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If This Doesn’t Make You Believe in Yourself, Nothing Will

This might be one of the greatest conversations Mel has ever had on this podcast. Today, you’re getting an absolute masterclass in motivation from one of the greatest athletes walking this earth: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. If you’ve ever felt self-doubt, pressure, or like your best days are behind you, you’re in the right place. In this conversation, Shelly-Ann does not hold back. Shelly-Ann is the most decorated 100-meter sprinter of all time, male or female. She has won Olympic gold 3 times. She has won 10 gold medals at the World Championships, with 2 of them coming after she gave birth to her son Zyon. She is going to tell you: you are not supposed to be average. You are built for excellence and extraordinary things. But this isn't a conversation about being an athlete. This conversation is about building an unstoppable mindset and being the best version of yourself, no matter where you are in life. In this episode, you’ll learn how to: -Build the mindset of a champion -Use visualization to prepare for high-pressure moments -Stop focusing on constant comparison and worrying about what everyone else is doing -Bounce back after failure -Believe in your dream before anyone else understands it You’ll also hear a powerful message about the power Shelly-Ann gained after becoming a mother and not listening to people who told her she had to choose between motherhood and her career. Get ready, because Shelly-Ann is about to speak directly to your soul and inspire you to become your greatest self. For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page: https://www.melrobbins.com/episode/episode-420/ Follow The Mel Robbins Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themelrobbinspodcast I’m just your friend. I am not a licensed therapist, and this podcast is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I’ll see you in the next episode. In this episode: 00:00 Introduction 01:37 Your Past Does Not Determine Your Future 07:43 How to Stop Being Average and Reach Your Full Potential 9:11 How to Transform Your Life In One Year 21:14 How to Believe in Yourself When Your Dream Feels Impossible 26:46 Visualization for Success: How Olympic Athletes Train Their Minds to Win 32:47 How to Finally Stop Comparing Yourself to Others 36:41 Motivation vs. Discipline: What Really Creates Long-Term Success? 40:04 How to Set Higher Standards and Build Better Habits 43:40 How to Make a Comeback After Failure or Setbacks 51:52 Motherhood and Career: How to Pursue Your Dreams Without Giving Up Either 58:37 Why You Are Never Too Old to Achieve Your Dreams 01:07:05 How to Stop Being Average and Reach Your Full Potential 01:18:33 How to Create an Extraordinary Life — Follow Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrobbins/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@melrobbins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melrobbins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melrobbins Website: http://melrobbins.com​ — Sign up for Mel’s newsletter: https://melrob.co/sign-up-newsletter A note from Mel to you, twice a week, sharing simple, practical ways to build the life you want. — Subscribe to Mel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/melrobbins​?sub_confirmation=1 — Listen to The Mel Robbins Podcast 🎧 New episodes drop every Monday & Thursday! https://melrob.co/spotify https://melrob.co/applepodcasts https://melrob.co/amazonmusic — Looking for Mel’s books on Amazon? Find them here: The Let Them Theory: https://amzn.to/3IQ21Oe The Let Them Theory Audiobook: https://amzn.to/413SObp The High 5 Habit: https://amzn.to/3fMvfPQ The 5 Second Rule: https://amzn.to/4l54fah

Shelly-Ann Fraser-PryceguestMel Robbinshost
Aug 3, 20261h 24mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

  1. 0:00 – 1:37

    Introduction

    1. SF

      One year of being intentional got me an Olympic gold medal. Just one year.

    2. MR

      Just one year.

    3. SF

      Just one year. So a lot can happen in a year.

    4. MR

      Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, and she's gonna tell you from the very first word she speaks, you are not supposed to be average. What you're about to learn is gonna help you turn your dreams into reality.

    5. SF

      I became a mom, and I won a world championship two years after having my son. Time will honor your greatness.

    6. MR

      Visualization is something that you use in your training. How do you use it?

    7. SF

      On a Friday-

    8. MR

      Yes

    9. SF

      ... when we train, we actually train our minds on a Friday. We call it mental training. 'Cause before you can achieve anything, you have to see it in your mind first. Visualization is you putting yourself in a winning position before you have won.

    10. MR

      Mm.

    11. SF

      Visualization is something that you don't have to pay for. You don't need money for it. You just need to sit with yourself and see it, that presentation, that hard conversation, that relationship that you probably need to end, that friendship that you need to walk away from and you don't know how to do it. Do it in your mind first. It becomes easier after.

    12. MR

      What has losing and failure taught you that winning never could?

    13. SF

      Failure tells you how.

    14. MR

      Failure tells you how.

    15. SF

      How. Yeah, because when you fail, you realize, okay

  2. 1:37 – 7:43

    Your Past Does Not Determine Your Future

    1. SF

      then, the next thing is...

    2. MR

      I am so glad you're here. This episode with Shelly-Ann is extraordinary. But before we jump into it and how you build an unstoppable mindset, my team was showing me this. 53% of you who watch The Mel Robbins Podcast here on YouTube are not subscribers. Here's the deal. If that subscribe button is lit up, it means you're not a subscriber. My goal is to get that number to 50%. If you love what we're doing here, it would be amazing for you to just hit subscribe. It's the best way to show us that you love the show, you love these extraordinary experts that we're bringing on, like Shelly-Ann today, to be your personal coach, and that way you're not gonna miss a thing. So thank you, thank you, thank you for hitting subscribe. Thank you for being here on YouTube. Now, let's jump in to how you build an unstoppable mindset with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. You're gonna love this.

    3. SF

      Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

    4. MR

      Thank you for saying yes. Thank you for traveling all this way. I, I am so excited to learn from you. You have this energy that is infectious. I feel like I'm in a stadium-

    5. SF

      Yes

    6. MR

      ... of fans that are celebrating. You have an effervescence to you that is contagious.

    7. SF

      Thank you. Thank you.

