sunday evening at the airport, and a group of girls ran up to me asking for a photo. My dad noticed right away, their gym shirts: “Elmwood Gymnastics”. We looked at each other and said no way…. What are the chances. The sweet girls has no idea, but I shared the little fun fact with them and they were so excited.
8. The final look for dinner at the derby
9. The shenanigans it takes to get there (and plenty more) on my tiktok
10. That’s all, bye for now!
photo dump, nastia cup edition
1. love a good theme (tried to) understand the assignment
2. as if I created this pink coat for this occasion 🙃 unfortunately it’s completely sold out #nastialiukinxgiannibinni @dillards
3. just one of the many notes (and bracelets) from the girls – which are kept forever in my little box of special notes cards
4. game day look… instagram vs
5. reality – just a few hours apart 🤪 at the airport heading home a little delirious but so beyond fulfilled
6. so beyond fulfilled
7. fun fact: when we moved to the US, we landed in New Orleans and lived there for 9 months. My parents started coaching at a local gym – Elmwood Gymnastics- and it was there that my gymnastics career truly started 🙃 fast forward to sunday evening at the airport, and a group of girls ran up to me asking for a photo. My dad noticed right away, their gym shirts: “Elmwood Gymnastics”. We looked at each other and said no way…. What are the chances. The sweet girls has no idea, but I shared the little fun fact with them and they were so excited.
8. The final look for dinner at the derby
9. The shenanigans it takes to get there (and plenty more) on my tiktok
10. That’s all, bye for now!
photo dump, nastia cup edition
1. love a good theme (tried to) understand the assignment
2. as if I created this pink coat for this occasion 🙃 unfortunately it’s completely sold out #nastialiukinxgiannibinni @dillards
3. just one of the many notes (and bracelets) from the girls – which are kept forever in my little box of special notes cards
4. game day look… instagram vs
5. reality – just a few hours apart 🤪 at the airport heading home a little delirious but so beyond fulfilled
6. so beyond fulfilled
7. fun fact: when we moved to the US, we landed in New Orleans and lived there for 9 months. My parents started coaching at a local gym – Elmwood Gymnastics- and it was there that my gymnastics career truly started 🙃 fast forward to sunday evening at the airport, and a group of girls ran up to me asking for a photo. My dad noticed right away, their gym shirts: “Elmwood Gymnastics”. We looked at each other and said no way…. What are the chances. The sweet girls has no idea, but I shared the little fun fact with them and they were so excited.
8. The final look for dinner at the derby
9. The shenanigans it takes to get there (and plenty more) on my tiktok
10. That’s all, bye for now!
photo dump, nastia cup edition
1. love a good theme (tried to) understand the assignment
2. as if I created this pink coat for this occasion 🙃 unfortunately it’s completely sold out #nastialiukinxgiannibinni @dillards
3. just one of the many notes (and bracelets) from the girls – which are kept forever in my little box of special notes cards
4. game day look… instagram vs
5. reality – just a few hours apart 🤪 at the airport heading home a little delirious but so beyond fulfilled
6. so beyond fulfilled
7. fun fact: when we moved to the US, we landed in New Orleans and lived there for 9 months. My parents started coaching at a local gym – Elmwood Gymnastics- and it was there that my gymnastics career truly started 🙃 fast forward to sunday evening at the airport, and a group of girls ran up to me asking for a photo. My dad noticed right away, their gym shirts: “Elmwood Gymnastics”. We looked at each other and said no way…. What are the chances. The sweet girls has no idea, but I shared the little fun fact with them and they were so excited.
8. The final look for dinner at the derby
9. The shenanigans it takes to get there (and plenty more) on my tiktok
10. That’s all, bye for now!
photo dump, nastia cup edition
1. love a good theme (tried to) understand the assignment
2. as if I created this pink coat for this occasion 🙃 unfortunately it’s completely sold out #nastialiukinxgiannibinni @dillards
3. just one of the many notes (and bracelets) from the girls – which are kept forever in my little box of special notes cards
4. game day look… instagram vs
5. reality – just a few hours apart 🤪 at the airport heading home a little delirious but so beyond fulfilled
6. so beyond fulfilled
7. fun fact: when we moved to the US, we landed in New Orleans and lived there for 9 months. My parents started coaching at a local gym – Elmwood Gymnastics- and it was there that my gymnastics career truly started 🙃 fast forward to sunday evening at the airport, and a group of girls ran up to me asking for a photo. My dad noticed right away, their gym shirts: “Elmwood Gymnastics”. We looked at each other and said no way…. What are the chances. The sweet girls has no idea, but I shared the little fun fact with them and they were so excited.
8. The final look for dinner at the derby
9. The shenanigans it takes to get there (and plenty more) on my tiktok
10. That’s all, bye for now!
photo dump, nastia cup edition
1. love a good theme (tried to) understand the assignment
2. as if I created this pink coat for this occasion 🙃 unfortunately it’s completely sold out #nastialiukinxgiannibinni @dillards
3. just one of the many notes (and bracelets) from the girls – which are kept forever in my little box of special notes cards
4. game day look… instagram vs
5. reality – just a few hours apart 🤪 at the airport heading home a little delirious but so beyond fulfilled
6. so beyond fulfilled
7. fun fact: when we moved to the US, we landed in New Orleans and lived there for 9 months. My parents started coaching at a local gym – Elmwood Gymnastics- and it was there that my gymnastics career truly started 🙃 fast forward to sunday evening at the airport, and a group of girls ran up to me asking for a photo. My dad noticed right away, their gym shirts: “Elmwood Gymnastics”. We looked at each other and said no way…. What are the chances. The sweet girls has no idea, but I shared the little fun fact with them and they were so excited.
8. The final look for dinner at the derby
9. The shenanigans it takes to get there (and plenty more) on my tiktok
10. That’s all, bye for now!