The School of Greatness

Episode: The Hidden Cost of Winning Too Much | Mikaela Shiffrin

Host: Lewis Howes

Guest: Mikaela Shiffrin

Date: February 13, 2026

Overview

This episode features Olympic and World Champion skier Mikaela Shiffrin in an in-depth conversation with Lewis Howes about the unseen consequences of continual success, the true mindset behind elite performance, coping with pressure, the importance of process over outcomes, and the evolving meaning of greatness. Mikaela openly shares her internal challenges, her relationship with fear and media scrutiny, lessons from her mother-coach, and her perspective on legacy and sport.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Mikaela’s Early Dreams and Inspiration

• Mikaela didn't grow up focused solely on Olympic stardom—her initial goals were more about mastery and process than achieving notoriety:
  • “Really mostly my goals had nothing to do with the Olympics. My goal was always, I want to be the best skier in the world.” (02:30)
• Idolized Bode Miller, admiring not just his victories, but also his approach and the public judgment he faced.
  • She vividly recalls being inspired by watching World Cup DVDs with her family: “I would watch them and it was like, all Bode’s runs and just amazing… He really inspired me to truly want to be a ski racer.” (03:00)
• Observing Miller’s struggles with public and media perceptions early on made Mikaela wary of how public opinion can warp the experience and add pressure.

Mindset: Process Over Results

• Mikaela emphasizes the necessity of focusing on the process, not the outcome, for elite performance:
  • “Some athletes...can win races just because they want to be. They just want to win it. And when I think I want to win, I never win.” (06:54)
  • “It always has to be, like, what’s happening between the start and the finish line—not what’s going to happen after the finish.” (07:33)
• Success isn’t sustained by chasing “winning” itself; it is built on attention to each run, each turn.
  • “The process of getting to the finish is what allows you to win the race.” (07:58)

Impact of Early Success and Pressures of Expectations

• Shiffrin’s dominance in slalom racing led to unrealistic external expectations:
  • She recounts winning by over three seconds—a “crazy” margin that set a new public standard for her future performances (11:33).
  • “That season, it was like, the worst thing that happened to me because it set everyone’s expectations that I was now going to win every race by over two seconds for the rest of my career.” (12:45)
• Even after “success,” victories were often painted negatively if they weren’t as dominant.
  • “I never experienced a victory where people put such a negative spin on it.” (13:21)
• This shift led to serious performance anxiety, sometimes manifesting physically:
  • “There’s this phase where I was puking at the start of every…almost every race...because of anxiety.” (14:54)

Handling Media, Disappointment, and Reframing

• The weight of media and others’ reactions shaped her internal narrative, sometimes more than her own perspective.
• Positive self-talk, reframing media questions, and celebrating others’ successes became strategies for distancing her identity from public expectation:
  • “I started to use this, this kind of positive reframing of the questions about how I really felt. And…it was wild how the mood around me shifted.” (21:08)
• She learned she could influence not just her own mindset, but also the “mood” of her coaches, team, and even the media:
  • “I just realized how much more control I have than I ever knew before of the closest people around me and their moods. I can help them feel okay if I don’t win a race.” (22:55)

The Role of Coaching and Family

• Her mother has been a crucial coach, confidant, and stabilizing influence throughout Mikaela’s ski career and life:
  • “My mom traveled with me as one of my coaches as well, and she, like, she fought battles for me. She helped to make it click…And she still does.” (09:18)
• Family philosophy: things are more fun—and worth doing—when you do them well, a lesson applied to sports, academics, and life:
  • “It’s more fun to do things if you can do them well. And there’s a way to do them well so that it’s fun.” (26:00)
• She credits her mother's ability to teach and break down skills, not just for her, but for anyone needing help on the slopes.

Facing Failure, Pressure, and Mental Health

• She openly acknowledges how cycles of success and the fear of failing to exceed expectations led to anxiety and sought psychological help after her mother’s encouragement:
  • “For a long time I felt like I don’t need a sports psychologist because I am actually very mentally stable…” (30:38)
  • Her mindset shifted from never being nervous to needing help to manage new internal and external pressures.
• Over time, she worked with different sports and general psychologists, learning self-acceptance, the importance of balancing her own desires with those of others, and techniques to “get comfortable being uncomfortable”:
  • “A lot of it was like, learning things about myself that almost maybe got hidden over the years. Maybe I started to shift my focus from the things that were important to me to the things that seemed important to everyone else and just finding a balance.” (36:33)
• Practical mental coping skills include controlling the controllables, focusing on technical aspects, and “making friends” with feelings of fear and discomfort.