    8. MR

      Is that what makes you run so fast? Like, I don't, like, I-

    9. SF

      [laughs] I wish. I wish it was so easy. [laughs]

    10. MR

      Well, I'm glad you're here because, uh, we're gonna be talking a lot about mindset.

    11. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    12. MR

      And I have a feeling that you're also about to teach us a lot of wisdom about something deeper than mindset.

    13. SF

      Yeah. Correct.

    14. MR

      And I'd love to start by having you speak directly to the person who's with us right now, and they may be feeling overwhelmed or full of self-doubt or feeling like they're too old or too young or worried about everybody else's opinion.

    15. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    16. MR

      If they take everything to heart that you're about to teach us from your remarkable life so far-

    17. SF

      [laughs]

    18. MR

      ... what could there be that could change about their life?

    19. SF

      Well, Mel, here's what I would say for me personally. Growing up in Kingston, in Waterhouse, I had to decide, and I think that's the most important thing I would say to, to anyone that's listening, is to decide. Is to say to yourself, "I want to move from a place of average to a place of excellence." I've always been taught that I have to be and become extraordinary, and in order to be and become extraordinary, you have to decide in your mind what is it that you're gonna hold on to. What is it that you're gonna tell yourself? And you have to really commit to the positive and encouraging things that you tell yourself, 'cause that's the only way you're gonna move from average to great. So that's what I would say. Decide who you want to be. Decide on, you know, just where you want to end up in next 5, 10 years. And every morning that you get up, you decide to put one foot in front of the other and say, "I'm gonna be great. I'm gonna be extraordinary. I'm gonna be excellence." 'Cause that's the only way. The minute you change your mindset is the minute you start to tap into that unfiltered, raw, true strength, boldness that we all carry.

    20. MR

      Okay. My-

    21. SF

      [laughs]

    22. MR

      ... hair is already standing on end. And as you're listening to Shelly-Ann, and she, you're speaking with-

    23. SF

      Mm-hmm

    24. MR

      ... such a level of intention. Like, you believe this.

    25. SF

      Yeah, I do.

    26. MR

      And-

    27. SF

      You have to

    28. MR

      ... you have to. But I can tell that shit's about to go down in this conversation.

    29. SF

      [laughs]

    30. MR

      The energy is crackly. And I wanna start by asking this question about the outside versus the inside.

  3. 7:43 – 9:11

    How to Stop Being Average and Reach Your Full Potential

    1. SF

      just happen to athletes, it happens to everyday individuals. Now, you have to channel that intention in your mind to say, "I can overcome. I've been there." It's the, the limitation that we tell ourself when people say to ourself, say to us, "Oh, you're too old," or, "You're too young," or, you know, "You've had enough. No more." It's those things that you're battling with behind the scenes. So when someone see you step into the line, you have already conquered so many things behind the scenes. So when we step to the line to compete for a presentation, when we step to the line for, you know, a big job or a presentation or whatever it is, understand that the persons who are standing there would have had to overcome so many things to get there.

    2. MR

      Mm. Okay, you just said so many things-

    3. SF

      [laughs]

    4. MR

      ... that are wise and tactical, so I wanna stop and hover here for a second.

    5. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    6. MR

      Dreaming is a luxury.

    7. SF

      Yeah.

    8. MR

      What would you say to the person right now who's listening, who says, "I feel like I can't even dream right now, that I can't imagine something that's possible"? You talked about how you really want to be an example to the young girls that have big dreams, that have a sense of purpose, but maybe the world is telling them, "Oh, well, that's impossible."

    9. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    10. MR

      "That's unrealistic. Somebody like you doesn't do something like that." What would you

  4. 9:11 – 21:14

    How to Transform Your Life In One Year

    1. MR

      say to the person that's so just head down that they haven't even thought about the dream that's a luxury? It's also a necessity, I think.

    2. SF

      It is. Um, I think what I will say is stop asking, "Can I?" Stop asking for permission to be great. Stop asking people who have no idea what's going on, or what dreams you're trying to chase, or where you're coming from, or where you're heading. You have to start paying attention and listening to your own voice. That's the only voice that's important, your voice, because your voice is the most important voice in the room. That's the relationship you wanna focus on, the relationship with your voice. The minute you change that relationship, you start to understand that, okay, this is what Shelly wants. This is what, you know, Mel wants, and this is what you're going to chase. Stop focusing on the, the voices that are external. Those are just white noise. They're not important, right? Because they don't understand what it is to be in the moment chasing something that's great, chasing something that you want, that you have committed to, that you have decided to. A champion mindset doesn't mean that you're not gonna fail. Failure is a part of success, right? So you have to count on yourself, channel the energy in the voice that is your own, and focus on that voice. Whenever you step into a room, it's your voice that is important.

    3. MR

      I've heard you say that, especially in reflecting about your career. Can you unpack the power of that statement, "A lot can change in a year"?

    4. SF

      One year of being intentional got me an Olympic gold medal, just one year.

    5. MR

      Just one year.

    6. SF

      Just one year. Because what you did in that year is you changed your outlook. You changed your approach. So a lot can happen in a year. I've seen athletes like myself go from being nobody to an extraordinary athlete. In 2007, I was at the world championship in Osaka as a reserve.

    7. MR

      What does that mean?

    8. SF

      A reserve mean I came sixth. I would be called upon if somebody got hurt or somebody didn't wanna run. That's the only time they would call on me. I wasn't the number one, the number two, the number three, or the number four. I was number sixth. It means there are four persons that run on a relay. I was sixth. So the chances of me running in that relay were slim. A year after being in Osaka, the next year, I was Olympic champion. So it's not e- it's not just for me, where one year, I went from- Being sixth to being first, it belongs to you as well.

    9. MR

      Hmm.

