Katrin Beierl | How to Have an Olympic Mindset for Peak Performance from a Bobsleigh Champion

Written By Kristel Bauer

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It’s incredibly inspiring to chat with Austrian Olympian Katrin Beierl, who talks about what goes into preparing for intensive, strenuous, high-pressure activities such as bobsledding. Katrin shares how she has trained her mind to support her success and how to navigate high stress environments. Learn how to support peak performance and a success mindset by tuning in now!

Key Takeaways from This Episode

  • Techniques on framing the mindset to be successful in a high-pressure environment

  • Post achieving a win, what’s next?

  • Effective strategies to help you cope with life’s pressures

  • Physical routines that you can practice to help you relax

 

Disclaimer: All information and views shared on the Live Greatly podcast are purely the opinions of the authors, and are not intended to provide medical advice or treatment recommendations. The contents of this podcast are intended for informational and educational purposes only. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified health professionals when you have any questions regarding your specific health, changes to diet and exercise, or any medical conditions.

 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

 

About Katrin Beierl

Katrin Beierl is an Austrian bobsledder. She moved to Innsbruck in 2012 to study law and saw bobsleigh for the first time at the track there. In January 2014, she competed in her first competition at the European Bobsleigh Cup and finished third overall in 2014/15. She competed in the two-woman event at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

She made her Olympic Winter Games debut at PyeongChang 2018 (with Vici Hahn). She won gold at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Konigssee (with Jennifer Onasanya), finishing 0.01 seconds ahead of defending champion Andreea Grecu and Teodora Vlad (ROU). Kati finished seventh at the 2015 World Youth Championships.

She joined her first World Cup in November 2020, finishing second, with Onasanya, in Sigulda. By winning the 2020/21 World Cup, she became the first Austrian woman to win the overall season standings - and only the fourth Austrian in the sport's history.

Connect with Katrin

 

About National Sleep Foundation

This podcast episode is sponsored by National Sleep Foundation. Founded in 1990, the National Sleep Foundation is committed to advancing excellence in sleep health theory, research, and practice. Its mission is dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy.

Connect with National Sleep Foundation

 

Kristel Bauer, the Founder of Live Greatly, is on a mission to help people thrive personally and professionally. She is a corporate wellness expert, Integrative Medicine Fellow, Keynote Speaker, TEDx speaker & contributing writer for Entrepreneur.

Follow her on:

To Book Kristel as a speaker for your next event, click here.

Episode Transcript

Disclaimer (Kristel)
Now for a quick disclaimer, all of the information and views shared on the Live Greatly podcast are purely the opinions of the authors. They are not medical advice or treatment recommendations. The contents of this podcast are intended for informational and educational purposes only. Always  seek the guidance of your physician or qualified health professional for any recommendations specific to you or for any questions you have regarding your specific health, your sleep patterns, changes to diet and exercise or any medical conditions.

Teaser (Katrin)

Routines give you so much security for yourself. You can do this also when you have a presentation or when you are nervous and go over it in your mind, because this is also a big thing that we do. Mind runs in sledding sports is essential.
Kristel (Guest’s Intro)

If you're interested in learning how to optimize your mindset, you're going to absolutely love today's episode with Olympian. Katrin Beierl. Katrin is an Austrian Bob sleigh Olympian. She participated in the 2022 Beijing winter Olympics and took 10th place. She also won the overall world cup in 2020/2021.

We're going to be talking about how to navigate those really intense high pressure situations, how to support peak performance, how to have a mindset for success, and also how to navigate your wellbeing while going after your goals. I'm so excited about this episode. Let's welcome Katrin to the show.

Katrin:
Thanks for having me. It's quite unique experience for myself. 

Kristel: 

So you are joining me all the way from Austria, which I'm so excited about. And we were talking a little bit before, like I used to go to Australia while I was growing up because my dad's parents were born there. So I just am so thankful that we're able to connect.

And I'm so excited to hear about your experience. I would love to start with talking about, how you got into Bob sleigh or Bob sledding, depending on how you say it. And just to kind of start with that and how that kind of led you to now just being in the 2022 Olympic games. 

Katrin:
Yeah, like how I got into bobsleigh is quite a funny story.

