Denise Lewis: No One Knew What I Was Going Through After the Olympics (E339)

I didn't stop my career on my terms really. I still thought there is a bit more to give physically, but mentally I was just bent as well. You don't have to be defined by perceived mistakes in your life. You can move forward and move out of those with the right tools, I felt. Like I was the bottom of the food chain. I reached out to Baroness Sue Campbell. She offered me that lifeline to just start working again. I just revert it back to where do I think I could add value? That is the voice of Dame Denise Lewis, a pioneer who paved the way for others when she became the first ever European athlete to be crowned Olympic heptathlon champion. at the two thousand Sydney Olympics. Now Damien, I wasn't with you for this one. Why was it so special?

Well, Denise is the embodiment to me of grace and elegance. She grew up as the only child of a single mum who was a windrush migrant. And that shapes both her independent, her desire to scale the heights. And also built hope. Of incredible levels of resilience. In this episode she's gonna talk about how she lost her identity in what she calls the wilderness years post retirement.

She'll explain how the Olympic gold medal has given her a lifetime of confidence. And She's gonna show how she's taken her gold medal mindset. So being a mum. To four children.

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