    10. SF

      So if you change your mindset, your outlook, and you say to yourself, "Okay," you have to recognize the power of consistency, 'cause I think that's what changed the approach for me. I became consistent at the small things. I said, "Okay, I'm going back to training. I'm gonna make sure that I show up at 5:00 AM because practice is at 5:00 AM." I wasn't there at 5:30. I was there in the cold-

    11. MR

      Hmm

    12. SF

      ... because I refuse, I refuse to lose. And you have to... That's the mindset. You have to refuse to lose. Somebody will need to drag you off the field. And I'm not just talking about the track, I'm talking in life. Somebody has to pull you out. They have to call the announcer to say, "Oh, take her out." But until then, you're staying in. So I've seen athletes t- take one year, and b- that year they became, they were humbled in a year because they didn't put the work in. They changed their approach. So when I say a lot can happen in a year, it's the mindset that you become consistent at what you do, and you work towards it. Because you now have a one whole year to decide what you're doing, decide how you show up each morning. Put one foot in front of each other, and then you go, and you keep going, and you're going. Because for me, there is time. A lot of persons say, "Oh, you have all the time in the world," and you think one year, for the person who is chasing mediocrity, one year is small. For the person who is chasing greatness, one year is a lot. You have a lot of time. And if you have that time, you make it count.

    13. MR

      So I wanna put you in that moment in 2007, because even though most of us will never be a reserve on a team like that-

    14. SF

      [laughs]

    15. MR

      Right? We're gonna be in the stands watching you. There is an experience that I think we all have in life, where you find yourself in a situation where you are really close to the thing that you want, but you're kind of on the outside of it. And I'll share a quick story. I have... M- my daughter is a singer/songwriter, and she was invited to a, like, a record release-

    16. SF

      Mm-hmm

    17. MR

      ... kind of performance by an artist she really loves. And she walked into the room, and it was incredible, but when she left, she had this feeling of saying, "I want to be doing that. I want to be known in a room like that." And those moments where you get close to the thing that you want, you're number six, you wanna be number one, right?

    18. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    19. MR

      I think those moments really define you, because you either collapse and say, "It's never gonna be me"-

    20. SF

      Or you rise.

    21. MR

      Yes. Or you rise and say, "It is painful to want something and not work for it, and it's painful to work for it and not get it, but I'm gonna go for it." And so what changed for you as you were number six, and I take it nobody got injured.

    22. SF

      [laughs] Nobody got-

    23. MR

      And so you stayed at number six.

    24. SF

      I actually ran.

    25. MR

      You did?

    26. SF

      I did. I was... So let me tell you the story, Mel.

    27. MR

      Tell me the story. Okay.

    28. SF

      I have to tell you this story.

    29. MR

      [laughs]

    30. SF

      So in 2007, when I went to Osaka, and I made the relay squad for Team Jamaica, my real intention of going to Osaka was just to be there. Small-minded. At that time, my thinking was very small. My dreams were small. My confidence, small. So I get there, and they're, you know, having all this fit about who runs or who doesn't run.

  5. 21:14 – 26:46

    How to Believe in Yourself When Your Dream Feels Impossible

    1. SF

      it told me that it didn't matter where you come from or how you start. It matters how you finish. It matters how you show up. Because here's a, a young girl who's from an inner city, a single parent, one room with two brothers and my mom, and it was hard to dream. It was hard to see beyond, you know, your current, you know, circumstances. The environment that you're in, was hard to see beyond that. And when I crossed that line, it was a, it was not just a win for me. It was a win for a community, a community of girls who never thought they would see an Olympic champion coming from their community. It was a win for my mom, who had me when she was 17. It was a win for my, my grandma, who prayed for me the day I left to go to college because I wasn't supposed to go to that college. I was supposed to go overseas for school. And my grandmother, when I said to her, I remember saying to her, "Hey, I'm gonna stay in Jamaica, and I'm gonna go to school at UTech," and she said, "Go." That was her only words, "Go," and I went. So for me, crossing that moment-

    2. MR

      Mm

    3. SF

      ... it was a win, a huge win for me understanding that confidence, dreaming, and believing what you dream is very important. It's understanding that there's nothing wrong with fear, right? Nothing is wrong with it, but we show up in spite of, so that's what that moment was for me.

    4. MR

      Wow. What do you want the person listening to know if they're telling themselves that it's too late, or the dream is too big, or it's too impossible for them now?

    5. SF

      I think what I'll say to you guys listening is time will honor your greatness. Time, that's all you need, time. For a lot of persons, they look at the clock, and they think, "I don't have enough time," but for the persons who's chasing excellence and chasing growth, it's never too late when you look at the clock. It's never too late. I became the oldest world champion at 35 years old. When person said, "Oh, she's too old. She needs to wrap it up," I became a mom, and I won a world championship two years after having my son. Time will honor your greatness. I won my first gold medal in 2008 when persons thought I was too young, I was too ex- inexperienced, and I needed to give my spot to somebody else. So when I say all of that, I say time. You have time. You have to show up. Disregard the negative things that you have said in your darkest moments to yourself. You need to get that out. Stop listening to the people who have never been in your shoe. You have to start listening to your voice and decide which voice is more important, theirs or yours, and it has to be yours. Your voice is the most important voice in any room. So you have to understand that whatever it is that you're chasing, time will honor your greatness. It's never too late. In fact, you still have so much more that is inside, on top, that's ready to go out, but you are listening to the persons who are at the ceiling of their imagination, not yours.

    6. MR

      I'm dead.

    7. SF

      Yeah.

    8. MR

      Like, I'm literally like, "Okay, we're done here."

    9. SF

      [laughs]

    10. MR

      Like, I can't even believe-

    11. SF

      Mel is... [laughs]

    12. MR

      Amazing, you are. You're, like, channeling something.

    13. SF

      No, it's true.

    14. MR

      You are. There is, there is, like, a transmission coming through you.

    15. SF

      Yeah. It's the truth.

    16. MR

      It's true.

    17. SF

      I've lived it.

    18. MR

      I can tell.

    19. SF

      Yeah.

    20. MR

      I can tell in the way that you are speaking-

    21. SF

      Yeah

    22. MR

      ... straight from the heart and with almost, like, that, "If you're not gonna listen to yourself, you better listen to me."