My parents were track and field athletes. My mom hurdler, my dad, I hammer thrower. So I basically grew up on the track and field ground. When I was six. I started everything there. And then I did hurdling for quite a while then, um, this was all in the near to BNIs and the Eastern part of Austria. And then I moved for my university, my law studies to Inspirage, which is quite west there.

I wanted to start track again and I didn't really like the group. So they were like, oh yeah, if you don't like it here, go to the bobsled people. They're always looking for someone. So next day I called the national coach and that's how I somehow sculpted myself and started driving evolves. 

Kristel:
Oh my gosh. So how old were you then?

Katrin:
I was 19. Okay. 

Kristel:

Got it. So you're 19 now is obviously a big thing in Austria. Is it something that's really common? Did you have friends who were doing it? 

Katrin:
No. It's like, because it's so expensive. For example, one sled costs about 50,000 euros, 55, 0, 50,000, like my car three times my car. And so that's why it's not a lot of people doing it, but even though people know whether in Austria, it's like everyone knows it from watching the Olympic games and winter sports.

Especially skiing is quite important for the people in Austria. So they know what it is. I also kind of knew what it is because my father used to do it two years with someone, I don't know the details. But like I haven't had any friends that did this. I just went like into the cold water at the push track and still remember it till today.

I felt a bit weird because I didn't know anyone and not what to do. Uh, they just say it's somewhere in the forest, go there. You will hear where it is because it's like on the rails. So you're hearing when they're pushing and that's where, when they're like, Hi, I'm Katrin. I'm not pushing. 

Kristel:
Wow. Okay. So from what I've seen, I'm watching videos of it.

And then from the movie, The cool running cool running or cool runnings. I forget the exact name of it. Do you remember the name of that movie? 

Katrin:
Cool runnings 

Kristel:
Cool runnings. Okay. So it looks really intense. You have to run, you have to sprint, you jump into the Bob sleigh and then you're zooming down this course.

So were you nervous? Like the first time you did it, were you excited? How did you feel. 

Katrin:
Yeah, of course. I mean, I started with the mono Bob, so at least I didn't have a second person in my sled, which was a big pressure when I started to do this. But it was more like, okay, you have no idea what it is like. They will tell you, okay, well you go from the lady start, which is like five curves, more down than the top start.

They say, you will go like 70, 80, 90 kilometers an hour. I'm sorry. I don't know how fast. And you're like, okay. And this curve you  still left, then you're still right, at this point. Okay. And that you just, listen, you have no idea because there is nothing where you could try it and then you just go down there and it's like, okay. It was weird. Felt somehow, like you think that it's in a washing machine because it's just like bumping and hitting. And, but the first year was the hardest regarding to my body because you're just driving so bad. It's like you're hitting every wall. My shoulders were bruised that a doctor treat me for a week, they were like, it's too big. You have to stop, but it gets way better. Like when you have a better pilots. So now it's more like, oh, if I go down the Eagles striking Innsbrook 4, 5, 6 rounds is not a problem at all, which would have nearly killed me a few years ago. 

Kristel:
So you are driving. This is in my mind. I see it. Like you're driving down a rollercoaster, you know, you're steering, but is that. I feel like, is it a rush, like you're going down a rollercoaster or does it feel like you're going down a slide or, I mean, you described it like you're in a washing machine, so that doesn't sound very comfortable, but how does it feel? And now that you're better, I'm sure it's a much more enjoyable experience too

Katrin:
Definitely, yeah. It's, it's not like a rollercoaster because you are not having to zero G forces. Like we're going uphill, but even if you have Uh, downhill. Even if you have this uphill section, it's never the same experience, like a rollercoaster, and it's quite uncomfortable, especially for the person in the back. If you Google some peer reviews of the brakemen, you will see that they're just bumping around that. Also have a video on my Instagram and my videos. If you're interested in, it's really like seeing what you never see on TV. For me, it's quite okay because I'm sitting, I would normally sit with the legs stretched out and I have rings like in my hands, which are connected to Robes, to the steering. So if I moved, like left it, my front runners go left and if I go right, they go right.

And so I have to be very stable with the rest of my body. Also shoulder pads, because the sleds are built for men and women are smaller. So that you really like stuck in, and then, because some of the tracks, it's like just this much of a steer, the hardest steer and some tracks you like really have to call, but yeah.

