The Olympic Games are the pinnacle of athletic achievement. Dedication, skill, talent, grit, and competition come together to showcase the world’s most impressive athletes. But beyond physical prowess, the Olympics highlight incredible stories and career lessons anyone can take away. The upcoming Winter Games, which will take place in Milan and in the surrounding Dolomites starting 6on February, will feature some incredible women whose careers have something to teach us. They exemplify how we all can approach ambition, setbacks, and success in any field.Â
Lindsey Vonn: Reinvention and Resilience
Vonn is no stranger to the Olympics and has dominated women’s alpine skiing for years. She has won four World Cup overall championships, three Olympic medals, and eight world championship medals. She retired in 2019, but has since announced her intent to compete once again. In the upcoming Olympics, Vonn is back – this time with a titanium knee. According to The New York Times, she underwent surgery so she could retain an active lifestyle, with no goals of continuing her athletic career. But a few months later, her knee felt better than ever, and she floated the idea of coming back to racing. Since then, she quickly rose back to dominance – just in December, she easily won gold in the women’s World Cup downhill race.Â
At 41, Vonn isn’t slowing down–literally and figuratively. She will push 80 miles an hour down steep, icy slopes. Vonn shows us that it’s never too late to pivot, rebuild, and keep pushing after setbacks. Careers and progress aren’t linear. Learn to embrace major changes with grace and adaptability.
Eileen Gu: Pushing Further
At just 18, Gu stunned the world at the last Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. She won an astonishing three medals: two golds in Big Air and Halfpipe, and silver in Slopestyle. A breakout star in 2022, this year she’s aiming to continue her domination and defend her titles.
Her career off the slopes is equally as expansive and impressive: she’s heavily involved in the fashion industry and modeling and is studying quantum physics at Stanford University.Â
As Gu exemplifies, you’re allowed to be more than one thing. Pursuing multiple passions doesn’t impair you; it may be your superpower. Defining your own success across multiple fields and aspects of your life is important. Dare to push further and push the envelope!
Laila Edwards: Embracing Pressure
Edwards is making history as the first Black woman to play in the Winter Olympic ice hockey for the US. Only 21 and a senior at the University of Wisconsin, Edwards is no stranger to “firsts”. In 2024, she became the first Black woman to play for the US women’s senior national team. To PEOPLE, she described that there were two courses of action to deal with the added weight and responsibility of that title: either “shy away from it, or try to make a difference.”
At one point, a 10-year-old Laila watched the US and Canada fight for a gold medal at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Next month, she’ll be living out her dream playing in the Milan games. Edwards shows that your voice matters – don’t be afraid to use it. Representation may feel like a burden, but it can help make a big impact.Â
Alysa Liu: Coming Back Stronger
Liu is making her comeback. Seven years ago, her name went down in history as the youngest female to win the US figure skating championships at 13. But three years later, Liu decided to retire from skating. But this winter, she’s back. This time, on her own terms. She tells Cosmopolitan that when she last competed, she “didn’t really love skating that much” and was “just not in the process.” Now, as an adult, Liu is more involved in the creative process and has greater input on her costumes, music, and training schedule. She has returned with greater maturity, self-direction, and purpose.Â
Sometimes stepping back and taking a break is the smartest way forward. Liu demonstrates that pausing can be a purposeful way to regroup and lead to a reinvigorated effort towards your goals and even a healthier relationship with them. Her journey shows that leaving something behind for a while doesn’t close that door, but allows you to revisit it with more intention and confidence.
For these elite athletes, success isn’t just about Olympic hardware; it’s about mindset. Their stories reflect resoluteness, resilience, and reinvention, with lessons that apply as much to academics and careers as to elite athletics.