    23. SF

      Yeah, you better.

    24. MR

      Like, borrow Shelly's belief in you until you believe in you.

    25. SF

      That's true. You know what's important also is the only dream that hasn't been met is the one that you haven't started.

    26. MR

      Say that again.

    27. SF

      [laughs]

    28. MR

      The only dream-

    29. SF

      I said the only dream that hasn't been met is the one you haven't started. So once you have a dream, start it. You have all the time in the world. Start it. Don't go to bed thinking, "All right, I'm tired. It's not gonna happen." Go to bed thinking, "It's gonna happen. No one can stop me. I'm gonna wake up in the morning. I'm gonna..." All those thoughts, because we've all been there. In the, in our darkest moments, we have told ourselves things that are not true. In our darkest moments, we have listened to people who have said things about us who have no idea who you are. Like, how do you allow people who don't know who you are, who don't know your gifts, your talents, who don't know what you're chasing and wh- what untapped abilities you have, how can you allow

  6. 26:46 – 32:47

    Visualization for Success: How Olympic Athletes Train Their Minds to Win

    1. SF

      them to determine your future? You can't, right? The only finish line that you have never crossed is the one you never walked up to. So whatever finish line it is or anything that you're chasing, walk up to it.

    2. MR

      You know, it's interesting, the, the finish line metaphor, because that's how you know the race you're running isn't over.

    3. SF

      You know, yeah.

    4. MR

      You haven't crossed the finish line yet, [laughs] so it's not over.

    5. SF

      You haven't crossed the finish line, so it's not over.

    6. MR

      Right.

    7. SF

      And my coach always said, I remember my coach said, "You cross the finish line, you get another chance."

    8. MR

      What does that mean?

    9. SF

      I've always gone to meets, and I crossed the finish line, and I, and I didn't win, and I thought, "Man, this is the end of the world," and my coach was like, "No, it's another day. You get another opportunity." So nothing is wrong with showing up and losing. You showed up, and your approach the next time will be different. That's the power of getting to the line and finishing because now you have something tangible to look at and evaluate and say, "Okay, let me change my approach." It's just like traffic we take. Go to school in the morning, and we drive run one route, and we realize, "Okay, I spent 20 minutes in traffic." The next day, you have knowledge now, so you change your approach.

    10. MR

      Just like you did in 2007.

    11. SF

      Correct.

    12. MR

      When you said, "I'm gonna change my approach."

    13. SF

      Change my approach.

    14. MR

      "I gotta be consistent. I gotta train harder. I gotta change the way I'm approaching this." Visualization is something that you use in your training. How do you use it, and how can the person listening apply that same strategy to their life?

    15. SF

      So, Mel, I give you, on a Friday-

    16. MR

      Yes

    17. SF

      ... when we train, we actually train our minds on a Friday. It's our, we call it mental training because before you can achieve anything, you have to see it in your mind first. You have to feel it, and visualization is you putting yourself in a winning position before you have all, before you have won.

    18. MR

      Mm.

    19. SF

      That's what visualization is. Visualization is you seeing yourself doing it, not perfectly, but powerfully. That's what visualization is. So when I use visualization-

    20. MR

      Yeah

    21. SF

      ... it's important for me to even smell the, the atmosphere-

    22. MR

      Okay

    23. SF

      ... to feel it because sometimes our mind can't distinguish between what reality is [laughs] and what's real. We can't, right? We can't figure out what's real or what's fake when it comes to our mind because our mind is that powerful. So it is up to you to train your mind to see the things that you want to achieve. So when I get to the line, I have run that race many times before I get to that line, and I'm not talking about the day before the race. I'm talking months before the race. Every time I have an alone time, I'm visualizing. I get to the line.

    24. MR

      Mm.

    25. SF

      I hear the starter. I listen to the cues.

    26. MR

      Do you hear the ch-ch-ch of, like, all the people-

    27. SF

      I'm here

    28. MR

      ... putting their, their feet in the blocks, and the-

    29. SF

      I, I'm, I'm gonna tell you this.

    30. MR

      Yes.

  7. 32:47 – 36:41

    How to Finally Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

    1. SF

      right. Yeah, girl. You have this. You got this." So when you have prepared, because that's what visualization is, you, it's a preparedness.

    2. MR

      Mm-hmm.

    3. SF

      You have prepared. So I've seen the race over and over and over, and I run it over and over and over in my mind, so when I get to the line, it's just go time. It's work time. It's eat time. It's time to eat. That's what happens in that moment because your body's already prepared.

    4. MR

      Yes.

    5. SF

      Your body knows what we're up against. I remember there's once I went, I went to a, a mental training on a Friday, and it was hard at first. And visualization is practice 'cause it doesn't come easy the first time. Because I'm sitting there in, in, in the mental training, and my coach is like, "Close your eyes."

    6. MR

      [laughs]

    7. SF

      "See yourself in the, in the stadium," and I'm at KFC.

    8. MR

      [laughs]

    9. SF

      And I'm, sometimes I'm drifting to the beach. [laughs]

    10. MR

      [laughs]

    11. SF

      Or somewhere, and I have to find a cue to pull you back.

    12. MR

      Mm.

    13. SF

      You always should have a cue.

    14. MR

      What's your cue?

    15. SF

      My cue is always saying to myself that, "Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world," 'cause there's-

    16. MR

      Say that again

    17. SF

      ... "Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. There's no fear in love 'cause perfect love casts out fear" because with what you love, you cannot fear, and I love to run. I love to win, so I don't fear it. Instead, I get to the line. I'm confident, and I'm ready because I've seen it. This is my moment. This is my passion. This is the, sometimes your promises that you have, that's your purpose. Your purpose is the promises that you have already set for yourself.

    18. MR

      Mm.