It's like just the speed that you don't can't break is like exciting. But there is like, if you ask anyone there there's everyone says there's nothing you could compare it to. It's not a slide. It's not a rollercoaster. It's just like bobsled.
Kristel:
Got it. Let's talk about getting into a mindset to be able to be successful in that kind of environment.

So you trade, it sounds like you did. I'm assuming tons and tons of hours of training on this and, you know, injuries and recovering and then, you know, you made it to the Olympics and you also had some great wins as well, where you won the world cup. And I would love to hear about those experiences and more recent the 2022 Olympics.

Like, what is that like?  how does that feel? How do you deal with those strong emotions and the pressure and everything that goes along with that? But I can only imagine, I can't even imagine.

Katrin:
All in all together what you said is just about practrice. What you said like even dealing with this emotional states of for example, leading a race in the lower circuit and you grew up a cup or north America's cup.

This was like what I remember the first time. That was really tough year. The last one, in the second round because they go from worst to best in the second run. Your last one in that start house for the first time. You just like nervous, but if you're nervous, that kills. If you be nervous in the big event, like the Olympic games, you have no chance.

So it comes with the experience, you have to be thrown into the cold water. We do have good psychologists that most of the pilots work with because it's such a mental game. It's a physical game, the start and the steering somehow, but you can ruin everything with not being ready in your mind. If it's not my day or if I just make silly mistakes, that the time is gone, it's such a small frame of the perfect line.

And if you're nervous up there, It's not working. And I, for myself over the years, developed with the races getting bigger and bigger leading Europa cup, then leading for junior world championships, going for European championships medal. And last of all, being in the final of the overall world cup with knowing you have not worse than six, which sounds quite easy. But if you're there, it's like, okay, you can fuck it up with just one bad curve the whole season. And so it's like, yeah, there's a lot of pressure. Like everyone, you just, for yourself, it would not matter too much, but there are so many expectations from coaches, from the Federation, from the families, not, not in a bad way, but they just want to see you succeeding.

So, but I developed in the use feeling of that, it's just like, totally cool down there, not many emotions for racing And that just really like the feeling when it's so cold outside at the start, you have just your race suit on. And then this is like, I've never in another situation in my life been that clear in my mind.

So it's has to be cold. It has to be the race day. My best runs. I can always just produce in the race. Like I can have bad training rounds, but in the race, it's just like so much of excitement in your body not in your mind that helps you like adrenaline or running away. Then you're like hardly awake. I think everyone knows this from some situations.

And then you can perform, but it's also winning the overall workup for me was like, Hey, expect, like when I thought about two races before, how it would feel to win it, I was like, I will scream so hard. It will be so cool. But the moment I really went through the finish and I saw the right numbers that I knew we had wanted because I had to put my feelings on such a low level.

I didn't feel anything like it was. Okay, cool. Cause she just has to push and she was like all the emotions and that's when I realized that how to suppress myself to be able to do this. 

Kristel:
Wow. Okay. But then did you then allow yourself, like after you were out of that environment to celebrate, like where you, when you were out of that environment, did you have that moment where you were like, yeah, I get it.

You know, this celebration with family and friends or was it still not as bigger grand is what you were expecting. 

Katrin:
Yeah. That's like you said, it was like never had such this huge party. It was COVID. So there was no party. And maybe if the night offered, there would be a party to celebrate. Yes. But this is what I'm kind of missing, but I think I'm just talking for myself.

I needed this level to perform the way we did. Like, it's something that I really miss, but I see that I watch it on TV. I see Jenny is celebrating and media, like yeah. Cool. And then you get the trophy and everything. There's so much media, so much of everything. You don't have time for yourself somehow. And then it just went on with world championships where were not that good.

And then it was like, okay, this season's over. 

Sponsor (NSF)

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Kristel:
So interesting. It's I think what it sounds like is you're in the zone, you know, and you were really mentally prepared, but then with all this stuff happening so quick, it's like, you don't even have time to process it.

You know, it's just like, it's sounds like it's kind of a surreal experience in a way where like there's just so much going on. 

Katrin:
Yeah, totally. Especially with no woman ever had one this in Austria. So everyone was like, this is sports history. Thank you. Yesterday was made and. I just did another race. Of course, it's good.

