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Four-time Olympic medalist Silken Laumann knows a thing or two about resilience and the pursuit of excellence in the face of challenge. Her many accomplishments aside, Silken faced a major obstacle when she was involved in a serious accident before the 1992 Olympic Games. Doctors were doubtful she’d ever row competitively again. But ten weeks later Silken won an Olympic Bronze medal for Canada.
Her inspirational journey is etched into the hearts and minds of everyone who watched that spirited comeback. We would later learn through her book Unsinkable that Silken faced other challenges with courage too – including a struggle with anxiety and depression.
Believing in the importance of stories to inspire, uplift and empower, in 2019 Silken launched Unsinkable, an organization focused on mental health advocacy through storytelling.
To learn more, Silken joins us – next.
Welcome to In the Business of Change, where we speak with social entrepreneurs impacting their communities and the world. I’m your host Elisa Birnbaum publisher and editor in chief of SEE Change Magazine.
On today’s episode we speak with Olympic champion Silken Laumann about adversity, resilience and the transformative power of story. We discuss the “why” behind her organization Unsinkable. She shares how the nonprofit is using stories to encourage people to share their own, learn about others and take difficult steps in their mental health journey. Silken then offers her lessons learned as a social entrepreneur and the one action she hopes this podcast can inspire others to do today.
Listen. Learn. Enjoy. Share.