    19. SF

      So when I get there, I've already prepared to be in that moment. So when I stand at the line and I feel like, okay, now I'm drifting because now I'm focusing on who's beside me. I'm focusing on the, the crowd. What's the crowd gonna do? They can't help me. What's the next person? They also want to win, so I'm not helping you win. I'm helping me win.

    20. MR

      Ooh, I love that. When you focus on them, you're helping them win.

    21. SF

      You're helping them win.

    22. MR

      Oh.

    23. SF

      I don't want them to win.

    24. MR

      Hold on a second.

    25. SF

      [laughs]

    26. MR

      Can we, can we unpack that for a minute? Because so many of us are focused on what everybody else is doing, and when you do that, you're helping them win.

    27. SF

      You are helping them win. You're not helping yourself win because I'm telling you, they are probably focused on you, and you're giving your power to them. Like, I'm giving you no power. When I get to the line, I'm an assassin. I'm there to win, and it means mentally I'm there to win as well. So when I get to the line, I'm not concerned who is in lane five or six or seven or eight or one or two. The reality is I, which is the I, in that moment, the I become selfish. It's about you and how you show up to win. If I'm there carrying somebody else's baggage, how am I getting to the plane? The plane is gonna leave you. So yeah, don't focus on who is to the left or to the right because you're not going to the left, and you're not going to the right. You're going forward, forward, 'cause that's the only way you win. I've never seen anybody win going backwards. I've never seen it. If it happens, let me know, but I've never seen it.

    28. MR

      How do you use somebody that is ahead of you to help you become a better competitor or a better mom or a better this? Because I do think that there are those times, and this kinda goes back to when you were number six.

    29. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    30. MR

      And then you got asked to be part of the team, and then you had the realization that, "Wait, I wanna win or lose from me."

  8. 36:41 – 40:04

    Motivation vs. Discipline: What Really Creates Long-Term Success?

    1. MR

      me jealous, kinda pisses me off And also kind of inspires me. How do you use somebody else's example in the right way-

    2. SF

      Mm

    3. MR

      ... to activate your own ability to perform potentially past them? You know what I'm saying?

    4. SF

      I understand exactly what you're saying, and that's good because guess what? Every single person there is in this lifetime have learned something from somebody, whether tho- they're a winner or they're not. The champion uses every experience to gain an advantage.

    5. MR

      Mm.

    6. SF

      That's just the reality. In Jamaica, there's a saying that when somebody feeds you meat or chicken, you eat the meat, you leave the bone. It's not, the bone is not gonna help you. The meat is where the substance is. So if that person that's in front of you that you think, "I want to emulate that person. There's something that she has that I want," take the meat, leave the bone. Whatever it is that she has that benefits you and you think you can use it, use it. For a lot of us, we are in a sh- we are in a shell where there's somebody that we're either jealous of or somebody that, you know, some people will say, "Well, I hate this person." But guess what? That person that you're jealous of or probably the person that you hate, there's something that they have that you want. So instead of hating for no reason, take the things that they have that are going to help you to get to your destiny sooner than later.

    7. MR

      Mm. So your friend, Usain Bolt-

    8. SF

      [laughs]

    9. MR

      ... said that when he looks at your career and the fact that you have been so great for so long, that you make him feel like an underachiever. What can the person listening learn from you about holding yourself to such a high standard, especially on those days when you don't feel like it?

    10. SF

      Here's what I'll say. Motivation can change. Standards don't.

    11. MR

      Oh, motivation can change.

    12. SF

      But standards don't, 'cause standard is what, is who you are, it's what you have. 'Cause sometimes your motivation will change. You know, what motivates you today may not be the thing that motivates you tomorrow, but your standards are who you are. It's, it's everything. It's, you know, who I am is not determined by how I feel on any given day.

    13. MR

      Mm.

    14. SF

      Right? So for me, that's your standard. You have to make sure that you hold your standards on days when it's hard because you know you're building something unbreakable.

    15. MR

      Mm.

    16. SF

      That w- that's what your standard... And Usain, if Usain says that, you know it's gonna... Usain is great in his own way, right? But for me, personally, it's my standards that gives me longevity. It's the, the things that I hold dear to, to me, the things that I'm chasing and I want to achieve, and I know I have it, right? So I understand that on a daily basis, your

  9. 40:04 – 43:40

    How to Set Higher Standards and Build Better Habits

    1. SF

      motivation can change, because some of us are motivated by probably somebody who wronged us.

    2. MR

      Mm.

    3. SF

      And what if you move that person out of the way? What motivates you then? You can't have your motivation be tied to a person, because that person, for whatever it were, can leave. They can change. They go somewhere else. So you have to have your standards. Some days I go to training, I don't wanna train. There's no motivation, but you know what I have? Standards. High standards. So every time I get to training, I remember the standards that I have. My standards are excellence.

    4. MR

      Mm.

    5. SF

      I want excellence. How does one achieve excellence? Consistency. Show up in spite of. How does one have standards? They move from a place of fear to boldness. Discipline is a resident, right? It, it res- no, it's not. It's there. It resides there. That's what discipline is. That's the standard. Motivation? Mm, comes and goes.

    6. MR

      It sure does.

    7. SF

      Comes and goes.

    8. MR

      You know, I'm wondering, 'cause I, it's so inspiring to listen to you, and there's such a rhythm and truth to everything that you're sharing, and it's easy, especially, and even if you're in a place where you're just feeling a little beaten down and stuck.

    9. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    10. MR

      And as I'm listening, I'm like, "Yes, standards. Yes, excellence. Yes, I'm with you."

    11. SF

      Well, that is-

    12. MR

      And then I go-

    13. SF

      ... it's true. What are your standard?

    14. MR

      ... wait a minute. What are my standards? What, what, what, what does excellence mean in my life? And I'd be curious, if somebody is feeling really knocked down, and I have a lot of friends that I've heard them say over the years, "I don't even know who I am anymore," do you have any recommendation for how you could set a standard for yourself today that will pull you toward excellence? Like, is there something that if you had to recommend, okay, if you don't know what your standards are, if you feel like life has kicked you down, one way to develop standards for yourself. 'Cause if you don't stand for something, you stand for nothing.

