This episode explores how trusting yourself, cultivating autonomy, and shifting from scarcity to abundance can transform your experience in the sport. Olivia shares how self-determination, inner guidance, and belief in your unique path help you move beyond limiting stories like “I’m only good in prelims” or “I don’t swim fast in season,” and offers a journaling practice to rewrite them into beliefs that actually support your growth.

This episode explores recovery as the “other half” of training — not just for the body, but for the mind, nervous system, and spirit. Olivia breaks down the difference between sympathetic “go mode” and parasympathetic “rest and digest,” shares her favorite recovery tools (sauna, cold plunge, stretching, yoga, PT), and explains why alignment between your habits and your goals matters. The episode closes with a humming practice to calm the nervous system and a journal prompt to help you become the athlete you’re dreaming about.

Why do swimmers so often swim faster in prelims than in finals? In this episode, Olivia explores the psychology of prelim–final racing — from pressure and expectations to Self-Determination Theory and mental training. You’ll learn why prelims feel like play, how finals can trigger overthinking, and how to build a mindset that lets you race free and focused.

Gratitude isn’t just emotional — it’s neurological. In this episode, Olivia breaks down ten ways gratitude enhances focus, resilience, recovery, and performance, and guides listeners through breathwork and journaling practices to integrate it into daily training and competition.

This episode explores how inspiration and visualization work together to help athletes embody the qualities of their future selves. Olivia explains why inspiration strikes, how to turn it into motivation, and guides listeners through a visualization designed to activate confidence, clarity, and forward momentum.

Olivia explores how embracing impermanence transforms fear into freedom. Through stories, science, and reflection, she unpacks how letting go of old identities helps us find flow — in competition, in growth, and in becoming who we’re meant to be.

In this episode, Olivia Smoliga redefines what it means to compete — shifting the focus from chasing others to mastering yourself. Through stories from Team USA competition and insights on flow state and authenticity, she explores how letting go of comparison frees your energy, sharpens focus, and unlocks your best performance.

Olivia shares her return to racing after a 16-month break, exploring lessons on presence, perfectionism, and the beginner mindset. A grounded reflection on rediscovering growth, purpose, and joy in high-performance sport.

A swimmer-specific guided meditation—body scan, four-count box breathing, and an acceptance exercise—to calm nerves, sharpen focus, and choose your next step forward.

In the debut episode of In Deep with Olivia Smoliga, two-time Olympian and world champion Olivia Smoliga opens up about the mindset behind elite performance — from managing fear and pressure to rediscovering purpose on the road to LA 2028. A candid and inspiring introduction to the mental side of becoming a champion, both in and out of the pool.