How One Unexpected Failure Led Her to Olympic Gold | Elana Meyers Taylor

ℹ️ EPISODE INFO

Released

November 10, 2026

Duration

48m

Channel

Good Inside with Dr. Becky

Watch on YouTube

▶ Open ↗

📝 EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Elana Meyers Taylor dreamed of being an Olympic softball player since she was nine years old. She set records all through college. Then, at her Olympic tryout, she had what she calls “the worst tryout in the history of tryouts,” and didn’t make the team. So she tried a sport she’d never touched: bobsled. Five Winter Olympics later, at age 41, on the very last run of her final Games, she won gold, becoming the most decorated Black American Winter Olympian in history. Dr. Becky Kennedy sits down with Elana to talk about the question at the heart of her career: is she good at getting good at things, or good at being a novice? Her answer pushes back on what parents often assume about raising successful kids. It explains why early sports specialization can backfire, why multi-sport athletes are overrepresented among Olympic medalists, and why a growth mindset and a willingness to be a beginner matter more than being the best. They also cover seeing bobsledder Vonetta Flowers on TV and thinking “she looked like me.” Elana talks about how raising two young sons, both deaf and her oldest with Down syndrome, changed how she defines achievement. Plus, the two-option philosophy she and her husband use to decide whether to try something hard: you either get a good story out of it, or you don’t try at all. This is Episode 2 of Challenge Accepted, a new limited podcast series from Good Inside and Hot Wheels. Created for parents who want to raise resilient kids, this series explores the early experiences that shape who we become - and the mindset it takes to keep pushing forward. Thank you to Hot Wheels for making this episode possible. Chapters 0:00 – Intro: give up, or challenge accepted? 2:10 – A shy kid with a need for speed 9:34 – Starting softball “too late” 14:17 – The worst tryout in the history of tryouts 19:47 – How bobsled came into the picture 24:04 – Good at getting good, or good at being a novice? 27:43 – Vonetta Flowers and race in bobsled 31:10 – Motherhood and redefining achievement 35:13 – Inside the final run 38:38 – What “challenge accepted” means: you’ll get a good story 44:54 – Dr. Becky’s takeaway 🎥 Watch Episode 1 of Challenge Accepted with astronaut Kellie Gerardi: https://youtu.be/u_jbPTNtyUk Stay tuned for future episodes of Challenge Accepted, featuring New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart; and YouTuber, engineer, and inventor Mark Rober. Want more support raising resilient kids? Good Inside gives you the tools and community for that: https://www.goodinside.com #goodinside #drbecky #challengeaccepted #resilience #growthmindset #olympics #youthsports #parenting

🎤 SPEAKERS

• Dr. Becky Kennedy

  host

  Clinical psychologist and parenting expert, host of the “Good Inside with Dr. Becky” podcast.

• Elana Meyers Taylor

  guest

  Olympic bobsledder and gold medalist who discusses her athletic career and parenting two sons.

🧾 EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Good Inside with Dr. Becky, featuring Dr. Becky Kennedy and Elana Meyers Taylor, How One Unexpected Failure Led Her to Olympic Gold | Elana Meyers Taylor explores A crushed softball dream becomes a bobsled “challenge accepted” life Elana Meyers Taylor describes how being a shy kid socially but fearless physically led her to use sports as a structured way to learn connection and confidence.

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