    15. SF

      Nothing at all.

    16. MR

      But is there something that you could give the person that's listening, like, "This is where I would start if I were starting over and thinking about my own standards"?

    17. SF

      Yeah. I would say small steps. Small steps. It doesn't have to be big. You have to, everybody has to start with small, intentional steps. The smaller steps you make- The more you can go to the bigger steps eventually because you're not rushing into it, because for a lot of us, finding our standards take time because we have, can tell you this, we have history where because we have done things a particular way for years, trying to erode those things takes time, right? It takes time to get rid of the bad habits. So I would say start with the small things. If it is getting up early in the morning and making your bed, then that's the standard. I'm gonna get up in the morning, I'm gonna make my bed, I'm gonna have some coffee, I'm gonna visualize for 20 minutes, and that's how you start with your standards, right? You write that down. And then who knows? A week from that, you add something else to it,

  10. 43:40 – 51:52

    How to Make a Comeback After Failure or Setbacks

    1. SF

      and that becomes a routine. And when you have your routine, you're build, your routine becomes consistent, so you're consistent with your routines, and you're consistent with your standard, so small steps. Doesn't have to be big. It has to be yours. Can't be anybody else's. It has to be yours. So I don't want my standards for you. Sure, you can use, you can use me, uh-

    2. MR

      I'm gonna eat the meat but not the bone. See, I'm listening. [laughs]

    3. SF

      You're eating the meat, but you're not s-

    4. MR

      [laughs]

    5. SF

      You're leaving the bone, and you apply that to your life. And you say, "Okay, these are my stan-" And I can say this, your standards are yours. You can't let or allow anyone else to make you think that something is wrong with yours. There's nothing wrong because guess what? Yours work for you. Mine works for me. But it's intentional steps that you take daily, and you start small. Doesn't have to be that big, grand, "Okay, I'm gonna get up." It's almost like the New Year resolution. I'm not a big fan of the New Year resolution, right? [laughs] I've been honest because I think sometimes I make those because everybody else is making them, and it doesn't work for me because by the time the 2nd of January come, I remember nothing. So you have to make or tailor your standards to you, to your day to day, to what you can start with, and then you move from there.

    6. MR

      You know, one of the things that I think we've all seen, and some of us have experienced, is how easy it is to let your failures-

    7. SF

      Mm

    8. MR

      ... block you, whether it's a failed relationship or a failed dream that you tried, or maybe you failed at the career or job that you really went for. What has losing and failure taught you that winning never could?

    9. SF

      Mel, in my years of competing, I like to consider myself an expert at track, and I'm expert at losing 'cause I lost a lot, but failure introduces us to a part of ourselves that we didn't know was there.

    10. MR

      Hmm.

    11. SF

      The part that we need to grow, the part that we need to approach different. Failure introduces us to things that winning couldn't show us because when you win, you think you have it all figured out. You think, "All right, I won. I don't need to change anything. I'm good." But failure can introduce you to a part that you realize that, "Okay then, my success didn't show me that, but my failure taught me that, 'Hey, girl, we need to work at this a little bit more.'"

    12. MR

      Hmm.

    13. SF

      "There's another approach. We can try another way. Can't go through this gate, and we'll end up at the same place." That's what failure does. It, for me, some of my greatest wins came after a loss.

    14. MR

      Really?

    15. SF

      Yes. Some of my greatest win came after a loss. Remember, I came sixth at the World Championship, um, ch- tr- National Championship at my s- at, at, at, in Jamaica. And I went back home, and I worked hard, and I c- I came back. In 2016, 2016, I had a sesamoiditis at my gr-

    16. MR

      You had a who?

    17. SF

      A sesam-

    18. MR

      What is that?

    19. SF

      So there are two small bones. [laughs] I'm not a doctor.

    20. MR

      That sounds, that sounds terrible. Sesamoiditis? What is that? Like, [laughs] it's just-

    21. SF

      Right? I had... There's two small bones under your great toe that's responsible for-

    22. MR

      Under your toe?

    23. SF

      Under your big toe or your great toe, that's responsible for balance.

    24. MR

      Oh, no.

    25. SF

      Right?

    26. MR

      What happened?

    27. SF

      So that's where when you're in the blocks or you're running, that becomes the planting that's responsible for the power that you generate.

    28. MR

      That's a very important little bone.

    29. SF

      A very important little bone. [laughs] And I fractured it.

    30. MR

      [gasps]

  11. 51:52 – 58:37

    Motherhood and Career: How to Pursue Your Dreams Without Giving Up Either

    1. SF

      You change the approach. You adjust. You come back again.

    2. MR

      Yes.

    3. SF

      But you don't quit.

    4. MR

      Well, you know, it's interesting, 'cause I often say to myself, "The things that made me successful in 2024 will not make me successful in 2025."

    5. SF

      Right.

    6. MR

      And there's the consistency and the standards, but then you have to understand that often the way to win the race that you're playing, or the way to stay in the race that you're playing, is to recognize when the old way you were doing things, whether it's how you trained, or your attitude, or whatever it may be-

    7. SF

      How-

    8. MR

      ... isn't gonna work moving forward.

    9. SF

      Not gonna work going forward, because that's what failure really, it, well, that's what it does. It says, "Okay, that approach that you tried, it didn't work. Can we try something else? Can we try a new approach?" 'Cause that's what you do. When you lose and you go back to the drawing board, if you listen to all the speeches or after interviews when a, a, a champion loses, and they get, they say, "Oh, I need to go back to the drawing board."

    10. MR

      Hmm.

    11. SF

      I've never heard them say, "I quit." [laughs]

    12. MR

      It's true.

    13. SF

      They never say that. They say, "You know what? We have to just go back to the drawing board. I have to talk to my coach. I have to go look back at the videos to kinda see where I went wrong."

