Ep. 53 Alex Klein: From Pro Basketball to Bobsleigh - A Resilient Pivot with a Side of Ketchup Chips

When life threw Alex Klein a curveball, transforming her from a NCAA basketball player to a Canadian bobsledder, she didn't just adapt—she soared. In our latest episode, Alex shares the intimate details of battling an autoimmune disease while pursuing athletic excellence, and how these challenges have shaped her mission to uplift high-achieving women through her coaching. Her story is a masterclass in resilience, and you'll discover how inner beauty, the power of the soul, and ENFJ personality traits all play a role in her incredible journey.

Join us as we unpack the simple, yet transformative strategies that can illuminate the darkest of days. Alex's approach to gratitude, like savoring the joy in a scoop of ice cream, exemplifies how cherishing the small wins can lead to profound growth. You'll hear how mentors like Tim Grover shaped her mindset, teaching that failure isn't a setback but a pivot point towards new horizons. This conversation is a reminder that the journey of life, with all its twists and turns, is as beautiful as the destination.

To cap off, we venture into a playground of hypotheticals and personal passions—one that's sure to bring a smile to your face. From TED talks on offbeat subjects to musings on a billboard message that would inspire young girls, Alex and I delve into the lighter side of life. And for a touch of Canadian flair, we even debate the merits of ketchup chips! This episode isn't just a listen; it's an experience that weaves wisdom, laughter, and heartfelt inspiration into a tapestry of empowerment. Don't forget to follow the journey on your favorite podcast platforms, and catch the visual treat that awaits on YouTube.

Conversation:
Cayman Islands
2:10 Alex Klein Oh, that's a great question. They were amazing. It's rainy and gross. It was really sad, honestly, landing back in North America, but, um, I'm actually going to visit my mom in Florida, where there's palm trees again, so looking forward Not good.

What comes to mind when hearing the name Riley Tejcek
2:54 Alex Klein My dear friend on USA, bobsled military girl marine of course all the above.

Questions to ask ENFJ personality types
3:04 Alex Klein Their soul. Period.

How she turned something in her personal life that was once negative and uncomfortable…and using that to fuel her passion for helping others
4:11 Alex Klein Well, that's exactly what I did with my coaching business the health obstacles that I have, you know, filling in the gaps for people, for young women, but individuals who are going through similar situations but don't have a mentor, just kind of like how I did. So my intent was to bridge those gaps and be that person that you know, that that role model or that connection that they have, they feel they have a safe space with, where I didn't feel that I had somebody who kind of understood when I was going through it.

Ways endeavors that seem like failures lead to success or pay unexpected dividends
9:16 Alex Klein Failure is feedback. So that's something that I've learned over the years, whether it's in sport or in any other area. It doesn't mean you're going to keep failing, but all of it is feedback. So, even with my coaching clients, if something's not going well, let's say, like they have a goal of losing weight or whatever it may be for them, and let's say they stayed the same or they gained a pound or whatever it is. It's feedback from what we did that week and we can take that going forward. So I mean, every day there's lots of instances like that. So I mean every, every day there's lots of instances like that. But even with, you know, my basketball career feeling like it came to an end and oh no, am I kind of? I believe everybody's an athlete deep inside forever but um, oh, is that the end of my career? But really it was actually rerouting me to something else and it wasn't the end of my athletic career. So what may be perceived as quote failure is definitely not necessarily a failure.

Giving a TED Talk on topic for which she is not known for
10:53 Alex Klein I guess I have something random that I it's a guilty pleasure I guess I love I don't know if this is generic or lame, but I love crime stuff. I find it so fascinating. So I listen to crime documentary or podcasts. I watch crime documentaries documentary or a podcast. I watch crime documentaries. I find, like the way people's brains tick and doing a deep dive into why, why per se, they do the things they do, I find that very fascinating. So I can deep dive and be lost in podcasts and documentaries for hours on end. So I'd say that would be my answer.

Which CLUE character she most identifies with
13:34 Alex Klein Oh, the red one is it Scarlet maybe yeah, what is it about her? I love I. I think it's, she kind of has like a badass side to her. I like that, like she I don't know her vibe, it's so funny, it's like a board game character, but I've always liked her the best I kind of.

GIANT BILLBOARD message for world to see
14:59 Alex Klein Oh, it's such like a generic answer kind of, but my first initial response that I thought of was somewhere where, like young women and young girls would be I really want to be somebody that, again, like they can idolize and they can feel safe with. So somewhere where a lot of young girls would see it. And I don't know exactly what it would say, but probably I'm passionate about like young girls getting into strength training and staying in sport and doing things that that they can do jobs and do things that men are also able to do, so something it would be something along those lines where a lot of people in that market would be able to see it. I don't know what exactly it would say, but that's my answer.

If there was a  bobsled movie made about her life, what she would name the movie 
21:37 Alex Klein This is that's a very hard question. I want it to be along the theme of like it wasn't easy. It wasn't an easy transition, so it would be I don't know what words to use but a tough transition or something I don't know. It sounds so lame, but something like that. I hate my answer.

More info about Alex Klein:
Her links: https://msha.ke/coachalexklein
IG: https://www.instagram.com/its.alexklein/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsalexklein/

Books and People mentioned:
Riley Tejcek
Tim Grover
Jamie Allison
Atomic Habits James Clear
Relentless by Tim Grover
Winning by Tim Grover

Quotes:
“If your thoughts can make you sick, is it possible that your thoughts can help you heal?”- Dr. Joe Dispenza

“Perceived failure is often times success trying to be born in a bigger way.”