Living The Red Life – Lolo Jones: World Champion Mindset for Reinvention and Resilience

Host: Rudy Mawer | Guest: Lolo Jones | Date: Nov 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Living The Red Life features Lolo Jones—four-time world champion, three-time Olympian, and one of the rare Americans to compete in both Summer and Winter Olympics. Lolo joins Rudy Mawer to discuss the mindset that has propelled her through massive career highs, devastating public setbacks, and continuous reinvention. The conversation explores resilience, embracing failure as a motivator, transitioning between sports, and actionable lessons for entrepreneurs striving to break through their own hurdles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Lolo’s Background: Overcoming Adversity (02:37–04:42)

• Humble Beginnings: Lolo details her challenging upbringing—homelessness, a father in and out of prison, and her mother raising five kids alone.

  "My childhood was rough. We were homeless...My mom, single mother of five kids, working multiple jobs. Sports were my stability." (02:37)

• Late Success: Unlike child prodigies, Lolo became successful only into her third year as a pro.

  "I did not become good as an athlete until, like, my third year pro. So I was definitely a late bloomer." (03:18)

2. Working Multiple Jobs Pre-Fame (04:03–04:42)

• Lolo worked as a hostess, outside cashier in the Louisiana heat at Home Depot, and wiped counters at a gym—even as her races aired on ESPN.

  "I'm wiping the counter, and they're like, wait, isn't that you on ESPN? Like, bro, don't get me started. I'm not good enough for a shoe contract right now." (04:19)

3. Heartbreak in Beijing & Using Failure as Fuel (00:18, 05:22–07:17)

• Near-Gold Loss: Lolo recounts hitting the ninth hurdle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics while leading, costing her the gold and drawing harsh media criticism.

  "I hit the ninth hurdle that cost me an Olympic gold medal. I was on pace to break the Olympic record. I just fell to the track." (00:18)

• Public Criticism:

  "I was getting destroyed in the media. They're like, she's washed up. She took all the sponsors, and then she still got fourth." (13:08)

• Mindset Shift: Makes failure her motivator, comparing it to the comeback scenes in iconic movies.

  "Failure is your greatest motivator because, like, you can't have a Rocky movie without a comeback." (05:24)

4. Processing Failure with Humor and Perspective (07:17–08:36)

• Lolo’s approach to moving past disappointment is to crack jokes and avoid bitterness.

  "To get over a failure, be light with it. Crack jokes...If something hurts you, if it's something traumatic...it can make you tense up, makes you bitter, and it makes you not want to try again." (07:17)

5. Dealing with Near-Misses and Depression (09:13–13:08)

• After the London Olympics, where she placed fourth again, Lolo struggled to process her bitterness, leading to months of depression.
• Her coach helps reframe her 4th place as historically fast; this prompts her to reflect and eventually seek new challenges.

  "My coach gave me this stat...this was the fastest Olympic hurdle race in history, and it would have got you a medal in any Olympics, but this one." (13:08)

6. Reinvention: From Track to Bobsled (13:08–18:40)

• Inspiration from “Cool Runnings”: Spurred by the movie, Lolo attempts bobsledding, knowing little about the sport.

  "I was raised on this great movie, Cool Runnings...what they did is they recruited track and field athletes who had messed up and had come close to their Olympic dreams." (13:34)

• First Terrifying Experience:

  "It felt like I was in a metal tin trash can, and they threw me down a mountain...There's no seatbelts...I'm just fighting for my life." (17:09)

• Persevering after initial fear, reflecting thrill-seeking, challenge-driven mindset.

  "If it's more odds stacked against me or someone tells me I can't do it, or, like I said, if I experience a setback or a failure, for some reason, those things fire me up." (19:11)

7. Comparison: Track vs. Bobsled (20:01–21:50)

• Higher adrenaline and less control in bobsled vs. track.

  "There's more control with track...with bobsled, you just never know." (20:01)

• Bobsled’s “blue collar” nature and the physical toll described graphically.

8. The Boring Truth: Goal Setting & Consistency (21:50–25:40)

• Daily Discipline: Weight gain for bobsled, protein tracking, sleep monitoring.

