Podcast Summary: Becoming UnDone

Episode 150 | Vonn & Liu: Two Olympians, Two Comebacks. Grit Meets Freedom in Olympic Dreams

Host: Dr. Toby Brooks
Date: February 22, 2026

Overview

This landmark 150th episode of Becoming UnDone dives into the stories of two Olympians—Lindsey Vonn and Alysa Liu—and their radically different comebacks at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Host Dr. Toby Brooks uses their journeys to explore deeper themes of personal identity, motivation, the cost of high achievement, and what it truly means to rise after everything falls apart. Using both personal reflection and performance science, Brooks unpacks the distinction between comebacks driven by relentless grit versus those powered by personal freedom—offering lessons for any high achiever facing a "purpose storm."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Host’s Olympic Obsession & Backstory

[00:00–13:50]

• Brooks recounts his lifelong love of the Olympics, triggered in part by his rural childhood experience with pay-per-view “Olympics Triple Cast” and an illicit satellite setup (“black market decoder chip”).
• He paints vivid memories of watching improbable heroes and how, even as a child, the games symbolized the possibility of greatness.
• The odds of becoming an Olympian—and especially an American medalist—are described as “statistical impossibility,” but in youthful imagination, anything still seems possible.
• Key reflection: How the relentless pursuit of an Olympic dream can be both inspiring and troubling, existing “at the intersection of high tech dreams and low tech reality.”
• Quote:

  “The interlocked five ringed multi colored hook of the Olympic experience was firmly set in my soul. I was absolutely in love with the Games. Why? Because in my nine year old mind, any of that was still possible.” (Toby Brooks, 09:46)

2. The Cost of Greatness and Unbalanced Achievement

[13:50–15:20]

• Brooks cites David Goggins’ philosophy that true greatness is inherently unbalanced, requiring obsession and sacrifice.
• Quote/Memorable Moment:

  “Once you become obsessed with something—obsessed—it’s okay to be unbalanced for a while... To be the best at what you do, you have to be unbalanced to find every bit of energy and strength you have to pull it off.” (David Goggins, quoted by Brooks, 14:46–15:20)

3. Outline of the Episode: Two Comebacks, Two Engines

[15:20–18:00]

• Brooks sets up the episode’s focus: exploring two very different Olympic comebacks—Lindsey Vonn’s, fueled by grit and unfinished business; Alysa Liu’s, powered by freedom, joy, and autonomy.
• “Sometimes they look exactly the same from the outside,” Brooks notes, but internally, they’re radically distinct.

4. Lindsey Vonn: The Comeback of Grit

[18:17–19:07, 19:48–22:34]

• Vonn returns from an ACL tear only to suffer a devastating leg fracture at the Games.
• Coverage highlights her resilience, her embrace of risk, and her continued pursuit in spite of public criticism and physical limitations.
• Instagram quote by Lindsey Vonn:

  “If you take anything away from my journey, it’s that you all have the courage to dare greatly.” (Vonn, 18:54)

• Brooks relates personally to Vonn’s story, likening it to the kind of comeback where identity is wholly entwined with achievement.
• He introduces the concept of identity foreclosure:
  “It’s when your self concept becomes so narrowly defined by achievement that you don’t know who you are without it.” (Brooks, 21:15)
• The dark side: unrefined grit in pursuit of validation can turn into self-destruction.

5. Alysa Liu: The Comeback of Freedom

[19:48, 22:34–26:53]

• Liu, once a prodigy, leaves figure skating at 16 due to burnout, only to return years later skating for herself, not for medals or external approval.
• Her new approach is a radical act in a “high achievement world” that equates quitting with failing.
• Memorable moment: Brooks describes her resurrection:

  “She wasn’t skating for validation. She wasn’t even skating to prove the critics wrong. She was skating because she wanted to. And when she returned, everything was different: different vibe, different look, different energy—freedom.” (Brooks, 24:45)

• Brooks details how Liu’s podium finish is almost a side note to the real victory: reclaiming joy and autonomy.
• The episode highlights the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation—and how only the latter produces sustainable joy.

6. The Central Question: What Powers Your Comeback?

[26:53–29:00]

• Brooks challenges listeners to examine why they want to come back after a setback: Is it to hold onto an old identity (achievement/survival mode), or to return as someone new (growth mode)?
• Insightful quote:

  “Sometimes the bravest thing you can do isn’t to push harder. It’s to define why you’re pushing at all.” (Brooks, 27:14)
  “Comeback isn’t about winning again. It’s about returning with a different reason. And when you do that, you don’t just perform better, you become whole.” (Brooks, 28:19)

Notable Quotes

• On the impossibility of Olympic dreams:

  “With a world population of around 7 billion and roughly 10,000 athletes at a given Summer Games, that puts the odds of just competing there at about 1 in 562,400... So you’re saying there’s a chance?” (Brooks, 12:14)

• On grit versus freedom:

  “Two Olympians, two comebacks, two reasons. One destroyed her leg, shattered it chasing her legacy. One reclaimed her joy, choosing autonomy. Both are freaking courageous. But only one looked free.” (Brooks, 28:40)

• On sustainable success:

  “Grit is powerful. And Lindsey is 1,000% grit. And Alysa is no less inspiring, but for entirely different reasons—for freedom. Freedom is transformational.” (Brooks, 28:00)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00–09:46]: Brooks’ childhood Olympic obsession & vintage TV tech stories
• [13:50–15:20]: David Goggins’ view on obsession and greatness
• [15:20–18:00]: Introduction: two comeback archetypes
• [18:17–19:07]: Vonn’s crash, injuries, and high-profile comeback
• [21:15]: Identity foreclosure and the dangers of misplaced grit
• [22:34–26:53]: Alysa Liu’s story—retirement, reinvention, joy on her own terms
• [27:14–29:00]: Host’s reflection on purpose, motivation, and whole-person comebacks

Memorable Moments

• Brooks, on watching the Triplecast Olympics with a pirate decoder chip, simultaneous high-tech and “low-tech” family teamwork, and believing, as a child, that Olympic glory was just a TV channel away.
• Vonn’s heartfelt social post after her injury, daring listeners to “dare greatly.”
• Liu’s transformation on the ice, described as “playing” not “performing,” summed up by her pure joy and visible liberation.
• Brooks’ key challenge to listeners: “Why do you want your comeback? ... Are you returning as someone new? Because sometimes the bravest thing you can do isn’t harder. It’s defining why you’re pushing at all.”

Episode Takeaways

• Grit and resilience will take you far, but without purpose or joy, they risk turning destructive.
• Freedom and ownership over your path can bring a level of fulfillment and sustainable motivation that grit alone can’t provide.
• Comebacks are not just about regaining lost ground—they can be about becoming whole, sometimes for the first time.
• Every high achiever should periodically ask: Am I rebuilding what was, or creating what’s truly possible now?

For Further Support

Dr. Brooks mentions personalized coaching, keynotes, and the Science of the Comeback app at scienceofthecomeback.com to help navigate your own “purpose storm.”

This episode stands as an inspiring—and challenging—exploration of the real reasons we fight to rise again, deftly using the stories of two Olympic comebacks to spark deep personal reflection on grit, burnout, purpose, and freedom.