How Did Cody Miller Find A Way to Overcome a Health Condition & Win an Olympic Gold Alongside his Childhood Idol, Michael Phelps?
Samantha Peszek is on a mission to discover the secret of some of the best athlete’s in the world — what makes them tick, their commitment to success, and how they build confidence in their sport and in life. Utilizing Samantha’s Olympic network (she really does have cool friends), guests will divulge what it’s really like to compete at the highest level — the struggles, triumphs, and everything in between. You will have an opportunity to learn from some of the best athletes in the world and be able to apply relevant tips to your everyday life!
Sam welcomes to the podcast, Olympic champion and eight-time American record holder in competitive swimming, Cody Miller. Cody is also a self-proclaimed movie buff, puppy enthusiast, food assassin, YouTuber and Water Jedi. In this episode, Sam and Cody chronicle Cody’s journey as an athlete, from overcoming a serious health condition when he was young to winning a gold medal alongside his lifelong idol, Michael Phelps. Cody shares his experiences as an elite Olympic athlete as well as life lessons he’s learned along the way. Among the most important things he’s learned, Cody stresses the importance of taking a moment to self-reflect and appreciate the moment. Finally, Cody shares the golden rule he tries to utilize every day.
Key Takeaways
- Introducing today’s guest, Cody Miller
- Sam takes a moment to thank her sponsor, Tumbl Trak and Right Rice
- Sam and Cody share their first memories of each other
- Cody’s journey as a young swimmer
- Joining a competitive club team and finding a way to push through adversity
- Cody opens up about a health scare he had at a young age
- How Cody overcame the mental obstacles that came with Pectus Excavatum
- How this condition affected Cody’s confidence
- The recruitment process and how Cody decided to attend Indiana University
- Training for the Olympics while balancing college life
- Little Five
- Cody recalls what it was like to be named to the 2016 Olympic team
- Highlights from the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
- Cody recalls how it felt to meet his idol, Michael Phelps
- Sam takes a moment to thank her sponsors Tumbl Trak and Right Rice
- Life lessons Cody has learned from his Olympic swimming career
- The Olympic Blues
- What continues to motivate Cody
- Cody’s goals for 2020
- Nature vs. Nurture
- Intangible qualities that helped Cody become an Olympian
- Cody’s YouTube channel and vlog
- Cody reveals one thing people can do to get 1% better each day
- Where listeners can follow Cody
Episode Quotes
“I grew up to be an Olympic gold-medalist swimmer and my mom, to this day, doesn’t know how to swim.”
“We only grow and we only learn and we only get stronger through struggle. And, in moments like that of true adversity, where you’re truly alone and you have no other choice but to push through on your own, I think that’s what builds champions.”
“It [Pectus Excavatum] probably affected me in almost every aspect of my life.”
“In the swimming world, similar to gymnastics, we’re training four, five hours every single day. And so we’re so beat down that, you know, sleep is critical. Sleep is like the most important thing to help you recover in every sport.”
“I’m not 6’6”, I’m 5’ 11”. I only weigh 175 pounds. I don’t have Ryan Lochte’s dashing good looks. So, for me, just making the team was this big win. And then, when I got there, it’s like all the pressure was off and I was just competing honestly for the fun of it.”
“Sometimes we get super wrapped up in the day-to-day grind, and the constantly pushing forward, and the constantly moving, we forget to just take a moment to just take a deep breath, look at everything and just appreciate what we have and appreciate the moment.”