    14. MR

      Yes, because the failure and the wrong is the how you're gonna move forward.

    15. SF

      It's how you're gonna move forward, so you change your-

    16. MR

      And you not only move forward, I've got another heavy fricking medal.

    17. SF

      [laughs]

    18. MR

      Talk to me about this one. This is a big gold-

    19. SF

      Yeah

    20. MR

      ... medal for the 100 meters, and this one's really important to you.

    21. SF

      Yeah, it is.

    22. MR

      This is from 2019.

    23. SF

      That's-

    24. MR

      Why is this the medal that you care about the most?

    25. SF

      2019 in Doha, after I had my son, I remember when I got pregnant in 2017, I was so, I was scared. I was nervous, and here's why I was scared and I was nervous, because here comes those little critics that think they know everything, that comes and they tell you, "Oh, having a baby will just ruin your career. Oh, having a baby's not good for a woman in the sport right now. Oh, having a baby and you're just gonna be turning 30, I think you should pack it up." But having my son deepened my purpose, right? My son changed my outlook, because I understood in that moment that my son didn't need me to sacrifice my career. He didn't need me to do that. Instead, he needs to see me chasing my dreams so he knows he has the permission to chase his.

    26. MR

      Hmm.

    27. SF

      So when I got to the World Championship in 2019, I was a mom of a beautiful two-year-old boy.

    28. MR

      Can you put into context for the person who's listening, who may not really know the world of elite track and field, just, like, how many other global champions- Have dominated globally after having a baby. How many women?

    29. SF

      Probably two.

    30. MR

      And you're one of them.

  12. 58:37 – 1:07:05

    Why You Are Never Too Old to Achieve Your Dreams

    1. MR

      about especially women.

    2. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    3. MR

      And what your place is and when you're relevant, when you're not, what you can do, what you can't do, and also this messaging that if you choose to be two things or three things at the same time, that somehow it means you're gonna be lousy at all of them.

    4. SF

      I know. And why is that?

    5. MR

      I honestly don't know. Because as you're really eloquently reminding us, you get to decide.

    6. SF

      I get to decide.

    7. MR

      You get to decide what it means to choose being a mom and being a sprinter at a world-renowned level. You get to decide that it is the most powerful example that you can provide to your son of what it looks like to go after something.

    8. SF

      Yeah.

    9. MR

      And that by deciding for yourself, not listening to the outside world, not looking around at the person here or the person over there, but-

    10. SF

      Correct

    11. MR

      ... right in here.

    12. SF

      Right here.

    13. MR

      What is it that I want? What are my standards? You change the game you're playing.

    14. SF

      You change the game.

    15. MR

      Yes.

    16. SF

      And [laughs] that's the important thing, because guess what? Now you leave an example for the next woman who is coming, who decides, "All right, I'm gonna have my baby. I can get back to sprinting or I can go run here. I can do that because Shelly-Ann did it, so I can do it."

    17. MR

      Yes. So the, the 2019 medal really proved, okay, you can be a mom and you can compete at a global level and win. Talk to me about the win in 2022. So this is a, this is a super cool looking medal.

    18. SF

      [laughs] Yes, that's 2022. I was 35 years old.

    19. MR

      Now, that seems young to me, 'cause I'm 57, but-

    20. SF

      I think that's young, too. [laughs]

    21. MR

      Yes. Like I, like I, like you say that, like I'm like, uh, do, do most sprinters-

    22. SF

      In the track, in the track world as a woman, people think 28 is old.

    23. MR

      Really?

    24. SF

      Yes.

    25. MR

      So you're like a grandma out there basically running.

    26. SF

      I am a grandma at a sport. [laughs]

    27. MR

      Okay. So, so 35 is like-

    28. SF

      35

    29. MR

      ... you're old. You should be retired kinda situation.

    30. SF

      You should have... And usually a lot of female athletes at that age did retire.

  13. 1:07:05 – 1:18:33

    How to Stop Being Average and Reach Your Full Potential

    1. SF

      at any moment, go back to the moments you win. When days are hard, go back to the moments that you have won. Rely on those moments, 'cause those moments are gonna help you. Those moments are gonna help you be confident.

    2. MR

      So did you have to put a little padding under your big toe? [laughs]

    3. SF

      At that... I'm gonna say this, in 2022, uh, in 2017 when-

    4. MR

      Yeah

    5. SF

      ... I had my son, my toe got a h- like 80% better just... I was scheduled to do a surgery the January of 2018 on my toe until I found out I was pregnant, and I'm glad that that happened because here's why. If I had done the surgery, there would be no power in my toe. It would be almost like putty or, you know-

    6. MR

      Yeah

    7. SF

      ... glue.

    8. MR

      Uh-huh.

    9. SF

      Glue. Because those two bones are responsible for power. If you remove them, there's nothing there, so you're, you get no power from driving out the blocks. So maybe, so I, when I say my son saved my career, I mean it with my entire being because I took the time off.

    10. MR

      Mm.

    11. SF

      I got the rest. I was able to recoup, and I'm gonna also say this is important, rest and recovery is just as important as the training. Nobody shows up and win on an empty tank. You have to be refueled, and that's why rest and recovery is also very important.

    12. MR

      What would you say to the person who is looking at a goal? Maybe they've s- leaned in a little as they're listening, and they're, "Okay, I'm gonna decide. I'm, I'm gonna decide. I'm gonna launch that business. I'm gonna find love after divorce. I'm gonna go back to school in my 50s. Um, I'm gonna go to college, but nobody in my family's gone to college." And then that doubt starts to creep in, and you start saying to yourself, "I can't do that. No one's ever accomplished that." Almost like you become the commentator-

    13. SF

      Mm-hmm

    14. MR

      ... doubting yourself.

