#43 What It Really Takes to Win an Olympic Gold Medal, With Josie Baff

She finished 17th in her seeding run. She had the flu. She won Olympic gold anyway.Josie Baff is a 23-year-old snowboarder from Jindabyne and Australia's first ever Olympic gold medallist in women's snowboard cross. But this episode is not about what happened on the podium. It is about everything that happened between the race that broke her and the one that made her.After a difficult campaign at Beijing 2022, Josie spent four years rebuilding her mindset from the ground up. Working with a sports psychologist and life coach, she developed the mental performance tools that carried her all the way to Milan 2026. Her story is raw, practical and packed with lessons every athlete needs to hear.In this episode, we cover:Why success is not linear and how to use your worst result as your biggest pivotThe alter ego strategy Josie uses to perform consistently under pressureProcess over outcome and why wishing for a result is not the same as working for oneThe difference between confidence and arrogance and why female athletes need to own itHow Josie used journaling, sports psychology and intentional training to build mental strengthWhy luck in sport is something you forge, not something that finds youWhat needs to change to keep more girls and women in sport for longerChapters00:00 – Introduction and what this episode is really about 02:15 – Snap Fitness Rapid Fire 04:30 – Growing up in Jindabyne and falling in love with snowboarding 08:45 – Fun as a performance philosophy and intrinsic motivation 13:00 – Beijing 2022 and the campaign that didn't go to plan 17:30 – World Championships heartbreak and what it revealed 23:00 – Building an alter ego with her sports psychologist 29:15 – Process over outcome and being present in training 35:00 – Luck, superstitions and letting go of jinx thinking 40:30 – "I can't believe it, but I kind of can" – confidence vs arrogance 47:00 – Tall poppy syndrome and owning your belief as a female athlete 52:30 – What women's sport needs to grow and the power of co-ed environments 58:00 – What Josie would tell her 16-year-old selfFollow JosieInstagram: @josiebaffSupport the showABOUT THE HOSTKylie Lynch is the Founder and Host of 4TG (For The Girls), a podcast and platform on a mission to keep more girls and women in sport.A VFLW athlete, Australian representative in Polocrosse, coach, mentor and media/communications professional, Kylie has spent her career at the intersection of sport, media and community impact. Through 4TG, she shares the stories, lessons and experiences of elite athletes, coaches and industry leaders to help girls and women build confidence, navigate challenges and stay involved in sport for longer. Because sport doesn't just build athletes. It builds confidence, resilience, leadership, connection and opportunities that positively impact girls and women both on and off the field.Connect with Kylie:Instagram: @kylie__lynchLinkedIn: Kylie LynchWebsite: www.4tg.com.auEmail: [email protected] THE 4TG COMMUNITY4TG exists to help keep more girls and women in sport.Through powerful conversations with athletes, coaches, experts and industry leaders, we're building a community where girls and women feel inspired, supported and empowered to stay in the game.Instagram: @4tg_podcastTikTok: ...