Relationship with Legacy, Greatness, and “The GOAT” Label

• Mikaela is uncomfortable with being crowned “the Greatest of All Time,” seeing the label as reductive and exclusionary:
  • “I don’t see myself that way. It’s like, I do struggle a little bit when the world puts a label that doesn’t coincide with my label for myself.” (41:01)
  • “The goat term is just, like, weird to me. I feel like there’s more than one...The conversation means people are talking about it and interested…and I just don’t see myself taking that over.” (41:28)
• She values being part of the ongoing debate and conversation about greatness more than owning the single title.

Fear, Motivation and Looking to the Future

• Physical fear (of injury or high-speed crashes) is real and acknowledged—not ignored or repressed:
  • “A lot of racers will say they don’t have any fear, and I definitely do. I think it’s fine... But I definitely have it, and I think it’s…important to admit when you have fear to yourself.” (44:21)
• Mikaela speaks honestly about worry over future Olympic results and societal expectations, especially after past disappointments:
  • “I’m afraid to hype myself up going into this next Olympics...because what if it happens again?” (45:04)
• Nonetheless, she reaffirms a commitment to try regardless of public narrative.

Visualization, Process, and Training

• Visualization is a multipurpose tool—she daydreams about success but technically rehearses courses and improvements in detail:
  • “I will visualize myself winning a race and, like, standing on the podium and the festivities after. I will visualize that. But that’s more...when I’m training in the gym and I want to...I need one more set.” (53:10)
  • “Then there’s a visualization, like, actual technical imagery of my skiing and that I do almost every day. I think about skiing. I dream about skiing, and it’s literally just dreaming about the way that I want to ski my turns.” (53:38)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “When I think I want to win, I never win.” - Mikaela Shiffrin (07:24)
• “That season, it was like, the worst thing that happened to me because it set everyone’s expectations that I was now going to win every race by over two seconds for the rest of my career.” - Mikaela Shiffrin (12:45)
• “I started to use this, this kind of positive reframing of the questions about how I really felt. And...it was wild how the mood around me shifted...” - Mikaela Shiffrin (21:08)
• “It’s more fun to do things if you can do them well. And there’s a way to do them well so that it’s fun.” - Mikaela Shiffrin (26:00)
• “I needed to learn to get comfortable being uncomfortable.” - Mikaela Shiffrin (38:25)
• “The GOAT term is just, like, weird to me. I feel like there’s more than one.” - Mikaela Shiffrin (41:28)
• “I do get afraid when I’m skiing...I think it’s fine...But I definitely have it, and I think it’s important to admit when you have fear to yourself.” - Mikaela Shiffrin (44:21)
• “Failure isn’t final. That would be one thing. And that it can actually be a lesson to help you succeed.” (Three Truths) - Mikaela Shiffrin (55:42)
• “Greatness is the feeling that you get when you do or experience or watch something that gives you the shivers down your spine…the sort of inspiration, just the feeling like, I can’t believe I’m part of this moment.” - Mikaela Shiffrin (60:35)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:02] – Was the Olympics the dream? Early motivations & idols
• [06:53] – Pressure vs. process: why thinking about winning can backfire
• [08:07] – Managing success vs. handling failure, phases of her career
• [14:54] – Anxiety and expectations: physical toll of media/fan pressure
• [20:15] – The burden of public/media narrative, reframing the conversation
• [24:04] – Coaching and the deep impact of family, especially her mother
• [26:00] – Biggest lesson from her mother: mastery makes things fun
• [30:15] – Psychological help, mental health, and learning to cope
• [36:10] – Therapy, balance between self and others, getting comfortable being uncomfortable
• [41:01] – Struggles with the “GOAT” label and legacy
• [44:21] – Admitting fear, especially regarding injury and risk
• [53:10] – Visualization: dreaming of success & technical preparation
• [55:42] – Three truths: failure, compromise, and remembering your roots
• [60:35] – What is greatness? Defining the feeling

Closing Thoughts

Mikaela Shiffrin’s conversation reveals the double-edged sword of “winning too much”—how public adulation can morph into suffocating expectations, anxiety, and a complicated relationship with greatness itself. Her openness about fear, process, mindset, and the realities behind legendary achievement bring uncommon nuance and humanity to the success narrative. For listeners, her story is a masterclass in resilience, humility, and redefining what it means to “win.”

Resources & Follow Mikaela Shiffrin:

• Instagram: @mikaelashiffrin
• Threads: @mikaelashiffrin
• YouTube: Mikaela Shiffrin

For more from Lewis Howes and School of Greatness, visit:

• School of Greatness Podcast

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