But like you said, it's surreal, you just, it comes. And I realized, and I'm very proud of what Jenny and I achieved with this trophy. And it's like to see it and everything. Yeah. But it just comes later and later, but then not so intense, but you still have it. 

Kristel:
I've chatted like a lot of, oh yeah, no, I'm not.

I'm just thinking about something that I've picked up on. So I've chatted with a lot of people who have done really great things. You're the first person that I've spoken with though that's been in the Olympics on the show at least. And what I've found is that. A lot of times, like in your mind, there can be, there's this idea of like, how it's going to be when you achieve this goal, but for a lot of people, what can happen as you achieve that goal and then it's over and okay then what, so I think what I've heard from the feedback I've gotten is more about like enjoying the journey and the process, you know, because that moment it's so quick. And so, you know, like for you, it sounds like it was just all this preparation and then you're like, and then the next day things moved on and it's onto the next, I mean, I would love to hear your thoughts on that.

Katrin:
Yeah, you're absolutely right this time. It was not that hard. I was also in the 2018 pink John games and when I started bobsled or even when I started track and field going to the Olympics was a very big goal of mine. My mom did it in 88 in London. Um, and her certificate was always on the toilet, so you'd see every day.

So you have to have this as a goal. And when Chang was over, like you said, was like, there was nothing. I didn't know if I can go into the military system or if I get money somewhere else, because until this point. I work like three days a week and my parents paid me some money that I could do this. I, luckily, I w I got a place in the military, which is like a system in Austria with military and police, where they pay you to do sports.

But at this moment you come home and you're like, wow. Okay. You reached was your biggest goal the last years. And now there's nothing like you said. I mean, you have this every season, somehow. There's so much going on. We're like traveling for 12, 13 weeks or longer, and you're always on the road. You're always, even if your roommates annoy you sometimes,  you're like, you have them if you want to talk to someone, you have the people around you. And now you come back home to make the sports. You can't have too many friends that you want to visit because they want to keep up with you and you're gone half of the year. So you're there and they're like, okay, I have two, three good friends, but that's it.

And that's a thing also, you see it on Instagram and the whole community of sliding sports. Nearly everyone deals with it. And everyone has to find a way for it. And this time I was prepared. So I knew that this would come and that's why I signed up for all the university courses. Like I'm studying law every summer.

So I just try to keep myself moving with something. Well, maybe I want to go on some vacation or planning, but Ihave to keep doing something. Because like you said, the journey is over not forever because it will start again for the next four years. But for the moment it's, it's quite hard. And I think this is like to a lot of situations where people have goals.

Kristel:
Yeah. And it's really, it sounds like it could be a really big challenge. So it's trying to figure out, like you said, what, where to put your energy into after that big achievement. And again, the feedback I've gotten from people is really focusing on the journey and less on that like specific end goal.

It's great to have goals and to move towards them, but it's like put the, a lot of the enjoyment in like the progress and the day to day, because like you said, that moment, you know, it's over and then it's okay, now what kind of a thing.

But I would love to hear a little bit about strategies, suggestions, tips that you have for people who want to improve under pressure, because this could be an any situation, whether you're in school and you have to give a presentation, or if you're at work and you're presenting to a group, or you're asking for a promotion, or you're an athlete, you know, it's, it applies to everyone in the sense of, you know, there's going to be different things people go through that. There's a lot at stake. So what suggestions do you have? I know you said before. experienced, so practice, but is that the main thing, anything else that you've learned throughout your journey that might be able to help some others out there? 

Katrin:
Yeah. I can just speak from my very small angle of life.

I'm still nervous when I have to be get to bigger presentations, but it got easier after the years with having a lot of interviews and talking is not as hard as it was so like experience helps. But of course you start at some point where we don't have experience. And what really helped me at the beginning, what I figured out with my psychologist was routines. 

So this is also what still gives me a lot of security at the start. So Jenny and Jenny is my break, man. I didn't mention that before. We always do the same thing. Not that it's that intense that you have to stick to it. And when something goes wrong, you're panicking, but just a small block that you can affect, like.

