Olympic Gold Medalist Cullen Jones: Swimming Toward Purpose

Send us Fan MailThis week on Here's What We Know, our host, Gary Scott Thomas, sits down with Cullen Jones, Olympic gold medalist swimmer, world record holder, and passionate water safety advocate.Cullen shares the extraordinary story of how a near-drowning at age five ignited his purpose, ultimately driving him to become one of the fastest swimmers in history and a leader in the movement to make swimming accessible to every child.In This Episode:How Cullen’s upbringing influenced his path to greatnessThe mindset and training that fueled Cullen’s record-breaking careerThe surprising way boredom can be a powerful tool for growthPersonal stories of overcoming setbacks and staying motivated through the highs and lowsBehind-the-scenes moments from the Olympics, from relay teamwork to celebrationsCullen’s mission to reduce drowning rates through initiatives like Make a Splash and Goldfish Swim SchoolInsights into the cultural and historical barriers that keep many from learning to swimThis episode is sponsored by: Bison Junk Removal (Effortless solution to your junk removal needs!) Bio:Cullen Andrew Jones is an Olympic medalist and the first African American male swimmer to hold a world record. At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Jones swam on the legendary world-record-setting 4x100  freestyle relay team. In 2012, Jones won gold as Team USA’s anchor in the 4x100 medley relay, silver in the 4x100 freestyle relay, and individual silver in the 50m freestyle. In total, Cullen accounts for 13 U.S. medals (seven gold) at major international competitions.Jones married his wife, Rupi, in 2007, and she gave birth to their son, Ayvn, in 2019.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cullenjones41/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cullenjones/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CullenJones41/X: https://x.com/cullenjonesWebsite: https://goldfishswimschool.com/https://www.usaswimming.org/parents/learn-to-swimConnect with Gary:Gary's WebsiteFollow Gary on InstagramGary's TiktokGary's FacebookWatch the episodes on YouTubeAdvertise on the PodcastThank you for listening. Let us know what you think about this episode. Leave us a review!