    15. SF

      Stop entertaining the voices in your head that tell you to s- play small. You have to stop entertaining those voices, the voices that say, "Oh, girl, it's too big for you. Girl, no, it's not worth it. Oh, leave that one alone. We can go for the next one," and they tell you the next one. So you have to stop entertaining the voices in your head-

    16. MR

      Mm

    17. SF

      ... that tell you to s- play small. And also, stop negotiating your mornings.

    18. MR

      What do you mean?

    19. SF

      So when you get up in the morning, you decide, "All right, I'm going to attack the goal," you start nego- "Or maybe I'll do it next year, or maybe I'll do it next week, or can I just put it off today and do it tomorrow?" No. Stop negotiating. Just do it, literally. Get up, decide, and commit. You have to commit. So that voice in your head that's telling you, "Oh, girl, this is too big. I can't do it," everything changes downstream when things upstream are done right. Say it again, everything changes downstream when upstream is done right. So up here, your mind, when you start thinking and stop negotiating and stop listening to that s- small voice that tells you, "Okay, you can't do it. It's too big. It's impossible," it converts.

    20. MR

      Yes.

    21. SF

      But when you start telling yourself, "This is mine. I'm ready. I'm gifted. I'm, I, I have purpose. It's gonna work out. I'm strong. I'm powerful," it trickles down.

    22. MR

      Mm.

    23. SF

      And everywhere in your body starts to respond to what you're telling yourself in your mind. So you have to start saying to yourself, "I can. I will. I must. This is mine. I'm ready. I'm fit. I'm focused. This will all work out. This is just a small hiccup. I have this." You got this. That's how you need to start negotiating in the mornings.

    24. MR

      You know, one of the things about you that you've really had to deal with in your career is pressure.

    25. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    26. MR

      And managing pressure and showing up under pressure and not allowing the pressure to break you. And right now, um, I know that the person listening probably feels a lot of pressure. You know, when we asked listeners in 194 countries basically how they're feeling right now, what they're struggling with, what their goals are, the number one word that we heard was-

    27. SF

      Pressure

    28. MR

      ... actually exhausted.

    29. SF

      Mm.

    30. MR

      And exhaustion comes because you feel a lot of pressure. You know what I'm saying?

  14. 1:18:33 – 1:24:51

    How to Create an Extraordinary Life

    1. SF

      if you're fighting two wars, one in the past and one in the future. I don't wanna fight the one in the past, 'cause you can't go back. It's gone.

    2. MR

      Mm.

    3. SF

      You can learn from it, but it's gone, and there are a lot of persons who are stuck where they are because they are still feeling that pressure from, whether past mistakes, past failures, past relationships. They're still there, but you're not there. You're already here in the future, so you have to compete here. You can't go back there. You, right here, when we get to the line, the starting line, that's where we compete, there.

    4. MR

      Oh, my God, do you know how many people, and I would put myself in this bucket, spend so much of their lives rerunning races they lost in the past?

    5. SF

      Running, running, running, running, running, running, and you can't get it back.

    6. MR

      Versus understanding there's a new race to run.

    7. SF

      There's a-

    8. MR

      There's a new line to step up to

    9. SF

      ... every day there's a new race Every day you just have to show up for it. Every day there is a new race. You have to show up for it.

    10. MR

      Shelly-Ann, if the person listening takes just one action out of all of the wisdom that you've poured into us, as soon as they're done listening to this, what do you think the most important thing to do is?

    11. SF

      I think the most important thing to do, Mel, is, uh, what you said earlier, decide. You have to decide because we can... And in that decision, the reason why we are here and you are here is because you're still seeking.

    12. MR

      Mm.

    13. SF

      You're still listening because you're still seeking. You still want something, so you have to decide and commit to your greatest life yet. You have to decide. You can listen to everything, you can write down everything, and you can have the vision board, and you can have the book that you write in your goals, but until you make that decision to start or to do something different, you're wasting time. You're wasting time. You have to decide. Like, there's just no two way about it. There are a lot of persons who are sitting at home, and they have written down that business plan, and, "I'm gonna start this business. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna, you know, end this friendship or this relationship that's not going anywhere. It's eating me up." And they have yet to make the decision, or fully. A lot of them make half decision. "I'm gonna do it tomorrow. I'm gonna do it next year." Decide now. Commit now.

    14. MR

      Shelly-Ann, what are your parting words?

    15. SF

      [laughs] My parting words would have to be, you and I, we're not built for average. We're built for extraordinary. Extraordinary things. I've said earlier, you have to be and become extraordinary. Extraordinary now and extraordinary to come. So all those things that you have told yourself, the unhealthy things that you have told yourself before, get rid of it. We're not made to play small. You have to expand your mind, expand, you know, your, your territory. You have to see yourself being big, not average, not small, but big. Somebody who have more, a lot more untapped potential that's waiting to expand. And I, and not only me, but you have to give yourself permission. You have to give yourself permission to chase the dream. You have to give yourself permission to understand that you carry excellence. You carry, we all carry, 'cause we are created with it. We have purpose, we have plans, we have all of it, and you have to mold those things together and create a life that ex- that is extraordinary.

    16. MR

      Shelly-Ann, you are extraordinary.

    17. SF

      Thank you. [laughs]

    18. MR

      You literally blew me away, and there's something about being in your presence that I just wanna sprint out of here.

    19. SF

      [laughs]

    20. MR

      I don't even really know where I'm going right now, but I just feel like I... Okay, let's run a race.

    21. SF

      Let's, let's go.

    22. MR

      Let's win. Let's win.

    23. SF

      Let's win.

    24. MR

      Now, thank you.

    25. SF

      No, thank you.

    26. MR

      Thank you, thank you for being you, for taking the time to come here and to pour into me and to the person-

    27. SF

      Thank you. I appreciate it

    28. MR

      ... that is listening. I know this conversation is going to ripple around the world and is going to be shared in family group chats and among friends, and coaches are gonna send it to teams. You are such a gift.

    29. SF

      Thank you. I appreciate that, Mel. This was great.

    30. MR

      Thank you. Well, you're great.

Episode duration: 1:24:54

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