Mikaela Shiffrin has won a new title for the ski racer with the most World Cup wins in history. two-time Olympic champion — Podcast host.
30 years old From Colorado will release “What’s the Point with Michaela Shiffrin” on October 29th. It’s all part of her brand, which is expanding ahead of February’s Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
She also just unveiled a personal logo featuring her initials, MS, and is shaped like a skier in a tuck position and a mountain.
Her podcast is a way to share the twists and turns that come with skiing, and also to tell stories about what drives athletes (and sometimes celebrities) to success.
Shiffrin says that after years of being interviewed, it can be a daunting adventure to slip into the interviewer’s chair.
“I have big, big dreams[for the podcast]but at the same time this is in the early stages,” Shiffrin, who is preparing to begin her World Cup season with a giant slalom race in Austria on Saturday, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
“I want to gain insight and perspective from other people about why they do what they do, why they love what they do, what drives their pursuit of excellence and improvement. Whether it’s records, accomplishments, or passion, to better understand what values people have and what drives them.”
This is her spin on the podcast “New Heights,” hosted by Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Taylor Swift’s fiancé, Travis Kelce, and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. They have built up quite a fan following through their easy-going conversations.
“I wish I had sisters, because the way they play together is so great.” Shiffrin said.is expected to release eight to 10 podcasts in its first season.
Shiffrin will also be joined by a wide range of guests. It could be teammates, rivals, executives, stars of other sports, celebrities, or simply important people in her life.
Her ideal guest would be actor, comedian, and talk show host Stephen Colbert to discuss dealing with grief. He lost his father and two brothers in a plane crash when he was a child.
“It was an unimaginable loss, but I can relate to how he got through it and a lot of the stories I heard from him,” said Shiffrin, who won an Alps record 101 World Cup wins.
“He developed a way of speaking very clearly about grief and connection, and a great way to help people understand certain ways of looking at it.”
Shiffrin lost. her father, JeffIn February 2020, an accident occurred at my parents’ home in Colorado. He was 65 years old.
“Ever since my father passed away, I’ve talked about my struggles,” Shiffrin said. “I was in this stage of apathy for a long time and couldn’t understand what’s the point in doing any of these things, caring about life, living, skiing, winning. What’s the point in doing it when you can’t share it with all the people you love the most?
“I’ve certainly gotten over that feeling of apathy since then, but it was a fundamental question for me of ‘What’s the point?'”
Hence the title of her podcast.
“The number one question I get from other people is, ‘Why are you still doing this? You won everything, so why bother?'” said Shiffrin, whose podcast is provided by Stifel, title sponsor of the U.S. Ski Team.
“I’m like, ‘I don’t know. I just know.'” I still love training. I still love skiing, improving and feeling like I’m getting better and faster. I believe that by gaining perspective from others, you can gain your own perspective, and I hope that it will be helpful to those listening as well. ”
In addition to producing the podcast, she also played a role in the new brand logo, created by design company Wonderworks in collaboration with marketing agency Skylark.
These days, her schedule is filled with podcasting and training for the Olympics. She won the slalom at the 2014 Sochi Games and the giant slalom at the South Korean Games four years later.
“I want to jump into 100% while balancing it with something else that jumps into 100%,” Shiffrin said. “I’m not entirely sure what’s going to happen. But I’m really excited. We’ll just work on it throughout the season.”
___
AP ski: https://apnews.com/hub/Alpine Skiing
