mindset of an Olympian

It’s Marathon Monday here in Boston, and over the past few days, I’ve fist-bumped women who traveled from France, England, and Michigan to test their endurance. The vivacity of these women may inspire a new song, but Robert Pipkins would advise me to stay focused.Rob made Olympic history in the sport of luge and here opens up about a few things you won’t find on his Wikipedia page or Linked In. If you want to go beyond a quick internet search on eustress - positive stress - here’s the academic deep dive via the National Institutes of Health.Our discussion of collective effervescence is something I’d love to discuss with my next guest. How do you define who is on your team and what exactly does it mean to be a citizen of the world?I debuted a semi-improvised rapid fire round of questions with Rob. While he knows less Lupe Fiasco music than I would prefer, respect to his love of the song Killing in the Name by the uncompromising band Rage Against the Machine.While my improvised poem at the end of this conversation will get reworked into a haiku, Rob emailed me a 2026 offering from the United States’ youngest inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman, For Renee Nicole Good. Amanda discussed her timely offering in a conversation with Juana Summers on NPR, and the full text of the poem was graciously shared on Substack by street writer Trevor Scott Barton.Your attention is a gift. Consider subscribing! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mondaymorningmuse.substack.com/subscribe