Putting on your left shoe first in my case. And then every training we do the same thing. Jenny puts the sled in, moves forward. I clapped on her bag, asked her if we can go and then we'll do the commands. Routines, give you so much security for yourself. You can do this also when you have a presentation or when you nervous and go over it in your mind, because this is also a big thing that we  do. Mind runs in sledding sports is essential. You don't have the chance to go bounce that much. It's like in a work week, we have six training runs and four race runs, not more. And the rest you go in a week, you go like 50 times through the track in your minds or more, and you can do this with everything. It's like, there's also Lolo Jones. The is she's an us break woman. She had a very bad injury when she was still doing track and field. And in her book, she describes that how she could manage to uphill her or to keep her energy while playing in her mind that she's running a hurdles race and like it works. And this is like what? You can do everything because your mind doesn't know if you really do it or not.

As long as you really put your brain in that situation, you're like, I sit down. Most of the time it works best when I'm really falling asleep, because then you're in a state of mind, even when you fall asleep in between, it just helps. So you try to get yourself into the situation. And the often you live through it, the less scary it gets.

So this is what I can tell the people. Yeah. 

Kristel:
It's amazing. I'm curious too, if you did anything specific with your breath or muscle relaxation, anything like that, or was it more just focusing on the routine and the experience. 

Katrin:
For sliding, definitely the routines, but I, for myself, I have some migraine problems, which makes it hard for me to relax. Like good in the excited state of mind.

But then I have problems coming down and that's where I worked with a team where we did stretching, very long stretch. Any kind of stretches. If you just Google some yoga positions that you feel good with and that you have the feeling that there's so much sources on the internet and you just like do this and you really try to focus on the moment and on your breath, it doesn't have to be a certain breathing thing. Maybe there's so many things to tell you for me, it was just like breathing. Try to have it slow and really listen to your body. And your thoughts will go somewhere else when you start a hundred percent. Works every day for me, I still overthink things, but just like try to be with yourself. And that's what I did. Plus something called biofeedback. Where you really? Yeah. Maybe it looks like, you know.

Kristel:
Yeah, I used to work in integrative psychiatry, so that was something I learned about. And there's what did you use for biofeedback? Did you, do, did you have a monitor or did you use, how did you do it? I'm just curious. 

Katrin: 

I was like in a, what?

Like there was a projector to a big wall and I had most of the things that was breathing or the temperature of my fingers to get them harder because the blood vessels open up when you have migraine. So if you manage to what you think, you can also put a sensor here on the sides that it's cold on your hands.

And your hands getting warmer and you really see it, that it works if you practice hard enough. And this is like an exercise that I never thought would work, but really works to help stop my migraine attacks at not always, but it's getting more frequent. 

Kristel:
Interesting. So you shared a lot of really great tips.

I think it can be applicable to a lot of different situations that they're running through the situation and your mind, the preparation. So this has been amazing. We are coming towards the end. Is there anything else that you would like to share before I ask a few fun questions for the wellness lightning round?

Katrin:
Oh, yeah. I'd really like to help people if they have any questions and just like for everyone to every situation, what, like, I've been through some hard situation wasn't coaches or injuries that stand in your way as a woman doing a man sports. So maybe this is especially applicable to woman. But if you have the goal or the thing that you want to do something, then you just show it no matter what everyone else is saying.

I mean, this is like a zero right. 15 thing, but it's like, it's very important to keep this in mind. And if you want to do it, you should do it because sometimes you will regret it afterwards. I love it. 

Kristel:
I love it. Well, congratulations with all of your success and your future success as well, which you are doing such amazing things.

So the first question I have for you for the wellness lightning round is knowing what you know today. What advice would you have given to yourself from 10 years ago?
Katrin:
To start training harder as soon as you go into the sport? And just like, don't worry so much about things. It will all be good at the end or okay at the end, at least.

Kristel:
Love it. And then second question is what is a self care practice that you do on a regular basis for your self?

Katrin:
To be honest, it's eating sushi and sleeping. That's like, there's nothing more special reading some good books and just enjoying being at my flat at home. Kristel:
Love it. Got it. And then, um, one last question for you is you are on a deserted desert island and you can only bring three foods with you.

And that's what you're going to eat the whole time. What would those three foods be? 

Katrin:
So sushi like I said before. Some shinitsu nd sell it just green letters with Winegardner. 

Kristel:
Love it. That sounds delicious. Well, thank you so much for taking some time today, sharing all of your insights. I really, really appreciate it.

Katrin:
Thank you.

Kristel Bauer
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