The Price of Perfection

As a teenager, figure skater Gracie Gold won two US National titles and an Olympic bronze medal. But then depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder forced her to withdraw from competition and seek treatment.In this interview, Gracie talks about the pitfalls of pursuing Olympic glory, and how the same qualities that made her an elite athlete also made it hard to spot red flags. “I will just keep going in a way that's admirable until it's destructive,” she says. After a life-threatening mental health crisis in 2017, Gold learned to reject toxic positivity and take a more balanced approach to life. As for her goal of competing in the 2022 Olympics, she says, “This time it's not the fear of failure driving me. It's the pursuit of excellence.”From the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games, to social isolation and anxiety, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on elite athletes’ mental health. A recent HBO documentary film, “The Weight of Gold,” spotlights those struggles and features interviews with Gracie Gold, Michael Phelps, Lolo Jones, and other Olympians.Links: "The Weight of Gold" (HBO Sports Documentary) Behavioral Health at Mount SinaiAmerican Foundation for Suicide PreventionCrisis Text LineThe National Alliance On Mental IllnessIf you're enjoying Road to Resilience, please review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps new listeners discover the show. Thanks!Sign up for our monthly newsletter.Learn more about the podcast on our homepage.Feedback and guest suggestions welcome! Email us at [email protected] to Resilience is a proud production of the Mount Sinai Health System.Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.If this episode inspired you, please consider supporting the Mount Sinai Health System. As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we rely on philanthropy to advance compassionate patient care, groundbreaking research, and medical education. Your generosity helps make conversations like this possible—and fuels the work behind them. To learn more or make a gift, visit give.mountsinai.org.Visit https://www.mountsinai.org/clinical-trials to see if you're eligible to enroll in a clinical trial with the Mount Sinai Health System. Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience—as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more—on the Mount Sinai website.