Interview: 2-time Olympic medalist Olivia Smoliga is finding and spreading her power

Olivia Smoliga. Photo Credit: Mike Lewis

2-time Olympic medalist Olivia Smoliga is “finding her power” and spreading it. She spoke about her latest ventures, which include the new “In Depth Swimming Academy.”

She reflects on being a part of the digital age and she shares the greatest lesson that the sport has ever taught her.

Florence Griffith Joyner once said: “I love working with kids, talking with them and listening to them. I always encourage kids to reach beyond their dreams. Don’t try to be like me. Be better than me.” This quote applies to Olivia Smoliga.

Background on Olivia Smoliga

Smoliga is a two-time Olympian and World Champion swimmer, who has made a significant impact in the world of competitive swimming. She is known for her speed and versatility, and her career has spanned multiple disciplines for over a decade.

She won a gold medal in the women’s 4×100 meter medley race at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016, and a bronze medal in the women’s 4×100 meter freestyle race at the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Smoliga plans on using her experience in the sport to help the next generation of swimmers reach their full potential, both in and out of the pool.

New In Depth Swimming Academy

“On January 13, I am launching my In Depth Swimming Academy, and I am really excited about it,” she admitted.

“This past September, I was asked to do a Swim Clinic, which fell through,” she noted. “I was thinking about what to do after the U.S. Olympic Trials, in order to still stay involved in the sport that I love so much, and also give back in a way that only people from having years of experience can give back.”

“My Swim Academy is about continuing the education forward with kids,” she said. “This academy is tailored for ages nine through high school, so it is going to be divided into two groups: ages nine through 12-year-olds, and then, a 13 and over group through highs school.”

“I hope to one day expand to collegiate teams as well. It would be really cool to implement these things there as well,” she added.

Smoliga continued, “As part of my academy, I will be going in the water and demoing drills, and what is really beautiful is that it’s an all-encompassing thing where we will be working on mobilization and activation before we jump in. This includes stretches and exercises that are specific to swimmers.”

“After we get out of the pool, we will be doing meditative yoga and stretching, where we will be regulating our breathwork and our nervous system. We are coming to this really peaceful place that you want to be at before you step up behind the blocks,” she elaborated.

Smoliga on her classroom workshops

“My favorite part of the academy are the classroom workshops,” she admitted. “We will be doing a goal setting workshop and a visualization workshop, and an open discussion workshop where we will be talking about how to navigate setbacks and we will open it up to Question and Answers, and it should be really beautiful,” she explained.

“The fact that it has an extra added classroom makes it that much more special, so I am excited to add this to the Swim Clinic world,” she added.

“One of my main intentions is to create this safe and open space where swimmers can come in, and once they leave the Academy, they feel so encouraged, confident and supported in their next steps,” she explained.

“Also, to really write down these goals and to believe in them, and to own them when they go behind the blocks. I am aiming for some really big dreamers, so I am really excited,” she said.

Smoliga on her partnership with the GoSwim app

Smoliga opened up about her partnership with the GoSwim innovative underwater filming app, which offers personalized video analysis of each swimmer’s technique.

“An added bonus is that I partnered with Go Swim, the swim app, where swimmers can upload their races’ videos, and they can annotate it with their club coach of themselves,” she said.

“Aaron Peirsol is on there and Amanda Beard is on the app, and I am now on it as well. The beauty of Go Swim is that when you sign up for one event, you get a yearly subscription with Go Swim.”

“The beauty of this app is that I will get to stay in contact with these swimmers for the entire year. We will continue our education together and I will send them monthly newsletters. I’ve also partnered with FINIS, so every swimmer gets a discount code with FINIS, and I’ve partnered with JOLYN where we are making a custom swimsuit for the Academy. I am just so excited. This is our basic structure.”

“My dream is to start in Chicago first, and then expand to other clubs across the country,” she said.

Greatest lesson that the sport has ever taught her

On the greatest lesson that the swimming sport has taught her, she said, “It has taught me patience, and being resilient! Those are the two main lessons. You must have a strong stomach for a sport that can be so intense and it requires so much out of you.”

“Swimming has taught me everything. It is an avenue of life for me, through swimming, it is how I learn to live life. Everything can be applied from the sport to life. It taught me that I am a lot tougher than I ever thought I could be. I am a lot more capable and a lot stronger.”

“Swimming can also be humbling, so it has taught me humility as well. Every single competitor of mine I have ever met is a hard worker, no doubt about that. Nobody is out here trying to cut corners; they are all working really hard.”

The digital age

On being a part of the digital age, Smoliga said, “The digital age is good! I like it. I love the creative side of the social media, and posting is so fun for me. I love it because it is how people stay connected.”

Best thing about being her age

Smoliga addressed the best thing about being her age, 30. “I was really sad to see my 20s go because they were some of the best years of my life,” she noted.

“There is a new different confidence to being 30,” she admitted. “Now, I feel more secure with myself. I have more experience and I’ve gained so much wisdom from the people that I’ve gotten to meet, and now, I own my age, my expertise, and my power, and I really love that.”

“I am really grateful that this new year of life that I am stepping into is gifting me that,” she added.

Stage of her life

On the title of the current chapter of her life, she revealed, “Power.”

“Finding my own power,” she explained. “Being centered in my power, believing in my power, and spreading that power to others.”

Favorite motto to live by

Her favorite motto to live by is a quote by four-time Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe.

Smoliga remarked, “Willem Dafoe once said, ‘abandon perfection, try to fail’.”

“This way, you take more risks, and you go for what you want to do, and you release the pressure,” she said. “That’s a motto I keep reminding myself of. I can drop the perfection and go for something, and not be afraid to make mistakes!”

“My imperfections make me who I am,” she admitted. “If I am not making mistakes, I am not learning and growing, so I definitely want to put myself in a position where I constantly want to evolve and grow as a person.”

“Also, I am free to follow my heart’s desires,” she added.

Success

Regarding her definition of the word success, Smoliga said, “Success, to me, is honesty. So, I am being honest with myself on how I feel about everything. I want to be honest about what I desire, and to be honest with what I am feeling and being true to myself.

“To be free in my own body and my own mind, and not trapped by my thoughts. To be totally transparently honest with myself. Total liberation is success to me because it allows to live life freely and go after your dreams,” she explained.

Message for her fans

“Thank you so much for constantly sending me love,” Smoliga told her fans. “I am so grateful for your love and support, and for constantly being a source of inspiration for me. I believe in you. I love you. Hopefully, this academy is a gift to you guys, and I hope you love it too.”

Closing thoughts on the In Depth Swimming Academy

For her fans, she expressed, “What I want athletes to get out of the In Depth Swimming Academy is a more centered sense of self upon leaving.”

“I want them to feel joyful and confident in the things that they learned knowing that they are tailored to them and knowing they can take these lessons with them for the rest of their lives,” she explained.

“When you learn to set goals and to visualize, your game is going to be elevated to the next level,” she said.

“Mainly, I want the athletes that come to know that they can do anything, and that their dreams are within reach,” she concluded.

To learn more about Olivia Smoliga, follow her on Instagram.

For more information on the In Depth Swimming Academy, visit its official homepage.