Caroline Burckle: The Power of Feeling Mindful Warrior Radio

On episode twenty-five of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Caroline Burckle, an Olympic athlete, performance coach, and entrepreneur. After her Olympic career, Caroline went on to chase the next high. Even though she had moved on from sports to become an entrepreneur, the desire for validation and feeling she was “not enough” moved with her into her new profession. It was then that Caroline began to explore the interconnection between her bouts of depression, her physical injuries, and her mental health. She figured there must be a better way “to do this.” By this, she meant a deeper understanding of the somatic connection between mind and body. Caroline pursued her interest in the mind-body connection with zeal and went on to earn a Masters in Sport Psychology She also started a company with fellow Olympic medalist, Rebecca Soni, to help youth athletes improve their mental wellness and preparedness. Together, they hired a team of Olympians to mentor and support up-and-coming youth to achieve greater mental-emotional well-being as athletes. Today, Caroline wants everyone to know they can rewrite their script by firing on all cylinders—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Her professional work blends creativity, empathy, and movement. Caroline believes feelings are information, not a prescription. When we learn how to understand what our feelings are telling us in both our body and mind, we can work with them, not against them. Ultimately, Caroline believes that the goal isn’t just to become great, but to know who you are when you become great. In our recent interview, Caroline talks about the challenges of competing with a dysregulated nervous system. She says, “My worst races...my worst performances were when I was either in fight or flight, or in shut down. Both of those ends of the spectrum can be detrimental to any athlete.” She also describes her post-athletic career healing process. “No one is going to save you. This is up to you. And you have to figure this out and go through this process. And it was not pretty. There were months and months of feeling like I was getting worse. And then you realize you get worse before you get better.” Caroline also reminds us of the importance of identifying behavioral patterns. “If you don’t address it at some point, it will catch up to you because the same patterns you can use to compete and perform well do not necessarily serve you in everyday life.” To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio please follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior and check out our website at www.mindfulwarrior.com