COMPLICATED AS ALWAYS, RIGHT?
AS ALWAYS, BUT WE'RE TRYING
TO FIGURE IT OUT FOR EVERYBODY.
THE OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST
IS DEBUTING HER NEW MEMOIR.
IT'S OUT TODAY, AND DIGGINS WON
THE FIRST GOLD MEDAL ON THE
WOMAN'S TEAM SPRINT OF THE
WINTER OLYMPICS BACK IN 2018,
AREA LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE
JESSIE WITH US ON SKYPE.
GOOD MORNING.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
HI.
THANK FOR HAVING ME.
YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN MORE
THAN 2 YEARS, BUT I STILL
REMEMBER WHERE I WAS WHEN 84
SKI WENT ACROSS THAT FINISH
LINE.
I MEAN, HEART-POUNDING, GOING
ON, SO INCREDIBLE.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO SINCE
THE LAST 2 YEARS?
OH, STILL TRAINING AND STILL
RACING, WRITING A BOOK ABOUT
THE EXPERIENCE, BUT IT'S BEEN A
LOT OF FUN.
IT'S BEEN A LOT OF FUN JUST
DOING OUR NORMAL RACES.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF EXCITING
MOMENTS, SOME UPS AND DOWNS.
OF COURSE, THIS SEASON'S YEAR
ENDED EARLY, BUT WE'RE LOOKING
FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR.
YOU'RE TRYING TO TELL YOUR
STORY OF WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A
NRMAL KID HERE IN THE MIDWEST
AND THE BRAVERY IT TAKES TO
MAKE THE TRANSITION.
TELL US ABOUT WHAT PART OF YOUR
STORY PEOPLE ARE REALLY GOING
TO BE SURPRISED BY OR INSPIRED
BY?
YEAH.
WELL, A BIG PART OF WRITING THE
BOOK WAS JUST TO BE A LITTLE
MORE NORMAL AND TO BE ABLE TO
RELATE TO PEOPLE MORE BECAUSE
SOMETIMES I THINK WHEN, YOU
KNOW, PEOPLE ARE PUT UP ON THIS
PEDESTAL, THEY'RE THEY SEEM
UNTOUCHABLE OR UNRELATABLE.
AND SO IN PART OF MY BOOK
WHETHER I TALK ABOUT GROWING UP
IN MINNESOTA, I WANT PEOPLE TO
REALIZE THAT SOUNDS LIKE MY
STORY.
THAT COULD BE ANYONE.
IT IS SUPER RELATABLE, AND IT'S
SUPER ACHIEVABLE IF YOU HAVE
GOALS AND WORK SUPER HARD AND
HAVE A REALLY GREAT TEAM AROUND
YOU.
THE PART THAT I THINK WILL
SURPRISE PEOPLE IS THE CHAPTERS
THAT I HAVE FROM MY EATING
DISORDER WHICH I HAD WHEN I WAS
18 AND 19 YEARS OLD.
I WENT TO A PROGRAM FOR
TREATMENT AND ENDED UP SAVING
MY OWN LIFE WITH HER HELP.
AND THAT WAS A REALLY TOUGH
PART OF THE BOOK TO WRITE AND
TALK ABOUT, BUT I REALLY WANT
TO BRING AWARENESS TO MENTAL
HEALTH STRUGGLES AND BODY IMAGE
ISSUES ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES
TO SPORTS AND YOUNG KIDS WHO
ARE TRYING SO HARD AND REALLY
IN THAT TIME A PERSONALITY THAT
I WAS IN.
SO I THINK THAT WILL HOPEFULLY
BRING AWARENESS AND A LITTLE
RIGHT DIFFERENT SUBJECTS AND
HARDER TOPICS.
AND THEN OF COURSE, THE KWRAING
THE TRAVEL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S
THE FUN CHAPTER THAT THERE'S
SOME FUNNY MOMENTS I SEE A
LITTLE BIT OF THE INSIDE LOOK
OF WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE.
YEAH.
IT'S GOING TO BE FASCINATING.
I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THS BOOK.
I'M INTERESTED TO HEAR YOUR
TAKE.
YOUR SEASON WAS CUT SHORT.
WE HAVE THESE SUMMER OLYMPIANS
READY AND TRAINING.
NOW IT'S GOING TO BE A PUSHED A
YEAR OUT.
WHAT'S GOING THROUGH THEIR
MIND, AND WHAT'S HAPPENING TO
THEM AND YOU AS THIS MENTAL
GAME HAS BEEN PLAYED?
IT'S BEEN A WILD RIDE.
THAT SAID, WE REALIZE THAT OUR
PROBLEMS, YOU KNOW, SPORT IS
SUCH A WONDERFUL THING, AND
IT'S A PRIVILEGE AND GREAT PART
OF LIFE.
THIS ISN'T, IT'S NOT LIFE OR
DEATH, BUT WE'RE STILL ALLOWED
TO FEEL FRUSTRATED AND SAD
ABOUT THE LOSS OF COMPETITIONS
THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING YEARS
TOWARDS.
SO I THINK A LOT OF THE SUMMER
OLYMPIANS ARE JUST SORT OF IN
THAT PROCESS OF RESET ASKING
REFRAMING THEIR TIMELINE AND
THEIR GOALS.
AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
STILL REALLY MOTIVATED, BUT NOW
THEY JUST MOVE THE TARGET OUT A
LITTLE FURTHER, AND FOR MYSELF,
WE WORKED REALLY HARD FOR YEARS
TO GET THE CHANCE FOR THE WORLD
CUP TO COME TO MINNEAPOLIS.
AND IT'S GOING TO BE ON MARCH
17TH, AND OF COURSE, THAT COULD
NOT HAPPEN DUE TO DIFFERENT
REASONS.
BUT WE'RE STILL LOOKING FORWARD
TO IT HAPPENING SOME DAY.
IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZING, AND
SO I THINK THE ATTITUDE FOR ME
WAS WE'RE NOT GIVING UP.
IT'S GOING TO BE POSTPONED.
IT WILL HAPPEN.
JESSIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH
VIRTUAL WORD PLAY IS PRESENTING
A LIVE TALK AND WORKOUT WITH
JESSIE.
I THINK EVERYONE LIKES WORKING
FROM HOME.
WHAT A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY
HERE.
WCCO.COM/LINKS HAS THE
INFORMATION FOR YOU TO REGISTER
FOR THE EVENT.
AND JESSIE'S BOOK IS CALLED
BRAVE ENOUGH.
IT'S A VIRTUAL BOOK FESTIVAL
THAT CONNECTS READRS AND
WRITERS AND GREAT BOOKS.
THEY WILL HAVE A ROLE OF
SCHEDULED EVENTS.
WE'VE BEEN PUTTING MORE
INFORMATION ON THAT.