  "Do I have enough protein in my system? Have I had enough protein shakes, supplements?...It's like psycho little things about your body." (22:19)

• Making History in Her 40s: Returns to track, qualifies for Olympic trials, then for bobsled world championships as the oldest female, inspiring others—especially those facing 'age limits.'

  "I like to show people...you can do great things in their 40s...If she can compete against 20 year olds and be top rank in the US, what is my excuse?" (24:46)

9. Actionable Mindset & Resilience Advice (25:40–28:21)

• Use Failure as a Tool:

  "A failure can be your greatest motivator if you use it. If not, it's going to break you." (25:53)

• Written Reflection Technique:

  "I try to write out three things that went good, three things that went bad, so that I can encourage myself." (26:08)

• Discipline Beats Talent:

  "I feel like discipline has helped me beat people that are more talented than me...the little things you can do to improve usually turn into huge gains. But a lot of people overlook the little things." (27:10)

10. Parallels: Sport & Business Success (28:30–34:01)

• Common Risks: Entrepreneurship and elite sport both demand resilience, risk-taking, emotional investment, and facing public scrutiny or failure.

  "A business person is just so heavily invested, not only just with their finances, it's also emotional...there are very few things in life that do like the whole ramification of if this fails, I lose everything." (28:39)

• Small Odds, Big Dreams:

  "If you tell that to a business person, hey, you have this business, it has one chance out of half a million of succeeding. Are you gonna throw up your hand and just not try, or are you gonna be like, you know what, but if I do succeed..." (30:30)

• Letting Go in Business: Rudy discusses the need for entrepreneurs to transition from doing everything to trusting a team.

  "To get really good in business...you have to basically trust everyone else to do everything." (32:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Failure and Comebacks:
  Lolo Jones:

  "Failure is your greatest motivator because, like, you can't have a Rocky movie without a comeback." (05:24)

• On Keeping Perspective:
  Lolo Jones:

  "We have to remember when we have breakthroughs, and even though it's not like the goal, goal, we still have to remember the progress we've had, because I think we forget so, so quickly." (10:31)

• On Pursuing New Challenges:
  Lolo Jones:

  "If it's more odds stacked against me or someone tells me I can't do it ... those things fire me up." (19:11)

• On Small Daily Wins:
  Lolo Jones:

  "The little things you can do to improve usually turn into huge gains. But a lot of people overlook the little things, which is diligency." (27:10)

• On Inspiration:
  Lolo Jones:

  "I like to show people...you can do great things in their 40s...If she can compete against 20 year olds and be top rank in the US, what is my excuse?" (24:46)

• On Resilience in Business and Life:
  Lolo Jones:

  "A failure can be your greatest motivator if you use it. If not, it's going to break you." (25:53)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:37 – Lolo’s challenging upbringing & late success
• 04:03 – Working at Home Depot/gym while training
• 05:22 – Dealing with public failure and loss at the Olympics
• 07:17 – Using humor to process disappointment
• 09:13 – Coping with setbacks after London 2012
• 13:08 – Transitioning to bobsled – inspiration and first experiences
• 17:09 – First bobsled run – fear and survival instinct
• 21:50 – The monotony, discipline, and goal setting for Olympic performance
• 24:46 – Historic achievements in her 40s/setting new standards
• 25:53 – Practical advice for turning failure into fuel
• 27:10 – Discipline over talent in achieving success
• 28:39 – Parallels between business and sport – risk, investment, resilience
• 32:10 – Delegating in business vs. self-reliance in sport

Resources

• Lolo Jones’s Book: Over It

  "I recommend people the audiobook...I personally read it and I add extra chapters in it, bonus chapters." (34:16)

• Instagram: @lolojones

Closing Tone

Rudy and Lolo wrap with humor, encouragement, and actionable advice—emphasizing that both elite sport and business require relentless optimism, managing risk, diligent attention to the “boring” details, and the ability to reinvent oneself after setbacks. Whether you’re an athlete, business owner, or anyone striving to overcome odds, Lolo’s journey provides a masterclass in resilience and reinvention.

"I hope you guys get over whatever is really hard for you because we all have setbacks."
— Lolo Jones (34:36)