PerformHappy Podcast Interview with Taylor Ricci

*Sensitive topics discussed

Welcome, everybody, to a special episode of the PerformHappy Podcast.  We have a special guest today, Taylor Ricci.  Taylor was, among many accomplishments, a PAC 12, D1 Student-athlete, team captain of the Oregon State gymnastics team, and the co-founder of Dam Worth It! Today, Taylor and I discuss the unexpected challenges she faced as a gymnast, both young and in her college years.

• 0:45 – Falling in love with gymnastics, the challenges she faced, and how those challenges made her love the sport more
• 2:45 – Taylor competed for Oregon State on a full-ride scholarship. She discussed how growing 5” impacted her gymnastics journey
• 4:30 –  Managing high expectations and wondering what will happen if gymnastics is taken away from her

“You have to dedicate your life to your sport if you want to make it.” – Taylor Ricci

• 6:00 – How to advocate for yourself and prepare for life outside of sport
• 8:40 – Taylor is diagnosed with alopecia – first experience with mental health, depression, and anxiety
• 9:45 – *Finding out a teammate lost her life to suicide
• 11:15 – “The conversation that changed my life”
• 13:25 – Going from fight or flight to really letting go – not having to worry about what people were seeing or thinking, it was just me feeling
• 14:20 – Dam Worth It! My leap of faith
• 17:00 – Bringing the uncomfortable topic of mental health to the comfortable atmosphere of sport
• 18:40 – Three big lessons – Resume, vulnerability, and your story is your superpower
• 24:00 – Finding my new identity outside of gymnastics and discovering my passion for medicine
• 26:30 – Actively and proactively investing in my mental health; working toward mental wellness through meditation, working out, talking to people, and expressing emotions
• 27:35 – “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
• 29:30 – How to support the mental wellness of others

Contacting Taylor

Taylor is active on all social media platforms: Instagram (@tayricci), Twitter (@tayricci), and Facebook.  The Dam Worth It! website will be up and running soon!  Click here to check it out.